Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-01-07
Regional
Views
By Richard Gosser
Vice-President
International UAW-ClO

Let's talk about insurance for our men,
bers. Nothing could be more important to us
in this new year of 1949 than some real pro-
gress in this field. Insurance is the biggest
business in America, much greater than the
sutmobile business by far. Most of us never
give it enough thought, although the inter
national executive board of the UAW-CIO has
been doing lot of thinking, talking, and act
ing on this subject.
Here and there, too, are hard working
shop committeeman and other individuals who
have spent quite bit of time in research on
insurance prgrams A shining example can be
found in the National Auto-Lite Intra Corpora
ton Council where committee of three was
set up to work with the assistant director on
compiling specific data covering the number
of males and females, listing age groups and
occupational classification, so that insurance
companies could bid for the overall insurance
agreement until the day when the internation-
al union covered all members under one blan-
ket agreement, either statewide or nationally.
The council president, vice president and
secretary are the three Auto-Lite appointees
to their insurance committee and when the
Auto-Lite Council convenes in Sarnia on
February IL they will have quite bit of data
to work with
A few years ago Local IL planned on hav-
ing an insurance plan, but the program was
stymied because of difficulties the union
couldn't avoid. The entire picture of insurance
for workers is pretty big chore to handle.
That's why it takes lot of push and drive to
put it over.
Briefly the story is this When we buy
Individual insurance it is like buying an indi-
vdual loaf of bread or an individual apple.
We don't get too much for our money. But
when we buy things in case lots we get a
much better price. Our idea, in the interna-
tional union, is to buy insurance not in case
lots, but in carload lots, getting the best pos
sible coverage for our people for the lowest
possible price
What is to prevent us from getting into
the insurance business ourselves? Nothing.
And that's exactly what we intend to do, on
Cooperative basis, so to speak We pay only for
what we get, namely benefits. At the end of
the year we determine how much we paid out,
and from the surplus we give our members
either dividends or more insurance coverage,
Simple isn't it?
Is there any reason why we should have
to pay someone else to insure more than mil
numerical strength and economic strength in
our group to finance just about anything we
care to finance for our own benefit? If we
can give our family more security by obtain
ing more insurance for less money shouldn't
we do it? You bet we should, and we will
Each individual shop committee should
set up an insurance committee and make sure
that it functions. These shop committees on
insurance can coordinate their efforts with
the local union insurance committee, If they
in an amalgamated local union. These, in
turn, may in both unit and amalgamated in
stances, work with the international unions
insurance department headed by Harry Becks
er, social security director of the UAW. gi.
There is entirely too much cLiseling on
the part of many individuals in various. plarts
with regard to insurance. 1t isn't easv to put
the finger on them as indivd,,-ls, and what
they do is entirely le-al,I assume, but the
idea of suggesting an inferior form of insurance
coverage to an employee, then taking the pay
ments out of his check with full knowledge
that he is not getting proper coverage for his
money, is basically wrong. The union intends
to do something about it by establishing its
own insurance program, one that will bene
fit the worker, then return unused premiums
to the worker in either cash dividends or
greater coverage
Later on will write again on this subject.
Next week l want to take up the subject of
used car racketeering, and at this time let it
be understood that this union intends to pro-
tect its membership against the connivance of
used car dealers and finance companies who
are committing crimes against our people.