Washington (PAI) — Union leaders were lukewarm — at best — to the Senate’s version of healthcare reform, which lawmakers passed on Christmas Eve. 

At least one union — the 150,000-member National Nurses United — blasted it as a giveaway to the insurance companies. 

In an interview on Air America, Steelworkers President Leo Gerard said insurers bought lawmakers’ support.

All unions — led by the AFL-CIO — vowed to campaign to pressure congressional negotiators to adopt the stronger House healthcare bill.

Senators approved the 2,700-page legislation — which would affect everyone in the U.S. and one-sixth of the economy — by a 60-39 party-line vote at 7 a.m. on Dec. 24.

The vote came after a marathon debate forced by the 40 Republicans. 

The legislation would impose new curbs in several years on insurance companies, including outlawing their common practices of denying coverage for pre-existing conditions; denial of payments for care, and ejection of policyholders when they get sick. 

The measure would require everyone — except for undocumented workers — to buy insurance. It would provide subsidies for those who cannot afford it. 

But the bill would tax 40 percent of the value of all existing health insurance policies worth more than $8,500 for an individual or $23,000 for a family. 

It contains no cost controls and lacks a “public option” — a key labor cause, designed to provide competition to the insurers, their high co-payments, deductibles and premiums and their 44,780 annual deaths.

Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Thomas Harkin, D-Iowa, promised the public option would be revisited in future legislation.

But President Barack Obama praised the Senate vote — and gave the back of his hand to the public option.

Change To Win issued no statement, but posted on its website an open letter on healthcare from Service Employees President Andy Stern, the coalition’s largest union.   

The weak Senate measure prompted a lukewarm reaction from AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka and other union leaders. 

“The labor movement has been fighting for healthcare for nearly 100 years and we are not about to stop fighting now, when it really matters,” Trumka said. “But for this healthcare bill to be worthy of the support of working men and women, substantial changes must be made. 

“The AFL-CIO intends to fight on behalf of all working families to make those changes and win healthcare reform that is deserving of the name,” he said. “The absolute refusal of Republicans in the Senate to support healthcare reform and the hijacking of the bill by defenders of the insurance industry have brought us a Senate bill that is inadequate: It is too kind to the insurance industry. 

“Genuine healthcare reform must bring down health costs, hold insurance companies accountable, assure Americans can get the healthcare they need and be financed fairly,” Trumka said. “That’s why we are championing a public health insurance option: It is the way to break the stranglehold of the insurance industry.