Ever heard of the American Center for International Labor Solidarity?Well, the ACILS is a cover from the AFL-CIO. Same group. Different name.See, Congress can funnel money to the AFL-CIO through this front group and no one can attack the AFL-CIO because who the heck has ever heard of ACILS.Well, the AFL-CIO is now endorsing health care deform despite the excise tax in the legislation that creates a HUGE tax burden on workers. In fact, the Machinists Union is wholly opposed to the health benefits tax. Tom Buffenbarger, the Machinists’ union leader, is flat out at war over this provision and lots of union leaders are wondering why the heck the AFL-CIO decided to line up behind legislation that taxes union workers.

“For decades, IAM members exchanged substantial wage increases for the best possible health insurance,” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. “Now, in a bizarre turn of events, their insurance premiums will be subject to a forty percent excise tax if the Senate version of health care reform becomes law. Democratic leaders have the power to stop this travesty and I urge them to do so, quickly and completely.”

Well, guess what? This leads us back to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity. Here is the ACILS’s 2009 annual report.If you look on page 29, you will find that Congress funneled $28,475,408.00 to the AFL-CIO through the ACILS for the year in 2008. And I suspect if you dig around you are going to find that the AFL-CIO now stands to get more money.In other words, the AFL-CIO’s leadership is getting federal money in exchange for supporting a health care proposal that will screw its workers.