UNIONS RALLY IN SOLIDARITY AT THE KANSAS DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

From the Plaindealer (Wichita’s Union Paper)

By Sue Ledbetter

 The battle for chair of the Kansas Democratic Party turned into a struggle between unions and top democratic leadership. It all started a few weeks ago when democrat delegates to the state convention received a letter asking them to support Jim Borthwick for party chair. The letter was signed by Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius, Congressman Dennis Moore, Anthony Hensley Minority Leader of the Kansas Senate, and Jim Garner Minority Leader of the Kansas House. A union member brought it to our attention that the law firm where Borthwick is a partner, Blackwell Sanders Peper, Martin L.L.P., advertises on its web page under areas of expertise-Labor Law “Maintaining a union-free work environment.” 

 On Monday February 12, the Kansas AFL-CIO executive board met and a letter was sent to Sebelius, Moore, Hensley, and Garner warning that “supporting a candidate who advocates the destruction of our way of life is unacceptable.” Furthermore, they were notified that the National AFL-CIO, Kansas AFL-CIO, International Unions, Central Labor Councils and all Local Unions would be forced to withhold support. Other letters followed from Central Labor Councils, State Building and Construction Trades Council, The State Teamsters, and many other state and local unions stating the same. 

 Union leaders including Ron Eldridge, President of the Kansas AFL-CIO left a meeting with Sebelius, Hensley and Garner on Thursday February 15th, with very little hope for a viable solution to this problem. During this meeting it became evident that the gravity of the issue was apparently not clear to them because Kathleen Sebelius, thought the “problem” could be solved by simply removing the offensive anti-union line from Borthwick’s website.

 At no time at this point did we advocate supporting Tom Sawyer.  We simply asked that party leadership withdraw support for Borthwick and find someone else they could run. The democratic leaders refused to withdraw Borthwick’s nomination. 

 We arrived at the convention on Friday, February 23rd, it became clear once again that Moore, Sebelius, Hensely and Garner had no understanding of the critical nature of this issue, or they just didn’t care. Several meetings were held during the Kansas Democratic State Convention in which Sebelius, Hensley, Garner, Moore and Tom Sawyer tried to determine what would happen next. The solution offered by Borthwick’s supporters was to create a co-leadership position with Sawyer and Borthwick sharing responsibilities. After this meeting, another meeting was held in which Borthwick’s supporters asked Sawyer and Borthwick to sign a contract “sealing the deal” of the co-leadership positions. Sawyer refused to sign, telling those present, “I will not sell labor down the river.” He then requested that any further meetings held be done with labor representatives present.

 The final and only meeting labor was invited to took place at approximately midnight on Friday with representatives from both sides of the issue. Representing Borthwick’s camp was Dennis Moore, Anthony Hensley, Jim Garner, Jim Borthwick with Sebelius refusing to meet with labor.  Labor’s representatives included Pat Lehman and Mark Love. Other union members had gone home or were in bed by this time. Pat Lehman sat down and addressed Congressman Moore and said, “ I am tired I have had a bad week. I’ll just get right to the point. Congressman Moore you would never run someone that advocated for African American, Woman, Jewish or Catholic free work environment. What are you thinking? 

 Moore responded that it would be illegal to do so and what Jim Borthwick is doing is legal. Jim Borthwick asked how we got a hold of the copy of the web page he certainly did not circulate it, and he did not know that information was on the web page. Pat told him she “resented the implication that our union members aren’t computer literate.”  Senator Hensley asked Pat Lehman who sent her, by who’s authority was in this room and what was her job title. She told them her title and said she was asked by Ron Eldridge, President of the Kansas AFL-CIO and her international president Thomas Buffenbarger to be present.

 Bottom line, they had no intentions of trying to solve this problem. They were in that room to attack us. They refused to withdraw their support and one final statement was made by Pat Lehman, “Our international unions are involved. Even President Sweeney has been notified about what is happening here in Kansas. Never in the history of the union movement has our international leadership interfered in state party business. They simply just don’t care, and they leave those decision up to local and state union officials  They are involved because there isn’t another state in this country that would even consider running a union busting attorney for chair of the democratic party.” She finished with “Folks we have more places and people that want our help than we can even begin to count. Our money and our grassroots efforts will go elsewhere.” As they left the room Senator Hensley was yelling at them.

 Saturday morning the Democratic Labor Committee held a meeting and approximately 150 union members from around the state were in attendance.  At that time members were briefed and given updates of what had transpired over the last few weeks and the refusal of leadership to budge. Mark Love President Wichita/ Hutchinson Labor Federation stated, “I have never been treated by management with the level of disrespect we had been treated with at this convention.” Union members were asked to circulate the convention and talk to everyone without holding back. By this time the group decided that the only solution was to get behind Tom Sawyer and throw all our support to him. Members were told by Pat Lehman to, “Kick ass and take names.” We asked them to inform us of any elected official at that convention that was supporting Borthwick.

 Late Saturday morning things had deteriorated to the point that delegates were being told the web page information was a lie made up by labor. We had 20 poster size copies of the original web page (by this time the information had been removed) and plastered them around the hotel. Other statements circulating were everything from we were bluffing to we were holding a gun the head of democratic leaders in this state.

 To make a long story short, union members packed the convention. When Borthwick was nominated, their was a moderate applause when Sawyer was nominated, the house came down. There were 137 voting delegates and more union members than delegates lined the back and sides of the room. Union delegates were asked to wear red t-shirts sporting the slogan Kansans Stand Up For Working Families. The vote was close 73-64 with Tom Sawyer winning. Jim Borthwick came up to me after the vote and said, “Congratulations Sue you won.” I said, “Jim no one won today.” 

 After it was all over, speeches were given by Hensley, Garner, Sebelius calling for party unity. We are one big family and after a fight we kiss and make up and get back to the business of electing democrats, they said. The truth is, the leadership placed us in a lose- lose position, and Moore, Sebelius, Garner and Hensley will no longer have our support. What happened this weekend more than likely sealed the fate of one congressional seat, a governor’s race and greatly harmed the ability of key democrats to raise labor money for future elections. There were no winners.