Journalism unions want to add access to abortion in health care plans

Author Moonshot.news

Published on: 08/06/2022

US journalism unions are trying to add access to abortion for their members through health care plans. The background is a coming verdict from the Supreme Court that, according to leaked information, could overturn the Roe v. Wade verdict that makes abortion a constitutional right, the Poynter Institute reports. The Supreme Court’s verdict is expected in June or early July.

“It’s a shame that it’s up to individual units or individual unions — or in some cases, individuals — to have to protect what should be an essential right for people,” Amy McCarthy, Vox Media Union, comments on the risk for a change of the US right to abortion. “But that’s the world that we live in right now.”

CONDEMNED

The three largest unions representing journalists — the NewsGuild, the Writers Guild of America East and SAG-AFTRA — have all condemned the leaked Court majority opinion indicating an overturn of the Roe v. Wade.

“Members and units within those unions are working to add provisions to their contracts that would ensure their health insurance covers abortion care”, Poynter reports.

Vox Media Union — which is part of the Writers Guild and represents roughly 360 journalists — has already submitted such a proposal. The union was in the middle of negotiations for its second contract when news about the leaked draft broke. Though the employees’ health insurance plan already includes some coverage for abortion, the union wanted to “enshrine” that right in their contract, bargaining committee member Amy McCarthy”, told Poynter.

“Without something in a collective bargaining agreement, the company can kind of decide unilaterally to just rescind that benefit,” McCarthy said. “Considering how this could go when Roe is overturned, we wanted to get that language in there for sure.”

TRAVEL COSTS

To protect its members, the union also proposed language asking Vox to provide financial support to employees who must travel to receive an abortion.

Poynter reports that at least 19 states have so called “trigger” laws or pre-Roe laws that would make abortion illegal if the Supreme Court decides to overturn its precedent.

Part of ensuring abortion care access is making sure that sick leave policies are flexible enough that employees can take a sick day at a moment’s notice to get an abortion, NewsGuild president Jon Schleuss told Poynter. The NewsGuild is also seeking to protect the privacy of members who do seek an abortion. If an employer does find out that an employee received an abortion, the union wants to make sure those employees do not face discipline or discrimination.

AMAZON

A number of non-media companies, for instance Amazon, have pledged to help their workers access abortion care if Roe is overturned. Amazon said it would pay up to USD 4,000 in travel expenses for employees who cannot access medical procedures, including abortions, within 100 miles of where they live. Apple, Microsoft, Starbucks, Tesla, Yelp and other companies have made similar promises, Poynter reports.

As the abortion issue is very controversial in the US, shortly after the news about the leaked draft broke, some newsrooms sent their employees reminders about company social media policies urging staffers to avoid sharing personal opinions on political issues.

Schleuss told Poynter that journalists who want to talk about abortion access can tie it to their own health care plans, making it protected speech under the National Labor Relations Act. The law, which also covers workers who are not part of a union, protects the rights of employees to talk about working conditions, including on social media.