Health Care Not Factor In Canadian Bargaining

Imagine heading into contract negotiations knowing that you don't have to worry about health care. Knowing that your bargaining team can fight hard for better wages without fearing that any raises will be offset by higher out-of-pocket costs for premiums, doctor visits and prescriptions.

That's the way it is in Canada, and for The Newspaper Guild-CWA unions there, it makes a world of difference.

"No one has to go and bargain basic health care because that's already provided to every citizen," said Arnold Amber, director of TNG-Canada.

Union members benefit even more because their contracts include supplementary care. The extra insurance means they have broader coverage, from dental to massage therapy to podiatry. They can also get a private or semi-private room if hospitalized, among other benefits.

Occasionally an employer tries to tinker with the supplemental coverage, but it's rare. "Health care is too much of a sacred cow here," Amber said.

When it comes to bargaining, TNG-CWA President Linda Foley said the impact of Canada's system and its attitude toward health care can't be overstated. "It's huge," she said. "In every single bargaining situation that we have in the United States, the issue of cost-shifting for health coverage is on the table."

That means U.S. union members either wind up paying more for health coverage directly or stave off some of the benefit cuts by agreeing to lower wage hikes. "In Canada, we bargain over real wages," she said. "That doesn't happen in the United States. It's no accident that real wages in Canada are increasing, as opposed to real wages here."