Labor Wants Healthcare for All
We are tied to our employers in the healthcare marketplace by design. Union members know what it’s like to pick a fight with our boss better than anyone, and we need to lead this fight. Organizers can use the relatable, unpopular exploitation of our healthcare system as a point of agitation to get people to think differently about what they demand from their society through person-to-person organizing. Bring more people in.
But our union leadership will only support the healthcare for all if they feel pressure from their membership, and politicians will only support it if they feel pressure from both unions and all working constituents that overpowers the capitalists who fund their campaigns. That means we have to talk to our coworkers!
We won’t win healthcare for all through making the perfect argument, showing up in the streets and moving on, or protecting the Democratic party that supports privatization.
- Organize: talk to your co-workers about the New York Health Act! Find allies, start a caucus and/or write a resolution, and pass it at your next meeting
- Tie this to labor organizing – can this start new local organizing committees? Start a tipline, or direct supporters to the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee
- Educate: work with DSA to develop and present NYHA 101 to members of your local union, church, or membership association
- Canvass: talk to people on the streets and at events, as well as door to door, about the opportunity we have for single payer healthcare in NYS
- Phonebank: follow-up with everyone you contact about how they can keep bugging their representatives, and how they can take their support and bring it into DSA to fight for more
- Agitate: get a group of strong supporters to publicly withhold donations, votes, and other support from NYHA adversaries
Resources for Union Members:
Political Education Slides
Single Payer Resolution
Organizing a Resolution Map
We can help you get your union local on board with universal healthcare, up through the rank and file. Schedule political education for your union! Contact us to get started!