CWAers Blanket Capitol Hill for Health Care Reform

District 13 Vice President Ed Mooney briefs CWA members before they head out to congressional offices. Center is CWA Research Director and health care expert Louise Novotny.

More than 200 CWA members met with their senators and representatives this week, part of a wave of CWAers and union activists who are writing, calling and lobbying their members of Congress on health care reform.

"Here's what Congress needs to hear from us: 'You don't make those who pay, pay more. You make those who don't pay, pay,'" CWA President Larry Cohen told CWAers before they set off for legislative visits. Just this week, about 150 District 13 members spent seven hours on the bus from Harrisburg, Pa., and another seven hours in congressional visits.

CWA President Larry Cohen has CWAers fired up and ready to go on health care remform.

CWAers from Arkansas, Colorado, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Washington state came to D.C. as part of the AFL-CIO's "fly-in" from more than two dozen states, and about 20 District 2 CWAers from Maryland set up meetings with their senators and representatives. 

Meeting with Senator Blanche Lincoln were Local 6508 President George West; Tom Pevey, Local 6508, and Kelly and David Arellanes, retired local members who are facing devastating financial hardship following Kelly's traumatic injury and their insurer's refusal to pay.

Jeannine Maury, a member of CWA Local 7800 who works at Qwest, was part of the Washington State delegation that took labor's message to Capitol Hill.

The Arkansas CWAers stressed to Lincoln that companies like AT&T and even Walmart agree that all employers should pay toward employees' health care.

The Senate Finance Committee's health care proposal would hit employers that already provide quality health care (above $8,000 for individual coverage and $21,000 for a family) with a 40 percent tax while, employers that don't cover employees would continue to be health care freeloaders.