NY County: Wal-Mart Must Pay
Share of Worker Health Care
The latest grassroots battle to require low-paying big-box retail stores to provide employees health care coverage is being waged in a populous Long Island county.
In a lopsided September 27 vote, the Republican-dominated Suffolk County Legislature came down 17-1 in favor of the Fair Share for Health Care Act, after a campaign by labor and community groups. The law, which must be signed by the county executive to become effective, would force large stores like Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart to provide health care to their workers. Sponsored by legislature member William Lindsay, former business manager of Hauppauge, NY, IBEW Local 25, the law would benefit 12,000 low-wage retail workers across Suffolk County.
Hicksville, New York Local 1381 Business Manager Don Daley (forefront) awaits the Suffolk County Council vote on the Fair Share Health Care Act on September 27.
“I think the legislators saw that county tax money was indirectly funding medical insurance for the retail employees,” said Hicksville, New York, Local 1381 Business Manager Don Daley. “The burden was being passed on to the citizens.”
Daley spoke in favor of the legislation before a packed house at the council meeting before the vote. He was joined by more than 50 union members, including members of IBEW Local 25 and Local 1049, Long Island, as well as other unions from the Long Island Federation of Labor and religious and community leaders from Jobs with Justice. Similar proposed legislation has met with resistance in other areas, so such a law has not yet been implemented. Bills were passed by the state of Maryland and New York City, but both were vetoed. The Suffolk measure won by such a wide margin, a veto could be easily overridden.
Community and labor groups pressed County Executive Steve Levy, who is a Democrat, to sign the bill, which he did on October 28. Nonunion retailers are expected to sue. The bill goes into effect on January 1.
“There is no question in my mind that this bill will pass and will be challenged in the courts because this has overwhelming implications,” said Local 1049 Business Manager Ralph Ranghelli. “But I’m proud we got this far.”
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