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July 1 6:30 PM
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Public Meeting on City Budget: Cutting Park Jobs City Hall
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July 24
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Labor Fed Meetings 5:30 E-board 6:30 Delegates 3219 W. Central
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Check availability of meeting room at the Wichita/Hutchinson Labor
Federation.
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UNION VIDEO OF THE MONTH MAY 2009
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In the KC area tune in Thursdays at 6:00-7:00 PM or Fridays 5:00-6:00 AM and for live streaming at www.kkfi.org
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June 2009
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June 4
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Why we need public education
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June 11
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Visible work; invisible worker – meat packing
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June 18
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Are workers’ rights human rights? and Kansas City worker justice center
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June 25
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Food rebellions: farmers against big ag and What’s a good green job?
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Listen to Past Shows
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Support Wichita’s Park Workers
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Help stop a dumb idea!
Wichita's city council is considering
laying off some employees next year and privatizing parks maintenance in the face of an $8 million budget shortfall.
The moves were discussed publicly for the first time last Tuesday and have sparked lots of criticism.
Send a message to the city council. SAY NO TO PRIVATIZING PARK MAINTENANCE
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In
essence, the city is talking about getting rid of the entire Park Maintenance division and 70 or more
decent paying jobs (about $17 an hour) and turning them over over to private, basically unaccountable
company which would most likely pay little more than the minimum wage--with no benefits.
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Some of the speakers at the July 1 Wichita budget meeting opposing plans to privatize
the city’s park service.
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Pat Lehman
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State Rep. Phil Hermasson
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State Rep. Dale Swenson
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State Rep. Delia Garcia
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Wichita/Hutchinson Labor Federation President Judy
Pierce
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Read op-ed by SEIU’s Harold Schletweg
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Tell Senator Roberts: Fix Health Care the Right Way
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What will happen to your health
care when you retire? What about during the next round of bargaining? Or if your company goes bankrupt or
you change jobs? And can you afford to have your health care benefits taxed?
Right now in the Senate, behind the scenes work is being done that will affect
how these questions are answered. We need your help today because reform
has to be done the right way, including the right priorities, from the start. Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas is on the Finance Committee, and will be
one of the first to mark up this legislation. It's especially important for you to
tell your Senators about the right way to reform the health care system.
Speak out now
Senator Roberts, like many other Senators, now requires constituents to use a form on his web
-site. Please take a little extra time to make sure he gets your message. AFter using the link, you
will see a results screen. Click the link for Senator Roberts. Then follow the instructions at the top
of that page. It enables you to paste your message. Just fill in the information Senator Roberts
asks for and submit. Or if you prefer, you can print out your letter and mail it via the USPS.
This is a crucial moment. At these beginning stages, we can have a huge impact on the shape of the
legislation that Congress considers. But you also know that insurance companies will be pushing hard to
protect their profits at the expense of everyone else.
It's up to us to push back and show Congress how to achieve commonsense health care reform for the
American people. The AFL-CIO identified four key elements to health care legislation:
· Every employer must pay. · Benefits should not be taxed. · Provide a choice of private or public insurance plans. · Retirees must be protected.
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Health Insurance Coverage in Kansas Keeps
Shrinking as Premiums, Family Costs Continue Climbing
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HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICA NOW
Medical care has become too expensive in Kansas, leaving 340,000 state residents uninsured and exposed
to the catastrophic costs of accidents and illnesses.1 The economic downturn that began 19 months ago has vaporized 7 million jobs across the U.S. and driven the Kansas unemployment rate to 6.4 percent from 4.1 percent.2 More families are finding
themselves without health benefits just as the cost of buying coverage on the open market has
climbed to record levels.3
While the employed take comfort in holding on to
their jobs, thousands of workers at small businesses in Kansas and millions more nationwide remain
uninsured because the price of comprehensive health insurance has soared out of reach. And across the
nation more than of Americans whose jobs and benefits are intact nonetheless live in fear of
becoming sudden casualties of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.4 Health insurance
premiums have risen so high that experts forecast 52
million Americans will be without coverage next year.5 Left alone to purchase coverage directly from
private health insurance companies, families often have no choice but to remain uninsured or buy
policies with meager benefits.
