Fair Share Healthcare Advances In MD

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Last week's passage of the Fair Share Healthcare bill in the Maryland Senate "has created a firestorm for Wal-Mart" reports UFCW 400 Political Director Mark Federici. Already facing the largest civil rights class action lawsuit ever certified against a private employer in this country, the retail giant's image has also been badly damaged by numerous reports documenting the company's low wages and unaffordable health benefits and from growing community opposition to state and local tax breaks for Wal-Mart, which last year made $10 billion in profits. Federici warns that the Fair-Share Health Care Plan (which originated with Local 400 and has been strongly supported by organized labor statewide), is far from a "done deal." While the Senate and House are expected to reconcile the different versions of the bill -- which will make companies like Wal-Mart provide health care for their workers and quit shifting their costs onto Maryland taxpayers -- Governor Ehrlich has vowed to veto the bill the moment it hits his desk, and "overriding the Governor is going to be challenging," says Federici. However, with next year's gubernatorial race already beginning to heat up, Federici promises that Ehrlich's veto of healthcare legislation "is a drum that we're going to beat all year." Meanwhile, on April 20, the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Industrial Relations Research Association will take a look at how big retailers such as Wal-Mart and Harris Teeter are looking to gain a foothold in the nation's major urban areas, including the District of Columbia. Click here for details.