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.”
**Click http://firedoglake.com/2010/01/07/cadillac-flip-flop-obama-was-against-health-plan-tax-before-he-was-for-it/ to view a compelling video about the health care debate.
Sun. February 07, 2010
This is exactly why we should NEVER follow our leaders blindly down the voting road. I have been an I>A>M> member for over 30 years and I can not remember if i have ever followed your candidate. Can you say N A F T A.Mon. January 18, 2010
you voted these losers into office...deal with it.Sun. January 17, 2010
So let\'s see if I got this right----40% tax on health benefits,-got it, Obama and friends propose an exemption on this tax to union members--got it, IAM is a union. So what gives? Am I to believe that you are finally opposing crappy legislation coming from the Dems or did your announcement come before Obamas announcement that unions would be exempt?----Got a good recipe for crow for ya,-might come in handy.Sun. January 17, 2010
You are to be applauded if your refusal to support the plan still stands after the announcement of yet another shameless backroom deal this week.Wed. January 13, 2010
To little to late. Your getting what you asked for.Wed. January 13, 2010
B-R-A-V-O IAM. I for one am NOT for the Obama Health Care legislation. And I am outraged to read that all the Unions are strongly behind him. I AM NOT, and I do not want to be included. I am proud IAM is being HONEST instead of just backing Democratic legislation regardless of what it is. Thank you for opposing this awful proposal. PROUD MEMBER OF IAM OLD PUEBLO LODGE 933 TUCSON, ARIZONATue. January 12, 2010
Thank you for posting this article. I think we all need to know what this means for IAM members if passed as currently proposed. We must take this information to the membership today and ensure they let the President and Congress know that this is absurd and unacceptable to each and every Member of this Union. I watched the video and I must tell you it hurt. I expected much much more from this President. I sent a letter to President Obama and my representatives today urging them to change this and I am urging each of you who reads this comment to do the same. Thank you.Tue. January 12, 2010
Sad that congress can\'t stand up for workers as they should. They rush to bail out banks with no forthought as to the real need while bankers hand themselves huge bonuses and salary hikes from the very bailout money taxpaying workers gave them without a vote on their part to do so. Credit remains tight and forclosurers remain as the rule of the day. National health reform is needed in a big way but not on the backs of workers who have been paying the freight since Reagan came into power and declared war on workers. Standing up now as our IAM executive council has is the way to turn things around. Workers need to be united on this fight. More labor stiffining of the spine will help workers prevail. We must contact our respected congressional representatives now. Contacting Obama will also help. Ask him to stick to his campaign promise and not tax workers unless we make in excess of $250,000 a year.