By Justin Udo

– Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney joined hundreds of protesters at Temple University Hospital to voice their outrage with President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican controlled Congress.

“Hospitals like Temple University will suffer as a result of its repeal, people will suffer as a result of its repeal,” mayor Kenney simply stated.

He said he understands if politicians in D.C. want to change the Affordable Care Act, but it would be irresponsible if they take it away without a healthy alternative.

“The government should continue this, they want to tweak it here of there that would be fine, but they really need to keep all the important parts in place.”

Pennsylvania Democratic Senator Bob Casey Jr also was at the rally.

He said his colleagues across the isle better have a replacement plan better than the ACA if they succeed in repealing the act.

“One thing they have not done is tell the American people if they repeal, what are you going to replace it with? Republicans in Washington had seven years to develop a replacement plan and never came up with one. I don’t know what they’ve been doing for seven years. But they weren’t doing a damn thing to get a replacement plan,” Senator Casey said.

Right now the Affordable Care Act provides more than 700 thousand Pennsylvanians with health insurance. Many other Pennsylvania politicians including Governor Tom Wolf said it would be catastrophic if taken away.

Source – http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/01/15/protesters-and-politicians-defend-aca-at-north-philadelphia-rally/

By Doug Cunningham
Workers Independent News

– The U.S. Postal Service is ending post office services at Staples stores by March. The American Postal Workers Union protested the program for years as about 500 Staples stores did postal work that post office employees used to provide.

The APWU said the Postal Service was trying to privatize the work using workers with much lower pay and worse benefits.
APWU Presdient Mark Dimondstein says the union stood up against a wrong and won.

Source – http://www.laborpress.org/sectors/union-retail/9303-victory-for-apwu-u-s-postal-service-ends-staples-post-office-work

By Jane M. Von Bergen

– The union representing registered nurses at Hahnemann University Hospital, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, and St. Christopher’s Pediatric Outpatient Clinic announced Sunday that it had reached tentative agreements on first contracts with Tenet Healthcare Corp., the Dallas-based for-profit chain that operates the hospitals.

Hahnemann’s 940 nurses are scheduled to vote on the tentative agreement Monday.

Voting by the 400 nurses at St. Christopher’s Hospital and the 30 nurses at the outpatient clinic is set for Wednesday.

In January, the nurses voted to join the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP).

Contract details will be available after the ratification votes, the union said.

Continuing are contract talks at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, where the union represents nurses and clinical employees, and Einstein Medical Center, where the union represents nurses.

Nurses and staff at those hospitals also voted to join PASNAP this year.

Source – http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20161205_Nurses_at_Hahnemann__St__Christopher_s_reach_tentative_contracts_with_Tenet.html