CONTACT: Jess Kamm Broomell, (412) 562-2446, jkamm@usw.org OR Sabrina Liu, (412) 417-3125, sliu@usw.org
(Chicago) – Members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union and their allies will hold a rally at 10 a.m. Wednesday to call on Express Scripts to bargain a fair contract. After nearly a year of talks, the company continues to insist the 1,600 USW members in five states accept a health insurance plan that would require them to pay thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs each year before coverage kicks in.
This kind of plan would leave workers, many of whom already earn low wages and have not received a raise in more than four years, without access to affordable medical care. Workers needing ongoing treatment, including those with cancer, organ failure, and other life threatening illnesses, would be hit especially hard, leaving them to forego treatment or seek cheaper, less effective alternatives.
Photo and Interview Opportunities Available
WHO: USW members and their allies
WHAT: Rally for a fair contract
WHEN: Wednesday, June 15, 10 a.m.
WHERE: Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E. Delaware Place, Chicago 60611 (Across N. Michigan Ave. from the John Hancock Center)
WHY: Express Scripts was one of the most successful companies in the country in 2015, making $8.4 billion in profit. It is now trying to pressure its union work force into accepting deep cuts to its health insurance. The USW has proposed a plan that would save the company money while still offering workers affordable care. Express Scripts has still not fully responded to this offer.
The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors.