Obama to Address Labor Union

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Health Care

5192097President Obama will speak at the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh next month, the White House announced today, on a date that could prove to be pivotal in the health care debate.

The president will address the labor union on Sept. 15, the date on which Senate Democrats may decide to abandon efforts at bipartisanship. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has been working with a few members of the Senate Finance Committee to shape a compromise bill, but he said he would press forward without GOP support by that date.

The AFL-CIO's up-and-coming president reportedly said today that Democrats must support a government-run health insurance plan, or "public option," with or without Republican votes.

"I think they need to understand that that you can have a bill that guarantees quality, affordable health care for every American, or you can have a bill the Republicans will vote for," Richard Trumka, currently the AFL-CIO's secretary-treasurer, said today, according to the Associated Press. "But you can't have both."

Trumka, who is positioned to become the next AFL-CIO president, reportedly repeated his assertion that the AFL-CIO will pull its support for Democrats who do not advocate for a public option.

Mr. Obama, who has said that a public option is not essential for health care reform, benefitted from the endorsement of labor unions in the 2008 presidential election.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by Aldymac September 1, 2009 10:37 AM EDT: The union did and I'm sure still does threaten, but I was a democrat back in my union days.
My experience with the VA has taken me through two surgerys, one was major, both didn't happen as they would have had I had insurance. there was a three month waiting period for the first and minor surgery, the major surgery was a joint replacement, there was a five month wait before surgery, then there was a two month wait for therapy, which went bad for the reason there was too much muscle loss.
I asked the surgeon at my one year checkup what the time frame for that type surgery, had I had the money or insurance to have bypassed the VA would have been, he said there would have been x-rays as there was with the VA, after seeing what I needed he would have scheduled me in two weeks from the time he saw me, the therapy would have started the next day after surgery to stop the muscle loss. I would have had 95 to 100% recovery, all would have taken place in less than a month, I would have been able to go back to work in six months, with the VA it was over a year.
The VA is good if you are healthy, their preventive care isn't too bad, but they like to push pills, lots of pills, if I took everything they want me to take I would be in as bad of shape as some of the guys who take all they push.
skyk, I agree, let the people decide, but give them the truth to make that decision, not all the hype that builds up an agenda souley for the benefit of the politicians and their friends who will profit even more at the expense of the working man. The politicians have it in their heads that we work for them and they have all the right answers, and that the right answers will cost us what they say it will.
The only time the politicians find out who they work for is when the people stand 'together' and make it known, in the midst of all the hype and reterick to push this agenda, do you see them trying to listen to the people? When Obama was here, he never answered one question he was asked, he only pushed his agenda, with less than a handfull of the opposition in the building he was rooted and raved on in everything he said, a very good example of how things will be run when all the people aren't allowed to speak their minds.
"The pied piper was playing, and his mice were following faithfully".; Reply to this comment


by endurorob September 1, 2009 9:42 AM EDT: So the Pied Piper is going to be playing his pipe for the rats and children.; Reply to this comment


by babooph September 1, 2009 1:32 AM EDT: There is still a labor union ?; Reply to this comment


by proudmilvet September 1, 2009 12:02 AM EDT: Aldymac... You wer'e threatened by your job if you didn't vote Democratic? Nobody knows which lever you pull once you get in the voting booth & pull the curtain shut! Also what's with this YA'LL stuff? No wonder your a Republican.; Reply to this comment


by robham777 August 31, 2009 10:41 PM EDT: by proudmilvet August 31, 2009 10:01 PM EDT

I am a Federal worker & get great Health coverage & other benefits just like members of Congress.

"Stated differently, the benefit cost for the average federal employee back in 2008 was $40,785. The average benefit cost for private sector employees for the same year was $9974."

This except is from an article at http://www.fedsmith.com/article/2098/federal-pay-gap-private-sector-growing.html

There is a reason that not everyone can enjoy the same level of benefits as government employee's. Simply stated the private sector can not just decide that it will increase revenue by forcibly taking more money from its customers.; Reply to this comment

by proudmilvet August 31, 2009 10:01 PM EDT

If the Private Insurance Companies & their Greedy kind go out of business & I certainly doubt that, then everyone can be covered by the single payer Goverment plan, what's wrong with that? I am a Federal worker & get great Health coverage & other benefits just like members of Congress. Why shouldn't all Americans be eligible for the same? If anyone wants to call that Socialism who cares, it would certainly be a lot better then the mess we have now. Time to stop listening to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck & the rest of the Neo-Con professional fearmongers. Remember, Limbaugh & Beck are Multimillionaires many times over. They will never,ever have to worry about affording their Health Care coverage, unlike so many Millions of Americans now. All their talk about Government health care being the first step toward Socialism is a lot of B.S.Just like in the 1950's with Republican Senator Joe McCarthy & his "Red Scare" As a Military Combat Vet I get all my Health care from the V.A. which is Government run. Oh my God! That's the first step toward making me a Socialist, then a Marxist, then a Communist! Well, i'll just have to pull out of the V.A. system, find a private Physician, & sign up with a Private Insurance Company, Just like any Patriotic, Flagwaving Neo-Con would do! Oh, wait a Minute. I Couldn't qualify as a Neo-Con, I actually Served in the Military!!

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by Aldymac August 31, 2009 11:31 PM EDT: If you are a federal worker then I seriously doubt that you settle for VA medical benefits, if it weren't for your federal insurance you would have to settle for what vets who have no insurance would be getting. Your federal umbrella gives you more than you think, or seemingly know, it was the Bush administration that upgraded the VA to far better than it was ten years ago. But you can still die easier in a VA emergency room than you would in a private hospital, they are not set up for real emergencys, I know, I have experienced it. I almost died in a VA hospital, I was taken to a private hospital and they saved my life. "O" shut down funding from the former administration that was to be used to upgrade the VA emergency service to compete with private. Semper Fi


by proudmilvet August 31, 2009 8:38 PM EDT: It does not matter what President Obama says or does or proposes, the Republican Party will be against him for one simple reason, they lost the election & he & the Democrats won. Simple as that. The Republicans will do anything & everything to get back into power, even if it means harming the Country. So much for the Party of Family Values, & "Country First"; Reply to this comment

by proudmilvet August 31, 2009 8:28 PM EDT

President Obama supports the Labor Unions because he believes in the Fundamental rights of Hardworking American People. Unlike all Republicans starting with Reagan who wanted to Crush the Unions.I am Union,Proud of it & I Support This President! We need & Must have health care reform in this Country with the Single Payer Option. Those of you who do not want that option okay stay with your private insurance, that is certainly your Right,but don't try to deny it to those of us who do want it as that is our Right also. Fair Enough?

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by Aldymac August 31, 2009 11:09 PM EDT: You already have health insurance that is on a parr with the prez and his cronies, with his plan for YA"LL that will be downgraded to what the politicians are willing to give you at a bargain price, YA'LL are in such a rush to "settle" for less. I was union untill I got sick of the politics, I had an aversion to my job being threatened if I didn't vote democrat.


by proudmilvet August 31, 2009 8:04 PM EDT: the-majesty... I you sure your not Dick(Old Draft Dodgin Dick)Cheney under a phony user name? Everything you talk about sounds like his same B.S.; Reply to this comment

by the_majesty August 31, 2009 7:56 PM EDT

I hope the democrats think long and hard before they
force this ObamaCare on the American people. Without
bipartisan support and the majority of the American
people against it.

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by User_00000000002945496845 August 31, 2009 7:59 PM EDT: I hope my kids aren't going to a school that you attended. You don't seem to understand where sentences are supposed to start and stop.