For those who missed it: WaPo ran a
story on a part of Bernie Sanders
new labor plan that addresses what would happen under M4a to unions who had negotiated health benefits, framing it as a response to concern from some union representatives.
From Sanders'
site:
A fair transition to Medicare for All: Bernie will require that resulting healthcare savings from union-negotiated plans result in wage increases and additional benefits for workers during the transition to Medicare for All. When Medicare for All is signed into law, companies with union negotiated health care plans would be required to enter into new contract negotiations overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. Under this plan, all company savings that result from reduced health care contributions from Medicare for All will accrue equitably to workers in the form of increased wages or other benefits. Furthermore, the plan will ensure that union-sponsored clinics and other providers are integrated within the Medicare for All system, and kept available for members. Unions will still be able to negotiate for and provide wrap-around services and other coverage not duplicative of the benefits established under Medicare for All.
shosta got all fired up and did an actual 2005-style fisking, taking the position that there had been no push back from unions and that Bernie hadn't changed anything, certainly not due to outside pressure.
I called it a bad post because the ambivalence of American labor unions towards single payer health care is pretty well established, not something they spun out of thin air to somehow make Bernie look bad. Unions lobbied against getting rid of the employer deduction for health insurance during the ACA negotiations (and before that targeted Ron Wyden for his plan), and municipal workers in New York opposed the single payer bill in that state for similar reasons, IIRC.
I don't even see the story as showing Bernie in a negative light. He's a politician with an ambitious plan and he's trying to get a key ally fully on board with it by addressing their specific concerns (and doing so in a way that seems fair and consistent with his message). That's good! But I think a lot of people are invested in a version of Bernie that... y'know, what Esch said a while back.
