High health care costs lead to strike at GM.
High health care costs lead to strike at GM.
Today, the United Auto Workers union announced they would launch a nationwide-strike, the first in 37 years, against General Motors over job security and benefits, as GM has sought to cut costs. Markos links the strike to GM’s astronomical health care costs, noting that the company spent $5.2 billion on health care in 2005. GM officials have acknowledged the need to address health care costs:
“Failing to address the health care crisis would be the worst kind of procrastination,” [General Motors Corp. chairman and chief executive G. Richard] Wagoner said, “the kind that places our children and our grandchildren at risk and threatens the health and global competitiveness of our nation’s economy.” […]
“GM is the canary in the coal mine for Medicare and everyone else,” said Sean P. McAlinden, chief economist at the nonprofit Center for Automotive Research. “There are many, many more companies out there in trouble because of health care costs than just the auto, steel and airline industries.”
Kos and Digby suggest that perhaps the strike could “drive the nation closer to universal health care.” More on the strike here.
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I think this is an important moment for both GM and the UAW, and they should take the time to get it right. Its bad that GM and UAW is going to lose money in a strike, but this is an important moment, which will determine both their futures.
If the UAW doesn’t take control of the funds required to meet obligations to their members, then there is no protection if/when GM shutters its doors to competition. If GM doesn’t get free of those obligations, it will not be able to compete with foreign automakers.
I will light a candle for all of them.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:06 pmI am sure Kucinich will have a lot to say about this on J Leno’s show tonight.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:33 pmThat’s what I have been questioning for years? Why isn’t big business pushing for universal health care? Why aren’t they eager to get the monkey off their backs and spread out over everyone in the country? The public has to endure annual renewals, reviews and potential lessening of benefits, to downright exclusion, and they live in fear of losing a job and the benefits that accompany it.
Medicare operates at a 2-3% overhead and is remarkably efficient for the huge industry that it is.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:35 pmInsurance companies are capricious, arcane and run at a 15-30% overhead.
Why isn’t this a no-brainer?
I’m a member of the United Food & Commercial Workers in southern California. A couple of months ago we almost came to a strike, but after going back to the table numerous times we finally eliminated a two-tiered wage that was forced down our throats 4 years ago, and also won improvements in health care.
I think Americans are finally fed up with the status quo. We will not tolerate this any longer.
Imagine what the companies could do for the employees if they didn’t have to spend so much money on healthcare? We might actually have a real middle class in this country again.
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE NOW!!!
ONLY SUPPORT CANDIDATES WHO HAVE A TRUE, UNIVERSAL HEALTH PLAN!
September 24th, 2007 at 7:37 pmJason M. Hendler
Why not go with Universal health care - the real Universal plan Kucinich has outlined completely eliminating the insurance Co altogether? They soak up, what, about 30% of the cost where as single payer for all would cost 3% for administrative costs. Then there would be no problem with business’s trying to cover the health care cost… also many companies may move back tot he US. It is a win - win for all except the insurance companies.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:39 pmIf God wanted us to have health care he would have put it the ten commandants contract.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:40 pmKos and Digby suggest that perhaps the strike could “drive the nation closer to universal health care.â€
kos and Digby are eternal optimists which is great, but knowing all too well the massive greed, arrogance, and hubris of the American ruling class I’m with Atrios who ponders that logic and business sense would have had the captains of American industry in the universal healthcare camp long ago if not for their principles of never ever doing anything they don’t have to to help the average American even at the expense of their worshiped corporations.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:42 pm.
.
america is one sick puppy…. did you thank your corporate whore today?
September 24th, 2007 at 7:42 pm*
DO NOT CROSS PICKET LINES
… pass it on…
September 24th, 2007 at 7:51 pm.
If God wanted us to have health care he would have put it the ten commandants contract.
Comment by henry wallace
September 24th, 2007 at 7:53 pmIt is… read between the lines.
If God wanted us to have health care he would have put it the ten commandants contract.
name me one commandment that any of the religious right adhere to.
no matter if ‘Thou shall labor to protect the health and welfare of all of God’s creatures’ was a commandment or not. The religious right would still live by ‘Thou shall screw thy neighbor at every opportunity’.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:53 pm.
Reichwingers aren’t for it - till they need it - ALL Americans should have health care, it is shamefull that we don’t.
You are so right gak - “screw thy neighbor” and the old, “I got mine.”
