UNION BET ON

HEALTH CARE
FOR ALL

March 2, 2011: Unions are a shrinking part of America’s culture. Then again, so is our overall sense of
connection to what our Founding Parents probably did for us all. As good deeds fade with time, the
importance of the role they played is hard to keep front and center.

Organized labor has this problem now. Plus, member numbers are dropping in no small part as various
sectors have done what they can to weaken the appeal of collaborative action. Conservative and
corporate forces have been well dispatched to divide and conquer, in many ways affirming some type of
notion that in working together, individual workers fare less well than would an individual fighting for
his or her own interest – this at the same time that public debates for some time have made it appear
that unionized workers from the public sector were greedy and unfairly benefiting at the expense of the
greater good.

Even as that perception still exists, new indicators suggest that the momentum has been changing and
that, for the most part, organized labor still retains a hold on some front. Health care being one of them.
An ability to bring about wage improvements for all another.

CBS said this of a poll assessment released March 1, 2011,

In a finding that could explain why Americans oppose reductions to cutting the pay or benefits of
public employees, less than two in five say public employees are overcompensated. Thirty-six
percent say the salaries and benefits of most public employees are too high, while a majority say
they are either too low (25 percent) or about right (36 percent).

Clearly, unions still possess a special place in the hearts of most Americans. We saw this for sure in the
health care debate and we generally still think that there is something of value that unions offer us all.

Given this and given the fact that the nation is facing impressive challenges of what its future might look
like, we’re proposing that organized labor spearhead a far different strategy. We think unions should
come together, get over internal divides, and present a collective face of commitment and make a
straightforward offer to Congress and the Obama Administration.

COLLECTIVE UNION BET ON A HEALTHIER FUTURE: They should say in whatever actual terms and with
some means to verify how it plays out:

Our purpose is to organize for collective benefits. We do it first for our employees, or at least
we have in the past on the assumption that progress for each sector we represent would result

1 Union Bet, March 2011

 in progress for all. We’re keeping afloat our accomplishments (to some degree, though this
could change), but we are not doing what is necessary to raise the tide for all.

Accordingly, we’re proposing to give back in actual benefit values, health and wellness
benefits equal to 10% of what we receive each year in exchange for a 10% growth in the
numbers of non-union members who gain access to reasonable, quality health care. And we
will do this for up to 10 years, if need be, so that by the time this transformation happens, the
entire nation of workers will have access in one form or another to real and usable care.

Obviously, there would have to be some mechanisms for ensuring that all parties live up to the
commitment. Perhaps a major and very public and transparent stakeholder oversight group that relies
on impressive, open, public and transparent empowerment tools and tactics. This is the essence of true
collaborative progress and thus something that needs to be affirmed for all to see how unions serve a
greater good.

We’re aware that this proposal might cause some to sit up and take notice. Union members might get
very angry as might corporate forces. Money from opposition stakeholders will pour forth in
antagonism. But there would be no question but that unions would be acting in the interests of others
and thus undercut claims that suggest otherwise.

If this great experiment in rebranding public faith in purpose-driven advocacy fails, it should be very
clear who caused the missteps. If all goes well, the nation as a whole has a functioning health care
system and no one gives up what they have without being able to replace it with something that is fairer
and more justice for everyone.

The battle we are watching in Wisconsin is a powerful reminder of what organized action can do when
they are forced to live up to their ideals. This even though the battle is hardly fair. Corporate and
billionaire anti-union resources outweigh pro-union forces by a factor of at least 7 of 10, though in
reality it is more likely that the true dollars against organized support is even greater and growing.
Unions need a clear and decisive victor, and what we are proposing is one way to demonstrate that they
have not lost focus on progress for all. (For a good overview of the imbalance, see the following article
which includes a note about a recent Rachel Maddow presentation on what has happened to pro-union
support money because of the influence of the dollars of the uber wealthy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-b-keegan/union-busting-the-real-ca_b_828237.html).

We think the public will respect this bet.

What do you say?

You can send your comments to LeftHipPub@gmail.com or participate in a greater discussion about
better ways to a right and ready future from the perspective of the left via http://DivorcingObama.com.

2 Union Bet, March 2011