How do Union Health Care Benefits Create Jobs and Why Should You Care?
A Statement from Larry Hall, President, UFCW Local 1439
Health care is a major industry in our area. When you hear people talking about cutting health care benefits, they never connect it to cutting health care jobs. United Food and Commercial Workers Health and Welfare Trust paid $39 million in benefits to participants and beneficiaries over the last plan year. How many health care jobs did over $39 million create and sustain in our area? Our plan covers only the members of UFCW Local 1439 and their families. In the Spokane area, there are over 40 Local Unions most of whom have negotiated health care coverage for their members.
If you work in the health care industry, we would like you to ask yourself, would I be working if Union negotiated health care plans were eliminated? If your job is safe, how many of your coworkers could be laid off? If dental or vision benefits were cut out of our plans, as some employers are now doing, how many dental or vision offices would have to close? If Union members and their families could no longer afford to go to your hospital, could your hospital survive?
We recognize that we are all in this economy together. The UFCW Health Care Plan plus the health care plans of other Union workers; Steelworkers, Building Trades, Teamsters, Machinists, Communication Workers, Bakers, Transportation, Hotel and all the public worker plans both create and sustain jobs. All of these people from all of these occupations, and many more who I haven’t mentioned, buy their groceries from Union grocery stores such as Safeway, Rosauers, Fred Meyer and Albertsons, and therefore, support us in our struggle to maintain a middle class lifestyle. We believe Union Health Care creates local jobs.
We urge you to continue your support in our current negotiations with Spokane Grocery Stores Safeway, Albertsons and Fred Meyer because, as we all know, Union Jobs Build a Stronger Community.
In 2011 the UFCW Health and Welfare Trust had a total income from member and employer contributions of over $40 million. Almost $39 million was paid out in benefits to participants, beneficiaries and their providers.
In 2010 the Washington-Idaho Operating Engineers Health Trust had a total income of $13.3 million, $12.7 million of which was paid out in benefits to participants beneficiaries and their providers.
"Union Health Benefits are vital to the success of Sunrise Dental. Much of our business
relies on union insureance. Because of their support, our three Spokane offices remain in
business and can furthersupport our local economy through creating more jobs."
- R.J. Henneberg, DDS