Buck Fush
September 24th, 2007 at 7:59 pmWhat’s bad for general Motors is bad for the United States.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:05 pmUniversal health care now.
gak..amen
September 24th, 2007 at 8:08 pmheh.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:18 pmThat’s what I have been questioning for years? Why isn’t big business pushing for universal health care?
The last I heard they were. Especially the auto industry. Toyota recently opened a new plant in Canada that they would have opened here if not for the high cost of health care.
Dennis Kucinich has crunched the numbers and says that if we were to extend Medicare to every person in this country tomorrow, the cost to this country would be 1/3 the cost of health care under private health care companies. And, this included raising the rates paid to doctors, which Bush has lowered every year he has been in office. The quality of our health care would also go up because there would be no more wrangling about whether or not someone should get a certain treatment. If your doctor says you need it, you get it.
Kucinich is the only candidate who is not afraid of the health care industry and has proposed universal health care. Hillary has rolled out a “for profit” version of universal health care that won’t be universal and will just end up costing us more. It’s time we say goodbye to the health care companies and make health care a right instead of a privilege. It’s time we join the rest of the industrialized nations in the world.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:25 pmThanks for the info, bilbo.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:29 pmI truly agree we need to eliminate the profitmakers from the system.
It’s time we say goodbye to the health care companies and make health care a right instead of a privilege. It’s time we join the rest of the industrialized nations in the world.
Comment by bilbobaggins — September 24, 2007 @ 8:25 pm
Amen.
Let’s join the First World.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:29 pmONLY SUPPORT CANDIDATES WHO HAVE A TRUE, UNIVERSAL HEALTH PLAN!
At this point that is Dennis Kucinich. But he can’t be president because the MSM has decided he can’t be president.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:38 pmAll Of America Needs To Strike… Starting with one day in October…
Solidarity.
–mf
September 24th, 2007 at 8:46 pmBet they wish they had had the vision to work with Hilary on health care way back when!
September 24th, 2007 at 9:07 pmInteresting conjunction of the planets here. Right Wingers are pro big business and anti-government programs such as universal healthcare. Now the interests of big business seem to be aligned with healthcare.
Not to mention that Hillary Clinton was closely associated with healthcare 10 years ago and now has it as a major part of her platform. As Hillary is the antichrist,…..
What will they do ?
September 24th, 2007 at 9:12 pmONLY SUPPORT CANDIDATES WHO HAVE A TRUE, UNIVERSAL HEALTH PLAN!
At this point that is Dennis Kucinich. But he can’t be president because the MSM has decided he can’t be president.
Comment by bilbobaggins
September 24th, 2007 at 9:14 pmIt is all too obvious Kucinich is the pick for progressives. Thom Hartman did an on the spot short poll - giving no warning for righties to mess it up… 26 called in for Kucinich, 12 for Edwards, 4 for Obama and 1 for Hillary. Ray Taliaferro was talking up Obama, then a few minutes later he stated that many emails came in and all were for Kucinich. Now he says the pundits have decided it will be Hillary. Here at TP, we all seem to be for Kucinich, with some stating he will never win.
But MSM and some righties appear to be pushing for Hillary… they have our primary picked for us. Hillary is the most corporate friendly and Kucinich is the least.
All Of America Needs To Strike…Starting with one day in October…
Solidarity.
–mf
Comment by Monkeyfister —
You are absolutely right. Mike Malloy and Ray Taliaferro have talked about this. If the masses do not hear about it therefore not do this, another day needs to be set until all get it.
September 24th, 2007 at 9:40 pm26 - ron… you stated:
1. Anything the government has tried to do for the betterment of Americans is always been mismanaged, over budget, and a complete failure.
September 24th, 2007 at 11:15 pmThe government does a fine job managing the VA system… there are no complaints.
.
2. Social security is a mess
To fix SS all we have to do is undo the cap Reagan put on …Right now the cap is set at $90,000.. if you make more than that you pay to SS is what is set at $90,000.
.
3 Hillary Clinton was closely associated with healthcare 10 years ago She still is and she is bought by the insurance companies
.
4. Canadian pts who say their socialized medicine is a joke, and they are paying 40 and 50 % income taxes.
That is such bull crap and you know it. Don’t feed that load of crap to this audience.
.
5. I have said before, put the government in charge and you will have shortages
As health care is now FOR PROFIT the insurance industry makes a profit by denying care.
