Vermont Workers call for change on Labor Day
(NECN: Anya Hueneke, Burlington, VT) – A festive gathering in Burlington, Vermont to celebrate Labor Day had a serious tone. The crowd made it clear that they feel its time for a change. Dawn Stanger has been on workers’ comp for the past two months- recovering from neck surgery. She works for UPS, is a union member, and has good health insurance. All things for which she is thankful. She also knows they could change in an instant. Dawn Stanger\UPS Employee/Teamster: “Suppose I couldn’t go back to UPS, the surgery didn’t work well, my insurance would end. So it’s just some bad luck around the corner for any of us.” It’s that fear – and desire for change – that drew her to the Labor Day celebration in Burlington, Vermont, Monday, where food and fun were combined with grassroots activism. Senator Bernie Sanders joined the Vermont Workers’ Center in marking the holiday with a public message: That “health care is a human right.” James Haslam\VT Workers’ Center “We really see health care as the human rights struggle of our time.” Sen. Bernie Sanders\(I) Vermont: “We’ve got to join the rest of the industrialized world- every other major country- and make sure healthcare is a right of all people. It’s not acceptable that a million people this year are going to go bankrupt because of medical-related bills.” This is an annual event, but this year the message is particularly timely- as President Obama prepares to give a major speech on Wednesday on healthcare reform. Sanders says he’s been disappointed by Obama’s shift in focus away from a government-run insurance option. And he hopes the president will use Wednesday to recommit himself. Sanders: “At the very least, what I want to see is a strong public option so people have a choice of getting a Medicare type program to compete with private insurance companies.” James Haslam of Vermont Workers’ has his sights set on state government- saying the federal plan, from the beginning, has not gone far enough. “When federal reform falls short, it’s going to be up to states to keep the momentum going.” Haslam says, “So in this legislative session – 2010 – we’re going to try to move a policy that recognizes healthcare as a basic human right.” Jennifer Henry, RN\VT Federation of Nurses: “We see in the hospital very often people who delay healthcare because they’re afraid of the cost.” Jennifer Henry – a nurse – says she sees first-hand the need for reform… And hopes lawmakers will get this message soon.
