NY Times: Health Care for All! Kind Of

The New York Times wants health care for all Americans -- with the small exception of their laid-off employees.

The union that covers the Boston Globe’s reporters and advertising staffs is accusing the New York Times Co. of ignoring its duty to cover most of the cost of laid-off workers’ health insurance.

“What they are doing is illegal and totally irresponsible,” said Dan Totten, president of the Boston Newspaper Guild. At issue is the continued health coverage of some 100 former Globe employees laid off in recent months.

According to Totten, the company is supposed to pay 65 percent of each laid-off worker’s monthly health insurance tab under what is known as COBRA. Totten accused the company of violating a new federal law that requires the company to contribute that share.

Under that law, he said, the Globe is required to lay out the COBRA money upfront and get reimbursed by the government.

Company management did not respond to a request for comment. Totten detailed his accusations in a letter dated Wednesday to Globe Publisher P. Steven Ainsley.

This is rich. The New York Times has been pushing hard for universal health care and has railed against greedy corporations and now we find out they haven’t been paying their fair share of health insurance for their laid-off Boston Globe staffers. Typical do as I say not as I do lefty mentality.