Richard Trumka

Unions, Obama Cut Backroom Deal on Health Care Tax Exemption

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 18:10

Richard TrumkaFor organized labor, if there's anything better than a federal takeover of health insurance, it's a federal takeover of health insurance with a generous tax exemption for union-sponsored plans. Union leaders, led by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (see photo), this week gave the country a first-hand lesson on how to play behind-the-scenes political hardball. Yesterday, following a three-day marathon negotiating session, the nation's top labor officials announced they had reached an agreement to delay introduction of a federal excise tax on high-cost union-negotiated health insurance plans. While a number of Republicans are calling the deal a political giveaway, union leaders are spinning it as another example of doing right by working Americans.

Top Ten Union Corruption Stories of the Year

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Wed, 01/13/2010 - 20:34

Top Ten union corruption stories logo"We spent a fortune to elect Barack Obama - $60.7 million to be exact - and we're proud of it," Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andrew Stern proclaimed last year. Now he and other labor leaders want a full return on their investment. "A full return," more than anything else, means getting Congress, the executive branch and the courts to transform labor law and policy into vehicles for a massive expansion of union membership and bargaining power.

Obama Praises Incoming AFL-CIO President Trumka at Pittsburgh Convention Despite Baggage

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Tue, 09/15/2009 - 17:35

Richard Trumka In Barack Obama, organized labor knows it has its man in the White House. Arguably more than any U.S. president in history, President Obama supports the union domestic agenda, ever and always anchored in aggressive government intervention in the economy. And union officials support him, having provided indispensable financial and logistical support for his campaign last year. To show his appreciation, Obama was in downtown Pittsburgh today to address the AFL-CIO's quadrennial convention. His speech is the highlight of the labor confab at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, which will run through Thursday.

AFL-CIO's Trumka Denounces Town Meeting 'Mobs,' Ignores His Own

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 01:39

Trumka photoAlmost nobody doubts that come September, Richard Trumka will become the AFL-CIO's next president, replacing the retiring John Sweeney. Having occupied the labor federation's secretary-treasurer position for nearly 14 years, he's done everything his boss and the ideological faithful could ask of him. That's a major reason why he and his slate are running almost unopposed. But more than Sweeney, Trumka, a trained lawyer, has a palpably combative edge, much of it honed during his tenure as head of the United Mine Workers of America.

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