CWA joins in announcement of amendment to kill the benefits tax

CWA's President Larry Cohen and Valerie Castle-Stanley, a member of CWA Local 2204, joined with other speakers at a press conference today to attack a plan being debated in the Senate to tax health benefits.

Castle-Stanley, who works at an AT&T call center in Southwest Virginia, said she already spends thousands of dollars a year on co-payments, prescriptions, and other out-of-pocket costs for her family and for the treatments she needs for asthma, which she has had since childhood.

"I need my medications to live," she said. "I support health reform, but I can't afford this tax. For families like mine that are on a budget, the results will be devastating."

"We need to make history, not break the backs of 30 million Americans who would be affected by this tax," Cohen said.

The press conference outside the U.S. Capital was convened by Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Indpendent from Vermont.   Sanders and Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, are sponsoring an amendment which would strip the benefits tax from the Senate health reform bill, substituting an added tax on families making more than a million dollars a year.

Sanders said while the benefits tax is described as targeted at "Cadillac plans" with rich benefits, in fact it would hit 30 million workers with normal benefits.

Rep. Joe Courtney, a Connecticut Democrat, told the press conference that nearly 200 of his House colleagues had signed a letter opposing the tax, which he said would result in "degrading and diminishing benefits" and post "an additional burden on the middle class."

Other workers, like Castle-Stanley, described the impact the tax would have on them.

"I will either pay extra for my benefits or I will have them reduced," said Gary Willet, a warehouse worker and member of Teamster Local 730 in Washington. "I urge the U.S. Senate to tax those who can actually afford to buy a Cadillac."

Lily Eskelsen, a sixth grade teacher in Utah and a vice president of the National Education Association, asked, "Why would you not look first to millionaires and ask them to pay their fair share before you turn to a third grade teacher?"

James Huber, an electrician in a Baltimore steel mill and a member of United Steel Workers Local 9477 said workers had given up wage increases to get good benefits, but could lose those benefits because of the tax.