Low-income workers protest Bill Schuette’s opposition to Medicaid

Detroit Free Press (MI)

June 01--More than 100 low-income voters gathered outside Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette's office in Detroit on Thursday afternoon to protest his opposition to Michigan's Medicaid expansion, which has become a cornerstone of his gubernatorial campaign.

One of Schuette's campaign pledges is to cut Michigan's Medicaid expansion. The cuts could affect nearly 700,000 people in Michigan who rely on Medicaid, a community member with the group said. The protest included a "die-in," where everyone laid down in front of the Cadillac Building.

"It's a die-in because he's killing our healthcare," said Camille Allen, a home-care provider. "If he takes it away, what are we going to do?"

The Fight for $15 movement, which organized the protest, started in New York in November 2012, when hundreds of fast-food workers went on strike to demand $15 per hour and union rights, the group's leader said. The movement has been growing since and now includes low-wage workers from several industries, including home-care providers and janitors.

Most of the protesters who spoke Thursday said they have chronic diseases, or their children do, and they rely on Medicaid to pay for medication.

Allen, who has been fighting for low-wage worker rights for 12 years, said she just got eye surgery and has Crohn's disease. Her Crohn's medicine costs $600 a month.

Most of the protesters are low-wage workers. Some of those are part-time employees, but not by choice.

"I'm six months pregnant," AMC Theatre worker Jessica Bowie said. "I work less than 30 hours a week so they (AMC) don't have to pay me healthcare."

The protesters marched around the office building holding signs reading "Bill Schuette: Healthcare Killer" and "Schuette: Hands Off My Healthcare."

The workers then gathered around the front of the building to make speeches and participate in the die-in.

"Our goal today is to tell Bill Schuette that it's not just about his pockets, it's about the people," McDonald's worker Alexis Wright said.

Rev. Willie Walker said another goal of the protest is to get as many people to vote in November as possible.

He said he has been involved with the Fight for $15 movement since the beginning.

"It's sad we have to continue to fight for a living wage, for healthcare," Walker said. "As a pastor, and watching my young people struggle, I have to come out and fight for them."

The protest occurred as Schuette and other gubernatorial candidates gather at the Mackinac Policy Conference this week.

"Everybody affected is nowhere to be heard at the conference," Bowie said.

This is not the first time hundreds of protesters have gathered in Michigan to fight for healthcare and union issues. On May 8, around 100 low-wage workers across Michigan rallied outside the GOP gubernatorial primary debate in Grand Rapids. In January, hundreds of low-wage workers protested outside Gov. Rick Snyder's office as he gave the State of the State address.

If elected governor, Schuette has also pledged to implement a bill that is currently moving through Michigan's legislature that would impose work requirements on all Medicaid recipients, according to the protest's press release. In the past as Michigan's attorney general, he halted the progress of the Affordable Care Act.

Walker said the group most of all wanted to make sure Schuette knows which of his policies the voters are against.

"He needs to know the voters are here and we'll fight you," Walker said. "We put you in office and we can take you out."

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