Unions Strike A Deal With Pelosi - They Don't Pay But You Could!

Congressional Daily reported that: Unions tentatively struck a deal Tuesday to exempt collectively bargained health care plans from a tax on high-cost plans expected to be used to help raise revenue for the health care overhaul.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern and United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger met with House Speaker Pelosi Tuesday, a day after labor leaders met at the White House to express their opposition to the excise tax.

House and Senate Democratic leaders are to meet with President Obama this morning at the White House to discuss health care. House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel said he hopes there could be an agreement on the excise tax as early as today after the White House meeting, but then conceded: "That's stretching the word `hope.' "

Exempting collectively bargained plans would appease unions that often offer expensive health plans in lieu of higher wages. The deal could also help Obama avoid breaking his promise not to tax those earning less than $200,000. Obama recently expressed a preference for the excise tax. . . .

Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the deal was not enough to bring him on board to support the excise tax on high-cost plans. "It's setting up a divide-and-conquer situation here where some people are going to feel they're paying for other people, and they're all working," Grijalva said. "That politically is possibly the most dangerous thing Democrats can do is create that division." . . .

Meanwhile, Republicans who say they are upset over the continuing closed-door nature of the talks are planning to file a discharge petition today to force a House vote on a resolution requiring public access to the House-Senate negotiations on the health reform bill. The "Sunshine Resolution" was introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., in October. He and Minority Leader Boehner will file the petition.

"With so much at stake, any conference committee or meetings held to determine the content of sweeping national health care legislation should be held in full public view, not behind closed doors," Buchanan said in a statement Tuesday. . . . Full Story

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