What a long, strange trip it’s been – and the union made her work for it.
I have learned that the real purpose of today’s event at the Culinary training center with Hillary Clinton is for UNITE HERE and its Vegas local to fully embrace the Democratic nominee. This may not seem surprising , but remember that the union withheld its endorsement while Clinton came closer on the so-called Cadillac tax in the Affordable Care Act.
The theme of the event, I’m told, will be that Clinton is committed to immigration reform – don’t forget that not one, but two local DREAMers will be speaking at the convention next week – and getting rid of the Cadillac tax, which will be labeled today at the presser as a double-payment scheme written into the Affordable Care Act by the insurance industry.”
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UNITE HERE released the following statement on Tuesday morning:
UNITE HERE is an organization representing 270,000 working people across North America. Our membership is diverse. We are predominantly women and people of color, and we hail from all corners of the planet.
Over the course of the last three decades, the women and men of UNITE HERE have negotiated hundreds of contracts with their employers in the hospitality industry.
In those negotiated contracts, workers sacrificed billions of dollars in wage increases in order to build, maintain and fund the best and most affordable family health care in America.
The federal government now has decided to impose an excise tax on those health benefits. The government wants these working families to pay again for what they have already paid for.
Hillary Clinton is committed to work with us and members of the House and Senate in the United States Congress to end this double-payment scheme written into the Affordable Care Act by the insurance industry.
Most impressively, we did not have to ask Hillary Clinton to take this position. Indeed, it is just a reflection of her decades-long commitment to affordable health care for working families.
Hillary Clinton has also been a staunch advocate for immigrant families. She has called for comprehensive immigration reform and defended President Obama’s executive actions providing deportation relief to millions. She has pledged to go one step further, committing to end family detention, close immigrant detention centers and help more eligible people become naturalized. For the tens of thousands immigrant workers our Union represents in Nevada and nationwide, this is the kind of compassionate leadership we need.
UNITE HERE is proud to endorse Hillary Clinton for President. With our endorsement comes our commitment to deliver the swing state of Nevada to her winning campaign.
