Legislative Action
Machinists Leaders Vote to Oppose Health Benefits Tax
The IAM Executive Council voted unanimously
to oppose any health care reform legislation that is funded by
taxing the value of workers’ existing health care benefits.
“ For decades, IAM members exchanged substantial wage increases for
the best possible health insurance,” said IAM President Tom
Buffenbarger. “Now, in a bizarre turn of events, their insurance
premiums will be subject to a 40 percent excise tax if the Senate
version of health care reform becomes law. Democratic leaders have
the power to stop this travesty and I urge them to do so, quickly
and completely.”
“IAM members are rightfully outraged over the bait and switch
tactics at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue,” said Buffenbarger.
“They were promised health care reform. Now they face health care
deformed by backroom deals.”
No single issue brought more union members onto last year’s
campaign trail than Republican threats to tax health care benefits
and the Democrats’ pledge to protect those benefits.
“Like NAFTA, the health care excise tax is an issue with the
potential to reverberate for years,” said Buffenbarger. “Machinists
have long memories. And they will long remember who taxed their
benefits after pledging on the campaign trail not to do so.”
Watch Video
Health Care
Tell Congress: No Taxes on Family Health Care Benefits
As the fight to shape a final health care bill moves through
Congress, working families can help stop the effort to tax their
health care benefits by joining millions of fellow workers in the
AFL-CIO’s National Call-In Blitz to the U.S. House of
Representatives on Wednesday, January 13, 2010.
Call your Representative using the toll-free number 1-877-323-5246.
Tell your Representative that you want health care reform that:
Does not tax health benefits for working families; requires
employers to pay their fair share and maintains a public option to
reduce costs. Click
here to send an email message to Congress to oppose the tax on
health care benefits for working families.
The House is trying to reconcile its version of health care reform
with the bill passed in the Senate. The House version does not have
a tax on health care benefits, has a public option and stronger
language to make employers pay their fair share of health costs.
But without a strong protest from working families, many of these
provisions could be dropped if the final health care package tilts
more toward the Senate version which has the health care tax
provision.
Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby
On Friday, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby took to the radio to express disappointment in the current Senate health insurance reform proposal. He insisted that real reform must include a public option in order to reign in cost and keep insurance companies honest. He also objected to any new tax levied on the health care benefits of working people. This interview aired in the Madison area on WORT’s Labor Radio program. The Wisconsin Radio Network, which syndicates news stories to about 100 radio stations, filed this report and featured it on the homepage of their website all weekend
Election Information - Elections and Candidates Whether it's working behind the scenes getting an anti-labor provision removed from a bill or mobilizing a nationwide grassroots effort, the Legislative Department is one of the few voices in government fighting for working men and women.
The Political / Legislative Department of the IAM At the IAM''s Political and Legislative Department, our primary focus is jobs. We are constantly pressing Members of Congress to find new and innovative approaches to job creation, pay special attention to the job retention issues and insure that our members and the companies they work for remain victors in the global economic battles. Each day finds us pushing for more: more worker rights, more job security, more jobs, more training, more development, and more political education.
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Machinists Non-Partisan Political League
The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League is the
political arm of the International Association of Machinists
and Aerospace Workers. It was created in 1947 to allow IAM
members to gather individual contributions, coordinate
political activity, and elect candidates who support IAM
members and their families.
Candidates we support know that the MNPL stands for economic
justice, security in the workplace and equality for every
member. They do not take us for granted.
The MNPL scrutinizes each candidate thoroughly. We ask tough
questions such as their positions on trade, labor law reform,
economic conversion, transportation policies, and enhancement
of the U.S. manufacturing base.
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MNPL is. The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League is IAM's
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