Hartford, Conn: Union Leaders Arrested Over Health Care

The sit-ins followed a rally by over a hundred activists outside the building who had demanded that the state institute universal health care coverage in the six days before the legislative session ended. Universal health care was the top issue before the Connecticut Legislature this year.

Among the labor leaders arrested was Brian Petronella, president of the 11,000-member Local 371 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. He told the World that he sat in at the governors office because many low-wage workers, including retail and supermarket workers, are forced to have their children on the state-operated program for kids who wouldnt otherwise have health care.

Its an outrage, he said, that they give you an application when you are hired, an application for state assistance, because they know they offer nothing in terms of wages and benefits.

Wal-Mart was among the first companies to start doing this, and others have since joined the pack.

When it was noted, during the interview with the World, that a militant action by labor leaders such as the one in which he was involved brings the struggle for decent health care to a new level, Petronella said, If more labor leaders all over the country did this type of thing, we would make a great deal more progress on the issue of health care and on a lot of other issues.

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