Paul's Heart

Life As A Dad, And A Survivor

Archive for the category “Politics”

02 Sep 2024

Understanding Labor Day


It is ironic, one of the most celebrated times of the year, a rite of passage if you will, whose roots were created by labor unions, those labor unions are often objected to by many, but not strong enough to turn back a last weekend of Summer down at the beach or a family picnic. Yes, Labor Day is the unofficial end of Summer for many, even going as far as to dictate fashion, “no more wearing white until the next mixed holiday, Memorial Day”, where we honor our fallen war heroes, and many just go to the beach to begin Summer. The bottom line thought, Labor Day is a recognition of the work force and the labor unions going all the way back to the late 1800’s.

Whether you are pro-union or anit-union depends if you are a member of a union, an owner of a business, a benefactor of the benefits you have negotiated in a guaranteed contract, a bitter and jealous employee with no union representation, and of course the stereotypes that accompany all the arguments for and against. I have been on both sides, seeing unions as disruptive and some times, the end of a business, and joining my first union at the age of 35, being guaranteed health insurance as just one of the benefits I was entitled to after being denied health insurance for the previous ten years, because I had cancer. Being part of a collective bargaining unit, I had to be accepted for health insurance. Being in a union and having that benefit, would save my life less than eight years later. Officially, I am a third generation member, the union I belonged to until retirement, the United Steel Workers Union. My mother and grandmother were members of the Electrical Workers Union. And I had an uncle who was a member of the United Auto Workers Union. And I have many friends in the AFT, the American Federation Of Teachers Union.

If I am being transparent, early on, and I do mean early on, as in my childhood, subliminally aware of my family members belonging to a union (my grandmother was actually an officer and my mother was a shop steward), I really gave union chatter no mind. I know that if I heard anything about unions, it was mainly the inconvenience that was about to impact our household financially, as a strike approaced. And then to influence me any further against unions, was a stereotype, supported by Hollywood with varous films. The first movie I ever saw involving the concept of unions, was F.I.S.T. starring Sylvester Stallone (if I’m not mistaken it was released after Rocky, which was the only reason I wanted to see the movie). But the union was presented as a bunch of thugs which is not something I can support. Hoffa with Jack Nicholson was another movie showing the negative side of unions. Then Norma Rae with the “Flying Nun” Sally Field came out, showing an empathetic ear to workers needing to have better working conditions. And more currently, North Country with Charlize Theron, based on a lawsuit for sexual harrassment in 1984.

Other than being an employee in my first union, I found myself in an unusual position of being a candidate for our local school board. This unplanned detour in my life came about, as my daughter was preparing to begin school, which was about to be interrupted by a teacher strike. And like many uninformed citizens, I was outraged by the inconvenience that was going to come my way, and like many of those citizens, do nothing about it except bitch. That is, until the school board candidates that were running for re-election did something I felt had crossed a line, taking out a full page color ad, publishing the salaries of every teacher in the district, a bargaining method against the teachers union, but blasting information meant to infuriate the community. And for many it did just that. But for me, having been through one contract negotiation with my current employer, I saw something that was not right. The board candidates were trying to negotiate in public instead of in good faith with representatives from both sides. Long story shortened, I call this a bully tactic which I did not like, and I ran for my first political race.

(picture courtesy of Sportster)

There often is disagreement in whether unions are good or bad. There are laws in place to guarantee the right to form a union. Famously, one attempt that got a lot of attention, and one could argue was needed, was for professional wrestling. Though it is considered sports entertainment, its risks and skills are no differently than other professional athletes. Yet, when pro-wrestler and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura secretly tried to organize a union, it was Hulk Hogan who went to WWE owner Vince McMahon and blew the whistle. Think about it. All Ventura wanted was better pay, and better health protections. But there is something that comes along with being in a union, its members are treated as equals. So, with the majority of other wrestlers making four or five figures, compared to one or two making seven or more figures, Hogan wanted no part of that, wanting his prestige. Forget the money issue, negotiated health care especially in a career that sees many of its participants crippled or dead by their 50’s or even earlier, their current status is left on themselves to provide their own care, if they can afford it.

In 1991, soon after completing my treatments for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, I left my employer for a better opportunity (more money). Unfortunately, I gave up my insurance coverage by doing so, my new employer unable to cover me because of my “pre-existing” condition of cancer. But I was healthy again, so I was not worried about health insurance for the time being, and saw the new career opportunity to big of a chance to pass up. And then in 1997, and even bigger opportunity came up in a completely different direction than I could ever have anticipated, working for a major pharmacutical company. There would be one catch. Starting out entry level, yes, I was going to make double what I had been making, but I was going to be given health and life insurance, NO QUESTIONS ASKED! These benefits are given collectively, to all of its members. I could not be turned down even after all I went through.

There were things I would learn to like and dislike in being in a union. The hardest thing for people to understand, is that all its members are on an equal footing from pay to benefits, to opportunities for new positions as well as protections of job security, called senority. Senority actually led to opportunities for different positions in the company that could give individuals like me, with high on-the-job-learning-skills, the ability to apply for even better positions which of course with higher labor grades.

