Supermarket strike symbolic of a greater national problem

Supermarket strike symbolic of a greater national problem

In the current strike by grocery workers I see an opportunity for voters to give notice to the politicians that something serious has to be done about rising healthcare costs.

From what I understand about the strike, one of the major concessions that the national chains are insisting on is that union workers pay health insurance premiums for themselves and their family members for the first time in more that 50 years. Undoubtedly, the grocery workers have always considered the inclusion of health insurance as part of their salary, so in effect this would amount to a major pay cut.

By not crossing the picket lines, those of us who are also feeling the effects of skyrocketing healthcare costs can make ourselves be heard.

We are only a few months from the first presidential primaries. If we want anything serious to be done in the coming election year, we must raise our voices in unison and demand change. I believe that this is an opportunity to do just that.

The current political climate is all about making the fat cats fatter. At this point in time, if we as a community do not stand up for organized labor, it will be interpreted by the powers that be as a lack of cohesiveness among the labor force in general.

Let’s stand together at this juncture and tell the politicians that we demand relief from health insurance costs that continue to decimate the budgets of most American families.

No one among my family or friends is employed by any of these supermarkets and neither am I.

Greg Reyna

Oak Park