Send a Letter Today Urging Congress to Pass Quality Health Care Reform by Mike Hall, Sep 30, 2009   Local unions, central labor councils, state federations and national unions are redoubling their efforts to ensure health care reform legislation—which could be on the Senate floor as early as Oct. 13 and in the full House later in the month—is real reform that         Controls costs.         Provides guaranteed coverage.         Holds insurance companies accountable.         Includes a public health insurance plan option.         Requires all employers to pay their fair share.  Rejects new taxes that would hurt working families—who already are being crushed by soaring health costs. Please join union members across the nation in writing your senators and member of Congress to tell them to pass real health care reform. It’s critical working families speak up and provide a loud counter voice to the health insurance industry’s money and influence. Congress needs to hear from people who can tell their lawmakers about their personal struggles with a broken health care system and why we need real health care reform.  Letters from union members, many of which will be written during breaks on the job site, at local union meetings and via special letter-writing events, will be delivered to lawmakers next week when activists and union leaders travel to Capitol Hill to meet with them or during the Columbus Day recess when union activists meet with the representatives in their home districts during the Columbus Day recess. Contact your local central labor council or state federation for more information on actions in your area. Union members also can go to the Working Families Toolkit (www.WorkingFamiliesToolkit.com, registration required) for sample letters, fact sheets, fliers and more information on health care reform. We’re also planning a national health care call-in day to Congress on Oct. 7. Union members can urge their representatives and senators to back health care reform that includes a strong public option. Call 1-877-3-AFL-CIO (1-877-323-5246). Other actions will include worksite leafleting, letters to the editor and op-ed pieces and other grassroots actions. The health insurance industry has spent millions to block inclusion of a public health insurance option. That paid off yesterday when the Senate Finance Committee voted 15-8 to kill an amendment by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and another by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to include such an option in their version of health care reform. But the Finance Committee’s bill is not the only player in the game. Both the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension’s Committee (HELP) and the House bill (H.R. 3200) contain public option provisions and many other improvements over the Finance bill. This is your chance to make your voice heard and tell Congress “Health Care Can’t Wait!“