But the most important thing I gained from being in a union occurred in 2008, which I have written extensively about on this blog. My heart went kablooey due to damage from treatments for my pre-existing condition of cancer. Being in the union, had me covered with the health insurance I needed to save my life. From that day on, I needed that insurance as I found myself having to deal with multiple issues all related to that time back in 1988. Being in the union, at least I knew my health insurance was not going to let me die. So yes, I am pro-union.

My experience with the insurance end of benefits, as wel as rights of the American With Disabilities Act and the Family Medical Leave Act made me popular among my co-workers when needing support against company management when attempts were made to punish employees for health reasons. And because it was soon discovered that I understood the contract as easily as I understood health benefits, I was elected one of several shop stewards to represent my co-workers in my department.

There are people who feel very strongly against unions, they have their reasons whether they be misinformed or flat out selfish. Perhaps unions would not be needed if employees were paid livable wages, given health protections, heck, treated like human beings. A simple concept really, but I believe it, a happy employee is a dedicated employee, which can only translate to benefits for the company. I believe it is a false trope that unionizing causes prices to go up. Take any company that squashed unionizing who still raise prices of their goods, minimize manpower, and still come away with CEO’s making 350% more than their employees while making billions in profits. Look in some retail and fast food installing kiosks to do what a human once did all with the cries of a CEO saying this is what happens when you pay a worker more, laying off other workers and STILL raising prices of its goods, still making the same salary for the CEO and profits.

Labor Day may be the last hurrah for the Summer down at the shore, but to those who have represented and fought, for those in unions and not, this is what you can be thankful for the labor movement according to the Department of Labor:

  • The Fair Labor Standards Act, this is for wages and OVERTIME. It covers age restrictions under 16 years of age, and 18 for jobs deemed too dangerous. It limits hours for students during school days. And yes, it also covers laws in regard to immigration and nationality.
  • The Occupational Safety And Health Act (which is enforced by OSHA) which enforces workplace safety and health.
  • Worker’s Compensation, there are so many written acts covered under this, requiring employers to protect employees with an insurance for workplace related injuries.
  • Employee retirement benefits and laws for pensions and COBRA for health insurance and HIPPA for privacy rights
  • The Labor-Management Reporting And Disclosure Act
  • Employee protections such as the act of “whistleblowing”
  • Uniformed Services Employment And Reemployment Act which guarantees a worker to return to the job they left behind to serve their country
  • Employee Polygraph Protection Act, yes, evidently we need that
  • Garnishment of Wages protections
  • Family Medical Leave Act
  • Veterans’ Preference
  • Government Contracts, Grants, and Financial Aid
  • Migrant and seasonal aggricultural worker protections
  • The Federal Mine Safety And Health Act of 1977
  • Construction and transportation
  • Plant closings, layoffs, and postings

As you can see, there is a lot to be celebrating today, and to be thankful for those who came before us to fight for these protections, and to keep them. As for unions, they may not seem perfect, and they may not seem fair, but the benefits that come from them, far outweigh the way workers could end up being treated without them.

Posted in Adoption, Cancer, Education, Family and Friends, Inspired By..., Politics, Recreation, Side Effects, The Heart | Leave a comment
08 Aug 2024
1 Comment

Ok. There Goes Your Argument. What’s Next?


(photo courtesy of Pixers)

I make no apologies for being a proponent for “Medicare For All” or universal health care. I do not believe that health care is only for the privileged and instead, is a right for every American. And I believe that during the Covid19 pandemic, our country proved that universal health care could work as it became necessary to deal with the worst health crisis in over one hundred years.

Bring up the fact that the United States is one of the only industrialized countries, and wealthiest that does not provide universal health care, and antagonists are quick to point out countries such as Canada and England and their most common complaint, wait times to see a doctor, and blaming universal health care for that. Well, please allow me to introduce myself.

I have had just three primary care doctors in my six decades, the current doctor, forty years now. I will admit, the incorporation of the hospital network has made it challenging to “seeing only her,” but to this date, I have prevailed. When I have needed to see her, I have gotten to see her, with relatively littley delay.

Of course, seeing my primary care doctor used to be fairly easy and routine, even during my days of being treated for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma back in 1988. But since my body developed late side effects from the treatments used to put me into this long term remission that I have enjoyed, I now have to see doctors other than my family doctor. In fact, I see at least seven different specialists to cover the more than a dozen diagnosis that I live with. I have done my part to make sure that they are all within the same “network,” making communication between all of my doctors as easy as possible. This is important especially when trying to make my appointments which has become like trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle trying to work out all the appointments as well as the multitude of tests that need to be done for each appointment.

So today, as I tried to wrap up my scheduling for next month, I had two providers to schedule, as well as re-schedule two appointments that were being changed on their end. “The first available is in March,” went the first phone call. “The earliest appointment she has available is April,” went the second call. OF 2025?!?!?! But we do not have universal health care. These delays only happen with countries that have health coverage for all, right? So we are no different than other countries now with not providing more efficient health care in a timely fashion. Yet because our health care is for profit, between the insurance companies and the hospitals and medical facilities, we pay the most for health care than all of the other countries who have universal health care.

Brazil offers universal healthcare to everyone. It is actually written into their constitution as a right. In 1912, Norway, known to be one of the healthiest countries in the world, was one of the first countries to have universal healthcare. The United States? Crickets chirping.

Make no mistake, I do believe that the United States has some of the best medicine and skills, just as many other countries. But at one time, health care used to be affordable. Of course, I did not realize it because I was only six years old when the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 was signed into law by President Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon. The concept of the act, was to encourage alternatives to tradtional medical care and costs through companies called Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s). What these organizations did, was put “pen-pushers”, not the doctors who saw the patients, in charge of the health care. HMO’s would determine what tests and medicines would be covered, and if you needed something more expensive or necessary, the patient would have to waste valuable time applying for pre authorizations and likely appeals. If dealing with cancer or some other serious health crisis, this often meant the difference between life and death. HMO’s also restricted who you could see for your health care, which meant if the only doctor in the world who knew how to handle your health situation was not a participant with the HMO, you could not see that doctor and had to settle for the pot luck of anyone else. With the development of these HMO’s, profits became the driving force behind them, behind the insurance industry, and of course hospitals and medical facilities. Of course, many doctors were against this interference with patient care.

And the fact is this, a simple tax amounting to probably around $2,000.00 per person per year to cover universal healthcare, is much less than the $10-20,000.00 per year in personal insurance paid out. Look at that again, $2k or $20k, for the same access to health care. But there are two boogey men here, insurance companies, and those who do not want government in charge of their health care. Again, this is not the government telling you what to do with your health, these people just do not want the financial connection with the government and are willing to spend up to $18,000 more per year to make sure that does not happen. And if that means eventually that they end up without any coverage at all, at least the government did not help them. This is called “cutting your nose off to spite your face.”

There is a reason I am fired up today about this. One of the issues I deal with as a long term cancer survivor, is an increased risk of colon cancer, as well as esophageal cancer. And the precursor to a diagnosis, is the discovery of polyps, which need to be removed before they turn cancerous. Sounds like a good idea, right? Two of the surveillance appointments that I undergo are colonoscopies and endoscopies due to the treatments I received (radiation and the chemotherapy drug Procarbizine). The frequency of these tests is determined by the results. Typically, not everyone even without a history of cancer would like ever need an endoscopy, but colonoscopies are often recommended every ten years after a certain age. But with my history, and the results of my scopes, polyps every time, both of my scopes are ordered more frequently. Again, the goal is to remove polyps before they have a chance to turn cancerous. This is a good thing.

I have had these scopes done many times, usually every two to three years, and ordered by my lead doctor in my survivorship care. But something changed two years ago, as the prescription for the scopes was ordered, I was denied the procedures at the facility that I had it done at previously, ordered by the same doctor, as I was not a patient in the Gastrointenstinal Office. Though it did not seem to matter in the past, I thought, okay, I should have a GI doc anyway, made the appointment, which took three months, but then she said “not yet” to the scopes, regardless of what my other doctor wanted. So here I am, two years later than the order of the tests, still not completed, I went to make the next appointment to see her, and would expect to have the scopes scheduled as well, but then was informed, “not available until April.” OF 2025!!!!! And then, that is not even to have the scopes done yet which will put me to three years passed due at that point, so I can only imagine how many polyps I will have, but rather, will any be cancerous. And this is a legitimate concern. In recent weeks, several of my survivors have received news of either cancer, tumors, or other issues related to their scopes. In my long term survivorship world, many of my fellow survivors have had to deal with colon or esophageal cancers. So my anxiety right now is real.

We need universal health care. We need to be able to see whoever we need. We need to be able to go wherever we need. We need to be able to get whatever tests and treatments we need. It should not bankrupt us. Health coverage should not be a privilege. Healthcare should be a right, just as it is in nearly every other industrialized country. Using the arguement of wait times no longer holds water, because right now, corporate medicine in the US is doing just that. Enough is enough.

(picture courtesy of Tina’s Worlds)

I will get off my soap box now.

Posted in Cancer, Inspired By..., Politics, Side Effects, The Heart and tagged ,
26 Jun 2024

A Quick Follow Up


A couple of weeks ago, I shared this photo of a badly worn flag I passed on one of my walks around the time of Memorial Day, the time we memorialize our fallen military members. I have been away on a couple of trips over the last week and a half, and come back to find this…

There is a new “old Glory” now flying proudly, and now you can see the flag underneath it, representing the US Army. Look closely at the picture as you can even see the folds that remain from its packaging. But she is not being correctly and proudly shown.

Well, sort of. There is still the issue of her being flown in the dark without any lighting shining on her, or, that she is not water proof and therefore should not be hung in the rain. But hey, the main thing is, she is whole, she is neat, and flies now without being tattered.

And no, I cannot take credit for the person replacing the flag, nor do I know how the old flag was disposed of. But the situation was timed perfectly with the holidays of Memorial Day and Flag Day, to remind us just how important it is to treat the American Flag with the respect she deserves, understand her history, and know and accept what should and should not be done with her.

Posted in Education, Family and Friends, Inspired By..., Politics, Recreation | Leave a comment

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →