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Sarah Palin spoke with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt earlier this week and – surprise, surprise – completely contradicted John McCain’s virulent opposition to unions and the Employeee Free Choice Act.
Palin credited "good union jobs" for why her family had health insurance in otherwise tough times:
"We’ve gone through periods of our life here with paying out of pocket for health coverage until Todd and I both landed a couple of good union jobs," Palin explained to conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt.
Unfortunately for Palin, John McCain "strongly opposes" the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for people to get "good union jobs" and the health insurance they provide.
If the Employee Free Choice Act were law, nearly 4 million workers would get health insurance like that enjoyed by the Palin family. As Think Progress notes:
Palin is right to credit her and her husband’s "good union jobs" with securing her family health insurance coverage. In fact, as SEIU notes, "workers in unions…are 63 percent more likely to have employer-provided health insurance" than non-union workers. Further, "union families pay 43% less for family coverage than nonunion families" and the coverage that union workers receive is "far more comprehensive."
Union workers "receive more generous health benefits than nonunionized workers," contribute a significantly lower percentage of the premium than those in firms without any union workers, and are significantly more likely to receive health insurance.
SEIU’s Anna Burger took Palin to task for not putting forward a plan with Senator McCain to protect union jobs or healthcare for working families:
"Working families haven’t heard a single solution from Governor Palin or Senator McCain to protect those good union jobs or win healthcare for the millions of Americans who still have to cross their fingers and hope their families don’t get sick because they can’t afford healthcare."
Think Progress says it best: "Too bad Palin has done nothing to actually represent union interests.
4 Comments
Great post Michael
Our loss is the union’s gain…
Glad you still stop by, Michael!
Thanks Jane! I love this new community and look forward to helping it grow.
I am a lifelong union backer; it was in my mother’s milk. My grandfather was an early leader of the ILGWU. I know that the unions have helped make our society more just and prosperous. Nevertheless, I am opposed to the “card check” system which is part of the EFCA.
It is an essentially undemocratic process in which union reps and their supporters can strongarm employees (in private) into signing pro-union vote cards, which the union can then hold onto indefinitely. Should the employee change her mind, she must go to the union to retrieve it. This opens the door to public humiliation, harassment or worse.
We definitely need a means to counteract employer pressure (see WalMart), but the card count system replaces one evil with another.
Mostly, we need a President who will appoint members of the NLRB who will do their jobs! And John McCain ain’t that Presdident!