Debt ceiling

With Default Closer Than Ever, Labor Targets GOP With New Ad Blitz

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 29, 2011, 12:00AM

"Thank Rep. Eric Cantor When Your Check Doesn't Come" TV Ad

It's fair to say that if they're not paying attention already, the debt ceiling crisis will likely be on the minds of Americans this weekend as the August 2nd deadline for default draws nigh. And as they tune in, a coalition of labor groups hope to use a new TV ad campaign to remind Americans of their side of the story.

The coalition -- made up of AFSCME, SEIU, the NEA and Americans United For Change -- has dropped ads on eight states targeting Republican politicians over the debt ceiling crisis, which seems destined to drag on until the bitter end -- or maybe after, taking the nation into default. The message from labor: "If the Social Security checks, veterans' benefits, military pay Americans are counting on don't arrive after August 2, thank Republicans in Congress."

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NY-26

Major Party Candidates Debate In NY-26 -- While Tea Partier Releases Most Depressing Ad Ever

Benjy Sarlin | May 19, 2011, 8:38AM

NY-26 Congressional Candidates Jane Corwin (R) and Kathy Hochul (D).

Republican Jane Corwin and Democrat Kathy Hochul met Wednesday night for their final debate before the May 24 vote to replace Republican Rep. Chris Lee in New York's 26th district. As it has for weeks, the conversation focused overwhelmingly on the budget passed by House Republicans that would, among other things, abolish Medicare.

Hochul has ran almost her entire campaign on defeating a Republican proposal to cut Medicare benefits and turn it into a voucher program while Corwin has dinged her for supporting higher taxes on the wealthy. The debate fell mostly into these predictable lines.

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AFL-CIO

Republicans Just Voted To End Medicare -- So Where's The Outrage?

Brian Beutler | April 22, 2011, 12:39PM

Members of Congress are back in their districts, attending town hall events, explaining to their constituents why, exactly, they want to make such major changes to the health care system.

If that sounds familiar, you might be wondering if we're in for August 2009 redux. That was when conservatives and tea party activists caused mayhem at Democratic town hall events and sowed doubt in the minds of members and the media about whether the push for health care reform was really viable. Now, Republicans have their sites set on Medicare and Medicaid, and just voted, almost to a person, to basically zap both programs.

So are we in for a repeat?

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Ohio protests

Ohio GOP Advances Anti-Union Bill After Last Minute Committee Shuffle

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 2, 2011, 4:19PM

State Sen. Bill Seitz (R-OH) and Sen. Scott Oelslager (R-OH)

It took the removal of two -- count 'em -- union-sympathetic Republicans from Ohio state Senate committees, but supporters of Gov. John Kasich's (R) plan to limit collective bargaining rights for state workers were able to move their plan one step closer to Kasich's desk today.

By a vote of 7-5, a State Senate Committee charged with reviewing the collective bargaining proposal -- known as Senate Bill 5 -- moved the bill toward a floor reading and its expected passage. Shortly after that, a similarly close vote moved the bill out of the Senate Rules Committee.

The bill is now on the Senate floor and passage is expected imminently. But opponents of the law say the pathway to today's vote shows how hard a sell Kasich's plan is to the broad swath of voters in the Buckeye state.

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Tea Party Nation

Tea Party Nation Names DHS, NAACP Among 2010's 'Liberal Hate Groups'

Jillian Rayfield | December 30, 2010, 8:26AM

Judson Phillips, leader of Tea Party Nation.

Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips put out a list yesterday of the "top five liberal hate groups," because "while the Left loves to accuse the Tea Party and Conservatives to be members of hate groups [sic], the simple fact is, there are a lot of liberal hate groups." And who made the cut for the top five? The NAACP, the Department of Homeland Security, the ACLU, the SEIU, and of course, the Southern Poverty Law Center.

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NV-SEN

Tough New Ad: This Is What Sharron Angle Means For Women (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 21, 2010, 6:00AM

Sharron Angle

The SEIU is hitting the Nevada airwaves with one of the toughest ads of what is easily one of the toughest races of the year. Aimed squarely at Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle, the ad posits what the SEIU says life would be like for women if Angle was in charge.

