Roofers union urges Obamacare repeal
Let's hope this is a trend.
The United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers is reportedly the first union to officially call for repeal of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. The health care law is prompting some serious buyer's remorse in Big Labor, which worked hard on behalf of the administration to pass it:
Here are some excerpts from the union's statement:
"Our Union and its members have supported President Obama and his Administration for both of his terms in office.
But regrettably, our concerns over certain provisions in the ACA have not been addressed, or in some instances, totally ignored. In the rush to achieve its passage, many of the Act's provisions were not fully conceived, resulting in unintended consequences that are inconsistent with the promise that those who were satisfied with their employer sponsored coverage could keep it.
These provisions jeopardize our multi-employer health plans, have the potential to cause a loss of work for our members, create an unfair bidding advantage for those contractors who do not provide health coverage to their workers, and in the worst case, may cause our members and their families to lose the benefits they currently enjoy as participants in multi-employer health plans.
For decades, our multi-employer health and welfare plans have provided the necessary medical coverage for our members and their families to protect them in times of illness and medical needs. This collaboration between labor and management has been a model of success that should be emulated rather than ignored. I refuse to remain silent, or idly watch as the ACA destroys those protections.
I am therefore calling for repeal or complete reform of the Affordable Care Act to protect our employers, our industry, and our most important asset: our members and their families."
Somehow, I don't think that union president is going to be invited to sit with Obama during labor day festivities.
How many more unions feel the way that the roofers feel but haven't made the leap to call for repeal? You may recall that many unions got waivers from HHS on complying with Obamacare regs. Most of those waivers last only one year so we may see more of this next year as the full brunt of Obamacare's impact hits union rank and file workers.