Gangster Government by David Freddoso

Author:David Freddoso
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Regnery Publishing
Published: 2011-03-08T00:00:00+00:00

Although Kline is expected to push back against this change in the new Congress, the story demonstrates again what a sympathetic administration (or gangster government) can do to help its friends—with or without the legislative branch.

5. NLRB: Craig Becker and his colleagues at the National Labor Relations Board are already attempting to impose one new requirement on employers that does not exist in law. In addition to all the other workplace notices about minimum wage and unemployment benefits, employers would not only have to post signs telling that they have a right to unionize, but possibly also distribute the notice by email and all other means used to distribute workplace messages. If the employer fails to adequately promote unionization, or to deliver the message in all of the workers’ native tongues, it would be considered an “unfair labor practice” and grounds for bringing a case before the NLRB.

In addition to this, the board has threatened to sue four states that recently added provisions to their state constitutions requiring that all workers, when deciding whether to unionize, be given the opportunity to vote in secret-ballot elections.

6. Obamacare: Unions were already effectively exempted from paying for the Obamacare law, for which they lobbied heavily. But more than that, they have been disproportionately exempted from one critical Obamacare requirement that will cause the health insurance premiums of non-unionized workers to rise.

In order to keep their insurance premiums low, SEIU nursing home workers in New Jersey negotiated a plan with a very low annual benefits limit—just $50,000. Such arrangements were common. But Obamacare now forbids them unless you have a federal waiver. And the administration seems especially willing to give waivers to its union friends. Obamacare otherwise demands that companies dramatically raise the maximum annual benefits they offer. A spokeswoman for the union local told CNS News that less than 1 percent of the union’s members had ever exceeded the cap, and that the union had made other arrangements to help them.65 This system offered the best value to the beneficiaries. It allowed workers to get health coverage and pay much less for it. It stands to reason, given that very few people actually need $1 million worth of health care in a single year. Most people would rather not pay for benefits they will likely never use.

But if you’re not part of a government-favored union or a lucky company, Obamacare denies you this flexibility and requires your insurance policy to have very high annual limits, which means you will pay more. For 2011, the minimum limit is $750,000. For 2012, it must be at least $1.25 million, and then $2 million in 2013.

Until 2014, the Secretary of Health and Human Services can grant special exemptions.

The Obama administration’s dispensations from the rules do not fall evenly. Among the 729 exemptions that had been granted as of January 2011, 166 of them went to union benefit funds. And these accounted for 40 percent of the 2 million employees affected by all of the exemptions. This means that so far, 870,000 out of 13.

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