Labor & Employment Law

Tell Congress: Don?t Tax Working Families? Health Care Benefits

By Mike Hall

Today, union leaders are meeting with President Obama to discuss the next step in health care reform legislation, especially the tax on workers’ health care benefits in the Senate bill. On Wednesday, you can join the fight to pass health care reform that works for working families as part of the AFL-CIO’s National Call-In Blitz to the U.S. House.

Both the House and Senate have passed health care reform bills that will be merged into final legislation over the next few weeks. The House version is far better for working families.

Overall, the House bill comes closer to AFL-CIO’s health care reform goals, including a public health care option, a much stronger employer fair share provision and no tax on workers’ health care benefits.

While the Senate bill has many good points, it is deeply flawed. Click here to compare the two.

On Wednesday, call toll free 1-877-3-AFL-CIO (1-877-323-5246) and urge your representative to support working families by voting for health reform that:

• Does not tax our health care benefits;
• Requires employers to pay their fair share; and
• Reduces cost?the best way to do this is with a public health care option.

Meanwhile, following his address to the National Press Club on the nation’s jobs and economic crisis, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka traveled to the White House, where he and other union leaders were to discuss how the final health care reform legislation should be shaped.

Scheduled to join Trumka were AFT President Randi Weingarten, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Larry Cohen, Electrical Workers (IBEW) President Edwin Hill and United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo Gerard, along with NEA President Dennis Van Roekel and several leaders of Change to Win unions.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on January 11, 2010 (boomark / email).