I'm Home!

I got home Friday from a two week road trip.

The first week was a wonderful and much needed vacation with Michelle.
With work and other obligations, the chances to break away like this are infrequent and appreciated. (I may have posted a few pictures on Facebook)
I was home less than 24 hours when I left for DC for a couple of days of AFT Healthcare meetings, and when I returned I attended the Connecticut AFL-CIO convention.

2 weeks isn't a long time, but it's good to be back in my own bed. (People were starting to tell me I looked tired)

The remarkable thing is how much happened in those 2 weeks!

Just to name a few:
ACA repeal was defeated and healthcare for 26 million Americans will continue

The republican budget, which passed the Connecticut house and senate, and which would have imposed a 2% teacher's tax, decimated public sector collective bargaining rights, underfunded social programs, and increased the Connecticut deficit, was vetoed by Governor Malloy. (Thank you) When it came up for an override vote, not one person made a motion to override.
Not one.
Not one republican (who all voted for it)
Not one of democrat who voted for it. (Doyle, Slossberg, Hartley, Boyd, Reed, Rovero, Hampton, Rose, McCarthy)
No one.
Silence.
Crickets.

The relief effort in Puerto Rico continued, despite the fact that its an island in the middle of a very big ocean, as our President reminded us.
He did get to Puerto Rico and play some "paper towel football" with the residents.
I guess they can soak up the water from that "very big ocean" with them.
I am very grateful for organized labor stepping up to help our sisters and brothers in Puerto Rico.
On Wednesday, a planeload of trade unionist from the AFL-CIO headed there for a 2 week commitment in a relief effort, most using their own vacation time.
Among them were 30 AFT nurses and doctors.
Other unionists have contributed richly with financial donations.
I am grateful and proud to be their brother.

In Connecticut, Anthem Insurance and Hartford Healthcare are unable to come to an agreement, leaving thousands in limbo over whether they can continue to see their provider.
These are Connecticut's largest insurance company and healthcare system, and their inability to put patients before profits is leaving their patients unsure if they will be able to seek treatment, all while they seek excessive profits and grossly over the top salaries (in the millions of dollars for many executives)
Both Anthem and HHC are at fault.
And people like my good friend Jan suffer the consequences of not knowing if her chemo treatments will be covered.

This is just a sampling of what occurred in the past 2 weeks.
What does it tell us?
It tells us that we have a lot of work to do to make this world what it should be.
We need to elect representatives who represent the values of the working class and believe in our rights.
We need to aide our sisters and brothers regardless if their native language is English and regardless of the color of their skin.
We need to accept that healthcare is a right for all and that making a profit off the illness of another is performing an unethical act.

But there is hope.
Although there will be more battles on this, we defeated ACA repeal, which was truly just a tax cut for the rich, and more and more people see the devastating effects of excessive profits and salaries in healthcare corporations, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical corporations, and are saying, NO this is not right, healthcare is a right.

Although Connecticut passed a shameless budget, our governor vetoed it, members spoke out against those who voted for it, and when the override vote came up their was silence.

Although some still do not believe climate change is real and leading to more and stronger storms, many more a coming to believe.
Although the relief effort for our Spanish speaking, brown skinned citizens was slow, labor pushed the issue and even sent some of our own to aide our sisters and brothers.

And there is hope in the words spoken at our state AFL-CIO convention, by speakers from other states and by members from Connecticut.
Union density, although still low, grew by 4% in Connecticut, as people gain the courage and see the value of standing together.

The battle for fairness and equality is never easy, but it is right.
Good to be home.
Good to be in this battle.