teamsters

Why Jimmy Hoffa Jr Is Wrong About Medicare For All

I have been a proud member of Teamsters Local 252 for over two decades now. I have seen our union get more and more cozy in bed with industry as the time has passed. Never has this been more clear than when our weak and feckless leader made a stand against Medicare For All. 


"The Teamsters have health care for all. And I just think we have to educate (the candidates) on that issue. I can't believe they would say that we're going to give up our insurance."


Either he’s just plain stupid, or he’s been paid off by the medical insurance companies. I have medical insurance. I’m one of the lucky citizens of the U.S.A. But with every claim denied I am reminded that we need Medicare For All. With every sick person I have serving me food at a restaurant, I am reminded why we need Medicare For All. With every Teamster member that ends up with cancer, and has to continue to work even through their last days of life, just so that they can continue medical care until they are dead, I am reminded why we need Medicare For All. 


You see, Mr. Hoffa, the insurance companies have totally failed at their job to take care of us. People who fail that badly at their job need to be fired. It seems that you are one of those people, because you are failing your members by not pushing for Medicare For All. You have failed at your job by not endorsing the most consistently Pro-Union candidate in my lifetime. Senator Bernie Sanders has always been on the correct side of history. Senator Bernie Sanders has consistently been very vocal about his support for unions. He doesn’t just support the unions during an election. His voting record speaks louder than anything could. If you ever paid attention to what will help your members, you would know this. 


I implore you to prove me wrong. I beg you to show everyone that you indeed do have a backbone. Show us long standing members that you give a rat’s ass about us. Because right now most of us consider you a corporate sellout, and a disgrace to the name Hoffa. 


This opinion piece was inspired by and references the following sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/11/politics/teamsters-endorsement-process-2020/index.html

https://teamster.org/news

https://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/27110/bernie-sanders/43/labor-unions#.XaDq2UZKiUk

https://wholewashington.org/


Photo by Piron Guillaume