Research Briefing

Labor Unions Cash In Their Deposit To Obama & Dems With Exemption From Tax On Health Benefits

UNIONS DEPOSITED MILLIONS INTO DEMS’ COFFERS TO SECURE WHITE HOUSE AND CONGRESS

SEIU President Andy Stern: “We Spent A Fortune To Elect Barack Obama — $60.7 Million To Be Exact — And We’re Proud Of It.” (Michael Mishak, “Unplugged: The SEIU Chief On The Labor Movement And The Card Check,” The Las Vegas Sun, 5/10/09)

During The 2008 Cycle, Labor Contributed At Least $526,597 To Obama. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 1/14/10)

During The 2008 Cycle, Labor Contributed More Than $6.6 Million To Democrats Combined. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 1/14/10)

• During The 2008 Cycle, Labor Contributed At Least $661,586 To DNC. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 1/14/10)

• During The 2008 Cycle, Labor Contributed More Than $1 Million To DCCC. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 1/14/10)

• During The 2008 Cycle, Labor Contributed More Than $1 Million To DSCC. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 1/14/10)

During The 2010 Cycle, Labor Has Contributed At Least $1.4 Million To Democrats Combined So Far. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 1/14/10)

EXPECTING BIG RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENT WITH GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE, UNIONS WERE NOT SATISFIED

Unions Active In Pushing For Government-Run Health Care. “Howard Dean joined with hundreds of labor unions and thousands of health reform supporters in Washington, DC ...” (“Howard Dean Fights For The Public Option In DC Rally,” Daily Kos, 6/26/09)

• Several Unions Part Of “Health Care For America Now,” A Group Supporting Government-Run Health Care. (Health Care For America NOW! Website, http://healthcareforamericanow.org/, Accessed 7/10/09)

• SEIU Packed Town Hall Meetings With Supporters. “[A]s high-decibel opponents have crowded into town hall meetings to denounce Mr. Obama’s reform effort, Mr. Rivera, working with other unions, has sent hundreds of labor activists to such meetings to counter opponents. ‘We’re running this campaign like this was a presidential campaign, and our candidate is health care reform ...’” (Steven Greenhouse, “Dennis Rivera Leads Labor Charge For Health Reform,” The New York Times, 8/26/09)

But Union Opposition To Tax On Health Benefits To Pay For Government-Run Health Care Become “Deeply Entrenched” After Already Giving Up On Public Option. “In particular, it infuriates union leaders and members, many of whom regard high-end insurance policies as a major employment benefit… But their opposition is deeply entrenched. And, in a familiar dynamic, they are less willing to compromise now that their other key priority--the public option--has been scuttled.” (Brian Beutler, “Latest Health Care Flashpoint Strains Relationships Among Democrats,” Talking Points Memo, 1/8/10)

• AFL-CIO Ran Tough Ads Against The Benefit’s Tax. “We’re continuing our campaign for real health care reform with a new AFL-CIO TV ad that sends a clear message: ‘Pass Health Care. Don’t Tax Health Benefits.’ The ad, which started running in key markets around the country over the weekend, emphasizes that taxing benefits will lead companies to cut benefits and will shift cost burdens to families that can’t afford it. It urges Congress to pass health care reform all Americans can afford.” (Seth Michaels, “Fix Health Care Right—Don’t Tax Benefits,” AFL-CIO Blog, 12/7/09)

• AFL-CIO Activated Members To Call And Oppose The Senate Bill. “The AFL-CIO sent an e-mail today asking union members to call their lawmakers next Wednesday to push for the House bill over a ‘badly flawed’ Senate bill.” (Chris Frates, “Labor Prepares To Storm The Phones,” Politico’s “Live Pulse” Blog, 1/8/10)

• United Steelworkers International President Said He Would “Try To Defeat” Dems Who Pass A Benefits Tax. ED SCHULTZ: “Will the unions work against these people in re-election?” LEO GERARD: “I can tell you this point-blank, if we don’t get a meaningful health care bill that reduces costs and has everybody in, doesn’t have an excise tax, has pay-for-play for employers, has a public option or a Medicare buy-in, we’re not going to campaign for any Democrats that voted against this bill. And we’re going to vote and try to defeat them.” (MSNBC’s “Ed Schultz,” 12/15/09)

SO UNION PAYMASTERS WENT TO WHITE HOUSE TO CASH IN, AND DEMS GAVE THEM, AND NO ONE ELSE, EXEMPTION FROM TAX ON HEALTH BENEFITS

Vice President Biden To Labor: “[W]e Owe You.” (Michael O’Brien, “Biden To Labor Group: We Owe You,” The Hill, 5/12/09)

On Monday, Obama Met With Union Bosses To “Defuse Their Anger.” “With labor groups warning that the tax will infuriate a key part of the Democratic base — union members — President Obama gas agreed to meet with several top labor leaders on Monday to address their concerns and try to defuse their anger.” (Steven Greenhouse, “Unions Rally To Oppose A Tax On Health Insurance,” The New York Times, 1/8/10)

Yesterday, Obama Cut Deal With Unions, Granted Tax Exemption “Only For Labor Agreements And State And Local Governor Workers.” “The White House on Thursday cut a deal with its closest labor allies to blunt the impact of a new tax on high-cost insurance policies — and blunt their protests against the health reform plan. Democrats couldn’t eliminate the tax on union members’ high-cost insurance policies altogether but did put off the effective date until 2018, but only for labor agreements and state and local government workers.” (Carrie Budoff Brown, “White House Scores Key Labor Deal,” Politico, 1/14/10)

FORCING REST OF MIDDLE-CLASS TO PAY FOR GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE

While Changes Made To Tax On Benefits Minimal, Unions Are Complete Exempt From Paying Tax. “White House officials, Democratic Congressional leaders and labor unions said Thursday that they had agreed to an increase in those thresholds to $8,900 for an individual and $24,000 for a family … In addition, they said, health plans covering state and local government employees and collectively bargained health plans would be exempt from the tax until 2018.” (Robert Pear And Steven Greenhouse, “Accord Reached On Insurance Tax For Costly Plans,” The New York Times, 1/15/09)

With This Change, Tax On Benefits Would Fall Of Rest Of Middle-Class Americans That Aren’t Union Members. JCT Chief Of Staff Thomas Barthold: “Senator Grassley, the penalty proposed in the Chairman’s mark, is as you observed, it’s structured as a penalty excise tax, we have other penalty excise taxes in the internal revenue code ... we think that some people would be subject to the penalty excise tax when everything shakes out we would expect that some would have incomes less than $200,000 dollars.” (George Stephanopoulos, “Mandate Or Tax? Grassley V. Baucus,” ABC News’s “George’s Bottom Line” Blog, 9/22/09)

And Will Force Non-Union Businesses To Drop Benefits Or Raise Out-Of-Pocket Costs For Their Plans. “Two-thirds of employers would raise deductibles, change insurers or scale back coverage to avoid the so-called Cadillac tax on high-cost benefits proposed in the Senate Democrats’ health care bill, according to a survey released today by consulting firm Mercer.” (Julie Appleby, “New Survey: ‘Cadillac Tax’ Would Force Employers To Trim Health Insurance Costs,” Kaiser Health News, 12/3/09)