December 8 - Cost of Delay Vigil in Little Rock
Shine the spotlight on the number of bankruptcies that occur each day due to the high cost of health care in Arkansas and show Senator Lincoln health care reform cannot wait! We're holding a vigil at the QuaPaw Quarter United Methodist Church on 1601 South Louisiana St in Little Rock, at 6:30pm on Tuesday. Sponsored by the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice, Move On, AFL-CIO, HCAN, AFSCME, and Change That Works. Call Candis Collins at 501-944-1603 for more details.
December 14 - Health Care Hearing in Little Rock
The AFL-CIO is sponsoring a hearing on health care on Monday December 14th, at noon at the Arkansas Studies Institute in Little Rock, so a distinguished group of panelists can hear from Arkansas residents who are struggling under the current system. If you have a health care story you'd like to present to the panel, please call Kevin Byrne at 202-285-2390.
January 9 - APRI Martin Luther King Birthday Breakfast in North Little Rock
The Pulaski County Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute will host its 19th annual commemorative breakfast honoring Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday on January 9, 2010. The event will be held at Deliverance Temple Church of God in Christ, 4706 Atkins Street, North Little Rock, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The featured speaker will be Rev. Wendell Griffen. Tickets are available in advance and at the door for $20.00 per person or $200.00 for a table of ten. Tickets can be obtained by contacting Herman Bryant, APRI Chapter President at (501) 375-1348; or, you may send checks to APRI, P. O. Box 166517, Little Rock, AR 72216.
This week the debate on health care reform legislation begins in the Senate. Last month the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962, their version of health insurance reform. After the Senate passes a bill, the two different bills will need to be reconciled in committee.
As you know, the AFL-CIO is focused on three big issues in real reform: a public option, employers paying their fair share, and no tax of working people's current plans. Health insurance reform including a public option would bring down costs and guarantee quality affordable health care for all. Giving everyone the choice of a strong public health insurance plan will inject needed competition into the market and drive lower costs and improved quality across all plans. It will also mean that health care will be there for all of us, no matter what.
Please take the time now to call Senators Lincoln and Pryor (1-877-3-AFL-CIO) to ask them to support health care reform including a public option. Senator Lincoln especially needs to hear from you that we need this choice in order to have real health insurance reform.