Coalition Calls for Universal Health Care by 2012
February 8, 2007, Washington, D. C.
CWA and AT&T joined other corporations and labor and policy groups in a new coalition — Better Health Care Together — calling for a national program guaranteeing universal access to quality, affordable health care by no later than 2012.
The press announcement this week drew widespread attention largely because of the inclusion in the coalition of WalMart along with the Service Employees union, which operates the WalMart Watch campaign highlighting worker abuses at the giant retailer.
"It's a group that usually doesn't agree on much, but we do agree about the urgent need for real reform that will fix our broken health care system," said CWA President Larry Cohen. At the news conference, Cohen quoted from CWA members who are worried about the future of health care for themselves and their children. He also noted that, "Most labor disputes today — such as the recent 3-month strike at Goodyear — are caused by workers trying to protect their families' health security."
AT&T's Jim Cicconi, EVP for external affairs, told the press that AT&T is committed to providing quality health coverage for its workers, but pointed out that a huge portion of its medical costs comes from coverage of dependents who work for employers that don't offer benefits.
