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GE Workers to Strike Over Health Care
Members of IUE-CWA at General Electric Co. will go on strike starting at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, January 14, to press their fight for affordable health care. The two-day, nationwide strike will end January 15.
GE workers are protesting the company's unilateral increase in health care costs for workers and retirees. Despite earning record profits over the past five years - with profits for 2002 likely to reach $16 billion - GE wants workers and retirees to pay millions more in health care costs this year. GE also has stated that it plans to seek substantial increases when national union negotiations open in May 2003, said IUE-CWA President Edward L. Fire.
Nearly 145,000 families were hit with health care cost increases January 1. Only members of two unions - IUE-CWA and UE - have the legal right to strike in protest, but surveys at unrepresented locations show the rising cost of medical care is the top concern of GE's employees. "IUE-CWA is taking on the fight for affordable health care for all GE workers, including unrepresented workers," Fire said.
"GE only looks at cost shifting, not long-term, structural changes to fix our nation's health care troubles," Fire said. He noted that GE is a big player in the health care industry, both as a manufacturer of medical equipment and supplies and a provider of health insurance and financing. IUE-CWA has called on GE to sit down and work with the union on a solution to this issue of rising costs, but the company refuses to do so.
Last year, GE made $1.8 billion in profits from its medical systems division alone, not including additional profits from its health care financing and insurance businesses. GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt was ranked the eighth most powerful person in the U.S. health care system by readers of Modern Healthcare magazine.
The health care cost increases will hit retired workers living on fixed incomes especially hard, because their pensions have been frozen for three years.
The strike will affect workers at 48 locations in 23 states, at GE's appliance, lighting, power systems, aircraft engine, consumer and industrial repair, industrial systems, plastics and transportation businesses.
GE workers are protesting the company's unilateral increase in health care costs for workers and retirees. Despite earning record profits over the past five years - with profits for 2002 likely to reach $16 billion - GE wants workers and retirees to pay millions more in health care costs this year. GE also has stated that it plans to seek substantial increases when national union negotiations open in May 2003, said IUE-CWA President Edward L. Fire.
Nearly 145,000 families were hit with health care cost increases January 1. Only members of two unions - IUE-CWA and UE - have the legal right to strike in protest, but surveys at unrepresented locations show the rising cost of medical care is the top concern of GE's employees. "IUE-CWA is taking on the fight for affordable health care for all GE workers, including unrepresented workers," Fire said.
"GE only looks at cost shifting, not long-term, structural changes to fix our nation's health care troubles," Fire said. He noted that GE is a big player in the health care industry, both as a manufacturer of medical equipment and supplies and a provider of health insurance and financing. IUE-CWA has called on GE to sit down and work with the union on a solution to this issue of rising costs, but the company refuses to do so.
Last year, GE made $1.8 billion in profits from its medical systems division alone, not including additional profits from its health care financing and insurance businesses. GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt was ranked the eighth most powerful person in the U.S. health care system by readers of Modern Healthcare magazine.
The health care cost increases will hit retired workers living on fixed incomes especially hard, because their pensions have been frozen for three years.
The strike will affect workers at 48 locations in 23 states, at GE's appliance, lighting, power systems, aircraft engine, consumer and industrial repair, industrial systems, plastics and transportation businesses.