SEIU Warns Dems: If You Don’t Back Reform, We Won’t Back You
Hardball time.
In what seems intended as a shot across the bow of House Dems wavering on health reform, top officials with the labor powerhouse SEIU have bluntly told a Democratic member that they will pull their support for him — and will likely field a challenger against him — if he votes No on the Senate bill.
Dem Rep Mike McMahon of New York met yesterday with a top SEIU official and told him he’s likely to vote No, the official tells me. The official: Mike Fishman, president of SEIU 32bj, the largest property workers union in the country, with 120,000 members in eight states.
Fishman told McMahon that the union would not support him if he voted No — and suggested the hunt for a primary or third-party challenger would follow.
“He let us know he’s not supportive of the health care plan,” Fishman says. “We’ve let him know that we can’t support somebody who doesn’t support it.”
“We are going to begin talking to other unions about finding someone else for that seat,” Fishman continued.
McMahon enjoyed heavy labor backing when he was elected to his conservative Staten Island district in 2008. He voted No on the bill last time but was said to be undecided on the Senate bill, and labor had hoped to win his support for the crucial final vote.
Fishman said SEIU officials were intent on sending a message to other House Dems that they risk losing the union’s support if they don’t vote for the bill — and said the union’s rank and file membership strongly wanted reform to pass.
“We put an enormous amount of effort into electing Democrats,” Fishman said. “This is the most important issue on everyone’s plate. We’re sending a message to Democrats: If you can’t support this, we can’t support you.”
Obviously what labor does along these lines will vary from district district, but this seems like a message that’s going to be delivered more than a few more times in coming days.
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Update: A spokesperson for McMahon emails:
“It seems strange that SEIU would be making threats against a member who was an original co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, voted for the President’s budget, voted for the Stimulus and fought for federal funds to keep our teachers, police officers, firefighters and hospital workers employed. The people of Staten Island and Brooklyn respect the Congressman because he is an independent voice, not because his is a rubber stamp for special interest politics.”
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Let us see next week HCR bill will be pass
There was an excellent book written back in the 70’s entitled “And The Wolf Finally Came”. It was a treatise on the decades long advisarial relationship between the United Steel Workers Union (of which I was a member for 4 years)and ownership. The end result is very obvious today….we have lost our steel industry to foreign nations who could produce it faster and cheaper (Japan initially). Andy Stern and SEIU are typical union “leaders” (leeches would be more appropriate) who patronize the low level worker, promising them better wages and conditions, all the while making themselves wealthy. Did you ever wonder why Stern is the most frequent visitor to the White House? Answer: He’s one of the radicals designing policy for the totally inept president, they “Acorned” into the white house. Wake up America….their all frauds and they’re ruining our country.
If this 2700 page sellout to the health care industry becomes the Presidents health care legacy it will be the lowest point in political treachery in our country’s history.
Passing this 2700 page bill with tweaking will not lower ever increasing costs nor will it cure the historic sins and unacceptable insurance practices of jacking up premiums, withholding or denying care, bankrupting, and killing patients.
Harsh words about health insurers said by the President will not change the facts that; this bill is a money machine for insurance companies and health care providers, and a financial disaster for consumers, employers, and taxpayers.
This bill was crafted and paid for by the healthcare industry, $600,000,000. reported so far, to yield obscene profits for them while bleeding the life blood out of helpless victims.
Were there illegal payments and deals made to facilitate these unfair schemes?
Real Public Option reforms which would save lives and save as much as a trillion dollars annually have been kept out of the health care debate by the President, Democrats, and Republicans.
Were crimes committed doing this?
If crimes are discovered, when we are able to investigate how our political process sunk so low as to allow this assault upon our families’ health and finances, we must vow to hunt down every perpetrator until each is brought to justice.
These are dastardly crimes against humanity and everyone found guilty should be forever unforgiven and forced to pay harsh consequences for their treachery.
I READ ALOT OF THE REPLIES ON THIS BEFORE I DECIDED TO SUBMIT MINE, AND IT NEVER FAILS ME THAT THERE ARE ALWAYS THOSE WHO SEE HEALTHCARE REFORM AS SOME PLOT TO DESTROY OUR LIVES. IF WE COULD FOR ONE SECOND GET AWAY FROM ALL THE CYNICAL AND NEGATIVE THOUGHTS WE WOULD BE ABLE TO VIEW HEALTH CARE AS A TIGHT OF AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. WE HAVE WAITED TO LONG AND THERE SHOULD BE NO TURNING BACK, OF COURSE THERE MAY BE THINGS THAT WE ALL CANNOT AGRRE ON,BIT FOR THE MOST PART WE NEED HEALTH CARE REFORM. HEALTH CARE IN THE USA IS CONTROLLED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES AND AS LONG AS THAT CONTINUES WE ARE ALL AT THEIR MERCY. HEALTH LIKE DEATH DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE AND SO WHAT HAPPENS TO ONE HAPPENS TO US ALL. NO ONE EVEN THOSE WHO OPPOSE HEALTH CARE REFORM SHOULD BE AFRAID OF GETTING SICK, PAYING HIGHER PREMIUMS/LOSING THEIR JOBS ETC. NO ONE SHOULD BE WITHOUT HEALTH CARE AND SO IT IS THAT ALTHOUGH THERE STILL MAY BE THOSE WHO DONT LIKE THIS OR THAT WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU AND I IF WE CONTINUE AS IT IS NOW..
DID ANY OF US THINK TO PUT ASIDE OUR PERSONAL POLITICAL VIEW AND ASK THAT QUESTION..WELL I PRESENTED THAT QUESTION TO Dem Rep Mike McMahon’S OFFICE WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME IF HEALTH CARE REFORM IS NOT PASSED..
WHO WILL BE THERE FOR ANY OF US IF IT SHOULD NOT PASS
WILL HIS OFFICE PAY MY HIGHER PREMIUMS OR MY CXLD INSURABCE??
MIKE MCMAHON CAMPAIGNED UNDER CHANGE, WE IN STATNE ISLAND VOTED HIM IN FOR CHANGE AND IF HE CANT DELIVER ON HEALTH CARE THEN WE CANN OT DELIVER FOR HIM
HE SET THE STAGE AND THE THE VOTR OF NO..I AGREE WE WILL NOT BACK HIM IN NEXT ELECTION..
I never thought I would see the day when unionized ppl would choose to pay MORE for LESS. Guess you get what you ask for. Makes total total sense to destroy whats left of the medical industry and pump in 3rd world doctors on the govt dime…perfect.
…and keep in mind, these are the same ppl that supported NAFTA, GATT and FTA.