Lessons from Canada

Date and Time:
Saturday, August 23, 1:50PM-2:05PM, ILWU Local 6 Hall

Presenter: Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland City Councilmember-At-Large

Notes by Conference Participants:

Good job everybody – for those of you who aren’t yet from here, welcome to Oakland – so proud to rep the entire city of Oakland – city in which movements have started – first racially integrated labor mobilization – has been a place from which new good ideas – SP will pass in CA – remember meeting in Oakland when we kicked that off – grew up in Toronto CA – There are several important things about those experiences that we can share – sit her today IOWU – always been a union wiling to hold the line against injustice – give a shout out to them (applause) – my opponent said I was too nice – just that I’m Canadian – there are a lot of imp things that change about a society when you have UHC – saves millions. One think people rarely talk about – every member gets the message that we care about you and you matter – leave nobody behind and nobody out – why it is so imp to have a SP system. When you have a system like the us – that undermines everything else that we are trying to do – inclusive and just world – step toward the kind of society that values every one of its members – another important thing for our movement – not just why we want it but how we will get it. I believe in SP but you gotta have action. In CA province by province – Saskatewan – when we pass it in CA it will show the rest of the country that it is possible that it succeeds, that it is working. That is a perfectly good way to get there. Another reason that I personally experience – spending so much of the city budget on private ins. The costs of the current non system are not only costs to ind. Families, and businesses – but also millions in lost public services. First job as bible teacher – that book teaches that and injury to one is and injury to all —- those right wing bible thumpers – the scripture would clearly advocate for UHC. 2016 campaign – don’t forget the churches. Staffign rations – abuses that For profit hi commits. Difficult for nurses and for staff. Expenditures in CA half what they are in the US – what would we do with all of that money. Throwing money away. Differences are really significant. Things get worse == harder to treat if you wait – problem of non system. Discourages people from going ahead and getting checked out.

The for profit HII is costing us more, not the workers.

We know that we can have a society that is more equitable and more healthy – more productivity with more health. Probably not a lot of capitalists in the room – if you don’t want your workers to be out sick you should want UHC – Lee iacocca said the same thing – moved a plant to Canada.

It turns out that when other people don’t have HC you are more likely to get sick – some diseases are communicable – in our interest for everyone to have HC –

It turns out that in fact it is true – and injury to one is an injury to all – when anyone doesn’t have HC – society that is less just — pass SP in CA and throughout the nation.

Slideshows, Photos, and Video:

Interview with Rebecca Kaplan at the conference (by laborvideo):

Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland City Councilor (photo by Healthcare-NOW!):
RebeccaKaplan.jpg

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