Sacramento Valley Union Labor Bulletin

Owned and Published by the Sacramento Central Labor Council and the Sacramento-Sierra’s Building & Construction Trades Council, official councils of the AFL-CIO

Nurses said they will continue to fight for universal healthcare despite Legislative setbacks. - Photos Courtesy of California Nurses Association
LABOR BULLETIN

Nurses advocate for ‘Medicare for All’ despite setbacks

Labor Bulletin

By Sheri Williams

California Nurses Association members marched at the Capitol in May and later condemned the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee for capitulating to corporate healthcare and failing to pass A.B. 2200, a bill that would have moved California closer to providing health coverage for all.

Despite lawmakers blocking A.B. 2200, nurses vowed that they will not give up until CalCare guarantees health care as a human right in California.

The California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, also known as CalCare would have provided a high-quality single payer program, at a time when public health programs are being drastically cut.

“We nurses never give up on our patients,” said Cathy Kennedy, RN and president of the California Nurses Association. “We have fought for decades to ensure that health care is a human right for all of our patients, regardless of ability to pay, and we have no plans to stop now. This is our life’s work. Legislators say they support single-payer, but do not back up their words with action.”

The vote to kill the bill for this Legislative session was “out of touch with the broader public’s support for CalCare,” the union said.

The coalition of organizations that have endorsed the legislation is larger than ever, with 250 organizations endorsing CalCare in 2024, including labor allies such as the California Teachers Association (CTA), UAW Region 6, the California School Employees Association (CSEA), UNITE HERE Local 11, the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), California Faculty Association (CFA), and the California Labor Federation. Unions directly endorsing CalCare represent over one million workers. The legislation was also endorsed by the California Labor Federation, which collectively represents 2.3 million workers.

“During hard economic times, CalCare is needed more than ever. Today’s setback is frustrating, but only temporary in our long-term campaign to pass CalCare,” said Sandy Reding, RN and president of the California Nurses Association. “CalCare is not a matter of if, it’s when. CalCare has to happen.”

The movement for CalCare built major momentum for 2024, allying with organizations to hold more than 150 canvass events, collect over 35,000 petition signatures, and hold multiple huge statewide Days of Action.

“Along with our broad coalition support, nurses are in this fight for the long haul,” said Michelle Gutierrez Vo, RN and president of California Nurses Association. “Nurses fight for justice every day while advocating for their patients, so if anyone knows how to take on the healthcare industry, it’s nurses. We won’t back down.”