Welcome to Firedoglake – so glad you could join us today!

Welcome to the blog and thank you so much for being here today, Mr. Trumka. And thank you for taking such a strong position on health care reform.

From your perspective as someone who is very much on the inside of this debate in DC, can you tell us where you think things stand?

Good afternoon Mr Trumka and welcome to FDL.

Thank you for the stand you’ve taken in support of the Public Option. What kind of feedback have you received from the Blue Dogs? Do they understand at all how serious this topic is or do they feel that the unions (and progressives) will eventually roll over and let it be business as usual?

Welcome Mr. Trumka,

Thanks for your strong voice!

Mr.Trumka–thank you for joining us today. Keep up the good fight!

Mr. Trumka, a great honor to have you here at FDL!

Welcome!

Welcome Mr. Trumka. Glad you could join us today. Can you tell us what kind of presence the AFL-CIO has in places like TN-06(which includes Nashville) as well as Arkansas. Also, why do a certain number of Democrats in D.C. think the thing to do is to sell out the unions? If it wasn’t for the unions, the Democratic party would pretty much cease to exist.

Mr. Trumka! I saw you on Rachel’s show last week… and you were fantastic.

It was the first hint I’d seen/heard of labor taking such a strong stand on the public option… and I think it is

HUUUUGE!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for speaking out so eloquently and strongly about the requirement to have a PO in healthcare reform.

I honestly feel like you guys are the first groups with real CLOUT to be standing up for it.

We unaligned progressives can make our voices heard, sign petitions, raise some money etc…

But YOU GUYS really have some power.

Thanks so much again for taking a public stand and for all you do for working Americans… here’s hoping that the Obama admin will signal a return (I’m still hopeful…) to a strong working middle class, for which healthcare is a must have.

First of all I want thank FiredogLake for the wonderful introduction. It was great to meet some of you at my first NetRoots National conference. I’m glad to be here today to begin an on going dialogue between labor and the progressive online community.

I also want to thank Jane for her long time work to bring labor together with the progressive movement and for giving the AFL-CIO a weekly guest spot at FDL.

Welcome Mr. Trumka. So glad you are here. I just wanted to thank the AFL-CIO for the excellent legal assistance I received in connection with my denied unemployment compensation claims. The AFL-CIO rocks. So does Jane Hamsher. Thank you so much for fighting for health care for us. I will help in any way I can.

Because of your hard work and the FDL community whip project and fundraising supporting the public option, I think the momentum has shifted in our direction. Proof of that is Max Baucus on the Sunday talk shows saying for the first time that he supports the public option.
But for our collective efforts the public option would have been history!

This is an inspired new format for union activist to connect directly with their leadership. Kudos Brother Trumka for being here and available to all of us.

Thank you for being here, Mr. Trumka!

Considering the popularity of the public option in the home turfs of people like Baucus and Cooper, what’s the plan of attack for those gents?

Mr Trumka – Thanks for your time and efforts!

I so take the need for public option (good) or single-payer (better) as obvious, but I find others around where I live to be less convinced. From your perspective, what are a couple of big take-away points on why this is important? What are the biggest labor-related points to point out?

Thanks again

As a technical note, if you are replying to a specific comment, there’s a “Reply” button in the lower right hand of each comment. Just click on “Reply” and the system automatically fills in the name of the commenter and the comment number so that all can follow the ‘conversation.’

Mr. Trumka, as I know you’re already well aware, the neocons want to “off shore” health care, just as they “off shored” so much of our industrial base. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in August 2008
Outsourcing health care may be a thrifty alternative

If you could buy a new hip for $10,000 overseas instead of $32,000 in Milwaukee, would you do it?

If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you’d probably jump at the chance.

If you work for an employer that provides health insurance, but with a consumer-driven plan, you might also be willing to travel to India, Thailand or the Philippines for your elective surgery.

If your employer covered the travel for you and a companion, a four-star hotel, extra days in the country to recuperate and a cash award on top of that, a majority of people would make the trip.

