Olympia healthcare workers on strike

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/Channels/story.aspx?ID=1909178

3/11/2013

By Doug Cunningham

More than five hundred healthcare workers are on strike in Olympia Washington after Providence health facilities switched their health insurance plan to a high-cost “catastrophic” plan. The SEIU 1199 Northwest workers says the affordable health care plan they had was changed to one that hikes deductibles and co-pays. SEIU President Mary Kay Henry says its “unconscionable” that a big profitable health care company wit ha motto of “care for all” would put profits before people by forcing an inferior health insurance plan on its workers. The strikers include all health care employees except doctors and nurses. SEIU says the doctors and nurses will join the strikers in solidarity if the company fails to reconsider imposing the “catastrophic” plan by Wednesday. SEIU says studies show the so-call “catastrophic” health insurance plans put health insurance out of the reach of working families, often forcing delays in needed health care.

[GP6971]

1. Saw them out in force yesterday

Appears to be a lot of support from the community.....a lot of honking of the horns as people drove by.