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Negotiations are almost complete on the health care reform legislation in Congress. Overall the UBC supports the bill in its current form- it is good for the country, provides full coverage, and provides consumer protections that are important for our members. We are also OK with the deal on the health plan excise tax- it will protect our plans. One issue remains- the continued inclusion in the final legislation of the Merkley amendment. Senator Merkley of Oregon passed an amendment creating a special class for construction companies for the employer mandate, which states that any company with 5 or more employees must provide employee health insurance. The Senate bill mandate is for companies with 50 or more employees. 80% of construction employers have fewer than 20 employees, and most have fewer than 10. The National Homebuilders Association is adamantly opposed to this amendment. Please take a few minutes to call your members of Congress through their district offices or hotlines, and let them know that the Carpenters consider the Merkley amendment crucial to our support of the final bill, and we will work with Congress and the NHA to get it right. If the bill passes without the Merkley language, our Union and our contractors will be unfairly harmed by forcing us to subsidize our competition.
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A message from the Council Political Director to 131 members |