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2003-12-18 -- Grocery Workers' Health Fund May
Run Out of Money in Days
Los Angeles Times December 18, 2003
By Melinda Fulmer
Any day now, the health fund for union supermarket workers in Southern
and Central California could run out of money, jeopardizing medical
coverage for about 200,000 people.
Trustees who oversee the health plan say the joint union-company fund
will be empty by the end of the year because the three supermarket
companies in the 9-week-old labor dispute have not made their payments
to the fund for November and December - about $40 million a month.
The prospect of losing medical coverage has heightened anxieties for
many striking and locked-out workers, particularly those in need of
medications and treatments.
Amber Scott, a seven-year Vons employee, choked up Wednesday when
talking about her health-care needs. The 31-year-old Long Beach woman
said she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease last year and must go
regularly to her doctor for checkups and undergo tests to monitor her
condition.
Of more concern was her 3-year-old daughter, Bleu, who has cystic
fibrosis. If they lose their health benefits, she said, it will cost
her $5,000 a month for prescription medicines to keep Bleu's lungs
clear and allow her to absorb the nutrients in the food she eats.
Losing their union-sponsored, company-paid health benefits would leave
few options for Scott and others with preexisting conditions. They
would have an unusually hard time finding a carrier on the open market
that would sell them health insurance. Even then, the cost would be
prohibitive.
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Three Ways to Support UFCW workers'
PICKET SAN FRANCISCO MARKET/CHURCH SAFEWAY
11 AM, SATURDAY, DEC 20TH
1. Pledge to Not Shop Safeway and tell Safeway what you are doing.
Call 1-877-SAFEWAY
2. Help with Picket Duty anytime between 11 am -7 pm at any of the
following Safeway stores - Church at Market; Potrero at 16th; or
Mission at 30th.
3. Make a contribution to the Strike Fund. The strike fund needs to
last as long as it takes to get a fair contract.
Checks can be sent to UFCW State Council Strike Fund,
P.O. Box 5158 Buena Park, CA 90620.
Remember, whether there is an actual picket line or not, there is a
labor dispute with Safeway, and, if you support workers, you should
shop somewhere else.
Corporate Greed vs Human Need There's no economic or market need to
slash health care benefits for S. California supermarket workers. It
's not lack of profits - Safeway, Kroger and Albertsons had $9.7
billion in combined operating profits in 2002. It's not competition
from Wal-Mart - Safeway, Kroger, and Albertsons have 60% of the S.
California market share, Wal-Mart has 1%. It's out-of-control
corporate greed.
Safeway wants to cap funding for new hire health care at $1.35 per
hour, an average of $174.15 per month. How much health insurance can
you get for $174 a month? Not enough to cover kids. In the third year
of the proposed contract, actuarial analysis says current employees
would have to pay $95 a week for health care. Supermarket workers in
S. California make an average of $375 per week.