BREAKING--Labor Unions threaten Obama/Dems over taxing cadilac plans

[oreo]

WASHINGTON -- Labor leaders irate over a proposed tax on high-value health insurance plans met with President Barack Obama on Monday to express their frustration over his support for the levy. Some labor officials have warned Democrats of political fallout for backing the tax.

The president of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, said there was a frank discussion at the nearly two-hour White House meeting with about a dozen heads of the country's biggest labor unions. Earlier in the day Trumka delivered a broadside to Obama and Senate Democrats who are planning to pay for overhauling the nation's health care system with a tax on insurance plans that union leaders fear could hit their workers.

Trumka warned that Democrats risk catastrophic election defeats similar to 1994 if they fail to come up with a health bill labor likes.

"A bad bill could have that kind of effect - a place where people sit at home" - as happened in 1994, when Democrats lost 54 House seats and eight in the Senate, costing them control of Congress, Trumka told reporters.

The head of the International Association of Firefighters, Harold A. Schaitberger, made similarly threatening remarks in a statement Monday. "The president's support for the excise tax is a huge disappointment and cannot be ignored. If President Obama continues to support it and signs a bill that includes the excise tax on workers, we will hold him accountable," said Schaitberger was not among the attendees at the White House meeting.

The AFL-CIO's Trumka made his remarks before delivering a speech in which he bashed the tax proposal in the Senate's health overhaul bill, contending that it "drives a wedge between the middle class and the poor."

"The bill rightly seeks to ensure that most Americans have health insurance. But instead of taxing the rich, the Senate bill taxes the middle class by taxing workers' health plans - not just union members' health care; most of the 31 million insured employees who would be hit by the excise tax are not union members," Trumka said hours before going to the White House. "This is a policy designed to benefit the elites."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...ress-obama-proposed-health-care-cadillac-tax/

Could it be? Unions defecting from the democrat party would spell complete disaster in November 2010. Apparently--Americans are waking up to the fact--that there is no free lunch when it comes to the--will be required--medical insurance. Now we have all the major unions threatening the democrat party. I never thought I would see that day--

 

[Oddball]

The wheels are starting to come off......

 

[Baruch Menachem]

Just opera. Where else are they going to go?

 

[oreo]

The wheels are starting to come off......

Yep--this is extremely serious when you have 12 of the largest labor unions in this country threatening democrats--

I wonder if Nancy Pelosi is still chuckling?--

So any guesses as to what happens now?

Only 5% of this nation makes over 250K per year--& only 1% of this nation makes over 300K per year. Obviously, there aren't enough rich people in this country to flip the bill on adding 30+ million into medical insurance--which means the bill will fall on the middle class.

So do democrats "cave" from these threats from their largest base of support--or do they commit political suicide. That's the multi-trillion dollar question--

 

[Immanuel]

They don't give a damned about their employees. It is the fact that the cost of their own Cadillac Plans are going to skyrocket that has those bastards pissed off.

Immie

 

[oreo]

Just opera. Where else are they going to go?

There is another party in this country--in case you have forgotten--

I just think it's hillarious that all these union workers who strongly supported Obama are running like a bunch of rats leaving a sinking ship--when they figured out they were going to have to pay for his "free" health care--that he promised during the campaign season--

Just exactly how many "rich" people did they think resided in this country--

 

[oreo]

They don't give a damned about their employees. It is the fact that the cost of their own Cadillac Plans are going to skyrocket that has those bastards pissed off.

Immie

You might want to read the article again. 31 million non-union American workers will be affected too. And there are definitely union cadilac plans that union workers have. Do you know anyone who works at General Electric? Man o man what a plan.

 

[Immanuel]

They don't give a damned about their employees. It is the fact that the cost of their own Cadillac Plans are going to skyrocket that has those bastards pissed off.

Immie

You might want to read the article again. 31 million non-union American workers will be affected too. And there are definitely union cadilac plans that union workers have. Do you know anyone who works at General Electric? Man o man what a plan.

But... do you really think these bastards care about those 31 million non-union workers or even the unionized General Electric employees?

