[nky]

Last Thursday, representatives of three of the nation’s largest unions fired off a letter to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, warning that Obamacare would “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.”
The letter was penned by James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters; Joseph Hansen, international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union; and Donald “D.” Taylor, president of UNITE-HERE, a union representing hotel, airport, food service, gaming, and textile workers.
“When you and the President sought our support for the Affordable Care Act,” they begin, “you pledged that if we liked the health plans we have now, we could keep them. Sadly, that promise is under threat…We have been strong supporters of the notion that all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. We have also been strong supporters of you. In campaign after campaign we have put boots on the ground, gone door-to-door to get out the vote, run phone banks and raised money to secure this vision. Now this vision has come back to haunt us.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecar...scenarios/

[nky]

Dear Leader Reid and Leader Pelosi:
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.
Like millions of other Americans, our members are front-line workers in the American economy. We have been strong supporters of the notion that all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. We have also been strong supporters of you. In campaign after campaign we have put boots on the ground, gone door-to-door to get out the vote, run phone banks and raised money to secure this vision.
Now this vision has come back to haunt us.
Since the ACA was enacted, we have been bringing our deep concerns to the Administration, seeking reasonable regulatory interpretations to the statute that would help prevent the destruction of non-profit health plans. As you both know first-hand, our persuasive arguments have been disregarded and met with a stone wall by the White House and the pertinent agencies. This is especially stinging because other stakeholders have repeatedly received successful interpretations for their respective grievances. Most disconcerting of course is last week’s huge accommodation for the employer community—extending the statutorily mandated “December 31, 2013” deadline for the employer mandate and penalties.
Time is running out: Congress wrote this law; we voted for you. We have a problem; you need to fix it. The unintended consequences of the ACA are severe. 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. Numerous employers have begun to cut workers’ hours to avoid this obligation, and many of them are doing so openly. The impact is two-fold: fewer hours means less pay while also losing our current health benefits.


Second, millions of Americans are covered by non-profit health insurance plans like the ones in which most of our members participate. These non-profit plans are governed jointly by unions and companies under the Taft-Hartley Act. Our health plans have been built over decades by working men and women. Under the ACA as interpreted by the Administration, our employees will treated differently and not be eligible for subsidies afforded other citizens. As such, many employees will be relegated to second-class status and shut out of the help the law offers to for-profit insurance plans.
And finally, even though non-profit plans like ours won’t receive the same subsidies as for-profit plans, they’ll be taxed to pay for those subsidies. Taken together, these restrictions will make non-profit plans like ours unsustainable, and will undermine the health-care market of viable alternatives to the big health insurance companies.
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.
We believe that there are common-sense corrections that can be made within the existing statute that will allow our members to continue to keep their current health plans and benefits just as you and the President pledged. Unless changes are made, however, that promise is hollow.
We continue to stand behind real health care reform, but the law as it stands will hurt millions of Americans including the members of our respective unions.
We are looking to you to make sure these changes are made.
James P. Hoffa
General President
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Joseph Hansen
International President
UFCW
D. Taylor
President
UNITE-HERE

[nky]

oh no
If a sitting Democrat loses the support of the Teamsters what does this say about the Act?

[nky]

Last one left standing could you please pay for the rest of us

[nky]

[Image: http://images.sodahead.com/polls/0012604...large.jpeg]

[nky]

[Image: http://fellowshipofminds.files.wordpress...n-ship.jpg]

[nky]

[Image: http://godfatherpolitics.com/wp-content/...g-ship.jpg]

[TheRealThing]

Dear Leader Reid and Leader Pelosi:
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.
Like millions of other Americans, our members are front-line workers in the American economy. We have been strong supporters of the notion that all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. We have also been strong supporters of you. In campaign after campaign we have put boots on the ground, gone door-to-door to get out the vote, run phone banks and raised money to secure this vision.
Now this vision has come back to haunt us.
Since the ACA was enacted, we have been bringing our deep concerns to the Administration, seeking reasonable regulatory interpretations to the statute that would help prevent the destruction of non-profit health plans. As you both know first-hand, our persuasive arguments have been disregarded and met with a stone wall by the White House and the pertinent agencies. This is especially stinging because other stakeholders have repeatedly received successful interpretations for their respective grievances. Most disconcerting of course is last week’s huge accommodation for the employer community—extending the statutorily mandated “December 31, 2013” deadline for the employer mandate and penalties.
Time is running out: Congress wrote this law; we voted for you. We have a problem; you need to fix it. The unintended consequences of the ACA are severe. 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. Numerous employers have begun to cut workers’ hours to avoid this obligation, and many of them are doing so openly. The impact is two-fold: fewer hours means less pay while also losing our current health benefits.


Second, millions of Americans are covered by non-profit health insurance plans like the ones in which most of our members participate. These non-profit plans are governed jointly by unions and companies under the Taft-Hartley Act. Our health plans have been built over decades by working men and women. Under the ACA as interpreted by the Administration, our employees will treated differently and not be eligible for subsidies afforded other citizens. As such, many employees will be relegated to second-class status and shut out of the help the law offers to for-profit insurance plans.
And finally, even though non-profit plans like ours won’t receive the same subsidies as for-profit plans, they’ll be taxed to pay for those subsidies. Taken together, these restrictions will make non-profit plans like ours unsustainable, and will undermine the health-care market of viable alternatives to the big health insurance companies.
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.
We believe that there are common-sense corrections that can be made within the existing statute that will allow our members to continue to keep their current health plans and benefits just as you and the President pledged. Unless changes are made, however, that promise is hollow.
We continue to stand behind real health care reform, but the law as it stands will hurt millions of Americans including the members of our respective unions.
We are looking to you to make sure these changes are made.
James P. Hoffa
General President
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Joseph Hansen
International President
UFCW
D. Taylor
President
UNITE-HERE

[Image: http://images.sodahead.com/polls/0012604...large.jpeg]

This is hilarious ^. I can't wait for TheRealVille to come on here and straighten Hoffa out, LOL.

Unions leadership have been playing Russian Roulette with the life's work of their membership and, I have known this for a long time. When the democrats are courting those who have gotten enough of a taste of power to become addicted, they become mindless puppets for them. This is true across the board, the Richard Trumkas as well as the Al Sharpons, everybody.

Now it is time for unions to really show whether they truly have a backbone or not and stand united against the scourge that is ObamaCare. Just speaking for the carpenters, Doug McCarron knows that what the carpenters really have to bargain with is expertise, and character. The dubious flirtations and behind the scenes end runs, with certain US legislators will lead to the downfall of trade unions. Unions have only two things legislators want, votes and money. I hate the idea that union leadership has aligned themselves with the dems. That's like putting a job out for bids but, only accepting one. It's stupid and labor is being played for fools.

This ObamaCare thing is already out of control. Government can't just tell doctors and hospitals to give away care, but that is the essential premise of ObamaCare boiled down.

[WideRight05]

[Image: http://granitegrok.com/wp-content/upload...01-277.jpg]

[TheRealVille]

...

[TheRealVille]

[Image: https://m.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid...1164760794]

[TheRealVille]

Call Jimmy's office and see if he is going to support republicans in 2014,16.

[WideRight05]

...

:Thumbs: :Thumbs: :Thumbs:

[RunItUpTheGut]

Even Dems have to be surprised at this move.
Its all fine and good until there own things start to get taken form them. Welcome to the lives of EKY miners, liberal friends.....

[TheRealThing]

Call Jimmy's office and see if he is going to support republicans in 2014,16.

As I have repeatedly tried to explain to you, there was a time in the past that democrats and labor had similar philosophical values. Ironically, they were conservative values. But, because the dems were busy seeking to expand their base, that necessitated the inclusion of more and ever more, special interest groups into the democratic fold. Thus the party of your grandfather and your father morphed into the social medusa we see today. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, animal and plants rights groups, global warming o-phobes, unlimited abortion on demand advocates, those who are unwilling to work but are willing to make demands on those who do, to give them all the wants and needs of life, the truly racially biased, liberals, progressives, the self enlightened, atheists and last on my list but certainly not least, are civil rights groups who in the absence of civil issues have resorted to creating civil unrest to remain relevant. Oh, there is one more that doesn't quite seem to fit the sociological profile here, LABOR. Sticking out like Will Ferrell among the elves in Santa's workshop, is labor.

[nky]

...

[Image: https://m.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid...1164760794]

[Image: http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/orig...1284931654]

[WideRight05]

[Image: http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/orig...1284931654]

You're reading his most intelligent posts yet!

[nky]

[Image: http://cdn.meme.li/instances/300x300/39768090.jpg]

[TheRealVille]

As I have repeatedly tried to explain to you, there was a time in the past that democrats and labor had similar philosophical values. Ironically, they were conservative values. But, because the dems were busy seeking to expand their base, that necessitated the inclusion of more and ever more, special interest groups into the democratic fold. Thus the party of your grandfather and your father morphed into the social medusa we see today. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, animal and plants rights groups, global warming o-phobes, unlimited abortion on demand advocates, those who are unwilling to work but are willing to make demands on those who do, to give them all the wants and needs of life, the truly racially biased, liberals, progressives, the self enlightened, atheists and last on my list but certainly not least, are civil rights groups who in the absence of civil issues have resorted to creating civil unrest to remain relevant. Oh, there is one more that doesn't quite seem to fit the sociological profile here, LABOR. Sticking out like Will Ferrell among the elves in Santa's workshop, is labor.

Again, call Jimmy's office and see what party he is going to continue to support.

[TheRealThing]

Again, call Jimmy's office and see what party he is going to continue to support.

Again, and as I have pointed out on numerous occasions. You are incapable of seeing the truth even when one of your own, flashes it right before your eyes. Read what Hoffa said and try to tell me he isn't bailing out here. I mean, Hoffa is by any definition a very powerful man but, even he can't just storm into the Oval Office and bust the president's chops about this. A formal letter is often the best even congress can do to that end.
I told you the programs you support will gut the pensions of your union brothers, as well as their cherished and hard fought health care plans in jeopardy. Hoffa --- "millions of Americans are covered by non-profit health insurance plans like the ones in which most of our members participate. These non-profit plans are governed jointly by unions and companies under the Taft-Hartley Act. Our health plans have been built over decades by working men and women. Under the ACA as interpreted by the Administration, our employees will treated differently and not be eligible for subsidies afforded other citizens. As such, many employees will be relegated to second-class status and shut out of the help the law offers to for-profit insurance plans".

