FOXNews.com: Trumka calls for ObamaCare concessions for unions after White House meeting

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Trumka calls for ObamaCare concessions for unions after White House meeting Sep 13th 2013, 22:12 Published September 13, 2013 FoxNews.com Sept. 9, 2013: Richard Trumka, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations president, addresses members during the quadrennial AFL-CIO convention at Los Angeles Convention Center.AP AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka urged the White House to act within a week to address labor unions' concerns over ObamaCare, after he and other labor leaders met privately with President Obama on Friday in a bid to resolve a simmering feud over the law. The sit-down comes amid concerns from Republicans that Obama might be preparing to offer the unions a special deal to assuage their concerns. The AFL-CIO just passed a resolution blasting ObamaCare as "highly disruptive," and the administration has been trying to convince the unions to lower the volume on their complaints about the law's implementation. The Republican National Committee asked Friday whether the president would "cave" to the unions. Trumka was coy after emerging from the meeting with Obama and Vice President Biden. He called the meeting a "problem-solving session," but declined to specify exactly what type of fixes were discussed. "We're going to try to get it done in the next week," he said. Asked if that meant a new regulation or Congress-approved law, he said: "A solution." The meeting comes days after the AFL-CIO approved a resolution warning the law would drive up the cost of union-sponsored health plans and encourage some employers to drop coverage. Unions want members to be eligible for the same federal subsidies available to low-income workers in the new health exchanges. The White House has resisted that remedy, saying the law doesn't allow it. Capitol Hill Republicans, though, are now pursuing legislation that would prevent the administration from offering extra subsidies to union workers. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., on Monday introduced the "Union Bailout Prevention Act," which would stop the granting of subsidies to offset premium costs for the multi-employer plans held by many union members. Separately, the House voted on Thursday to stop all subsidies until the administration launches a system to verify recipients are eligible.  Unions argue that workers without additional subsidies will switch to less-expensive, major-insurer plans, creating a withering effect on the so-called Taft-Hartley plans. Thune and others argue the plans are already government-subsidized and the workers' contributions are already tax-exempt. "A deal such as this by the administration for the union would be illegal," Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and Michigan Rep. Dave Camp said in a letter Tuesday to the Treasury Department. "Giving union workers exchange subsidies in addition to the income-tax exclusion would be double dipping." The Associated Press contributed to this report

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