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To the editor:
Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Richard Davis says the Medicare Advantage plan in the just-approved contract is better than the plan New York City Mayor Eric Adams is trying to stick his retirees with. Yes, and George W. Bush was a better president than Donald Trump. But he was still awful.
The TWU page touting the contract compared two plans. What is missing from the comparison is the issue of prior authorization. You can die if a private insurance company denies coverage for lifesaving care. I already have no copays with Medicare.
Also, if this plan was so good, then how come Davis initially said nothing about it? It was only after it became an issue that he started praising it.
Nearly 8,600 transit workers voted for this pact. They were enticed by raises that don't keep up with inflation. In other words, they are real-money pay cuts. They must be planning to die before 65, so their health coverage will not be an issue.
Only 3,906 were alert enough to vote against the contract. As usual, the overwhelming majority of the 36,000 Local 100 members did not vote. As a since-departed great union rep and friend said, "They receive the ballot in the mail and it sits on the fridge."
We live in a society where when voting to stop something bad is as easy as filling out a ballot at home and then putting it in the mail, you can't even get people to do that.
Richard Warren
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Hendrix
What are active members thinking agreeing with Unions to sell out retirees healthcare & themselves?
The problem is their not & blindly follow the Union.Its all going to come back to haunt them.
Shame on them ALL!
Saturday, July 22, 2023 Report this
Mr. Warren I’ve read and seen many comments you posted over the years and many I could agree others not so much but on this issue relating to medical coverage. When the late Willie James was President of TWU local 100 he sold us down the river giving up define benefits to define contribution putting the medical coverage into bankruptcy. When I was involved with New direction members sounding the alarm must of you who retired and put him and staff in office laughed all the way to the bank because they didn’t care. The mentality was better you than me. I heard silence from retired workers. I didn’t see any major protest or marches across the city. We had to make hard decisions and had to eat it. When R.Toussiant got into office he had a a lot of problems and had to make serious changes which he did on the General contract he got our medical back to define benefit & we HAD to pay a price to improve our medical something unheard of at that time( he was criticized and labeled a sell out ) paying a small percent for coverage out of our salary. This worked over the years and our coverage is stronger than most and improvements did happen under him and Presidents after him. So now that you guys feel some sort of resentment on changes your now understanding our pain from your past sins. Free doesn’t always mean it’s good!
Thursday, July 27, 2023 Report this