Immie

 

[toomuchtime_]

Just opera. Where else are they going to go?

Maybe they'll just stay home and watch it on tv. Dem candidates depend on unions for contributions and campaign workers more than they do for votes. It might be hard to find union members who will want to campaign for a candidate who voted for a tax that will produce an increase health insurance costs that will be thrown in their faces at the next contract negotiation.

 

[Maple]

WASHINGTON -- Labor leaders irate over a proposed tax on high-value health insurance plans met with President Barack Obama on Monday to express their frustration over his support for the levy. Some labor officials have warned Democrats of political fallout for backing the tax.

The president of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, said there was a frank discussion at the nearly two-hour White House meeting with about a dozen heads of the country's biggest labor unions. Earlier in the day Trumka delivered a broadside to Obama and Senate Democrats who are planning to pay for overhauling the nation's health care system with a tax on insurance plans that union leaders fear could hit their workers.

Trumka warned that Democrats risk catastrophic election defeats similar to 1994 if they fail to come up with a health bill labor likes.

"A bad bill could have that kind of effect - a place where people sit at home" - as happened in 1994, when Democrats lost 54 House seats and eight in the Senate, costing them control of Congress, Trumka told reporters.

The head of the International Association of Firefighters, Harold A. Schaitberger, made similarly threatening remarks in a statement Monday. "The president's support for the excise tax is a huge disappointment and cannot be ignored. If President Obama continues to support it and signs a bill that includes the excise tax on workers, we will hold him accountable," said Schaitberger was not among the attendees at the White House meeting.

The AFL-CIO's Trumka made his remarks before delivering a speech in which he bashed the tax proposal in the Senate's health overhaul bill, contending that it "drives a wedge between the middle class and the poor."

"The bill rightly seeks to ensure that most Americans have health insurance. But instead of taxing the rich, the Senate bill taxes the middle class by taxing workers' health plans - not just union members' health care; most of the 31 million insured employees who would be hit by the excise tax are not union members," Trumka said hours before going to the White House. "This is a policy designed to benefit the elites."

FOXNews.com - Irate Labor Leaders Press Obama on Proposed Health Care 'Cadillac' Tax

Could it be? Unions defecting from the democrat party would spell complete disaster in November 2010. Apparently--Americans are waking up to the fact--that there is no free lunch when it comes to the--will be required--medical insurance. Now we have all the major unions threatening the democrat party. I never thought I would see that day--

Let me see, they have lost the senior vote due to the cuts in Medicare. Harry Reid made a very stupid racist statement in saying that Obama was " light" skinned and spoke no negro dialect, therefore he could win the Presidency. Hmmmmmmmmmmm, if I were a medium, or dark skinned black person who spoke with an accent, I would be pretty pissed off by that statement, as I am sure many are. Now the Unions, whoaaaaaaaaaaa Nellie.

They should have just pissed off the trail lawyer lobbyists and done tort reform, legislated and opened competition among the states, done pre-tax dollars for health savings plans, provided inexpensive plans for catastrophic losses, legislated portability and legislated no denials for pre-existing conditions. They could have done that and saved their base but oh nooooooooooooooo, they overreached and have pissed off everyone but the trail lawyer lobbyists.

This is going to explode and it's going to do it without one Republican in the mix.

BTW- 25 million people will still be left without insurance- everything they set out to do, lower costs of health care and health care insurance and insure everyone is not going to happen.

 

[Maple]

Just opera. Where else are they going to go?

There is another party in this country--in case you have forgotten--

I just think it's hillarious that all these union workers who strongly supported Obama are running like a bunch of rats leaving a sinking ship--when they figured out they were going to have to pay for his "free" health care--that he promised during the campaign season--

Just exactly how many "rich" people did they think resided in this country--

Well, there used to be rich people here, but they got out while the getting was good, at least their money got out of the way of this train wreck.

 

[Big Fitz]

The wheels are starting to come off......

The wheels are coming off? Hell, that was the sound of an axle shearing in half.

Hark! Was that the sound of a Piston blowing through the hood, too?

