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Fund Administrator for the United Food and Commercial Workers Health and Welfare Fund Glenn Di Biasi, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the Fund, and what it does. Di Biasi also discussed modernized healthcare benefits in labor unions and how healthcare and wellness benefits are key to attracting and retaining union members.
The UFCW Health and Welfare Fund is the branch of the UFCW established by the Taft-Hartley ruling that handles all the UFCW’s funding for health and wellness. The funding comes from contribution dollars collected from payroll deductions. It is the job of the fund to ensure they save the most money while ensuring their members get the highest quality care possible.
The challenge of modernizing healthcare has made the fund more aware of the way they allocate funds, and they’ve had to adapt to this new development. One adaptation that Di Biasi talked about was building out a healthcare ecosystem. The goal is to create advocacy programs that ensure a member facing any illness has a focused program to help them receive the highest quality of help. The focus has also grown into improving mental wellbeing. He shared additional details about the plans for their mental health program.
While today’s union density numbers are low, the struggle to organize and recruit new members is constant. One major bargaining chip unions have on their side is the incredible health and wellness benefits members receive. Gen Z is focused on improving their health and wellbeing in the workplace which requires benefits and protections rarely offered outside of unions. Di Biasi believes the best way to organize and retain members is with a robust health and wellness plan, and that is the way unions will be able to return to their previous membership numbers.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
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