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Battle lines in fight over expanding health care

Rachel Brand, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 20, 2006 at midnight

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Rep. Judy Solano accepted $2,250 in donations from labor unions two months before she introduced a bill that would force large employers such as Wal-Mart to expand health care coverage.

"Solano is carrying the Wal-Mart bill for us," said United Food and Commercial Workers Spokesman Dave Minshall, who makes no bones about union muscle in politics.

Wal-Mart, for its part, lured away Democratic insider Gray McGinnis to wage war against the bill.

The moves highlight the intense, behind-the-scenes lobbying around a health insurance bill that would force large employers such as Wal-Mart to dedicate 11 percent of their payrolls to health care.

In Colorado, and across the county, unions have drawn a bead on Wal-Mart, waging a high-profile campaign to get the world's largest corporation to expand health care coverage and raise wages, among other demands.

The House Committee on Business and Labor Affairs is scheduled to vote on House Bill 1316 today. On Dec. 20, an AFL-CIO affiliate, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers, gave Solano $250. The next day the food workers' union gave the Brighton Democrat $2,000 through its small donor committee, her largest single contribution of the year.

In 2005, she raised a total of $12,341, $3,000 of which came from unions.

"Is that a bad thing?" said Solano, a former teacher who openly displays her sympathy for union causes. She stuck to scripted comments about Wal-Mart's skimpy health care benefits when pressed on the contribution.

Also in December, Wal-Mart hired a former Democratic policy advisor to join its decidedly anti-labor camp. Gray McGinnis used to work as a senior policy advisor to Colorado Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald. As such, McGinnis possessed inside knowledge of how Democrats planned to push through House Bill 1316, before he jumped ship to Wal-Mart.

McGinnis did not return calls for comment, but Wal-Mart spokeswoman Kelly Hobbs said the company hired McGinnis because he is a well-respected policy analyst on both sides of the aisle.

Wal-Mart retained 11 lobbyists and staff for the Colorado fight, according to filings with the Secretary of State. Unions have four lobbyists, but can rally dozens of rank-and-file members on short notice.

And recent union contributions to Solano's campaign are nothing new.

In 2004, unions gave $87,400 to the seven Democrats on the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee, Secretary of State records show.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, which oppose the bill, donated just $1,200 to the six Republicans on the Business Affairs and Labor Committee in 2004.

Wal-Mart made no state campaign contributions.

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