The ad features "women at different stages of life" and tells a story for each.

"Sharron Angle's dangerous ideas will make her life worse - at every stage," the narrator says. "If she was raped - and got pregnant - Angle would force her to have the baby. Her college loans - ended. If she's looking for work - it's tough luck with Sharron Angle. At retirement her Social Security - phased out."

"Sharron Angle: too dangerous to have real power over real people," the ad concludes.

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VA-05

SEIU Aims To Give Perriello A Boost In VA-05 With New Ad (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 13, 2010, 7:25PM

Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA)

The SEIU is behind a new TV ad targeting Robert Hurt, the Republican nominee opposing Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA). The ad gets right at the heart of the national narrative, ripping Hurt for votes in the state legislature that, according to the SEIU, mean he's opposed to extending unemployment benefits to workers who have lost their jobs.

Will the ad have an impact? Depending on which poll you believe, it might or might not. Public polling from robo-call pollster SurveyUSA has shown Hurt ahead by double-digits, though Democrats have howled that the pollster's methodology is not getting an accurate sample of the district. Polling conducted by partisan firms on both sides have shown the race to be closer, with just a few points separating the two nominees.

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Fiscal Commission

Andy Stern Says Fiscal Commission Shouldn't Be Dominated By GOP Ideas

Brian Beutler | October 13, 2010, 9:55AM

Andy Stern

Former SEIU President Andy Stern, who sits on President Obama's fiscal commission, says he will not endorse the panel's final recommendations if they are dominated by Republican ideas.

"There has to be a mix," Stern told me in an interview last night.

The bipartisan, 18 member panel has been tasked with providing policy guidance that will bring the country closer to fiscal balance. As TPM has reported, many of the Republican members are largely interested in securing spending cuts, and want to avoid tax increases of all kinds. Some are even pressing for lower tax rates for corporations, the cost of which could be offset by eliminating tax loopholes and giveaways (known officially as tax expenditures).

But Stern says he's looking for real tax increases. "I'm not an all-cut guy and I just don't know if tax expenditures can produce enough revenues on their own."

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CA-GOV

Spanish-Language Ad Hits Whitman Over Undocumented Maid Issue (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | September 30, 2010, 2:52PM

Ad from an SEIU-backed organization, "Meg Whitman - 9 Años"

The SEIU-backed Cambiando California group wasted no time turning California Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman's ex-maid issue into a campaign ad.

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SEIU

Liberal Groups Launch Spanish-Language Radio Ad Attacking GOP

Eric Lach | September 28, 2010, 11:10AM

The SEIU, Mi Familia Vota and America's Voice today launched a Spanish-language radio ad in six states, highlighting Republican opposition to the DREAM act, among other issues.

Officially titled the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, the Dream Act would allow a conditional permanent residency for students who graduate from high school and earn or are on track to earn a college degree. It would help potentially millions of illegal immigrants who were brought here illegally by their parents as young children and attended schools in the U.S. all their life.

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Andy Stern

Andy Stern Joins Board Of Biowarfare Defense Pharmaceutical Company

Brian Beutler | June 21, 2010, 11:47AM

SEIU President Andy Stern

In a move that has Washington scratching its head a bit, former SEIU President Andy Stern has joined the board of SIGA Technologies--a company that specializes in developing drugs to combat biological warfare pathogens.

"Andy is a strong leader and a great addition to our Board of Directors. His insight, experience, and leadership, particularly his understanding of how our federal government works, will complement the skill sets of our existing board members," reads a statement from Dr. Eric Rose, SIGA's Chief Executive Officer.

I've reached out to Stern for comment on this. An unexpected step to say the least.

