Labor leaders term Senate health bill 'inadequate'

CBS News: "Labor leaders from two influential unions today called the Senate health care bill 'inadequate,' but they stopped short of pulling their support for the bill. Instead, they are pressing the White House and Congress to modify the bill more to make it more like the House health reform package. After a meeting yesterday with leaders of the Service Employees International Union and a meeting today with its members, SEIU President Andy Stern said the union does not think the Senate is willing or able to make any more progress on its bill. He told reporters ... that his union is willing to hold its nose and let the Senate pass its bill so it can move to the 'conference committee' process" (Condon, 12/17).

Bloomberg: Stern also called for President Barack Obama's "'personal involvement'… 'We are encouraging him to really step in here now' and 'use all the powers of persuasion that he has.'"

Bloomberg notes that "Richard Trumka, president of the 11-million member AFL-CIO, has said the public option is a non-negotiable element of health reform. In a statement yesterday, Trumka said that 'substantial changes must be made' to the health-care bill to be worthy of support from union members."  (Rosenkrantz, 12/18).