Weekly Update: Out Front with Senator Wyden

Out Front with Senator Wyden

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One of newly-elected AFL-CIO President Trumka's goals for the future of the AFL-CIO is to make the most of our biggest asset: you, and your fellow members. You all turn out to help during the election season, but what about the many important issues that come up between elections?

In Oregon we're establishing a rapid response system to make sure that we can respond to up-to-the-minute issues. Contact your local union to find out how you can get involved. If they aren't ready to get involved in the program yet, but you want to know about everything we have going on, sign up as a fan on facebook and check back to see what we're up to!

Healthcare Update

Oregon Hosts Biggest Day-of-Action Event

As our first rapid-response action, Oregon AFL-CIO members had less than a week to get organized for a rally against insurance companies (and we only got the details 4 days in advance). The rally was in conjunction with national events calling on insurance companies to stop standing in the way of healthcare reform.

We got 40 union members turned out to the rally, and joined a crowd of about 400 in Pettygrove Park in downtown Portland. The numbers are still rolling in, but it looks like Portland's may have been the biggest of the many events that occurred throughout the country.

Additionally, Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain sent a message to the President of Blue Cross-Blue Shield calling on him to stop using union members' premium monies to fight against the health reform that those union members support. We'll see if he writes back...

Out Front with Senator Wyden

We've come down on Senator Wyden a lot in the past few months for his positions on health care reform. But last week it became very clear that Senator Wyden and Oregon's union members have one very important thing in common: we all know that Senator Baucus's healthcare bill is bad for middle class Oregonians. Together, Senator Wyden and President Chamberlain put out a press release last week reiterating that healthcare reform must be affordable for middle class Oregonians, otherwise it's not the reform we need!

Although Senator Wyden is not on board with some aspects of health care reform that we support he's bringing forward a few great amendments that will help make the bill more affordable and increase coverage. We think we'll see a final version of the bill some time next week, and a combined Senate healthcare bill by the middle of October.

Your Work Paid Off for Unemployed Oregonians!

Early last spring we told you all about some concerns we have with the state ReliaCard program.

ReliaCard is a program that allows Oregonians who receive state benefits, but who don't have a bank account, to get those benefits on a debit card instead of receiving weekly checks. This program has many benefits, including much lower fraud rates, access to money without paying outrages check-cashing fees, and ease of use (ReliaCards can be used anywhere Visa is accepted).

Despite those benefits, we had a few concerns. At the top of our list: there were limits to the number of times users could withdraw money at a bank without paying a fee, limiting their access to their money. Many of you decided this was an important issue, and took action, calling your representatives and asking what could be done.

The Oregon Treasurer's office, who oversees the ReliaCard program, decided to look into it. They renegotiated the ReliaCard contract and, in part thanks to your concern, doubled the amount of bank and ATM withdrawals users can have for free, allowing them weekly access to their money for the first time ever.

Good work to everyone who voiced their concerns, and thank you to Treasurer Ben Westlund for getting involved and improving the program.