2010 elections

Labor Balks: White House Jabs Won't Deter Movement

Christina Bellantoni | June 10, 2010, 8:38AM

Union officials bruised by Lt. Gov. Bill Halter's loss in Arkansas were beyond irritated when the White House took an anonymous swipe at the labor movement for trying to unseat his Democratic rival, Sen. Blanche Lincoln. But the punchline is that they say they're more determined now -- even if it means the Democrats lose the House this fall.

An unnamed White House official called Politico's Ben Smith to criticize labor's involvement in the Democratic primary, saying they'd "flushed $10 million" on a "pointless exercise."

"If even half that total had been well-targeted and applied in key House races across this country, that could have made a real difference in November," the official told Politico. That's right in line with what national Democrats were telling me right after Halter kept Lincoln to under 50 percent in the May 18 primary, forcing the runoff which she won last night.

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AR-SEN

SEIU Releases Final Anti-Lincoln Ad In AR-SEN (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | June 2, 2010, 1:01PM

An image from an SEIU ad targeting Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

The SEIU has been a big part of Big Labor's big push against Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) in the Arkansas Senate Democratic primary race. With the runoff days away, the group has released a final ad attacking Lincoln's record and supporting her opponent, Bill Halter.

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AR-SEN

SEIU Ad Attacks Lincoln For Wall Street Bailout (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | June 1, 2010, 12:11PM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

The politically powerful union SEIU has a new ad attacking Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the June 8 Arkansas Democratic primary runoff, going after Lincoln's vote for the TARP bailout.

"Blanche Lincoln claims she's standing firm against Wall Street. But Lincoln voted to use our tax dollars to bail out Wall Street banks," the announcer says. This is a clear effort to discredit Lincoln's current work on financial reform, and to leverage the TARP issue that already helped to unseat Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) at his state GOP convention.

The TPM Poll Average currently gives Lt. Gov. Bill Halter a lead of 47.3%-44.7%.

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2010 elections

Report: Unions Spending $100M To Help Dems In '10

Eric Lach | May 21, 2010, 11:21AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Big unions will be opening up their wallets in support of Democrats this fall.

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AR-SEN

New SEIU Ad Attacks Blanche Lincoln For Big Oil Ties (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | May 21, 2010, 9:01AM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

A soon-to-be-launched ad campaign by the SEIU will attack Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) for her ties to oil and gas companies.

Lincoln is currently in a tight runoff against Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter for the Democratic nomination for Senator. The runoff will be held June 8.

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2010 elections

No Looking Back: Big Labor Will Continue Lambasting Lincoln

Christina Bellantoni | May 19, 2010, 2:16PM

Labor unions are doubling down in Arkansas as Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Lt. Gov. Bill Halter are set to duel for another three weeks in a Democratic primary runoff election. The AFL-CIO announced this morning they will keep up an aggressive push on Halter's behalf, and a top labor official lashed out over Lincoln's Tuesday night speech after polls closed.

After earning 45 percent of the vote (below the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff) to Halter's 43 percent, Lincoln lamented "outside groups," ordering them to "go home." I asked labor officials about the remark this morning.

"There's nothing outside about people who are members of unions in Arkansas," AFL-CIO political director Karen Ackerman responded in the conference call with reporters. "I don't know what she's talking about. This was an effort initiated by union activists in Arkansas for Arkansas."

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AR-SEN

SEIU Releases Attack Ad Against Lincoln

Rachel Slajda | May 11, 2010, 1:06PM

Sen. Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-AR)

The SEIU has released an attack ad criticizing Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) for voting against the health care reconciliation package.

The ad accuses Lincoln of voting "to allow health insurance companies to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions."

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Andy Stern

Stern: Entitlements, Taxes Should Be On The Table During Fiscal Commission

Brian Beutler | May 3, 2010, 6:31PM

SEIU President Andy Stern

Outgoing SEIU President Andy Stern, who sits on President Obama's fiscal reform commission, says entitlement programs, as well as taxes should be on the table as members weigh various ways to reduce long-term deficits and debt.

In a letter to President Obama and fellow commission members, obtained by TPMDC, Stern takes the somewhat surprising position that entitlement programs including Social Security should be on the table--but only if changes enhance retirement security for again Americans.