Kansas Data Points
Health insurance premiums for Kansas working families have skyrocketed, increasing 88 percent from
2000 to 2007.6
For family health coverage in Kansas during that time, the average annual combined premium for
employers and employees rose from $6,237 to $11,722.7 MORE
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KC EFCA Rally Targets Home Depot
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Randolph Hester reported in the June 22 Kansas City Star
Supporters of a bill that would make union
organizing simpler gathered in front of a Home Depot store in Kansas City last week,
protesting the company’s opposition.The rally, organized by Kansas City Jobs with Justice
and the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, was held June 17 in midtown.
“It was a raucous affair,” said Judy Ancel,
labor instructor and president of the Cross Border Network for Justice and Solidarity.
“Home Depot was picked because Bernie Marcus, the founder of Home Depot, was responsible
for organizing the high-dollar opposition to EFCA. Home Depot’s current CEO Frank Blake also
has been an enthusiastic opponent.”
Photo is courtesy of Eric Bowers. Fordazzling photos, check out his website.
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Cessna will cut another 1,300 job
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Molly McMillin reported in the June 12 Wichita Eagle:
Cessna Aircraft Co. will reduce its work force by another 1,300
people, the company told employees Friday.
Including the cuts announced Friday,
Cessna has reduced its staffing by 8,265 people since November -- about 53 percent of its
work force.
With Friday's announcement, Wichita's three general aviation
manufacturers -- which also includes Hawker Beechcraft and Bombardier Learjet -- have
announced layoffs totaling 11,875 since November as a result of the downturn.
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USD 259 BOE Proposes 2% pay cut for teachers
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The UTW Negotiations Team met with the BOE Team Wednesday morning, June 3. The BOE Team
shared a formal salary and benefit proposal. Their proposal calls for a reduction of salary
equaling about 2%. UTW rejected that proposal and informed the BOE Team that their salary
and benefit proposal was an obstacle to an agreement.
UTW President Paul Babich told the BOE’s team, “UTW will not agree to any
reduction in the salary schedule for teachers.” UTW believes it is a bad idea to
try and balance the district’s budget by taking money out of teachers’ pockets.
A more detailed update on the negotiating session may found on the UTW web site, www.utw-ks.org.
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CWA Joins LL 774 as Bargain Food Site for July Orders
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CWA 6042, 530 E. Harry, is now officially a pickup location
for Prairie Land Foods joingin IAM LL 774 as a distribution site.
It's time
to place your orders for the July Prarie Land Foods stretch your food dollars project.
Orders can be placed through June 15 at the IAM Hall 3830 S. Meridan at the CWA Hall or
on-line at www.prairielandfoods.com. Each order in just $24 plus 2 hours of community
service. The program is open to the public. It's time to place your orders for the
July Prarie Land Foods stretch your food dollars project. Orders can be placed through
June 15 at the IAM Hall 3830 S. Meridan or on-line at www.prairielandfoods.com. Each
order in just $24 plus 2 hours of community service. The program is open to the public.
Download a menu here.
Examples of volunteering opportunities
Church Choir . 4-H . teach Sunday School . Coach a little league . Scouting . take a
walk and pick up trash . Big Brothers / Big Sisters . Volunteer for the Zoo / Animal
shelters .Babysit Grandchildren . Give a ride to Doctor, etc . volunteer in some way
for Prairie Land Food .Caregiver . Help at school functions . House / Pet Sit . Paint
out graffiti . offer a ride to a friend say a prayer for others. Bring a meal to a
friend / neighbor . Carpool with a co-worker . Mow a neighbors lawn . Volunteer at the
Senior Center . Hospital Volunteer . Community Organizations
Bob Gainer of IAM
LL 774 says, "The community service committee of LL774 started this last month. We
really hope for it to grow into a big deal. For this to happen we need your help to get
the word out. So please tell your co-workers, friend and neighbors. If anyone would
like to help on distribution day we would be glad to see you anytime between 6:30 to
10:30am or so that Saturday morning. Spread the word the Unions are here to help the
community. If you have any questions call me at 316-838-8289."
