The American Federation of Government Employees, the American Postal Workers Unions, the National Association of Letter Carriers and the Communication Workers of America have joined together to try and defeat a proposed excise tax on health care premiums. The unions released an impact report that claims that for health care costs to come in under the proposed budget, federal employees will have to pay higher costs in some form. Members of Congress say that they think that the tax in the bill will pass despite labor's efforts. The uphill battle against the excise tax comes on the heels of Congress's decision to only raise federal employee wages by 2% this year.
See "Union leaders step up fight against excise tax", Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, December 8, 2009