"I agree with many Commissioners who have said that all entitlement programs should be on the table, Stern writes. "We should include tax entitlements as part of that conversation."

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AR-SEN

SEIU Launches $1M Campaign Against Lincoln In AR-SEN Homestretch

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 30, 2010, 10:29AM

Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D-AR) and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

With less than a month to go until Arkansas' May 18 Democratic primary, SEIU is ramping up its attacks on Sen. Blanche Lincoln with a new million dollar ad campaign attacking the senator over votes for free trade deals.

The ads feature a worker at an Arkansas' Cooper Tire plant claiming Lincoln's support of NAFTA, CAFTA and other trade deals meant pay cuts for workers at his factory.

Organized labor helped Lincon's primary opponent, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, get into the race in March, citing Lincoln's opposition to card check and other labor legislative priorities. With the $1 million buy, it's clear that SEIU plans to help Halter get to the finish line as well.

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Financial Reform

Pro-Financial Reform Groups Begin Pushback On GOP Filibuster (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | April 27, 2010, 12:33PM

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

A day after Republicans voted in lockstep to block debate on financial reform, Dem-friendly interest groups are beginning, slowly, to target GOP members--highlighting their obstruction, and pushing them to break the filibuster. But though it would be a stretch to call these actions an onslaught, the filibuster itself is earning the GOP plenty of negative attention, with or without a coordinated messaging strategy.

The Service Employees International Union is asking members and supporters to pressure several Republicans, including Richard Burr (R-NC), Kit Bond (R-MO), David Vitter (R-LA), George LeMieux (R-FL), Bob Corker (R-TN), George Voinovich (R-OH), Scott Brown (R-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), via phone call and online petition.

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MA-09

Local SEIU Official Challenges Rep. Lynch After Vote Against Health Care

Rachel Slajda | April 19, 2010, 3:00PM

Mac D'Alessandro of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

When Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) announced he would vote against health care reform, several unions suggested they would find someone else to endorse come November.

That someone may be Mac D'Alessandro, the regional political director for an SEIU local in Massachusetts. D'Alessandro announced this weekend that he will challenge Lynch for the Democratic nomination. He must get 2,000 signatures by May 4 in order to get on the primary ballot.

D'Alessandro has worked for the SEIU since 2001, according to the Boston Globe, but he has never held public office.

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SEIU

Stern's Likely SEIU Successor An 'Ardent Kind Of Extension Of Andy'

Brian Beutler | April 14, 2010, 8:17PM

Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer of SEIU

Andy Stern will be remembered as a successful and controversial union leader at a time when labor had little power. Though he and other leaders still lack the clout to win labor's biggest battles--and though he gave rise to schisms within the labor community that have angered many, the outgoing SEIU President raised the profile of a declining movement, and successfully pushed for worker friendly reforms in Washington. With his impending retirement now official, the process of replacing him will soon touch off, and all eyes are on his number two, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer, and Stern acolyte Anna Burger.

SEIU's Constitution holds that Burger will begin serving temporarily in the role of President. That post will end when the Executive Board selects a new, permanent president in an election that must occur within 30 days. Labor insiders believe Burger is likely to prevail, though she will likely have rivals.

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2010 elections

SEIU Launches Third Party In North Carolina

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 8, 2010, 6:48PM

North Carolina's state flag

It seems organized labor is no longer content to leave its political fortunes in the hands of its traditional ally, the Democratic Party. The SEIU announced today that the it's launching its own political party in North Carolina, and it plans to to field candidates on the ballot this fall.

Union officials have threatened to take on Democrats who voted against health care reform in the past, but the usual tactic has been to endorse a Democratic primary challenger. But in North Carolina -- home to several Democratic Representatives who voted against the bill -- the SEIU says it will field candidates in the general election as part of what the what the group is calling the North Carolina First party.

"Families need a better choice, a better party - not just for health care, but for job creation and keeping bankers and corporations in check," party spokesperson Chuck Stone said in a statement.

