President Obama's September schedule includes two big appearances before union audiences. After his Camp David retreat this weekend, he and Vice President Joe Biden will spend Labor Day, appropriately, at the AFL-CIO's annual picnic in Cincinnati, Ohio. A week later, the president will speak at that organization's annual convention in Pittsburgh.

Reports today indicate that the White House is (again?) ramping up its health care offensive, but perhaps ditching the public option as it seeks to make progress. If true, how will that message play before union crowds? AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka once again espoused the virtue of a public option on MSNBC this hour.

"If you're looking at health insurance reform, right now insurance companies have a stranglehold on the market," he said. "Prices are never gonna go down and quality's never gonna go up as long as insurance companies have that stranglehold. The public option will force them to compete."

Asked what the union would do if there's no public option, Trumka said he's "not going to go there," saying he's confident there will be, though he said he had no assurance from the White House. "It's the difference between coming up with a bill that you call reform, and actually hav[ing] health insurance reform."

Trumka, who takes over as the AFL-CIO's president, then reiterated his political threat on the issue.

"We're going to try to get every one of them to vote for it, and do our best to pass a bill that really will break the stranglehold that insurance companies have over the health care industry," he said. "Those that don't, we'll tell our members. ... Both parties promised in this election that they would give us health insurance reform. We take them at their word. And if they don't, I think the voters will understand that and vote accordingly.