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IBEW 4th District Action Center |
Dear IBEW Member,
Below is a message I received from the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. The IBEW can only support the current health care bill if the Merkley amendment is included in the final bill.
I have enclosed the message from the BC&T Department in its entirety so you can have access to the backround material on the bill.
Please act quicky! Call Your Senators Today! Time is of the essence!
Fraternally,
Salvatore (Sam) J Chilia
International Vice President, IBEW
March 15, 2010
LEGISLATIVE ALERT:
Final Push Needed to Retain “Merkley Amendment”
in Health Care Reform Legislation!
President Obama and the Democratic Leadership of the United States Congress are now engaged in rigorous negotiations over the final stage of health care reform. Of extreme importance to all affiliates of the Building and Construction Trades Department is the retention of the “Merkley Amendment.”
The Merkley Amendment already passed the Senate with 60 votes, yet we are now being told that a bill that only needs 50 votes cannot pass the Senate unless the Merkley Amendment is actively removed.
The amendment generates revenue for the federal government. Its removal would increase the cost of the bill.
This provision benefits all companies that provide coverage to their employees. This is not a union vs. non-union issue.
The construction unions and supporting contractors have already compromised by keeping the penalty at the original $750/worker/year penalty for those contractors between 5 and 49 employees. The higher penalty of $2,000 proposed by President Obama would only apply to those employers with 50 or more employees.
Our message is very simple:
THE RETENTION OF THE MERKELY AMENDMENT WILL BE CRITICAL FOR THE SUPPORT OF AMERICA’S BUILDING TRADES UNIONS ON FINAL PASSAGE OF HEALTH CARE REFORM!
I am asking all state and local building trades councils to take the time TODAY AND TOMORROW to do two things:
1) Contact your home state DEMOCRATIC SENATOR(S) and urge them to support the Merkley Amendment.
2) Contact any of these DEMOCRATIC SENATE LEADERS (even if they are not from your State) and urge them to support the Merkley Amendment:
Senator Harry Reid – Senate Majority Leader (202-224-5556)
Senator Kent Conrad – Senate Budget Committee Chair (202-224-2043)
Senator Max Baucus – Senate Finance Committee Chair (202-224-2651)
Senator Tom Harkin – Senate HELP Committee Chair (202-224-3254)
Senator Chris Dodd – Senate Banking Committee Chair (202-224-2823)
You can reach your own U.S. Senators by calling the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, and simply asking to be connected to your senators’ office.
PLEASE TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION!
Please contact Kelly Ahl in our Government Affairs Department (kahl@bctd.org 202-756-4650) with reports of any contacts that you make.
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Join the IBEW 4th District E-Activist Network. As an activist you will receive e-alerts |
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