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Health Care

New Ad Hits Anthem, Insurance Companies For Jacking Up Rates, Record Profits

Brian Beutler | February 24, 2010, 9:39AM

Service Employees International Union

With health care reform seemingly on the ascent, and insurance companies as ripe a target as ever, the Foundation for Patient's Rights--on offshoot of the Service Employees International Union--has launched a new ad in support of health care reform.

The ad, inspired by the revelation that California insurer Anthem Blue Cross plans to boost premiums by as much as 39 percent this year, will run in DC through Sunday, with a significant portion of the buy appearing on Fox News. The $250,000 spot will appear on cable TV, and on network television during the Sunday shows.

Andy Stern

Stern: Ryan Roadmap A Harbinger Of Return To Bush-Era Government

Brian Beutler | February 10, 2010, 3:53PM

SEIU President Andy Stern

SEIU President Andy Stern says that the so-called Roadmap for America's Future--an entitlement-slashing bill written by House Republican guru Paul Ryan (R-WI)--should be a warning sign to voters that the GOP hasn't moved on from the Bush-era.

"It's hard to imagine that this is a 21st century plan," Stern told me in an interview this afternoon. "It seems like we're going back to the future."

"Particularly when George Bush inherited a surplus and drove it into a massive deficit, I'm not sure we should trust the Republican party's rehashed ideas to not just bankrupt the country in the end," Stern said.

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Ben Nelson

Ben Nelson Helps GOP Block Obama NLRB Nominee

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 9, 2010, 8:55AM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE).

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) will join with Republicans to block cloture on a nominee for the National Labor Relations Board that President Obama has sent to the Senate. In a statement yesterday, Nelson lashed out at the nominee, Craig Becker, saying he'll "pursue an aggressive personal agenda" on the board.

Becker's nomination has been controversial among conservatives and Republicans since it was announced. The right views Becker's past as an SEIU lawyer as a harbinger that he'll take pro-labor stances that Republicans and business leaders have long viewed with trepidation.

In his statement yesterday, Nelson lent his voice to those concerns, citing Becker's past statements that Republicans have used in their campaign against the nominee.

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American Action Network

Holtz-Eakin: New Right-Wing Think Tank Staffing Up, Looking For Office Space

Justin Elliott | February 5, 2010, 12:20PM

Former McCain campaign advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin

A leader of the American Action Network says the Republican "think-and-do-tank" launching this month hopes to have a physical space in Washington very soon, and is working on fundraising and staffing up.

That's according to Doug Holtz-Eakin, the former CBO director and McCain campaign adviser who will lead the policy shop of American Action Network.

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Budget

FLASHBACK: Last Week, Dems Called Spending Freeze 'Fiscal Snakeoil'

Brian Beutler | January 26, 2010, 1:02PM

President Barack Obama

Influential Democrats--including SEIU President Andy Stern, and Center for American Progress CEO John Podesta--are beginning to react to last night's big news that the White House will propose a temporary freeze on non-defense discretionary spending in its 2011 budget. By and large, so far, the reaction is: let's withhold final judgment until the entire proposal is on the table.

But just last week CAP tax and budget expert Michael Linden put things rather more starkly.

"We face a very large budget gap over the coming decade, and the scale of the problem is such that no one solution is going to solve it all," Linden wrote in a piece called How to Spot a Deficit Peacock.

"It is going to take a mix of increased revenues, spending reductions, and improved government efficiency to get our fiscal house in order. Those who claim that we could get the budget back to sustainability if we only cut out earmarks, or say that the solution is to simply freeze discretionary spending, are just peddling fiscal snake oil."

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Health Care

Labor Coalesces: Pass Senate Health Care Bill, But Only If It's Fixed Quickly

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2010, 2:10PM

SEIU President Andy Stern

The most influential labor organizations in the country have arrived at a common solution to the Democrats' health care conundrum: Move forward, pass the Senate bill through the House, but only if a separate, filibuster proof bill codifying a crucial changes is passed post haste.

