Health care meltdown: as costs continue to spiral, here's what CEOs can do to stave off a crisis.

From: Chief Executive (U.S.) | Date: May 1, 2004| Author: | Copyright information

To stay competitive with low-wage, low-benefits Wal-Marts moving into Southern California, Safeway, and other supermarket chains earlier this year tried to persuade their unionized employees to start contributing toward their health care benefits. Paying 100 percent of workers' health care bills, the employers argued, was just too much. The request drew a resounding "no" from the union, and the employees promptly went on strike. The strike cost the supermarkets millions of dollars in lost sales, causing them to bend and agree to insulate current employees from the rising costs of ...

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