* P r a i r i e L a n d F o o d i s f o r E v e r y o n e . * NO income guidelines
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Join SPEEA at the Annual Juneteenth Celebration
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Saturday, June 20, 2009
“Bringing About a Change in the Lives of Families & Children”
The parade starts at the WSU Parking Lot (17th
Street) and ends at McAdams Park, location of the
celebration.
We are in need of volunteers to
ride our float and walking to hand out goodies to the
kids. Our theme this year is Mardi Gras. What a fun way
to start the summer off!
Today, Juneteenth
celebrates African American freedom while encouraging
self-development and respect for all cultures, as we
cultivate knowledge and appreciation for African
American history and culture.
Please RSVP by June 17th if you are able to volunteer!
Contact: Carolyn Summers at 523-4933(email:
carolyn.j.summers@spiritaero.com) or, call Vicki at the
SPEEA office 682-0262 (email: vickim@speea.org)
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Cessna Plans More Layoffs
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Molly McMillin reports in the Wichita Eagle
Cessna Aircraft will have another round of job cuts as it grapples
with economic uncertainty and a deteriorating business jet market, CEO
and president Jack Pelton told employees in a memo Thursday.
The company didn't say how many jobs will be lost. Sixty-day layoff
notices are expected to be issued by June 19, and employees have until
Tuesday to apply for voluntary layoffs.
"The industry continues to struggle as the economic recovery
remains very slow and the negative perception surrounding business jets
creates a battle to keep our customers sold," Pelton said.
The layoffs will be in addition to 6,900 previously announced job cuts
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Kansas Consumer group alarmed by medical bankruptcies
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By Jim McLean KHI News Service June 5, 2009
TOPEKA — The director of a Kansas
consumer group says she isn’t surprised by a new study linking
more than 60 percent of bankruptcies in the U.S. to medical debt.
“This is not surprising — it’s terrifying, but
not surprising,” said Corrie Edwards, executive director of the
Kansas Health Consumer Coalition.
The study, conducted by
researchers at Harvard University and Ohio University, to be published
in the August edition of the American Journal of Medicine, found that
62.1 percent of all bankruptcies in 2007 were tied to medical debt, a
50 percent increase since 2001. It also found that 60.3 percent of
those who filed for bankruptcy because of medical debt had private
health insurance at the start of their illnesses.MORE
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Laid-Off Workers Center July Appointments
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Center For a July appointment call 211
between June 22-26. Calendar NOTE: Laid-off workers must
pre-register and set up an appointment by calling United Way's
information phone number, 2-1-1 (this is a toll-free number):
Call only during designated call weeks (see schedule below) Call
only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m
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AFL-CIO Applauds Sotomayor Nomination to Supreme Court
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AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has issued a statement in support
of Barack Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the
Supreme Court.
America’s workers applaud the
nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States
Supreme Court. She is a brilliant jurist and in her
distinguished career has worked at almost every level of
our judicial system -- as a prosecutor, litigator, trial
court and appellate judge -- and would bring more federal
judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice
in 100 years.
Judge Sotomayor will also bring to the
Supreme Court a direct and personal understanding of the
struggles America’s workers endure every day. She
grew up in public housing in the Bronx, the daughter of a
factory worker, and understands the real world consequences
of the decisions she makes from the bench.
Judge Sotomayor’s record reflects
an understanding of the law’s impact on working
families and has consistently interpreted our labor laws in
the manner in which they were intended. In the baseball
strike of 1995, she recognized that the owners had forced
the strike by engaging in unlawful conduct, and issued an
injunction which reversed the unlawful acts. She has
enforced the rights of all workers to be free of all types
of discrimination at work, to be paid the correct wages and
to receive health benefits to which they are entitled. She
has recognized that persecution for union activity can be a
basis for granting asylum in this country.
Judge Sotomayor is a bipartisan choice --
she was initially appointed to the bench by President
George H.W. Bush and has previously been confirmed by the
Senate -- we urge the Senate to swiftly confirm her to the
Supreme Court..
