Excerpt, Associated Press article January 31, 2013:
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek doctors, port workers and public transport staff in the country’s capital walked off the job Thursday in strikes against deeply unpopular austerity measures that have seen incomes slashed as the country struggles to emerge from a deep financial crisis.
The country’s main unions also announced a nationwide general strike for Feb. 20, the latest in a series of such walkouts over the past two years that disrupt services across the country and are accompanied by sometimes violent demonstrations… Read the entire article.
The Doctor’s Office as Union Shop: As new health-care laws turn physicians into service workers, why wouldn’t they organize? by David Leffell in the January 30, 2013 Wall Street Journal, concludes:
Americans don’t expect the quality of their care or access to it to decline as health-care costs drop. But quality of care and access will require significant attention in a reformed medical system. As has happened in other countries that have charted the course we are now on, a new reason for lack of access may at times be: “Office closed, doctors on strike…” Read the entire article.
Hmmm……………
Regards, Pete Weldon
americanstance.org
Note: The Wall Street Journal Web site is a pay site but seems to permit public access to its opinion pieces.