Abortion rights and Starbucks.

Without national healthcare what they give they can take away.

In the days before the illegitimate Supreme Court’s counter revolution, back when we had Roe but did not yet same sex marriage rights, our union local was bargaining a new contract.

Among our demands was that our family insurance cover domestic partners.

The demand wasn’t asking for anything free. While our employee insurance was a district paid benefit, family coverage was mainly a cost to the employee.

The board absolutely refused. The idea of the phrase “domestic partners” conjured up all kinds of sordid relationships in the minds of these Babbitts.’

In the end we won by changing the words to “members of a household.

I think about this now in the wake of the decision to deny women equal rights.

When I read that Dick’s Sporting Goods was offering transportation and a willingness to pay other costs for their employees to get an abortion I thought it was a good thing.

I ran into an organizer for a union at the first Chicago protest of the Court’s Dobb’s decision and told her about Dick’s.

“That’s great,” she said.

“Yes”, I said. “It should be in every union contract.”

Good for these companies for responding to the Court.

Then I read that Starbucks was offering the same thing, but not to stores that had voted to unionize.

Ah. I knew there would be a catch.

This gets to the essence of employment-based health insurance.

Most pregnant people don’t work in union shops.

Most pregnant people don’t work for companies that support abortion access.

Most pregnant people don’t have health insurance.

We need national health care.

*****************************

Get a subscription to Fred Klonsky in Retirement.

You can subscribe for free or toss some change in the hat.

Like, comment or share.

Typos happen.

My art is on Instagram @klonksyart