Collective bargaining can truly make a positive difference in union members’ lives. It can mean the difference between having a stable life and not having enough money to live comfortably. It can even mean the difference between surviving or succumbing to a potentially deadly illness.
Daniel Weschler is one example of this. Daniel works at Safeway #1579 in Germantown, Md. where he has been a dedicated member of UFCW Local 400 for 41 years. He’s also a cancer survivor who depends on his medical coverage. Daniel describes the comprehensive health insurance he receives thanks to his union contract as “a godsend.”
Back in 2017, Daniel was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had surgery, followed by weeks of radiation treatments. “Once I met my out-of-pocket threshold, everything was 100% covered,” Daniel said. “Every radiation treatment cost $1,750, and then it was another $2,000 each time I met with the oncologist.” He’s really grateful that his health insurance was there for him, and he estimates it saved him well over $60,000.
Now Daniel is facing a second battle with cancer. After it was found to have spread to his bones, he is receiving treatment and staying strong. “The doctors put me on medication to keep the cancer under control,” he explained. “One prescription costs $4,660 a month and the other is $860 a month, so it’s over $5,500. If it wasn’t for Safeway and the union benefits we’ve bargained, I would just have to let nature take its course.
“Plus, with the wages that we’re getting, it’s going to help me supplement my income for the days I’m going to have to take off early,” he added.
Earlier this year, members at Safeway voted overwhelmingly to approve an extension to our current union contract with improved pension benefits, continual health and welfare benefits, and extending wage scales and raises for an additional two years.
“I’ve got nothing but gratitude for what Local 400 has done for me,” Daniel said. “Whenever I hear someone complain about our union or ask ‘what is the union doing for me?’, I say, ‘Wait until you get seriously sick and you see and appreciate the benefits that we have. Then, you’ll respect the union and what they’ve gotten for us and what the company is providing because we bargained for it.’ Our union is awesome.”