Washington, D.C. (December 19, 2019) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement today on the year-end spending bill:

LIUNA commends Congress for fully repealing the 40 percent “Cadillac Tax” in the end of year continuing resolution. This historic agreement is a product of years of advocacy by LIUNA members, our allies and champions in Congress; including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and the bill's original sponsors: Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Representatives Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Mike Kelly (R-PA), who fought at our side, over the course of many years, for this moment.

 

The hard-working members of LIUNA, in addition to millions of fellow Americans, whose health benefits were at risk, will breathe a sigh of relief this holiday season.

 

This victory would not have been possible without the bipartisan leadership of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

 

Congressional leaders should also be commended for including in the year-end spending resolution a 3.1% pay increase for federal workers. While we had hoped that members of Congress would come together on a fix for workers with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and a responsible multi-employer pension reform proposal, we are pleased to see that provisions to protect the health and pension benefits of tens of thousands of union coal miners was included. We will continue to work with the House and Senate next year to address the critical issue of pension reform and TPS.

 

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The half-million members of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – are on the forefront of the construction industry, a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build America.