town hall<\/a> with CWU members. He also toured the 60,000-square foot Culinary Health Center and the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas.<\/p>\n\u201cOur union believes that everyone has the right to good healthcare and that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege,\u201d Arguello-Kline added in the statement. \u201cWe have already enacted a vision for what working people need, and it exists now. Workers should have the right to choose to keep the healthcare Culinary Union members have built, sacrificed for, and went on strike for 6 years, 4 months, and 10 days to protect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have always stood up for what we believe in and will continue to do so\u2026. Together, we will figure out the best way to fix healthcare in America, and the Culinary Union is committed to fighting until we win for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Nevada Independent<\/em> reported the one-page flyer stated Sanders would \u201cend Culinary Healthcare\u201d if his plan were enacted. The flyer, comparing positions of a half-dozen Democratic candidates in both English and Spanish, said Sanders would \u201cend Culinary Healthcare\u201d and \u201crequire \u2018Medicare For All.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\nCurrently, some 130,000 CWU workers and family members get their health insurance through the union\u2019s Culinary Health Fund. Union officials apparently reject Medicare for all if it means losing the CWU fund for its members.<\/p>\n
Nevada Presidential Caucuses on Feb. 22<\/h2>\n
So far, the 60,000-member CWU has not endorsed a candidate in the increasingly important Feb. 22 Nevada presidential caucuses. Any CWU endorsement is seen as a key influence on Nevada voters, who often work in the region\u2019s casinos and hotels.<\/p>\n
The flyer\u2019s contents were also to be sent to members via email and texts, the Independent<\/em> reported. An earlier union statement claimed Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, wanted to take away union members\u2019 hard-fought health plans, news reports said.<\/p>\nThe more recent flyer said the union\u2019s health insurance could be replaced under Warren\u2019s plan after three years.<\/p>\n
The flyer also details health plans from Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, as well as California billionaire Tom Steyer. These plans will allow for a government option, but let union members keep their own plans, the Independent<\/em> said.<\/p>\nSanders Campaign Reaches Out to Hotel, Casino Workers<\/h2>\n
Chuck Rocha, a Sanders campaign adviser, told The Intercept<\/em> the campaign was reaching out directly to culinary workers.<\/p>\nWe\u2019ve been directly calling them at their homes, talking to them at their work sites, and sending them mail, we\u2019ve sent hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail to culinary workers who are Latino in Nevada talking about where Bernie Sanders stands,\u201d Rocha was quoted. \u201cAnd we have huge support among the culinary rank-and-file.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Beyond health care, the flyer also details the positions of the six candidates on such key issues as immigration and jobs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A dispute has broken out between the Culinary Workers Union (CWU) and supporters of Bernie Sanders\u2019 presidential campaign after a CWU flyer surfaced in Las Vegas. It warned members their current health plan could be replaced with a government-run insurance system supported by the Vermont Democratic Socialist. The friction erupted as Sanders narrowly won the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":126754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Culinary Workers, Sanders Supporters Clash over Health Insurance<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n