Hotel
Workers' Insurance Extended
Associated Press - November 19, 2004
Two
other health care providers joined Kaiser Permanente on Thursday
in agreeing to provide two months of additional medical coverage
to San Francisco hotel workers who have been locked out of
their jobs and were at risk of losing their benefits on Dec.
1.
The
decisions by PacifiCare Health Systems and Chinese Community
Health Plan mean that all of the estimated 4,300 locked-out
workers will have health insurance while negotiations continue
on a new labor contract, said Mike Casey, president of Unite
Here Local 2, the union that represents hotel employees.
Kaiser
announced on Tuesday that it would extend by 60 days its coverage
of 3,500 hotel workers whose employer-sponsored health care
is due to expire at the end of the month. PacifiCare provides
health care to another 750 hotel workers, and the Chinese
Community Health Plan enrolls about 50.
Mayor
Gavin Newsom, who was involved in the helping the union broker
the agreements, praised the three health plans and reiterated
his call for the 14 hotels at the center of the dispute to
let the workers back to work during ongoing contract talks.
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