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Health Spending Up Sharply, Bankruptcy Deadline and More |
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The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily bargaining related news and research resources to the in-boxes of 700 union leaders throughout the country. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining at Work.
Below are some of the stories we covered this week.
Northwest Airlines and ALPA made progress on key issues in their negotiations prior to Friday’s bankruptcy court hearing covering the company’s request to cancel their labor agreements. Expect another delay in that action by the court.
North of the border, Canada’s public sector union, CUPE withdrew its Thursday strike threat after Ontario agrees to talk. CUPE was protesting proposed changes to their pension plan. Ontario provincial leaders agreed to work out their differences with the union.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a study Tuesday projecting a steep rise in health spending. What a shock! The study says to expect Americans will spend $1 in $5 of their consumer dollars on health care by 2015. Thank goodness we have Medicare prescription drug coverage, yes? No. Since Part D coverage started this year pharmaceutical companies have raised drug prices 4.3%.
We’ve made a lot of noise lately about the Medicare Part D plan’s deficiencies. Columnist Michael Kinsley says the plan is based on Abracadabra Economics and unlike some of Bush’s other bad ideas, has no theory behind it. Nevertheless, the leaders and staff at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are trying their best to administer the plan, which at its base, was hoped to encourage employers who have retiree benefit plans to keep them by paying them a subsidy covering up to 28% of their costs. These payments will start flowing soon, and CMS estimates payments will be as much as $1 billion a year.
CMS holds monthly conference calls with unions the fourth Thursday of every month from 1-2 pm. We’ll post a notice on the website for the next one. In the meantime, CMS provides support for unions and their employers on their website.
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