Just down the street for Winco in Midvale is a retirement community that is nearing completion. I happened to drive by the other day, and I saw that there were two people (one man and one woman) in front of the building with a big sign that said, "Shame on Cascades at Riverwalk." It was right next to a sign that said, "Cascades at Riverwalk- Now Hiring."I was curious, so I stopped and rolled down my window.
I asked what the protest was all about, and the man said, "We're not allowed to talk about it."
I was silent for a bit thinking, "WHAT?! Then why in the hell are you out front protesting? Why can't you talk about it?" After awhile the woman said, "But we can give you a flyer..." It then took her a minute or two to find the flyer and give it to me.
First of all, I would consider it an embarrassing failure if only two people showed up to a protest. Secondly, if they can't talk about it, then why are they out there? What do they want from people? What do they expect us to do? Thirdly, if their objective is to educate people and hand out flyers then they should have them ready to go when people stop to ask about the protest.
Do you want to know what the protest was all about? Apparently the construction company that worked on Cascades at Riverwalk doesn't fully pay for family health insurance.
Call me a heartless bitch, but who really cares?!
First of all, employers are required to OFFER health insurance for their workers and their families NOT fully pay for the insurance. Many employers will cover PART of the cost of the insurance for their employee, but I haven't heard of a single company that fully pays for family health insurance. Some companies don't cover part of the health insurance at all- even for their employee. My husband's job doesn't supplement the cost of insurance at all. Health insurance is offered but it's REALLY crappy, and we have to pay the full cost of insurance out of our own pockets. I have no sympathy for the protestors. At least they have a job. If they don't like it, they can look for another job with a company that has better benefits.
Secondly, they are targeting the wrong people. They should be targeting the construction company, not Cascades at Riverwalk! As a business owner, if I were to need something built, I would get a quote from two or three construction companies and choose the one that gives me the best deal for my dollar. I WOULD NOT check to see if the construction company pays full health insurance benefits to it's employees. (That's just me)
They claim that Cascades at Riverwalk is desecrating the American way of life. Give me a break! And give them a break! They are a new business just getting ready to hire employees and open. Even after reading the flyer of the protestors, I would still apply to work there if I was looking for work. I would still check out the community to see if it's appropriate for my grandmother. I think their protest is an embarrassing failure. Maybe the protestors should apply there to see if the benefits are any better at Cascades at Riverwalk.
