Machinists Union Leader: "We are opposing this [healthcare] bill with every last breath in us,"

[Better Believe It]

Obama's Base Joins the Fray Over Health Vote
By JONATHAN WEISMAN And MELANIE TROTTMAN
March 17, 2010

Liberal groups and some labor unions are coming off the sidelines and pressuring wavering Democrats to get behind President Barack Obama's health-care legislation, despite their misgivings about the package now awaiting a House vote.

But labor unions, a critical Democratic bloc, remain divided, complicating the White House's drive to get the health-care bill passed by this weekend.

Some big industrial unions are still irked by the bill's tax on high-cost insurance plans, or its lack of a government-run insurance plan. Amid deep divisions among its member unions, the AFL-CIO officially remains uncommitted.

"We are opposing this bill with every last breath in us," said International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers President Thomas Buffenbarger, who sits on the AFL-CIO's executive council and represents 670,000 members. He stressed that the union could live with the more liberal bill previously passed by the House, but that it didn't like aspects of the Senate bill that the House is now being asked to adopt with some changes.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704688604575126100273107036.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

It's clear that the Machinist Union President and AFL-CIO leader Buffenbarger, unlike so many House liberals, has not been intimidated by Rahm "Sharp Elbows" Emanuel. They have not backed down in their opposition to the excise tax on health insurance benefits. BBI



Press Releases

Machinists Remain Opposed to Health Care Excise Tax
January 15, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, D.C., January 14, 2010 – Despite the so-called agreement announced today by various labor organizations, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) reiterated its opposition to any health care reform legislation that is funded by taxing the value of workers’ existing health care benefits.

“The IAM opposes the excise tax, period. We believe it is unfair to our current members and particularly unfair to those members we hope to organize in the future,” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. “If a temporary exemption is the best this Congress can offer the American people after the promises of the last election, they will have earned the wrath of voters in the next election."

“By stringing this 'fix' out until 2018, our members will be pressured to agree to benefit cuts year after year in the vain hope they will be able avoid the excise tax. Companies will seek to shift costs while still cutting benefits to avoid eight years of health care premiums accelerating at fifteen to twenty percent per year.

“This is a huge ping pong ball that our elected leaders are trying to shove down the throats of hard-working Americans,” said Buffenbarger. “On the installment plan or all at once, a 40 percent excise tax on their health care benefits is hard to swallow. But the White House and the House and Senate Democratic leadership appear determined to play ping pong with this legislation until they get the votes they need.

“We will continue our opposition to this egregiously unfair tax.”

The IAM is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America, representing nearly 700,000 active and retired members in dozens of industries.

http://www.goiam.org/index.php/news/press-releases/6708-machinists-remain-opposed-to-health-care-excise-tax

[ShortnFiery]

1. Yes! They see through the SCAM.

[Dinger]

2. K & R

They're not the only ones either. Here's to the snowball effect!

[MercutioATC]

3. Rahm is a pussycat compared to organized labor.

He may be a hardass in polite Washington society, but it's laughable to think that any self-respecting labor union would view him as anything other than a shrill pansy.

[defendandprotect]

4. Getting stuck with this bill is going to be quicksand . . . especially if GOP take back power!

What a mess --

What a farce ---

[troubledamerican]

33. Yes. It is poison.

[Juche]

5. They oppose it due to the excise tax

Fair enough. Labor is worried about the concept of a tax on high end health insurance. That is fine and good, but that is not the same thing as some are making it out to be.

But acting like they are doing this out of some high road principal is just absurd. They are worried they will see a mild tax increase in the future due to the excise tax. The opposition isn't because they give a shit about all the people being rescinded, or all the health insurance abuses, or about the working poor or about the solvency of the economy or the government.

So if we are going to debate the Machinists union's position on this issue, we should address it from that perspective.

Nothing wrong with narrow self interest, but that is all this opposition is.



So the opposition of the bill (on this board) comes from middle class progressives who do not need health insurance reform and as a result can focus on ideological purity litmus tests instead of the substance of the bill (ie, focusing only on the public option and nothing else), and organized labor that only cares about an excise tax that may affect them.