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Study Shows Increased Anti-union Intimidation
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In a study released last week, Kate Bronfenbrenner,
Director of Labor Education Research at Cornell's
School of Industrial and Labor Relations, documents this in
detail -- including the increase in corporate tactics to
interfere with, block and delay workers' attempts to
form unions, and the ineffectiveness of current labor law
to protect and enforce workers' rights in the election
process.
The study, "No Holds Barred: The
Intensification of Employer Opposition to Organizing,"
examines more than 1,000 union-representation campaigns and
finds that "intense and aggressive" tactics to
block workers' freedom to form unions are becoming more
commonplace.
We need your help to make sure every
senator and representative in Washington, D.C., reads this
new study. Click here to share this study today:.
Here are a few highlights (or lowlights) of the study:
- During union campaigns, bosses threatened to close
plants 57 percent the time and threatened to cut wages
and benefits 47 percent of the time.
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In more than 60 percent of union campaigns, workers are forced to attend mandatory one-on-one sessions with supervisors and are given anti-union messages or interrogated about their support for a union.
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The number of employers using 10 or more identified coercive tactics to intimidate and harass workers has doubled.
- When employees actually win an election to form a
union, 52 percent still have no contract a year later,
and 37 percent are without a contract two years after
they voted to join a union.
Want to learn more? Click here to read the full study:
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Solidarity and Justice
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Moti Rieber Director Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation
Invocation at 2009 AFL-CIO Service Conference
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Moti Rieber
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When faced with difficult times like these, there are some values that it is useful
to re-learn. I’m going to share a couple of them with you – and they are values
of both the labor movement and from Jewish tradition. These values are
solidarity, and justice.
For our purposes today, solidarity is realizing that there but for the grace of
God go I, and that it is our responsibility to do what we can to help the other
person weather the storm. If we think of the best organizations we’ve known
or belonged to – whether they be churches, civil organizations or unions, they
are the ones that reached out to help those in need. This is exactly the
opposite of the “I got mine, pal” ethos that we’ve been living out too long in
this country. MORE |
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Theron Black: 2009 Charles Duran Award Winner
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by Mario Cervantes United Way Labor Liaison
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[Each year the Kansas AFL-CIO community
Services Conference gives a Charles F. Duran
Award to a union member for oustanding
community service.]
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Theron Black
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Theron Black exemplifies what the Charlie Duran Award represents.
First a little back ground on Brother Theron Black.
Theron Black became a member of local lodge 733 at Beechcraft in 1941
He entered US Air Force 1943, and served as Flight Engineer and Crew
Chief for B-29 configured as an F13A which did Aerial Reconnaissance
Photography in the South Pacific & Japan during World War II. ...
Theron has spent a lifetime in the service to the people of his union, his
church, his community, and his country. These examples are only a few of the
endless list of Boards, commission, and projects he has worked on in his lifetime. His service continues,
and we hope it will for many more years to come. MORE
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New Record for Wichita Food Drive--Passes 200,000 Pound Goal
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photo courtesy of Cathy Lamb
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\Wichita's 2009 Letter Carriers Food drive has set a new
record and passed their 200,000 pound goal. Larry Gunkel
of the Kansas Food Bank reports 160,614 pounds were
delivered to the food bank from Wichita post offices. Cathy
Lamb, food drive coordinator for NALC branch 201, adds
that 45,985 pounds were collected in outlying offices covered
by the her branch. That gives a total for 2009 of 205.599
pounds. The 2009 results were a 20 percent increase over
2008. Across the country, some cities show experienced a
decrease in contributions. Milwaukee, for instance, had a
decline of 24 percent.
Cathy Lamb, coordinator for the Wichita area food drive, said, “ Please help me tell everyone who
help this year, a big THANK YOU! We would not have had such a great success if it was not for the
help we had from this great community. Their are so many people to thank. Dillon's for the sacks ,the
volunteer's at the station's , the truck drivers who helped transport the food from the station's to the
Food Bank. The businesses that helped by putting it up on their signs, churches that put it in their
bulletins. The Letter Carriers both city and rural for all the effort and hard work on top of their normal
duties of the day. The USPS for their help. Last but not least the Kansas Food Bank for all their help
in making every year more easier for all of us. God bless you all!.”
