View Boston Globe letter to the editor here
April 25, 2011
THE GLOBE’S editorial supporting the health insurance proposal in House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s budget and decrying the alternative plan proposed by public-sector unions omits some significant points (“DeLeo’s plan to save on cities’ health costs has courage, vision,’’ April 21).
The public sector unions’ proposal specifically endorses the establishment of a financial benchmark which will ensure savings for the cities and towns.
In addition, collective bargaining is a democratic process, true to American traditions. It enables workers such as firefighters, police, librarians, and teachers, to have a collaborative voice in decisions affecting them. Also, collective bargaining enables public employees to be more effective advocates for quality public services.
If the editorial’s reference to private-sector workers paying more for health care coverage is true, then we have a disgraceful situation because the average worker has health care coverage inferior to that of workers in practically every other advanced nation. Since the United States continues to be the richest nation in the world, all of us need to advocate for better health care coverage in the private sector.
When this nation participates in a social compact that endorses the view that everyone is entitled to first-rate health coverage, no one will try to diminish anyone’s health care coverage.
Tom Gosnell
President,
American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts
Boston
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
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