Grassroots labor activists from California to Ohio gathered at the Nation Labor College, just outside Washington, D.C., to discuss the next step in the battle for single-payer healthcare.

WIN’s Kate Sheehy reports.

Kate Sheehy reports.

One of the most vocal unions has been the California Nurses Association, along with their umbrella group, National Nurses United. Martha Kuhl, Secretary-Treasurer of NNU, is a pediatrics nurse in Oakland, California. She says that nurses see everyday how lack of healthcare affects people. She says that the success of the campaign lies with unions.

After striking a deal with the White House and congressional Democrats regarding a reduced excise tax in the health care bill, labor leaders held a conference call to express their support. AFL-CIO Richard Trumka ran the call and he said the union mothership would be willing to put its weight behind the health care bill, but he acknowledged the fight isn’t over:

[Trumka:] A long fight, not over yet, but we’ll continue to encourage Democrats in the House and Senate to support a bill that makes quality healthcare more affordable and more accessible for all working people.

By Doug Cunningham

The AFL-CIO says the watered-down Senate healthcare reform bill is inadequate and substantial changes have to be made in it. AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka says the bill has been hijacked by defenders of the insurance industry. He says the AFL-CIO will fight for genuine healthcare reform that includes a public option to break the stranglehold insurance companies have over consumers. Trumka says the House bill is the model for genuine reform and working people cannot accept anything less than genuine reform.

By Doug Cunningham

With debate set to start on the Senate version of health care reform after Thanksgiving, a group of clergy will deliver hundreds of prayer cards to Senator Joe Lieberman as they hold a prayer vigil in his office urging Lieberman to support health care reform. While Lieberman says he’s aligned with the Democratic caucus he’s threatened to block health care reform if it has a public option in it.

Even as hundreds of teabaggers descended on Capitol Hill yesterday to protest health care reform, working families delivered 15,000 handwritten letters in support of health care reform. The AFL-CIO says corporate-bused in “protesters” spread misinformation and tried to to outshout the legislative process in Congress. But health care reform got a strong boost from two major organizations. News that the AARP, representing millions of senior citizens, would endorse the plan had leaked to the press late Wednesday.

By Doug Cunningham

The AFL-CIO is kicking off a Week of Action to support health care reform today. With health care reform votes imminent in Congress the labor federation is asking a million workers to participate in rallies, phone banks and other events to persuade Congress to pass health care reform.

Economic Report:

Families USA estimates that nearly 4 million people could have been added to the ranks of the uninsured over the last year. They make the estimate based on the number of job losses over the past year. Sixty-two percent of US workers receive health insurance through employers. According to Familes USA executive director when workers lose jobs they also lose health coverage. The federal governments COBRA program only allows for some workers to continue health care coverage.

By Doug Cunningham

By Doug Cunningham

As the pace of Senate action quickens on health care reform more than a hundred AFL-CIO leaders from 27 states are coming to Capitol Hill this week to support health care reform. Thousands of letters are being delivered this week in support of reform that lowers costs, holds insurance companies accountable and includes a public option health insurance alternative.

Taxpayers are already covering health care for more than 100,000 Ohioans according to a new study. Jesse Russell reports: