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A national union that represents 300,000 low-wage hospitality workers charges in a new report that Obamacare will slam wages, cut hours, limit access to health insurance and worsen the very “income equality” President Obama says he is campaigning to fix.
Unite Here warned that due to Obamacare's much higher costs for health insurance than what union workers currently pay, the result will be a pay cut of up to $5 an hour. "If employers follow the incentives in the law, they will push families onto the exchanges to buy coverage. This will force low-wage service industry employees to spend $2.00, $3.00 or even $5.00 an hour of their pay to buy similar coverage," said the union in a new report.
UNITE HERE represents workers throughout the U.S. and Canada who work in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, and airport industries.
UNITE HERE boasts a diverse membership, comprising workers from many immigrant communities as well as high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American workers. The majority of UNITE HERE members are women.
Through organizing, UNITE HERE members have made apparel jobs in the South, hotel housekeeping jobs in cities across North America, and hundreds of thousands of other traditionally low-wage jobs into good, family-sustaining, middle class jobs.
"United Here"
Having already made efforts to accommodate businesses, churches and congressional staff, it is ironic that the Administration is now highlighting issues of economic inequality without acting to preserve health plans that have been achieving the goals of the ACA for decades. Without a smart fix, the ACA will heighten the inequality that the Administration seeks to reduce.
One way private sector unionized employees can get health and other benefits is through a Taft-Hartley Multi-employer Health and Welfare Plan. Taft-Hartley Plans can be formed by a single employer, but this is unusual. Multi-Employer funds are almost always set up under Section 302(c)(5) of the Taft-Hartley Act, more formally known as the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, which covers private sector employees. Taft-Hartley plans have five basic characteristics:
- one or more employers contribute to the plan;
- the plan is collectively bargained with each participating employer;
- the plan and its assets are managed by a joint board of trustees equally representative of labor and management;
- assets are placed in a trust fund;
- mobile employees can change employers without losing health or pension coverage provided the new job is with an employer who participates in the same Taft-Hartley fund.
BritofTexas
Nobody bothered reading the report did they?
The report is about Taft-Hartley Health Insurance Plans, which are self funded, not being allowed on the exchanges.
And it says the Affordable Care Act will shift workers from union insurance to the more expensive Obamacare health exchanges, costing them up to half of their pay to cover premiums.
buster2010
It says this in the article.
And it says the Affordable Care Act will shift workers from union insurance to the more expensive Obamacare health exchanges, costing them up to half of their pay to cover premiums.
This is BS where in the ACA does it make unions drop their insurance? Sounds like the insurance companies have made a few payoffs.
BritofTexas
reply to post by Flatfish
I must confess that until this thread I hadn't heard of Taft-Harvey Plans.
The Public Option never got off the starting blocks due to campaign funds from the Insurance Lobby. It would seem that these Plans aren't allowed on the Exchanges for the same reason.
Being able to join a well managed Non Profit Plan would be a no-brainer. And of course a Death Knell for Corporate For Profit Insurance Companies.
Congratulations on your work with one of these Plans and proving that a board does not have to be paid millions and ride in private jets to provide Insurance Coverage for its members.
rickymouse
My wife just retired. When she was working, the health insurance was close to half of her gross pay. It's been that way for about ten years, way before obamacare. 30 grand wages vs 14 grand insurance approximately, including the out of pocket expenses she incurs each year. The health/dental/eyeglass insurance is about 13,500 bucks.
That figure is absurd. No wonder nobody working there was getting much wage increases over the last ten years.