Those using medicare and the VA medical care system have no complaints. The VA system is a good model on how a government health care system can be run financially.
You and I know it’s about healthcare, but how is the mainstream corporate media spinning it?
September 25th, 2007 at 12:11 amRon: “You dont look at government run institutions as inefficent, I do.”
why do you think that?
who told you you should think that?
wasn’t it government institutions that pulled us out of the great depression and won WWII?
is a company like Enron more efficient than HUD?
if so, in exactly what ways?
If we wanted to hear what Rush Limbaugh or Glennnn Beck think, we could watch/listen. We don’t need parrots to get up in here with a secondhand version of what those guys say.
September 25th, 2007 at 1:33 amhad enough said:
“Why not go with Universal health care - the real Universal plan Kucinich has outlined completely eliminating the insurance Co altogether? They soak up, what, about 30% of the cost where as single payer for all would cost 3% for administrative costs. Then there would be no problem with business’s trying to cover the health care cost… also many companies may move back tot he US. It is a win - win for all except the insurance companies.”
When the government “holds” the cash, they spend it, as seen with Social Security, so I do not want any funds in their “bank”.
Simply mandating coverage on all individuals, and subsidizing the costs of the mandate with taxpayer money, allows the government time to develop a competing program to the insurance companies. If the government is successful, citizens will choose their plan. If they are not, citizens will stay with their insurnace companies. I think it is an excellent way of seguing with out losing what is already working for most Americans.
September 25th, 2007 at 1:39 am31 ron -
September 25th, 2007 at 2:11 amI listen to talk radio at night into the early morning hours… kgo.com and many around the world call in as it is day time there. In general, those living abroad can not understand why we put up with this current health care system, lost pensions, stolen elections,…We are the only industrialized nation that does not provide universal health care to its citizens. Ed Shultz recently visited Canada to get a pulse of what the people there thought of their health care system - no complaints. Thom Hartman talks about friends living in Canada happy with the system. Michael Moore’s movie SICKO, gave a positive view. In general, those in Canada and other parts of the world would not trade their system for ours.
Bernie Ward host KGO.com is married to a pediatrician and constantly talks about the health care system from the physicians point of view. Care is denied to save money. It also illustrates this in SICKO.
Health care FOR PROFIT is immoral. It took off in the 80’s under Reagan. Nursing care also changed as nurses were then required to justify their work, called rvu’s, quotas.. if there was not enough work justified you went home without pay. There are a lot of scenarios with that situation… what one will do to keep the paycheck from shrinking. Ex: If the hospital ICU patient flow emptied out the unit would close. All nurses would be transferred to another floor or would be sent home. But, one patient on a ventilator could keep the unit open and if that happened to be a patient with no visitors, no one to complain, that patient may be on the ventilator needlessly an extra day.
Jason M. Hendler
Why do you think our country is the only industrialized nation that can not figure out how to provide universal health care? It is done else where, people are happy..we don’t and have 18,000 a year die because of no access to health care. These are not the elderly or disabled as they have medicare. These are the working class. The VA health care system works well, patients are happy with it and would be a good model financially.
September 25th, 2007 at 2:25 amYour kind of mind set is certainly in the very slim minority.
Anything the government has tried to do for the betterment of Americans is always been mismanaged, over budget, and a complete failure.
this statement is a fact-free lie.
It is a fact that healthcare administrative costs for the Veteran’s Administration and Medicare are a fraction of what they are for private industry, i.e., the government delivers healthcare at a fraction of the overhead of private industry. FEMA under Clinton was a model of efficiency and effectiveness far greater than most corporations. The WICA program and headstart have been studied over and over again a models of beneficial and effective programs. If you spend any time in a well funded, well administered public school district you would know that the cost to benefit ratio of the work of the school district is overwhelmingly in favor of public benefit. There are countless other examples.
This cult of republicanism ‘the government can’t do anything right’ is pure horseshit and slander based on nothing more that the greed and selfishness of the right. It just so much more made-up fact-free excuses for the bastards of the right to horde obscene wealth in lieu of helping people in need.
September 25th, 2007 at 4:42 am.
37 - gak
September 25th, 2007 at 2:27 pmGreat and very true phrases….we somehow need to pound these facts into the dumbed down masses brainwashed by corporate hate America MSM… too bad this thread is dead