That’s what a recent survey showed: 73% would join the stampede of medical tourists buying their health care where it is much more affordable than in the United States.[…]

Do you see any traction going forward in getting physicians and other allied health professionals to understand that they need to organize (as nurses have) to protect their jobs?

It would also be good to hear what you think the state of EFCA is (if Michael Whitney is lurking, apologies for using the dreaded acronym).

It’s my understanding Reid wants to bring it to the floor to get the culinary workers in Nevada working on his reelection campaign, but the White House/Rahm may be stopping him because they don’t want Blue Dogs to have to take a “tough” vote right on the heels of health care.

Is there any hope for EFCA before the next election? Our folks have been big supporters and would be very unhappy to hear it.

Thank you for your continued strong leadership, sir. Your appearance on Rachel Maddow last week was heartening, to say the least. Can you tell us what kind of response you’ve gotten from White House strategists and other Democratic powers-that-be to your strong statement of intent to withhold support from officeholders who bail on the public option?

Is there anything else we can do to help strengthen your position?

I really appreciate your taking the time to chat today.

The AFL-CIO has people on the ground in Arkansas educating and agitating around both the Employee Free Choice Act and Health Insurance Reform. We are generating phone calls, letters, and visits to Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor.
We are mobilizing our membership so that independent of us they can convey our message to reluctant politicians in the state.

Welcome to the far reaches of the ‘tubes’ Mr. Trumka. I for one had tears rolling down my face during and after your wonderful speech regarding racism and how we must move beyond the surface-level perspectives of each other. I am proud to work with you in a generational fight with respect to ‘health insurance and care reform’.

I truly hope that you can garner the support of other unions and send a clear message that union support (calls, door-to-door, money, mailings, etc.) will not be forthcoming for any Democrat that does not openly support, take the FDL Pledge, and eventually votes YES for all BILLS that have a Robust Public Option.

We trust your decisions going forward and look forward to you holding these politicians accountable to the people they are supposed to represent as opposed to the current practice of bending at the alter of big money corporations. The days of saying one thing back home and then acting and saying completely opposite ‘crap’ back in D.C. must come to an end.

Kick their Ass – Mr. Trumka!

Thanks so much for your support and keep on recruiting more progressives to follow your actions!

Thank you for sharing your time with us, Mr. Trumka! I live in Parker Griffith’s district, Alabama 05, and I’ve heard Griffith has done some polling on health care reform that indicates very low support for reform and especially for the public option. Griffith has also moved considerably to the right on this issue in the past couple of months. Can you point to any public opinion polls showing support for a public option in Southern states? Personally, I supported Griffith because I believed he would be supportive of health care reform and if that makes him a one-termer it’s fine by me — but I can see how he might not see it that way.

I’m gonna bet the prospect of 11 million AFL members jumping their shit swings more weight than a blog with 100,000 people a day, but good to be on the same team with you. (Apologies for the language, probably nothing you would otherwise encounter.)

Mr. Trumka… I am curious what you can share with us about the AFL-CIO’s strategy going forward.

I know you guys are putting up ads in resistant legislator’s districts, and of course stating that you will pull funding for those that don’t support it…

But do you have any inside track as to how the WH is going to work this… and do you feel confident, as Howard Dean and Bill Clinton do, that the public option will survive and actually be strong reform?

My personal opinion is that the PO currently in the two HELP bills will exclude many workers from joining because of the high thresholds for employee-paid premiums (11 and 12.5% of gross pay in House and Senate, respectively)… these are high nos. to exceed and will keep many people from having access to the “option”… thereby keeping them in insurance co. murder-by-spreadsheet coffers and limiting the nos. of healthy people in the PO… this smells rotten to me… altho Howard Dean said last week he thinks this will improve down the road as more people will be allowed to participate.

Do you have any thoughts on the specifics and how the PO as it currently exists is really not that strong for the middle class?

Welcome here, Mr. Trumka. I’m a son of a UAW retiree. Many of us who grew up in union homes understand and support unions, even if we are not in professions with unions (I’m an attorney).

I just wanted to thank you for all you are doing on health care.

If the blue dogs win on this, we won’t see EFCA or cap and trade either.