Now let's see if this Jalopy has enough momentum to cross the finish line at all.

 

[oreo]

They don't give a damned about their employees. It is the fact that the cost of their own Cadillac Plans are going to skyrocket that has those bastards pissed off.

Immie

You might want to read the article again. 31 million non-union American workers will be affected too. And there are definitely union cadilac plans that union workers have. Do you know anyone who works at General Electric? Man o man what a plan.

But... do you really think these bastards care about those 31 million non-union workers or even the unionized General Electric employees?

Immie

Does it matter whether they do or not?-- The point is they are representing their workers--(the workers who give a certain amount of their pay check--called union dues) to these labor organizations to represent them. And they are extremely powerful. And they have been a huge campaign donor to the democrat party for many decades now.

 

[Maple]

Just opera. Where else are they going to go?

Maybe they'll just stay home and watch it on tv. Dem candidates depend on unions for contributions and campaign workers more than they do for votes. It might be hard to find union members who will want to campaign for a candidate who voted for a tax that will produce an increase health insurance costs that will be thrown in their faces at the next contract negotiation.

I wonder who holds more power over the democrats, the Unions or the Trail Lawyer Lobbyists?? I would think that there are many more Union members than there are Lawyers who donate to their party and make up the base.

Again- Obama has his cart before the horse.

BTW- This is raising taxes on everyone, even those making less than $250,000 per year. Just one more to add to the growing list of Obama's broken campaign promises.

 

[Immanuel]

You might want to read the article again. 31 million non-union American workers will be affected too. And there are definitely union cadilac plans that union workers have. Do you know anyone who works at General Electric? Man o man what a plan.

But... do you really think these bastards care about those 31 million non-union workers or even the unionized General Electric employees?

Immie

Does it matter whether they do or not?-- The point is they are representing their workers--(the workers who give a certain amount of their pay check--called union dues) to these organizations to represent them. And they are extremely powerful.

Give?

Don't you mean "have confiscated"?

Also, you were the one that mentioned the 31 million NON-union employees. These bastards don't represent the NON-union employees.

Immie

 

[oreo]

But... do you really think these bastards care about those 31 million non-union workers or even the unionized General Electric employees?

Immie

Does it matter whether they do or not?-- The point is they are representing their workers--(the workers who give a certain amount of their pay check--called union dues) to these organizations to represent them. And they are extremely powerful.

Give?

Don't you mean "have confiscated"?

Also, you were the one that mentioned the 31 million NON-union employees. These bastards don't represent the NON-union employees.

Immie

Confiscated--agreed. We have Americans who are union workers that are republicans--& their union dues goes to the democrat party--whether they like it or not.

No--of course not--union representatives do not care about non-union workers. The point in the article was--was that this will hit much more than union workers. 31 million non-union workers--who receive their benefits from their employers will also get hammered.

 

[Immanuel]

Does it matter whether they do or not?-- The point is they are representing their workers--(the workers who give a certain amount of their pay check--called union dues) to these organizations to represent them. And they are extremely powerful.

Give?

Don't you mean "have confiscated"?

Also, you were the one that mentioned the 31 million NON-union employees. These bastards don't represent the NON-union employees.

Immie

Confiscated--agreed. We have Americans who are union workers that are republicans--& their union dues goes to the democrat party--whether they like it or not.

No--of course not--union representatives do not care about non-union workers. The point in the article was--was that this will hit much more than union workers. 31 million non-union workers--who receive their benefits from their employers will also get hammered.

'cept, I think we're all going to get hammered.

Immie

 

[oreo]

Give?

Don't you mean "have confiscated"?

Also, you were the one that mentioned the 31 million NON-union employees. These bastards don't represent the NON-union employees.

Immie

Confiscated--agreed. We have Americans who are union workers that are republicans--& their union dues goes to the democrat party--whether they like it or not.

No--of course not--union representatives do not care about non-union workers. The point in the article was--was that this will hit much more than union workers. 31 million non-union workers--who receive their benefits from their employers will also get hammered.

'cept, I think we're all going to get hammered.

Immie

I agree 100%