SVFT and new labor coalition fight for affordable healthcare in Monterey County
In their ongoing campaign to lower healthcare costs in Monterey County, the Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1020, have joined a powerful new labor coalition and together they are getting results.
Monterey County has some of the highest healthcare costs in the state, and amongst the highest rates in the country. Since May of 2023, SVFT leaders have been traveling to Sacramento to attend the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) monthly meetings in order to address rising healthcare costs, and the crisis that workers have been experiencing in Monterey County. Through their attendance at the OHCA meetings, and sharing their experiences with the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, a coalition of local union leaders was formed to address the exorbitant health care rates for all their members.
This new coalition, which includes SVFT, SEIU, UFW, CSEA, CTA, and Unite-Here, has worked to educate the OHCA board on the outrageous cost of healthcare in Monterey County, driven primarily by the rates charged by the three hospital systems, providing detailed information and requesting the board come to Monterey County to investigate.
At the coalition’s urging, the board held their monthly meeting in Monterey County this week, where they reviewed the high healthcare costs in the county in a powerful case study. In addition to the reports, dozens of union members came to testify in front of the board about the impact the high costs are having on their health and the health of their families.
“It was an incredibly powerful day,” says SVFT President Kati Bassler. “The hospitals can no longer hide from their predatory rates. Through the data presented in OHCA’s case study of healthcare in Monterey County, the hospitals have been put on notice. We will continue our organizing to bring rates down and relief to our hard working members. We invite others to attend the monthly OHCA Board meetings.”
Great work organizing!
(Pictured above, SVFT members are front and center as the OHCA board meeting gets underway in Monterey this week.)
CFT Back to School Tour hits Northern California
This week CFT leadership got a chance to visit three Northern California CFT local unions as the Back to School Tour continues. CFT President Jeff Freitas and Executive Vice President Juan Ramirez got a chance to visit CFT members in Galt, San Francisco, and Petaluma.
With the Galt Federation of Certificated and Classified Employees, AFT Local 2219, CFT leaders got a chance to check in with local leaders and rank-and-file members, who shared their ongoing concerns about the staffing crisis, including how one local school lost ten para-educators this year because of difficulty in hiring.
Next up was the Treasure Island Job Corps Workers Union, AFT Local 6319, where CFT leaders attended a monthly membership meeting. Educators at this local shared workplace safety concerns, as well as the need to raise wages.
Finally CFT leaders got to attend a back to school social with the Petaluma Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1881 (pictured above). The evening social was an opportunity to welcome folks back to the new school year, and to discuss priorities for the coming year.
Dozens gather at Community College Council meeting in San Diego
Last weekend dozens of CFT community college leaders and activists gathered in San Diego for a special CFT Community College Council meeting. In addition to the formal council meeting, the day-long event included a workshop aimed at identifying new leaders, building power within locals and within the CFT, and building stronger connections with each other.
Look for a more complete write up in the upcoming edition of CFT United, set for publication this fall.
Celebrating Labor Day
On Labor Day, we reflect on working people’s victories. Unions are more popular this Labor Day than at any time in more than 50 years—with 71% of Americans now approving of unions.
But this momentum didn’t happen by accident. Working people have organized together for decades—standing together to address low wages, unsafe workplaces, unaffordable health care and a lack of respect on the job.
As we celebrate Labor Day, make sure to check out the topnotch member-written curricula for your classroom or your union meetings in our collection produced by the CFT Labor and Climate Justice Education Committee.
Also consider joining one of the many Labor Day celebrations happening at Labor Councils across the state.
