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Senator Hagan Underscores Labor’s Priorities at Convention
14 Sep 2009 by Tessie in Federal Issues, Home Page / No Comments
Senator Kay Hagan turned up for a surprise speech at the 52nd Annual Convention in Atlantic Beach. The Senator spoke of this administration’s achievements in the past several months, including the Lily Ledbetter Act, SCHIP children’s insurance, and $8.6 billion of stimulus money for North Carolina.
But Senator Hagan didn’t forget about labor’s priorities. “I know that one piece of legislation that is very important to each and every one of you is the Employee Free Choice Act…I’m looking forward to seeing a bill that passes that levels the playing field for workers and ensures that unions can get contracts with their employers.”
She spent the last half of her speech discussing health care reform, including a mention of the 9/11 ground zero workers, and a shocking revelation that in 2008, 4 out of 10 ground zero workers surveyed did not have health insurance. She went on to outline her vision of comprehensive health reform.
“If you have health insurance and you like it, I want to make sure that whatever we do doesn’t interfere with that…but the rising cost of health insurance in our country is simply unsustainable and has put our nation’s economic security at risk, not just in the long term, but in the short term as well. In this past decade, health insurance premiums in North Carolina have increased 98% while wages have increased 18%. That is not economically sustainable.”
“We’ve got to be sure that health care reform provides stability so that they know they can afford their premiums, and security so they know they will have health care available to them. We cannot afford inaction any longer…that’s why I’ve worked so hard with my colleagues on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee to craft a bill that stabilizes costs and expands access to care.”
Senator Hagan clearly understands the priorities of the labor movement and working families.
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