Remember what we are talking about here is health insurance reform. 94% of the insurance markets in the country are highly concentrated which means a few insurance companies dominate them! They have a strangle hold on 94% of the markets in the U.S. Only by creating a public option can we break that strangle hold so that consumers, union and non-union alike, can vote with there feet and go to the public option which will force the insurance companies to get competitive or fall by the wayside. One more point, one American declares bankruptcy every thirty seconds because of medical costs. The health insurance crisis demands action now!

Welcome and thank you for your leadership! I met you at the WV AFL-CIO Working for America Rally and it was a pleasure to meet you and thanks for the pics!

I can second that.

We (9 labor, medical and community members) met privately last Tuesday with the bluest Blue Dog in Upstate New York Congressional delegation-Michael Arcuri. (D-24 NY, Utica). He told us directly and unreservedly that he is not afraid to lose his seat taking a tough vote on Universal Care.

However what he does fear is that to support a National Health Care Plan (with a public option) that the Senate will then compromise out and kill will leave him twisted and all but defeated in his conservative upstate district.

He fears THIS Senate will force him to take the tough vote-essentially for nothing and make his totally vulnerable in 2010. I trust him. He is straight with us.

Hence the importance of getting ALL Democratic Senators, Baucus, Conrad, Spector on board.

Great to see you on FDL, Rich! Can you share some of your ideas for better connecting online progressive activists with union members? Do you think they are starting to see each other as significant allies?

I posted this a few times today but it’s right on point here, thom hartmann has a great piece posted;

Dear President Obama,
I understand you’re thinking of dumping your “public option” because of all the demagoguery by Sarah Palin and Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich and their crowd on right-wing radio and Fox. Fine. Good idea, in fact.

Instead, let’s make it simple. Please let us buy into Medicare.

It would be so easy. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel with this so-called “public option” that’s a whole new program from the ground up. Medicare already exists. It works. Some people will like it, others won’t – just like the Post Office versus FedEx analogy you’re so comfortable with.

Just pass a simple bill – it could probably be just a few lines, like when Medicare was expanded to include disabled people – that says that any American citizen can buy into the program at a rate to be set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which reflects the actual cost for us to buy into it.

So it’s revenue neutral!

and there’s much more so read the entire piece but talk about a simple answer to a tough question, there it is right there

Mr. Trumka,

Would it be possible for the AFL-CIO and other unions to inform their members of the ActBlue page in support of members that have taken a stand for the public option? We are almost at $400,000 and it would be wonderful to send a clear message to other politicians that not all Pols can be bought off by insurance, phrma, etc.

The President/and Emanuel have both said they dont intend to bring Employee Free Choice Act up until Health Insurance Reform is done. Which gives us an additional reason to do Health Insurance Reform now! Teddy Kennedy who would be the 60th vote for cloture has just called on the MA Legislature to come up with a new process to allow the Governor to appoint his successor. Anything that any of you can do to move the process along in MA would be greatly appreciated. We WILL PASS EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT legislation, we will not allow our ”friends” to pass on this essential part of an economic recovery solution!

you know, it might be a good idea to even contribute to a republican who backs the public option

get the rats to start deserting that ship, when the first goes the rest will race to follow

Are there and R’s supporting the public option??

Is there one that has firmly came out in support?

draftsman;

Is there one that has firmly came out in support?

samburn fdl;

Are there and R’s supporting the public option??

nope, but we might wave a carrot

I have my “AK” boots on and look forward to using them! Rest assured the Unions of the AFL-CIO are in lock step when it comes to getting Health Insurance Reform passed and we are prepared to do what it takes to get it done because the working people of this country deserve no less.

Welcome Richard — great speech at NN. — what’s your advice on how best to sway the Senate — looks like we need another 5-10 or so to move to the public option. What messages/actions do you think will accomplish that? And on whom should we be focused?

Mr T, can labor come back after all the anti unionism which began with Reagan? Has capital won? Every industry seems to be a monopoly and the workers and the consumers are taking it on the chin.

Hi,
Any word on when the Obama administration will appoint the missing panelists on the NLRB board? There is a pending judgement against CNN that about 150 (NABET) people are quite interested in seeing come before the board so it can finally be resolved.

