WHEREAS, healthy employees are the mainstay of any establishment, and the well-being of employees and their families is essential to the success of any workplace and thus health care coverage must be made available to all public employees, as benefits, including health, dental, vision and hearing are essential to maintain the health and wellness of all; and
WHEREAS, for hundreds of years—through organizing, bargaining, education, legislation and mobilization—working people and their unions have fought for safe and healthful working conditions to protect workers from injury, illness and death, making real progress, winning strong laws and protections that have made jobs safer, saved workers’ lives and improved livelihoods; thus, now is the time to advance these efforts and ensure equitable, affordable health care to all members; and
WHEREAS, the ongoing pandemic, which has caused more than 1 million deaths in the United States alone, is a grave reminder that we must do all we can to provide health benefits to all of our citizens, especially lower-income workers who have sustained the brunt of the effects of COVID-19; some survivors, referred to as COVID-19 long haulers, have never fully recovered and are today suffering from long-term symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, headache, dizziness and shortness of breath, and without health benefits to protect themselves and their families, they, too, will fall victim to this cruel pandemic; and
WHEREAS, certain American Federation of School Administrators locals, through their ability to have a seat at the table locally, have fought successfully for Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with their districts, to take into account the severe health concerns of the pandemic, and to meet the needs of school leaders, the schools they lead, and the students and communities they serve;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the American Federation of School Administrators will fight for quality health care for all individuals; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the American Federation of School Administrators will continue to support its locals in their efforts to bargain for quality health care benefits for their members.