What is missing from both groups is the ability to give a damn about all the people being rescinded, abused, left behind or denied coverage in our health system. Or a concern for rebuilding the health care system. Or an awareness of the importance of consumer protections in health insurance.


The oppostion is due to ideological purity (the public option) and self interest from labor (the excise tax). That is fine, but don't pretend it is something it is not.

[Better Believe It]

25. Many "middle class progressives" might agree with your assertions but fewer working class people.

It is they who will suffer the most if the health insurance industry bill becomes law.

"Some big industrial unions are still irked by the bill's tax on high-cost insurance plans, or its lack of a government-run insurance plan. Amid deep divisions among its member unions, the AFL-CIO officially remains uncommitted."

[inna]

30. Other reasons for labor to oppose it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7935517

[Better Believe It]

32. Good points. I hadn't seen that article. Thanks for the link

[NYC_SKP]

6. In other words, "We got ours, you keep your hands off it and fuck off."

I'm guessing these folks have their HC plans.

How nice for them.

[Juche]

9. Exactly

If the Machinists union had come out and said

"We aren't concerned about the working poor, people who get rescinded, people who can't get insurance and the federal deficit. Do not tax our $25,000 health insurance plans."

At least that would be honest as to their motives. The fact that progressives are acting like that is a moral stance is really sad.

When people with $25,000 health insurance plans oppose a bill that will help the working poor get reliable health insurance because they may face a tax increase, then that isn't a moral stance. There is nothing wrong with it (nothing wrong with self interest), but pretending it is some 'moral victory' is really..............bad.

[Bluebear]

10. And how many salary concessions did we have to give up for these "$25,000 plans"?

[Juche]

13. I'm not opposed to unions standing up for theirs

By all means, go for it.

But from reading things like this I get the impression that progressives believe (or want to believe) that the Machinists union is taking some moral stance. They are not. They are worried that their high end health insurance plans will be taxed and that is their only concern about the bill.

There is nothing wrong with their self interest, but its not some kind of moral victory progressives should be rallying around IMO.

[Bluebear]

14. Progressives tend to support unions, even if our politicians don't seem to anymore

[Juche]

17. I know

Unions support progressives but get shafted in return. They put 450 million into the 2008 election cycle and haven't gotten a lot back yet.

Again, there is nothing wrong with the Machinists union acting out of self interest. What I am opposed to is the progressives acting like this is some moral stance they can rally around.

[Better Believe It]

29. If unions fail to act on behalf of millions of workers who will? President Obama?

And if labor unions do not act in the interests of their millions of dues paying members who will?

President Obama?

Clearly not.

[Juche]

35. I think unions are great

W/o them the US would be a much worse place. And they are a backbone of progressivism. I post this article all the time on this board and other boards.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/05/10/labor_law_reform_not_just_for_unions.php

Rebuilding the labor movement is one of the most important thing democrats and progressives can do to make progress on a wide range of progressive agendas.

Not only that, but organized labor is a major force in resisting dictatorships. They did it in Latin America and eastern europe by promoting endless strikes and protests. That is a reason why when either a left wing or right wing dictator comes to power they either destroy or co-opt organized labor.

However in this instance I don't agree with the MU. Its not just that they oppose the bill, but how angrily they oppose the bill. Which makes me think that they haven't given though to how it will affect anyone but themselves. Say what you want about it, but it isn't a moral stance people can or should rally behind.

Labor is great. But in this instance the MU is acting angrily solely out of self interest. And not even life/death self interest. All they are being asked to do is accept decent, but less expensive health plans to avoid the tax (with the goal of lowering the rates of medical inflation). Nobody is asking them to do anything extreme IMO. But even that minor sacrifice seems to fill the leader of the MU with rage. That part bothers me.

[MercutioATC]

16. I believe that it is both a practical and moral stance.

Obviously, they're protecting their members' interests, but they're also taking the "moral" position that it's wrong to penalize people who sacrificed short-term gain (better weekly paychecks) for long-term benefit (pensions and health plans), and I agree.

