Nevada Culinary Union Says Sanders & Warren Would End Their Healthcare

The Nevada Culinary Union is handing out flyers that say Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) would “End Culinary Healthcare” if elected.

The flier depicts where the leading 2020 Democratic candidates stand on health care, immigration and “Good Jobs,” and singles out Sanders. According to the Culinary Union, Sanders’ “Medicare For All” plan would end the union’s health benefits. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has also vocally supported his plan.

The flier sponsored by the union, which is an influential force in Nevada politics, comes just a few days away from the Nevada caucuses. According to the union, it represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers in Nevada and provides health insurance to more than 130,000 people in the state. They have yet endorsed any candidate for president. 

The flier, however, says that Former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and businessman Tom Steyer all have policies that would protect the union’s healthcare interests. 

In another flier released last week, the Culinary union said, “We have fought for 85 years to protect our healthcare. Why would we let politicians take it away? A history of blood, sweat, and tears secured our healthcare, not politicians’ promises.”

In a statement to CNN, Sarah Michelsen, Sanders’ campaign director in Nevada, made note of the senator’s career, saying he “stood with workers … fighting on picket lines against pension cuts and corporate greed. Medicare for All will be no different; the program is crafted with the working class and particularly union members in mind.”

She continued, “Bernie has been clear that under Medicare for All, we will guarantee that coverage is as comprehensive or more so than the health care benefits union workers currently receive, and union health clinics, including the Culinary’s health clinic, will remain open to serve their members. With health care as a human right, unions will have more leverage to negotiate better wages and benefits.” 

Sanders’ healthcare plan is a progressive one; it eliminates the private insurance industry and shifts all responsibilities to the federal government.