American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
This coalition of 57 national and international labor unions represents more than 11 million workers.

What They Want
The AFL-CIO has long wanted a single-payer health care system, said Gerald Shea, the AFL-CIO's assistant to the president for governmental affairs. But in the context of the current health care debate -- with single-payer long off the table -- the union federation's top priority is to ensure a "stabilized employer-based system by controlling cost," Shea said.

The best way to achieve that goal is through a public option, which will "inject competition into the private insurance market," Shea argued.

The AFL-CIO supports mandates that would require individuals to get coverage and employers to either provide coverage or pay into a government-run fund.

Deal Breakers
The AFL-CIO does not support "any form of taxation of existing health benefits," Shea said. Though changing or eliminating the tax exclusion on employer-based health benefits was discussed earlier in the summer, it is not currently in proposed legislation. But a tax on insurance companies for the most expensive health plans, which is included in the bill proposed by Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., would have the same effect because that tax would be passed on to the plan holders, Shea said.

"These aren't the Goldman Sachs executives who are going to get hit by this," Shea contended. Rather, workers "that have good, comprehensive benefits who might have other factors that drive up costs" will bear the burden of the tax, he said.

How Much They've Spent
The AFL-CIO spent about $1.1 million on all lobbying activities in the first six months of 2009, compared to about $1 million in the first six months of 2008, according to lobbying disclosure forms. Lobbying spending is not broken down by activity, and the AFL-CIO lobbies on non-health care related issues, like labor laws. But health care reform has been one of the AFL-CIO's top priorities this year, Shea said.

"Since the summer, we have 250 full-time staff who work three-quarters of the time on health care," he said.

So far in the 2010 election cycle, the AFL-CIO and individuals related to the group have donated $271,935 to federal candidates and committees, with 95 percent of those donations going to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. During the 2008 election cycle, about $1.3 million was donated, with 90 percent of donations going to Democrats.

The AFL-CIO has not spent any money independently on advertisements related to health care reform this year, Shea said. The group is a part of the Health Care for America Now coalition, which has spent millions this year on ads promoting reform.

Key Players
Shea attended the White House health care summit in March and has met with numerous lawmakers during the health care debate. This summer, he testified before all five of the congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care reform: the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Education and Labor Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.

But the AFL-CIO has put most of its resources behind member education and engagement. During August, 30,000 labor union members, encouraged by the AFL-CIO, attended more than 400 town hall meetings to support health care reform, Shea reported.

"We are currently in the highest level of our political mobilization," he said.

And President Obama has recognized the power of the AFL-CIO's mobilization. This month alone, he spoke at two AFL-CIO events: the group's Labor Day picnic and its national convention.

"When organized labor succeeds, that's when our middle class succeeds. And when our middle class succeeds, that's when the United States of America succeeds," Obama told a cheering audience at the AFL-CIO convention. "That's what we're fighting for."

In the speech, Obama also praised the AFL-CIO's recently retired president, John Sweeney, and newly installed president, Richard Trumka (right), who have both played key roles in reform discussions with the administration and Congress.

Shea leads the AFL-CIO's team of 15 registered lobbyists, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Sweeney and Trumka are not currently registered lobbyists.

Links
AFL-CIO Health Care Page
Health Care For America Now
Obama's Speech at the AFL-CIO Convention