Union health trusts may gain popularity
The deal struck by the United Auto Workers and General Motors Corp., in which the union will assume responsibility for retiree health care, has broad implications for workers nationwide. It may also provide a shot in the arm for unions, helping them attract younger members as unions take on management of an array of pension, health care and retiree issues, labor experts and union leaders said. Labor experts say the implications of the GM deal go far beyond the auto industry. The fact that the UAW, widely seen as the most powerful union in the country, has agreed to go to a VEBA plan is likely to attract interest in the relatively novel idea. So far, just a handful of companies around the country have set up similar health care trusts.
See "Union health trusts may gain popularity", Chen May Yee, Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 26, 2007