Now, probably Hoffa doesn't understand the plan as well as you do, and you could ride on over there to Huston, Texas where he hangs out, and straighten him up on all this. Or more likely, it could be that you couldn't come within shouting distance of his office door. I know these guys and hung out with a lot of them when I worked in Baytown, and Port Arthur Texas. They struck me as a bunch not to be trifled with. If Hoffa is backing up, the writing on the wall is plain enough for him.

You and I have gone round and round about ObamaCare. My argument has always been that premium costs would skyrocket, and the level of care would go down as the direct result of it's inception. Hoffa clearly agrees with that rationale and is calling Reid and Pelosi out for sawing the limb off, with him on the wrong side of the saw. This is exactly why I say that Union bosses who make these unholy alliances with politicians are waaay out of their league and they, along with their members will rue the day. So far, every revelation coming down the pike about ObamaCare has done nothing but verify my, and Hoffa's, fears. Oh, I know you'll surf on over to the Obama website for solace but, we're talking about the end of capitalism here, at least as we know it.

When it gets right down to it, that dishwater weak argument you like to make about how the republicans are all union busters has no merit at all. You and all of your union brothers are about to get a crash course in reality. We all will bear the brunt of ObamaCare, as will our families and our way of life. The cost for all the non-payers health care is going to be paid for by the middle class. Your union brothers. Maybe some of the blue collar guys will manage to hold on the their homes, maybe not, but, you can bet that quality health care is gone. And, in it's place is coming the reality of astronomic, skyrocketing in fact, ever rising health care costs. And, like Hoffa said. We did it to ourselves.

[Hoot Gibson]

Crooked labor leaders always support crooked Democrats. Jimmy, Jr. is probably feeling some heat from the rank and file members who are getting hosed.

[TheRealThing]

Crooked labor leaders always support crooked Democrats. Jimmy, Jr. is probably feeling some heat from the rank and file members who are getting hosed.

Oh you can bet on that. I know several union leaders and the rank and file are all upset. To me, that was one of the more important deciding factors in O's decision to set back the employer mandate.

When at long last the other shoe drops, these union bosses aren't going to be able to talk their way out of the ramifications for marshaling union support and the millions of union dollars spent for Obama. He'll likely just chuckle and do his version of the Potomac side step.

[TheRealVille]

I wonder if Jimmy will switch parties?

[TheRealThing]

I wonder if Jimmy will switch parties?

As usual, when you get shot down, again? are you kidding me? you try to change the subject. Nobody cares to help you dodge and spin this into something else.

The more rank and file members learn about what ObamaCare is bringing to their doorsteps, the more of a fit they will pitch. You've been pitching and cheerleading for ObamaCare since Pelosi rammed it down our throats and you've been completely wrong. Hoffa just backed me up on that.

[TheRealVille]

As usual, when you get shot down, again? are you kidding me? you try to change the subject. Nobody cares to help you dodge and spin this into something else.

The more rank and file members learn about what ObamaCare is bringing to their doorsteps, the more of a fit they will pitch. You've been pitching and cheerleading for ObamaCare since Pelosi rammed it down our throats and you've been completely wrong. Hoffa just backed me up on that.

Shot down? I asked a question 3 times that you refuse to answer. Is the question asker the dodger, or the answer refuser the dodger? IMO, do you think Jimmy will support republicans in '14, '16? Do you think there will be a major switch among rank and file members? I would bet after Ronald Reagan, the teamsters will never again support a republican. I will also not support the union busting, republican party. Every state that gets republican governors, along with a majority republican house, don't stop until they bring unions to their knees. Yes, republicans are union busters. Of course, you don't care now, you are retired, and don't need unions. People like you, that just use unions as a stepping stone, are the worst kind of scab.

[TheRealVille]

Shot down like I did you, with all the proof, in the thread about the improving economy? I gave links to government economy numbers, and you just shouted lying with numbers. You got shot down in flames, and just scirmed away shouting "lying numbers". LOL

[Hoot Gibson]

Who little Jimmy votes for in the next election is irrelevant. On behalf of the people he represents, he says that Obamacare is not turning out to be what he signed up to support. Private sector union bosses have been in the Democrats' pockets for decades and they have never been less relevant than they are today.

[SKINNYPIG]

You'd think the title of this thread is "Who will Hoffa Vote For?"

[TheRealThing]

You'd think the title of this thread is "Who will Hoffa Vote For?"

LOL, the weather is always freaky in GetRealVille. :biglmao:

[TheRealThing]

Shot down like I did you, with all the proof, in the thread about the improving economy? I gave links to government economy numbers, and you just shouted lying with numbers. You got shot down in flames, and just scirmed away shouting "lying numbers". LOL

Two words. Self deception. That is your reality.