Unions Write Letter Slamming Democrats Over Obamacare Woes

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Three labor unions wrote a letter attacking Democratic leaders for “disregard[ing]” their concerns about aspects of Affordable Care Act implementation, demanding changes in order to prevent the law from damaging workers.

“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,” wrote leaders James Hoffa of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Joseph Hansen of the The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and D. Taylor of UNITE-HERE.

They voiced gripes about the employer mandate delay, which they said will motivate employers to cut workers’ benefits or move them to part-time, and about regulations regarding non-profit insurance plans that treat them differently from for-profit plans, which they warned will relegate “many employees … to second-class status.”

“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,” the three union leaders wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

Democrats are hamstrung in their ability to enact legislative fixes to parts of the law, in large part due to a Republican-controlled House of Representatives that has resisted tweaks and instead demanded full repeal of Obamacare.

“I’d like to welcome these union leaders to the coalition of those opposed to the nightmare scenarios of ObamaCare, and agree with them that the law will shatter hard-earned health benefits and result in reduced work hours and jobs for all Americans,” said Rory Cooper, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), who circulated the letter to reporters on Monday.

Read the full letter, published last Friday by the Wall Street Journal.

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