"Step one: The House should pass the Senate's health insurance reform bill - with an agreement that it will be fixed, fixed right, and fixed right away through a parallel process," writes SEIU President Andy Stern at the Huffington Post.

Reform can work -- the Senate bill can serve as the foundation for reform and include at minimum the improvements the Administration, House, and Senate have negotiated. We cannot squander the opportunity to make real progress. The House and Senate must move forward together. And, there is no reason they cannot move forward together to make those changes through any means possible -- whether through reconciliation or other pieces of moving legislation.... There is no turning back. There is no running away. There is no reset button.

The AFL-CIO has a functionally similar, but tonally tougher take. "We don't want the House to pass the Senate bill as is," AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale tells me. "It needs to be paired with a Senate [bill]--through reconciliation--that makes fixes."

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MA-SEN

Coakley, Dems Jump On Brown Staffers Story

Rachel Slajda | January 18, 2010, 9:26AM

MA Senate Candidates AG Martha Coakley (D) and State Sen. Scott Brown (R)

Last week, TPMDC reported that Massachusetts Senate candidate Scott Brown (R) is paying his campaign staff as "independent contractors," meaning they're responsible for paying their own payroll taxes and health insurance.

Brown's opponent, Martha Coakley (D), and other groups have jumped on the story, attacking Brown for not providing health insurance to his staffers.

"We already knew that Scott Brown didn't want to make health insurance more affordable for Massachusetts families and businesses. Now we learn that he won't even make health insurance available for his own staff. If he won't stand up for the people he employs, how could we ever trust him to stand up for us?" Coakley said in a statement.

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SEIU

SEIU Drops $665K On Anti-Brown TV Ad in Massachusetts

Brian Beutler | January 14, 2010, 2:03PM

Service Employees International Union

How concerned are Democratic interest groups that Sen. Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts might go to a Republican? Let's put it this way. This week, the Service Employees International Union spent $665,000 on the below ad, attacking Scott Brown, the Republican challenger to Democrat Martha Coakley.

With polls showing the Coakley/Brown race too close to call in deep-blue Massachusetts, Democrats are sweating, dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars, spearheading myriad fundraising drives, and dispatching a great deal of personnel to the state, to assure she seals the deal. SEIU is just as concerned.

And, as I reported earlier today, if she doesn't, it could doom health care reform

MA-SEN

SEIU Ad: Scott Brown Votes 96% Republican, Is Backed By Pro-Palin Tea Parties (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 13, 2010, 9:25AM

Senate candidate Scott Brown (R-MA).

The Service Employees International Union is up with a new ad in the Massachusetts special Senate election, reminding voters in this Democratic state that GOP candidate Scott Brown is a Republican -- and tying him to the Tea Parties and Sarah Palin.

"He calls himself independent, but voted with Republican leadership 96% of the time," the announcer says. "Brown has repeatedly opposed a woman's right to choose. And now the Globe says Brown expresses skepticism that climate change is being caused by humans."

"No wonder Brown's campaign is being supported by the same extremist group that backs Sarah Palin."

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SEIU

SEIU To Obama: Defer To The House Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | January 7, 2010, 10:08AM

Service Employees International Union

The Service Employees International Union, along with several hundred separate organizations, are urging President Obama and members of Congress, to defer largely to the House's health care bill, arguing that it does a superior job of expanding insurance coverage in a way that's affordable to consumers.

"The House covers five million more people than the Senate," reads an open letter from the groups. "We urge you to support the coverage provisions in the House bill, so that millions of Americans are not left uninsured after the passage of comprehensive health reform."

But it's not just that. The House, they say, "sets premiums and out-of-pocket costs at levels that are likely to be affordable to lower-income working families. The House does a much better job in protecting lower-income people."

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Health Care

SEIU's Stern Softens Tone And Outlines What He Wants From Final Bill

Christina Bellantoni | December 21, 2009, 9:10AM

SEIU President Andy Stern

Service Employees International Union president Andy Stern, who criticized the Senate health care bill last week, issued a statement last night calling the vote a step closer to "reforming" the system.

