For those of us who keep track of labor folk singers, Anne Feeney is among the most prominent and beloved players in the genre.

Therefore, we were saddened to receive a letter from her reporting a serious illness and asking for help.

On August 3rd, in Sweden, a lung specialist advised me that I have an 11 cm tumor on my lung that is stressing both my heart and lungs in dangerous ways. As terrifying as this diagnosis is, it is in many ways a relief to get an explanation for the several mysterious and troubling symptoms I've had for the past few months... including increasing fatigue, shortness of breath, terrible coughing, and bizarre heart rhythms.

I could have stayed in Sweden for the bronchoscopy, biopsy and surgery ... my health insurance would have covered everything in Sweden that it covers here. But even the best case scenario here will involve a protracted recovery period and probably at least six months out of work. It was also hard to think about being so seriously ill so far away from my children, and my lifelong network of friends in Pittsburgh.

So here I am, at home in Pittsburgh, surrounded by friends and family. Sister Feeney then goes on in the letter to talk about friends who will fill in for her on scheduled tours of Ireland. There is a Caring Bridge page for updates on her condition http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/annefeeney and you can post on her guestbook at http://annefeeney.com/guestbook.html.

Then this note:
This diagnosis has wiped out most of my meager folksinger's savings. I've had to cancel a lot of work that I was counting on, and incurred a lot of unexpected travel expenses. Although most of my medical bills will be covered (now that I've come up with the $6000 in deductibles and copay), it seems unlikely that I'll be able to return to my hectic tour schedule, or any full time work, for several months.
If you want to help me out with what are going to be fairly staggering expenses by folksinger's standards... I'm hoping to find 1000 folks who'll pony up $50 ... I really *don't* want any larger donations ... I don't want anyone to dig deep for this... and if $50 is hard for you to come by, PLEASE don't think about sending me a cent. I know I have enough dear friends who are doing okay that those of you who are struggling shouldn't spend a second worrying about my finances.
You could send a check to me:
Anne Feeney
2240 Milligan Ave
Pittsburgh PA 15218

or you can send a donation via Paypal to getwellanne@annefeeney.com.

Feb. 4, 2010
A new paper points up that labor unions benefit workers in every state, regardless of union density or the general attitude toward unions, the AFL-CIO reports. The added benefit applies to wages, health care benefits and retirement:

Joining a union would be good for workers in every state in the nation because union members receive better pay and benefits than nonunion workers, according to a new report.

“The Unions of the States,” released today by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), studied union membership rates, size of the union workforce and wage and benefit advantages for union workers in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Click http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-unions-of-the-states/
to read the report.

The report found union membership rates vary widely, from more than 25 percent of workers in New York and Hawaii to fewer than 5 percent in North Carolina and South Carolina. California has the most union members, with 2.6 million, and Wyoming the least, with just about 20,000.

But no matter what the size of the union workforce, the union difference is clear in every state. The report says that in a typical state, union members are likely to earn 15 percent more an hour, have a 19 percent (higher) likelihood of having employer-provided health insurance and are 24 percent more likely to have an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Based on the federal government’s monthly Current Population Survey, the report provides a snapshot of union members in each state by race, gender, public-sector or private-sector employment and more.

The report clearly makes the point that protecting workers’ right to join a union—the reason for the Employee Free Choice Act—is important and would benefit the country:
"These findings demonstrate that, across the states, workers who are able to bargain collectively earn more and are more likely to have benefits associated with good jobs. Taken together these data strongly suggest that better protection of workers’ right to unionize would have a substantial positive impact on the pay and benefits workers in every state."