Thanks.

My hope… those who are backing off of the “pledge” as is Edwards be removed from the ActBlue page.

a must do as far as I am concerned

Mr. Trumka, thanks for joining us today and thanks for your strong stand for the public option. Have you heard directly from Democrats (either in Congress or the White House) about your threat to withhold support and if so, are they saying thanks or are they criticizing you? Do you get a sense that if we can push a more progressive bill for health insurance reform, that we will then be able to achieve greater success in other legislative battles?

Makes me want to stand up and cheer!

Literally it does bring tears to my eyes.

I am so grateful for your work.

Mr. Trumka, the Atlanta Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, Douglass Blackmon, just won the Pulitzer for Slavery By Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. Double Day 2008

Yes, I was shocked too, to see such a great work come from someone who works for the Wall Street Journal. I think, however, this gives the work even more credibility. As Blackmon explains, US Steel and other corporations profited immensely and illegally from (among other things) coal mined by slave labor. It explains what the Irish (Molly Maguires)faced trying to organize in Pennsylvania in the 1870’s. It’s hard to compete with slave labor.

What in my opinion has been underreported about SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME is that there are mass graves throughout the Old Confederacy of workers who died during their forced labor. According to Mr. Blackmon in his FDL chat, he is probably the only person alive who knows where all these mass graves are. I called Artur Davis (D-AL), because I think at least one of the mass graves is in Birmingham. Although his DC office appeared to have never heard of SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME, once I explained the mass graves, they became very interested.

I realize as Sec. Treasurer, this is outside the wide scope of your tremendous responsibilities, but I think there’s a natural coalition here between the Tri-Caucus and labor. I hope someone at the AFL-CIO is trying to push for Congressional action to identify these mass grave sites and take appropriate actions.

I truly agree with your sentiment and we need the help of all progressives regardless of Union membership or not. As a professional you can help just as much as any body else and I urge you to use your professional talents in ways that brings other professionals into the fight! One last thing here, the UAW is a proud Union that has led the way for progressives for decades, thank your dad for all his efforts on our behalf.

I believe we can bring labor back by pointing out what a union really is rather then teh straw man big business makes it out to be

big business has to bargain for everything they purchase, they don’t get to set the price of steel the steel mil sets the price, then big business tries to demonstrate how it’s in best interest for both parties if they can somehow pay less

it’s called bargaining, tehy do it for everything they buy but they don’t want to do it for their labor needs

all a union is> a company that provides the assets a business needs

once it’s framed for what it is the perjorative nature of the word gets turned around

I remember when it was a source of great pride buying union, providing union labor, I remember that great advertisement, “look for the union label”

we need to regain that pride in gainful living wage employment

(Apologies for the language, probably nothing you would otherwise encounter.)

Jane, are you ramping up for possible encounters with Rahm?

Welcome, welcome, Mr. Trumka. You were eloquent on Rachel. I hope her show introduced you to a whole new audience of supporters, and reminded others of why all of us must support labor.

I am just so very very glad to see the AFL-CIO showing their strength, along with other unions. I agree. First, health care and then Employee Free Choice Act legislation. So much work to do. Thank you Mr. Trumka and Ms. Hamsher. Please continue telling us what we can do.

I not only see us as allies but as essential allies! Anything that we can do to better understand one another and communicate with each other will help us. What we are doing right now is a good start and i thank you for the opportunity to chat with all of you!

“Tula Connell” I love that name

Great question! I would say that we must come back because I believe the Union movement offers us the best opportunity to create an America where every one has a chance to stand in the winner circle every once in a while! The rich have monopolized the winners circle for the last thirty years and their neo-liberal policies have proven i disaster to the working men and women of this great country! To break their monopoly on the economic policy we must grow and that is why the Employee Free Choice Act and Health Insurance Reform are so vitally important the country.

Welcome, Mr. Trumka. I heard your speech about racism and was very moved by it and very impressed by you. With you on the true healthcare reform team, how can we lose?

Understood and I have just tightened my laces on my AK BOOTS.

