However, today, union bosses across the DC spectrum are meeting with President Obama to discuss the so-called “Cadillac Tax” on health care benefits which union bosses oppose, as did as Candidate Obama at one time.
“John McCain calls these plans ‘Cadillac plans,” the Democratic presidential nominee said. “Now in some cases, it may be that a corporate CEO is getting too good a deal. But what if you’re a line worker making a good American car like the Cadillac? What if you’re one of the steelworkers who are working right here in Newport News, and you’ve given up wage increases in exchange for a better health care? Well, Senator McCain believes you should pay higher taxes too. The bottom line: the better your health care plan - the harder you’ve fought for your good benefits - the higher the taxes you’ll pay.”
Today’s meeting will be closed to the press and that leaves us wondering:
Is the Fix In?
Will Union Bosses Emerge Supporting HCR in exchange for the job-destroying Employee Free FORCED Choice Act?
Call us “cynical and jaded,” but our suspicions lead us to believe that, following today’s meeting, union bosses will be less vociferously opposed to the “Cadillac Tax” and may, in the coming days, appear more enthusiastic for the Senate version of HCR. Why?
We suspect that, behind closed doors, there will be a discussion that goes something like this:
Union bosses: Mr. President, we’re really p.o.’d about the Cadillac Tax…We wanted single-payer and you’ve backed down and now you’re going to tax our benefits.
BHO: Fellas, the Cadillac Tax is only temporary–once we get this deal done, in a couple of years, we’ll roll into full single payer. Besides, my poll numbers suck and if you really want to see EFCA before hell freezes over, you need to shut up and back this. Once we’ve got health care done, we can move on to EFCA and all the other stuff.
Union bosses: Oh. Okay. We’ll shut up…but you better get EFCA done.
BHO: You betcha!
If a swap for the Cadillac Tax in exchange for union bosses’ getting new members through EFCA does occur, it would be yet another example of how today’s union bosses are more interested in power than representing the interests of their members.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776
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