State’s union labor delivers expertise
In light of recent ICE raids on construction sites, I am reminded why we chose the building trades for labor at the Plant Vogtle site, completed in 2024.
They provide more than workers. They guarantee a legal, drug-free workforce with a strict zero-tolerance policy. Sobriety and focus are matters of life and death as workers are high atop scaffolding or suspended by ropes. Nuclear construction demands absolute precision and allows no margin for error.
Georgia is fortunate to have local unions offering unmatched expertise: millwrights, sheet metal workers, ironworkers, carpenters, electricians, crane operators, plumbers, pipe fitters, pipe welders and paint coating applicators. While union labor may cost more upfront, it delivers far greater value. Local unions provide contractors with a ready-made, highly skilled workforce, removing uncertainty and saving time and money. I have seen these organizations in action, and the difference is clear: quality, safety and efficiency.
An ICE raid is not only a logistical nightmare but also a costly public-relations disaster. By relying on our locals, we avoid that risk while supporting a verified American skilled craft workforce with U.S. DOL-certified and registered training programs that give young people world-class skills, without debt. Keep up the great work!
TIM ECHOLS, GEORGIA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER
Drug discount program needs accountability
In her Sept. 11 opinion, “If 340B drug discounts end, nonprofit health care providers are in trouble,” Nicole Roebuck urges Georgia lawmakers to protect the 340B program. But she overlooks how the program has gone off track, with large, tax-exempt hospitals profiting instead of lowering costs.
The program was designed to help low-income patients afford needed medicines. Hospitals receive drug discounts and are expected to share savings with patients. Instead, many mark up prices and keep the difference. Drug markups are over six times higher at 340B hospitals than at independent clinics, and 32% of Georgia 340B hospitals provide below-average charity care.
Roebuck argues that implementing a rebate system under 340B will harm providers. However, the ability to profit deeply from 340B has fueled large hospital systems’ acquisitions of independent clinics. At the same time, many are closing locations while still taking advantage of 340B discounts. Between 2016 and 2022, large 340B hospitals drove about 80% of hospital acquisitions. Wellstar Health System closed Atlanta Medical Center in November 2022, which served a community where 31% of residents live in poverty.
The 340B program is vital, but it needs greater transparency and accountability to ensure it truly serves patients as intended.
DOROTHY LEONE-GLASSER, ATLANTA
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