Leonal Hardman, Pres. AFSCME Council 17, along with representatives from AFSCME International and the AFL-CIO, delivered postcards and petitions in support of health care reform to Sen. Landrieu's Baton Rouge office yesterday, October 19, 2009.
AFSCME members have collected over 9,000 signatures from Louisiana residents in support of health care reform.
Photo credit: Kevin Contee, AFSCME HQ Photographer
Leonal Hardman, President of AFSCME Council 17, and AFSCME members organized "House Calls for Health Care", a workshop and canvassing event which took place last Saturday, October 10th at the Laborer's Local 1177 in Baton Rouge.
AFSCME nurses flew in from California to talk about their experience as health care providers and why we need health care reform with a public option.
After the workshop, attendees canvassed the surrounding neighborhoods wearing dark green AFSCME scrubs and asked local residents to sign petitions in support of President Obama's proposal for health care reform.
The Louisiana AFL-CIO will be participating in a National Call-In Day for Health Care Reform. Across the country union members are mobilizing for comprehensive health care reform with a public option, that doesn't tax benefits and requires employers to pay their fair share.
The Call-In Day is part of a national mobilization for Health Care Reform that includes state and local union leaders flying into Washington and a nation-wide letter writing campaign. Louis Reine, President of the Louisiana AFL-CIO, flew to Washington to hand deliver letters and petitions to our elected officials, urging them to support Health Care Reform.
Photo: The AFL-CIO National headquarters sorts letters members have sent in from across the country. photo credit: John Small
Louis Reine, President of the Louisiana AFL-CIO, Paris Walker and Nate Arrowsmith, both representatives from AFSCME International, conducted a Health Care Reform workshop at the Louisiana NAACP's 67th Annual Conventio on Saturday, September 26th.
Paris and Nate presented the essential elements of the bill and discusse how the public option would help Louisiana residents.
Audience members talked about some of the misinformation surrounding the bill and how the community can mobilize to support health care reform.
Paris Walker and Nate Arrowsmith discuss the misinformation about the HR 3200
About 80 people came out to Senator Landrieu's office in New Orleans last night for a rally in support of healthcare reform with a public option. The rally was organized by local folks and endorsed by MoveOn, OFA, Committee to Reopen Charity Hospital and New Orleans Social Aid and Pleasure Club Task Force.
Speakers included Dr. Joia Crear, President of the New Orleans Medical Association; Robert "Tiger" Hammond, President of the Greater New Orleans CLC and Louisiana State Building Trades; K. Brad Ott, Co-chair, Committee to Reopen Charity Hospital; and Tamara Jackson, President of the New Orleans Social Aid and Pleasure Club Task Force.
All the speakers gave inspiring addresses on what healthcare reform means to Louisiana and the city
of New Orleans. It was exciting to hear Dr. Joia Crear explain the misinformation fueling the opposition to healthcare, because medical providers and associations throughout the state have been publicly divided on healthcare reform. Unfortunately, the Louisiana State Medical Society officially opposes HR 3200, which is pretty unbelvable given that 22% of the adult population in Louisiana lacks any health insurance.
Tiger Hammond got the crowd fired up as he explained why the AFL-CIO supports healthcare reform with a public option.
In addition to the amazing speakers, the Free Agents Brass Band and other local musicians got the crowd dancing.
More photos on Flickr!
Rev. Dr. Climon Smith, President of the Research Missionary Baptist and Educational Association, and Pastor of Second Morning/Bethsaida Missionary Church had great letter published in the Times Picayune yesterday on the Employee Free Choice Act.
Get behind a fair wage
My brothers and sisters from the faith community gathered Sept. 3 in front of Sen. Mary Landrieu's office to release a statement in support of the Employee Free Choice Act.
Over 100 religious leaders in the greater New Orleans area have expressed support for this legislation, which will protect the rights of workers to form unions in order to negotiate better wages and benefits for themselves and their families.
I have seen our country fall on hard times before -- I was a child during the Great Depression. As I see our community members struggling in the midst of this recession, I remember the words of Huey P. Long, who called every man a king and rallied for a chicken in every pot.
Gov. Long knew that the oppressive force of poverty went far beyond standard of living. Poverty can strip you of your rights and deny you opportunities.
Every man is a king when people are able to earn good wages to support their families.
Eight hours of work is eight hours of work, whether you work in a factory, an office building or at a small business.
I support the Employee Free Choice Act because we should all be able to earn a fair wage for the work that we do.
The Rev. Climon Smith
