Boeing revoked the company-sponsored healthcare benefits of about 33,000 striking workers starting Tuesday, drawing condemnation from progressives, who said it showed the need for a universal healthcare system in the United States.
The workers, who are mostly in Washington state and are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), went on strike on September 13, and the corporation announced on its website that their healthcare benefits would expire at the end of the day on September 30.
“Boeing’s greed offers another perfect example of why we need Medicare for All,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote on social media. “Like other wealthy countries we must guarantee healthcare to every man, woman, and child as a human right, not a job benefit. Whether you’re on strike or not, everyone is entitled to healthcare.”
Sara Nelson, the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), wrote on social media that “healthcare should not be tied to employment.”