Labor unions are breaking with President Obama on ObamaCare.
Months
after the president’s reelection, a variety of unions are publicly
balking at how the administration plans to implement the landmark law.
They warn that unless there are changes, the results could be
catastrophic.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) — a
1.3 million-member labor group that twice endorsed Obama for president —
is very worried about how the reform law will affect its members’
healthcare plans.
Last month, the president of the United
Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers released a statement
calling “for repeal or complete reform of the Affordable Care Act.”
UNITE HERE, a prominent hotel workers’ union, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are also pushing for changes.
In
a new op-ed published in The Hill, UFCW President Joe Hansen homed in
on the president’s speech at the 2009 AFL-CIO convention. Obama at the
time said union members could keep their insurance under the law, but
Hansen writes “that the president’s statement to labor in 2009 is simply
not true for millions of workers.”
Republicans have long attacked
Obama’s promise that “nothing in this plan will require you to change
your coverage or your doctor.” But the fact that unions are now noting
it as well is a clear sign that supporters of the law are growing
anxious about the law’s implementation.
Many UFCW members have
what are known as multi-employer or Taft-Hartley plans. According to the
administration’s analysis of the Affordable Care Act, the law does not
provide tax subsidies for the roughly 20 million people covered by the
plans. Union officials argue that interpretation could force their
members to change their insurance and accept more expensive and perhaps
worse coverage in the state-run exchanges.
Hansen, who is also the
head of the Change to Win labor federation, told The Hill that his
members often negotiate with their employers to receive better
healthcare services instead of higher wages. Those bargaining gains
could be wiped away because some employers won’t have the incentive to
keep their workers’ multi-employer plans without tax subsidies. (Continues)
No comments:
Post a Comment