"While the process to get to sixty and the willingness of individual Senators to use the Senate's rules to distort democracy for their own interest was disappointing - make no mistake about it: for working Americans this vote signals progress," Stern said.

He also blasted Republicans for sitting on the sidelines "jeering, rooting for America to fail."

Stern said there will be a chance to improve the bill after it passes the Senate and lawmakers look to a conference committee to merge that legislation with the House bill. He outlined on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday what he'd like to see changed during the conference process.

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Economy

SEIU: If We Had The Banks' $150 Billion Payday, We'd All Be Rich (Or At Least Financially Solvent)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | December 18, 2009, 10:38AM

SEIU crunched the numbers, and according to the union's new report, the nation's largest banks are on track to pay out $150 billion in bonuses and compensation this year. That's enough to balance the budget in all 50 states next year -- with $8 billion left over for several hundred thousand kick-ass holiday parties for all those budget-balanced state workers.

The union looked at the entirety of the money paid out in compensation by the nation's largest banks to come up with the $150 billion figure. "Although we can't say for certain who got the bonuses, it's fair to assume that money is going to the guys in the top suites, not front-line bank workers," SEIU spokesperson Christy Setzer told TPMDC.

The union says that thanks to the government bailout of the financial sector this year, the money for the $150 billion they claim Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley will dole out in compensation "comes straight out of taxpayers' pockets." And SEIU's new report breaks down what that money could have done had it stayed in government coffers. Some highlights after the jump.

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Andy Stern

Stern: It's Time For The Ineffectual Senate To Pass This Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | December 17, 2009, 2:21PM

SEIU President Andy Stern

SEIU President Andy Stern, whose union, along with other major labor organizations, is agonizing over the current state of the health care fight, told reporters today that the Senate should pass a controversial reform bill that has riven the left. In so doing, he defended President Obama from his critics, and offered a scathing critique of the United States Senate, which he says is not up to the task of governance anymore.

"We appreciate that President Obama for a year has been unflinching in his desire to get the job done when it would've been easy to take a detour," Stern said. "We believe the Senate has done all its going to do...and now it's time for a couple of obstructionists to get out of the way."

Stern went on, "it is time for the Senate to send this bill on to conference where the real work needs to be done."

Still, Stern said he opposes the Senate bill in its current form--a bold stance for a consummate insider like Stern, who has often shied away from critiquing the Democrats' agenda.

"We don't like the bill," Stern said. "It has to be improved."

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Health Care

Stern: Fight To Make Health Care Better Than The Senate Bill

Brian Beutler | December 17, 2009, 9:08AM

SEIU President Andy Stern

SEIU President Andy Stern doesn't like the Senate health care bill. But he can't quite bring himself to oppose it. In a letter to members, after an emergency meeting of the SEIU executive committee yesterday, Stern has penned a letter to members highlighting both the good and the bad in the legislation, and urging a fight to improve it.

The good:

We talked about everything that makes this reform meaningful:

· The 30 million more people who will have healthcare they can count on;

· The people who will no longer lose their coverage if they get sick;

· All of us who no longer have to worry about being denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions;

· Women who will no longer be discriminated against just because of their gender.

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AFL-CIO

Major Labor Organizations Withhold Support For Senate Bill...For Now

Brian Beutler | December 16, 2009, 12:47PM

Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President

The SEIU was supposed to join AARP and pro-reform organizations this morning in urging an end to the filibuster of the Senate health care bill. But they didn't show.

It turns out that they're not so sure they want to give the bill their implicit endorsement.

"We were supposed to do a press conference this morning with AARP, etc. around supporting the cloture vote," says an SEIU official. "We decided yesterday that it would be imprudent."

"Tonight, we're holding an emergency meeting with our executive board...to at least start the discussion of how we are to proceed," the official said. "It's a come to Jesus moment."

By what the official insists is a complete coincidence, the AFL-CIO is holding a similar meeting.

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