Mr. Trumka, just wanted to say thanks for that fantastic speech on race last year. I look forward to hearing a lot more from and about you in the coming years.

It seems to me the right wing is so much better organized right now. The Tea Party’s and Town Hall disruptors seem to have caught Labor off guard. Locally union members were told not to wear union shirts or buttons to rallies. My question is why were democrats and labor leaders caught off guard by what was painfully apparent to everyone else. Fight them at every turn.

Tula is a wonderful voice on FDL; I learn something from every single one of her weekly posts here.

As you can imagine it has been a mixed response , with progressives applauding our collective efforts and the reluctant being well…less than appreciative. Its up to us to make all of them do what is right for working people and the country even if they resent us for doing it.
Their job is not to make the insurance industry happy but to make Americans healthy! LETS MAKE THEM DO IT!

I have made that suggestion that any wavering members that are currently part of the ActBlue campaign get their names pulled from the campaign. I assume Jane could be the one to make the finally decision or it may now be in the hands of ActBlue. I am not certain but they must not be able to use ‘wobble language’ and have any hopes of staying on the list. They need to use language like Jane highlighted from Waters and Nadler.

94% of the insurance markets in the country are highly concentrated which means a few insurance companies dominate them! They have a strangle hold on 94% of the markets in the U.S. Only by creating a public option can we break that strangle hold so that consumers, union and non-union alike, can vote with there feet and go to the public option which will force the insurance companies to get competitive or fall by the wayside.

Information like this is still shocking to me.
I’m guessing that none of the polls being used to manipulate public attitudes (by claiming that there is ‘no support’ for a public option) bothered to asked Americans about that figure.

I think a figure of 94% makes it obvious that ‘The Market’ is not working. If unions and Dems can communicate that simple fact, then the whole conversation changes — toward a more pragmatic, fact-based conversation.

Finally, last week, a ‘CEO’ was invited onto a new MSNBC program, “Morning Meeting”, where she blamed labor for all our economic problems, and then interpreted your Maddow interview as a mere political ploy entirely lacking in principle. Crooks&Liars ran the clip, for interested FDLers.

I was intrigued that a ‘CEO’ — of a ‘business’ that doesn’t actually involve production processes or produce goods — was on television business news within 16 hours after your Maddow interview, claiming that labor’s support for health care was simply a ‘political ploy’.

I figured it was kind of a back-handed compliment for your strong position on Maddow the night before.

Someone’s alarm bells must have gone off pretty loudly (in finance, or in ‘the business sector’) if they scurried around to find a ‘CEO’ to come on and spout her ill-informed opinions within 16 hours of your statement. ;-))

I hope that the MSNBC program will invite you on as a guest soon.
They’ve done some good things and I believe you’d be a very good guest, and it’s evident that you’d bring a perspective they’re not familiar hearing.

———————
(FWIW, I rescheduled something else to be able to read comments on this thread today. Not a union member, but definitely appreciate the leadership on this issue.)

Mr. Trumka, are unions going to support candidates who don’t support an authentic health care reform bill, and who in some cases are actively sabotaging this effort? Will you support primary opponents in such cases?

As an ex-Republican, let me just say thank you and bullseye!

I realize this is a difficult and complex subject, but can you speak to efforts to “export,” organizing experience to the countries such as Mexico, China, India …. who have absorbed so many US jobs?

If they had stronger labor unions, more safety and environmental standards the entire world would be on more sustainable footing.

Yes!!!

LETS MAKE THEM DO IT!

We’ll make them into good Democrats whether they like it or not!

Grassroots is always the best. Have as many people as you can write, call and visit the weak of heart and let them know that their constituents expect real Health Insurance Reform, want Health Insurance Reform, and will accept nothing less than real Health Insurance Reform that at a minimum includes the public option, an employer mandate and does not tax benefits of working families!

