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The California State Conference of Machinists is working to improve healthcare for millions of people in the Golden State.
California State Conference of Machinists Executive Secretary-Treasurer Tom Brandon and IAM Western Territory Grand Lodge Representative Jason Hardwick recently met with state legislators in Sacramento to help push for the passage of Senate Bill 770, which establishes a specific statutory pathway toward a single-payer healthcare system in the state.
“Our members, and most Californians, rely on their health insurance from their employers, and if they lose their job, they lose their health insurance,” said Brandon. “Too many working families are paying a great amount for health insurance, and this bill would help take those costs away and take healthcare off the negotiating table.”
SB 770 seeks to achieve a unified, statewide healthcare system that would offer a wide package of medical services, including behavioral health, pharmaceutical, dental, and vision benefits, and wouldn’t require cost-sharing for essential services or treatments.
“The California State Council of Machinists is a model for the nation in pushing toward groundbreaking reforms for working families,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “We will always advocate for ensuring that healthcare is treated as a basic human right.”
Brandon and Hardwick met with the SB 770’s sponsor, State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), and the staff of State Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) to strategize on the bill’s passage.
“Our fragmented healthcare system leaves lethal gaps in coverage that disproportionately impact historically and systemically marginalized communities,” said Wiener. “SB 770 establishes a transparent process that will support stakeholders in doing the detailed work of building a better system while the Newsom administration collaborates with federal officials to ensure that it will be funded with California’s full share of federal healthcare dollars.”
The California State Council of Machinists is working with Healthy California Now, a coalition of labor and healthcare advocacy groups, to pass SB 770.
SIGN THE PETITION: Support SB 770 to ensure California acts on single payer
We're in Sacramento to fight for healthcare for all in California!
Let's continue the momentum to pass #SB770 and establish a pathway toward guaranteed healthcare for all.
Less costs. Better care. pic.twitter.com/UKUJtDXBUs
— Machinists Union (@MachinistsUnion) August 29, 2023