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Richard Flaharty
photo courtesy of Larry Wilson
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Mario Cervantes, United Way labor liaison,
extended his thanks to the union volunteers who
helped this year.
Site Coordinators
– Cassie Reicher IAM
LL774;Richard Flaharty IAM, Deb Tracy IAM &
AW LL639, and Tony Spicer IAM LL639
Site Volunteers:
Larry & Linda Wilson –IAM 733
, Stuart Elliot- APWU 735, Bob Gainer-IAM 774,
Marty Marty Reicher – IAM 774; Kathy Knox –
IAM774; Debbie Stewart – IAM 774: Linda
Abercrombie – IAM 774; Jackie Sayama – IAM
774; Susan Chambers – IAM 774 ,Ruth Mullhatten
- SPEEA, David Drake-SPEEA, Sharlene Shaffer –
NALC, Ron Cook – Teamsters,Brian Alexander – IAM LL774, Roy Markham – IAM LL73, Don
Wilmoth- IAM LL 639, Mike Munday – IAM LL639 |
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WSU Wins Student Labor Chapter of the Year Award
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by Chris Hicks
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Wichita
State
student
labor
activists
with
their
award
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Wichita State University Student Labor Action
Project (SLAP) was named SLAP Chapter of the
year (2008-2009). This award recognizes work
students commit towards worker rights. This year
Wichita State SLAP has focused on farmworkers
struggles in Florida, Employee Free Choice Act,
recent strikes in the Wichita aircraft industry, and
raising the Kansas minimum wage.
They plan to follow this year up by continuing their
work in addressing farmworker plights by working to
ensure Sodexo food service provider comes to an agreement with the workers, and gaining support for
Employee Free Choice Act at Wichita State University.
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Compromise Reached on Holcomb Plant
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At a
May 4 press conference
Kansas Governor Mark
Parkinson announced
that Sunflower Electric and
Kansas Department of Health
and Environment have signed
a settlement agreement to
allow the Holcomb Expansion
project to move forward
with the construction of
one new coal plant.
The
agreement for a net 895 MW
unit will allow Tri-State
and Golden Spread to
participate in the project
while preserving the 200 MW
for Sunflower’s
Members, Midwest Energy and
municipal customers.
The
agreement also includes
emission reductions for
Holcomb Unit 1 and
development of other
renewable energy through
biomass, wind development.
Sunflower also has a
commitment to invest in
demand-side-management and
energy efficiency programs.
Moving electricity to the
west will require the
construction of at least
345 kV transmission lines
which will help move Kansas
wind to Colorado.
A
smaller single unit was
previously offered as
a compromise by former
Governor Kathleen Sebelius
. A deal seemed to
elude decision makers for
many reasons including the
economic feasablitiy of a
signle unit. But,
those key elements were
worked out to make the
project greener with more
wind now and into the
future. Further,
net-metering was
strenghtened and
transmission line
construction concerns was
firmed up to ease concerns
about costs and rates.
Success for this agreement is contingent on legislative action to pass a new comprehensive energy bill.
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Sweeney Letter Clarifies Labor Reunification Stories
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AFL-CIO President John
Sweeney released a
letter last week
clarifying erroenous
news reports about
recent talks between
leaders of AFL-CIO,
Change to Win, and NEA.
The meetings were set
up to explore the
prospects for
reunification of the
labor movement. Former
Democratic
Congressional Leader
and current American
Rights at Work Chair
David Bonior has helped
facilitate these
discussions.
AFL-CIO has
absolutely no
intention of
converting itself
into a mere
political/lobbying
operation ---
leaving all other
labor-movement-wide
activities to
individual unions
to undertake on a
cafeteria style
pay-as-you-go
basis. Nor does it
view the present
reunification
process as one by
which some newly
created
organization will
emerge. As stated
above, we are
open-minded and
receptive to any
and all suggestions
as to how to
improve the
structure and
programs of the
Federation. And if
any or all of the
Change to Win
unions are so
inclined at the end
of this process,
their reunification
will be welcomed.
