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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>NOTE:
<u>Springfield Rally</u> will be 12 Noon at the Verizon building, 365 State
Street, Springfield (across from STCC). For more info, contact Kathy Collins
(413) 348-8443, IBEW 2324, (413) 734-0863.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Press
Advisory</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>For
news on: Thursday, May 22</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><em><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>For more
info contact:</span></em><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Rand
Wilson, 617 803-0799<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Thursday,
May 22 is Health Care Action Day...</span></strong><span style='font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Reform
organizations and unions set for action in support of health care for all!</span></strong><span
style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Telecom
workers oppose corporate agenda to shift burden of health care costs to
employees</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
Telephone employees will spearhead a day of action across Massachusetts on
Thursday, May 22 to protest efforts by Verizon and many other employers to
force workers to pay more for their health insurance premiums or increase
co-pays and deductibles. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The workers
-- with support from the Jobs with Justice Health Care Action Committee --
will rally for reforms so that working families have secure, affordable health
care coverage, even if they get laid-off, change jobs or work part time.
Verizon workers in Massachusetts are united in the IBEW and CWA. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
Events will be held in the following 17 cities and towns in Massachusetts:
Boston, Woburn, Braintree, Weymouth, Dedham, Dorchester, Watertown, Andover,
Methuen, Lawrence, Lynn, Danvers, Lowell, Brockton, Marlboro, Boylston and
Springfield. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Details about
specific event times and locations can be found on the Jobs with Justice
website: <a href="http://www.massjwj.net/node/2328">www.massjwj.net/node/2328</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Each event
will feature a short presentation about how best to solve the problem of rising
health care costs. Workers will hold signs and pass out an educational
leaflet to the public. Throughout the day union members will wear
stickers on the job calling for "No Cuts in Our Benefits. Let's
Fight for Health Care for All!"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Shifting
premium costs and raising co-pays and deductibles for employees is not a
solution," said Russ Davis, director of Jobs with Justice. "It
won't hold down skyrocketing health care costs or improve the quality of
care. It only lets employers avoid their responsibility to work for real
solutions."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"We need
a 'Medicare for All' reform that would improve and expand our national Medicare
program to cover everyone and control costs more effectively," said John
Horgan, a 26-year Verizon technician and shop steward with IBEW Local
2222. "Medicare's administrative costs are less than 5 percent,
while overhead for private, employer-based insurance eats up about 30 percent
of health care spending."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><em><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Jobs with
Justice's Health Care Action Committee links workers' struggles against
insurance cost shifting and cuts in health care services to help build a larger
movement for comprehensive reforms. </span><o:p></o:p></em></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Rand Wilson,
Communications Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Center for
Strategic Research, AFL-CIO Organizing Dept.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>c/o IBEW
Local 2222, 1137 Washington Street, Dorchester, MA 02124<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>w) (617)
929-6000, f) (617) 929-6099, c) (617) 803-0799<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a
href="mailto:rwilson@aflcio.org">rwilson@aflcio.org</a> or <a
href="mailto:rand@mindspring.com">rand@mindspring.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>TO
UNSUBSCRIBE, send an email to wmjwj@wmjwj.org with a Subject of "Unsub
Workers' Rights".<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>[Workers'
Rights] posts opportunities for you to learn about and show solidarity with
workplace and working class struggles. And these events are opportunities for
JwJ members to fulfill their pledge: "I'll be there for workers' rights at
least five times a year!" This is the core mission of Jobs with Justice
(www.jwj.org), affirming that workers' rights are human rights. To subscribe,
send an email to wmjwj@wmjwj.org with a Subject of "Subscribe Worker's
Rights".<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Western
Mass Jobs with Justice<br>
640 Page Blvd #101<br>
Springfield MA 01104<br>
(413) 827-0301 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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