My last question. As President of the AFL-CIO will you take a more progressive stance in helping labor friendly media outlets succeed as the right wing has done for nearly 30 years. I have a friend who does a labor radio program in Central PA and he struggles. I know of a show in Pittsburgh that is struggling. I know of a number of people trying to fight the right wing lies only to end up unfunded and frustrated. The Steelworkers are throwing money at Ed Schultz like mad. Would it not be smart to encourage local voices in radio, blogs, and on line video to preach the good word and reward them for that hard work as opposed to putting all the eggs in one basket. Thanks

Amen.

It was good enough for FDR and now it is time again to make them (Congress and the President) do it!

OT, among many other issues, the traditional media has really failed this country by not holding Republicans accountable for all the speeches about how the revenue from the Reagan and GOP tax cuts for the rich were going to “trickle down.”

I appreciate your comments. We are working with the Unions in all three of those countries to strengthen them so that they can bargain for their members and increase their standard of living. As you note trade is important but so is the tax code which currently encourages and actually rewards companies that send jobs over seas, as well as several other important economic policies.
We are developing our own version of a contract with America that will make the economy work for all of us. We will present it to politicians who seek our support and support those who support it.

Thanks for the response! I can’t imagine a better organization to light a fire under recalcitrant Dems than the AFL-CIO. The fact that some Dems are “less than appreciative” suggests they take it to be a serious threat. Good for you! We are definitely in good company working together to make this happen : ) Thanks so much for standing up to those who will take our money and our votes and then go to Washington and turn their backs on us. Thanks again!

Jane thanks for all your hard work and your willingness to stand strong in support of real Health Insurance Reform. In the coming months there will be numerous instances when a firm stand will be required.
Look for the AFL-CIO to be standing there beside you. Thanks for having me on and I look forward to a long and productive relationship with this community.
In solidarity,
Rich

The Firedoglake page I’m now reading your comments from has an ad paid for by the AFL-CIO urging me to help Evan Bayh because he stands for among other things health care reform.

If Evan Bayh stands for health care reform that’s news to me, a liberal bonafide Hoosier and probably to his wife, a memeber of the board of one of the largest health insurance companies in America.

Put your money where your mouth is and stop supporting Evan Bayh, unless, of course, he were to do a 180.

A quick point about this – ActBlue doesn’t interfere with lists, as long as the candidates on them are Democrats. I ran a list last year, and didn’t have to answer to anyone. I don’t know who is running the list you’re referring to, but that person, and whoever he (or she) is coordinating with, are entirely in charge of its contents.

I think various free trade agreements (including NAFTA) have hurt us badly particularly in the manufacturing sector. Do you anticipate those agreements might be amended into fair trade agreements under Obama? And if so, do you envision a resurgence of manufacturing jobs in the US?

On behalf of the FDL crew, thank you, Mr. Trumka, to all your work, and for spending the last hour with us here. Please drop by again when you have the time.

Thank you for dropping by. You answered the questions I would have asked. Good luck.

Thanks for being here. It was a real pleasure to be able to chat with you. Keep after ‘em! We’ll do the same…

Thanks for joining the FDL community.

I think it was the Steelworkers who have decided to withold funding political candidates if they do not vote for a public option. I hope you and the AFL-CIO will follow suit. i am trying to get my Local to do the same.

AFT Local 1021

All unions should establish a joint reporting center for action because lately talk shows and news services have had on so called experts which use derogatory terms with every response such as “Union Thugs”, “Union Gangsters” or “Union Mafioso”. This is a psychological ploy to program listeners to unconsciously associate Union Members with organized crime. These responses are part of the Town Hall disinformation campaign funded by the insurance industry.
FCC complaints should be filed and followed up with retractions. CNN and MSNBC know better.
Propaganda seems to be the name of the game these days.

Wow, that was really interesting reading. Thanks so much Jane & Mr. Trumka for giving us an opportunity to ask questions and air some concerns. This was better than a Town Hall any day.

See our blog to take action on health care http://blog.democratz.org

Thank you, Mr. Trumka. We really appreciate your uncompromising leadership on this issue that is, as you can tell, extremely important to our community.

We look forward to working closely with the AFL-CIO for a long time to come.

And Tula rocks.

Heh! If Obama did that, Jim Cooper would start impeachment proceedings — and the media would back him to the hilt just like they did against Clinton.