Organized labor will be critical to winning single payer in the U.S., and unions representing health care workers will be especially crucial. When these unions advocate for improved Medicare for All, they not only seek to protect their members from the threat of benefit cuts, but they also send a strong signal that the people who make our health care delivery system run demand nothing less than fundamental reform.
Most recently, the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents over 17,000 resident physicians and fellows, voted to endorse single payer.
Thrilled the @cirseiu House of Delegates just overwhelmingly voted to endorse Medicare for All! Really excited for our union to join the efforts of @PNHP, @NationalNurses , and @LaborforSPayer for a more just healthcare system and worker rights for all.
— Andy Hyatt (@andy_hyatt_) May 23, 2021
If you are a member of CIR, be sure to thank them for their endorsement, and encourage them to put their position into action by advocating clearly, frequently, and publicly for Medicare for All. We also encourage you to sign your colleagues up for our movement; to celebrate this historic endorsement, we are offering one year of FREE PNHP membership to all current members of CIR.
If you’re looking for existing campaigns to plug in to, or to recommend to others, please check out both the Labor Campaign for Single Payer and the impressive national Medicare-for-All effort led by National Nurses United.
Ready to take action and stand in solidarity with organized labor? Sign up for our resolutions campaign and work with unions in your community to demand single-payer Medicare for All. Questions? Email organizer@pnhp.org.