[EFerrari]

18. Because the working poor can't wait to be mandated to pay for insurance

they can't afford or use.

[roguevalley]

23. because the plan sucks. turning on labor is sad. truly.

[Juche]

24. How am I turning on labor?

It bothers me that the machinists unions wants to fight to the death to kill this bill merely because they have to make a sacrifice via the excise tax. I can understand them wanting to stand up for their own interests, but the impression I get is the Machinists union has no interest in anything about this bill except the excise tax. Universal coverage, reforming IT, closing the donut hole, expanding community centers, pilot programs to keep our economy solvent. None of these are even factors in the Machinist unions position. Even Pharma accepted they'd have to make a sacrifice and lose $80 billion over 10 years.

And that people hold them up as somehow heroes for doing so is absurd. If you are going to laud people who oppose the health care bill, laud people who understand the bill and who oppose it because they feel it will not help the citizens or the fiscal solvency of the nation. Laud people who oppose the bill because they understand and care about the benefits and drawbacks of it and how it will affect millions of people.

However people are lauding a union that only cares about themselves. They might see a tax increase on their high quality health insurance (insurance millions will never have), and they want to kill the bill because of it. Fine. But it isn't heroic.

[Better Believe It]

31. Big Pharma will "lose" 80 billion in profits under this bill? What have you been smoking?!

"Even Pharma accepted they'd have to make a sacrifice and lose $80 billion over 10 years."

You're kidding .... right?

Can you tell us how this "80 billion" in profit loses will be monitored and enforced?

If you can find anything in the health insurance industry bill that requires this mighty "sacrifice" please post it.

Thanks.

[Better Believe It]

28. More bull shit.

Some AFL-CIO affiliates also won't support the health insurance industry bill because it doesn't contain a strong public option.

But, you decided to ignore that point in the article.

Or did you not read the article and just have an automatic kneejerk reaction against anything even remotely pro-labor?

[MercutioATC]

12. These people have spent decades fighting for those benefits, sometimes literally paying in blood.

...and they've sacrificed wages for the security of things like pensions and health benefits.

It's not "nice" for them, they've payed for it.

[hansberrym]

20. But isn't it time to spread the wealth around? You can't really be against that.

If you truly care, show it by giving away other people's earnings!

[EFerrari]

19. Health care "plans" is not health care. n/t

[hansberrym]

21. Compared to the "take my neighbors earnings" approach, the union stance has the moral high ground

If it is selfish to want to hold on to one's own earnings, it is even more selfish to want to hold onto someone else's earnings.

[Better Believe It]

27. A low level smear against working class people and their unions.

Those are your words, not mine, nor organized labors nor the views of most working people, union and non-union.

This health insurance bill will tax the health insurance benefits of all working and middle class people, not just union members.

Are you going to pretend you didn't know that in order to promote some talking points of the health insurance industry?

[bluestateguy]

7. Buffenbarger is a fat asshole who is still bitter about Hillary not getting the nomination

I still haven't forgotten this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e-cyZhFU8I

[Juche]

15. That is who I thought he was

I wasn't 100% sure that was Buffenbarger, but I remember that.


Do progressives want someone like that who is only concerned with avoiding taxes on his own high end health insurance plan as a moral leader?

[Better Believe It]

34. Yet another anti-labor smear on DU against those who made the election of Obama possible.

His employer (the IAM) will pay his insurance taxes, the employers of tens of millions of workers, union and non-union alike, will cut health care benefits in order to avoid those taxes.

And the Machinists union devoted massive resources and a ton of money to elect Obama after he won the Democratic Party nomination.

So cut the anti-union bull shit. OK?

[Pirate Smile]

22. Yep. As soon as I saw that name it was an "oh, geez, not him again." I bet he's a Birther too.

[scheming daemons]

8. I guess they'll be primarying Dennis Kucinich now...

...that he is voting yes.

[WCGreen]

11. Can't...

The filing deadline has passed...

[Echo In Light]

26. k/r