Emboldened by that victory, the unions and union-funded organization such as Wal-Mart Watch hit the road to lobby for passage of similar legislation in 30 other states.
Today in New York state, a similar bill died in the state legislature.
From the Albany Times-Union:
Known as the Wal-Mart bill because it would affect the giant retailer and other similar companies, Fair Share for Health Care would have forced companies with 100 employees or more to provide health insurance for workers or pay a $3 hourly tax per employee. Supporters such as labor unions and the Working Families Party said it would help ease the state's costs for Medicaid and other publicly funded programs for poor and low-wage workers.
And they said it was only fair that employers take responsibility for their people.
The push also was an effective tool around which labor unions, struggling to gain new members, could rally.
The business community, though, bemoaned the Wal-Mart bill as precisely the kind of costly big government program that drives companies out of New York. While it would provide coverage for an estimated 466,000 people, that's still less than one-third of the state's uninsured. It also could cost businesses up to $9.2 billion and kill up to 100,000 jobs, according to research by the Employment Policies Institute, a nonpartisan group that sides with business on key financial issues.
Since the Maryland bill was passed, the unions and the anti Wal-Mart crowd have so far failed to pass Fair Share for Health care bills in any other state.
Hat tip to Marshall Manson of Edelman PR for the story.
Technorati tags: New York Albany
Politics Maryland Wal-Mart retail Business
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