More Unions Speak Out Against ObamaCare

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is now the latest union to come out against the dangers of ObamaCare threatening certain current employee health care plans.  The IBEW ran ads on Roll Call and The Hill, in which they quote Obama’s July 16, 2009 statement in which he said, “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period.  If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your current health care plan.  Period.  No one will take it away.”

The ad says the Affordable Care Act threatens multiemployer health care plans.  The ad continues, “For over 65 years, multiemployer plans have provided affordable, quality coverage to more than 26 million Americans and their families….  Because it does not recognize the unique nature of multiemployer plans, the Affordable Care Act contains provisions that could undermine this American success story and reduce the number of working families covered and lower the quality of their care.”  The ad also contains this catchy phrase in all caps, “KEEP YOUR PROMISE, LET US KEEP OUR PLANS.”

According to IBEW’s president Edwin D. Hill, “[Our] members and allied employers have worked hard for the healthcare they have, and President Obama must move now to guarantee that his signature law will not cost them their coverage.”  In addition to the IBEW, in recent months unions like the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and UNITE HERE have all been looking for alterations to the law.  Caroline May, “Another union decries Obamacare’s impact on members’ healthcare coverage,” The Daily Caller, 7/11/13.

Joseph Hansen, President of UFCW called on Obama to help his members keep their coverage by extending subsidies to their current plans.  Hansen said, “The ACA offers a subsidy to lower-income individuals and families so they can afford to purchase this insurance.  As many of our members fall into this category, we believe the subsidy can and should apply to their plans.”  Id.   Mr. Hansen also said, “It makes an untruth out of what the president said, that if you like your insurance, you could keep it.  That is not going to be true for millions of workers now.”  Billy Hallowell, “Why Are Some Labor Unions Turning Against Obamacare and Calling for ‘Repeal’?” The Blaze.com, 4/24/13.

United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers have called for “repeal or complete reform of the Affordable Care Act” in order to protect their plans.  Kinsey Robinson, President of the UURWAW said in a statement, “For decades, our multi-employer health and welfare plans have provided the necessary medical coverage for our members and their families to protect them in times of illness and medical needs. This collaboration between labor and management has been a model of success that should be emulated rather than ignored. I refuse to remain silent, or idly watch as the ACA destroys those protections.”  “Another union decries Obamacare’s impact on members healthcare,” Id.

Multiemployer health plans, known as Taft-Hartley plans, cover certain union workers in such industries as retail and construction with seasonal or temporary employment.  In these plans unions and small businesses pool their resources and offer workers continuous coverage, even during temporary unemployment periods.  The AC A has added costs to these already costly plans.  “We’re concerned that employers will be increasingly tempted to drop coverage through our plans and let our members fend for themselves on the health exchanges,” said David Treanor, director of health care initiatives at the International Operating Engineers Union.  “Why Are Some Labor Unions Turning Against Obamacare and Calling for ‘Repeal’?” Id.  “Harold Schaitberger, General President of the International Association of Firefighters, said unions have been forceful in seeking solutions from the Obama administration, but none have been forthcoming.”  Id.

The Unions tried and failed in behind the scenes efforts to get Obama to unilaterally change the law, which Congress feels Obama cannot Constitutionally do.  So, as the Wall Street Journal, WSJ.com, 7/12/13, reported on July 11, 2013, James P. Hoffa, General President of The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Joseph Hansen, Internal President of the UFCW and D. Taylor, President of Unite-Here sent a letter to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi stating:

“When you and the President sought our support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you pledged that if we liked the health plans we have now, we could keep them. Sadly, that promise is under threat. Right now, unless you and the Obama Administration enact an equitable fix, the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.  * * *

 “Perverse incentives are already creating nightmare scenarios:

“First, the law creates an incentive for employers to keep employees’ work hours below 30 hours a week.   ***

“Second, millions of Americans are covered by non-profit health insurance plans…. Under the ACA…our employees will…not be eligible for subsidies afforded other citizens. ***

 “On behalf of the millions of working men and women we represent and the families they support, we can no longer stand silent in the face of elements of the Affordable Care Act that will destroy the very health and wellbeing of our members along with millions of other hardworking Americans….”

Stuart Varney, the host of Varney & Co., said on “America’s Newsroom” Fox News Channel, 7/16/13, that when you have lost the Unions you have lost the original supporters of the ObamaCare bill.  Stuart can’t think of anyone who is left to support ObamaCare.