However, the
AFL-CIO will not be
disbanding to start
anew, it will not
be subordinating
itself to or
merging itself into
any other
organization, and
it will not be
abandoning its
historic mission of
fighting for
economic, social,
political, and
workplace justice
at every level.
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AFL-CIO & Change to Win Issue Joint Position on Immigration Reform
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On April 14, the
AFL-CIO and Change
to Win (CtW) today
announced a
historic joint
unity framework for
immigration reform.
The joint
announcement and
proposal is a
critical sign of
support for the
Obama
administration and
Congress to address
immigration reform
and to ensure that
the issue remains a
priority.
It also
signals that
immigration reform
is an important
part of economic
recovery.
Immigration
reform is a
component of a
shared
prosperity
agenda that
focuses on
improving
productivity
and quality;
limiting wage
competition;
strengthening
labor
standards,
especially the
freedom of
workers to form
unions and
bargain
collectively;
and providing
social safety
nets and
high-quality
lifelong
education and
training for
workers and
their families.
To achieve this
goal,
immigration
reform must
fully protect
U.S. workers,
reduce the
exploitation of
immigrant
workers and
reduce
employers’
incentive to
hire
undocumented
workers rather
than U.S.
workers. The
most effective
way to do that
is for all
workers—
immigrant and
native-born—to
have full and
complete access
to the
protection of
labor, health
and safety and
other laws.
Comprehensive
immigration
reform must
complement a
strong,
well-resourced
and effective
labor standards
enforcement
initiative that
prioritizes
workers’
rights and
workplace
protections.
This approach
will ensure
that
immigration
does not
depress wages
and working
conditions or
encourage
marginal
low-wage
industries that
depend heavily
on substandard
wages, benefits
and working
conditions.
MORE
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Cesar Chavez Celebration 2009: A Big Success
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Ernie Gonzales Wichita LCLAA President
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Braving the after effects of the heaviest snow of the season
, more than 100 turned out for Wichita’s second annual
Cesar Chavez Celebration on Sunday, March 29,
including State Representatives Delia Garcia and Gail
Finney, Labor Federation President Judy Pierce and
District 70 leader Rita Rogers.
The celebration was organized by the Greater Wichita
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the
Wichita/Hutchinson Labor Federation, and State
Representative Delia Garcia. The centerpiece of the
celebration was a showing of the documentary "Viva La
Causa."
"It is especially important that the younger generation of Hispanic workers know our history," said Ernest
Gonzales, President of the Wichita Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. And a member of
IAM LL 839 "Cesar Chavez is one of the most important and inspiring parts of that history.”
MORE..
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Lear Jet Workers Ready for Negotiations
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IAM members at Bombardier Learjet in
Wichita, KS, are looking forward to
negotiations this year, and the Negotiating
Committee is preparing for what promises to be
tough negotiations during a tough economy.
The Local 639 Bargaining Committee attended
a week-long Negotiations Preparations session
at the Winpisinger Center for training that
included Communications and Member
Mobilization, Strategic Planning, Law and Collective Bargaining, Bargaining Strategies, Contract
Costing, Power Analysis, Drafting Contract Language and Presenting Proposals.
The week culminated with a realistic Negotiations Simulation, where Winpisinger Center staff
transformed into hard-nosed company bargainers, taking sides with real issues and proposals that
negotiators will likely be facing this year.
The entire Negotiating Team attended the training, including District 70 DBR Steve Rooney, BR
Terry Carrington, Aerospace Coordinator Ron Eldridge, and Southern Territory Special
Representative Mark Love.
"This training helps provide the team with the skills and the strategic plan to bargain hard for the best
possible contract," said Rooney. “The week brought the Negotiators into focus for the job ahead,
and the Local Lodge will start preparing for the negotiations immediately.”?
The current collective bargaining agreement expires Oct. 5, 2009.
(Source:IAM iMail)
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2009 Union Label Chili Feed
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Kansas Senate Passes Raise the Wage Bill
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By a
vote of
33 to
7, the
Senate
on
Thursday
approved
an
increase
in the
state
minimum
wage
from
its
current
$2.65
to the
federal
minimum
of
$7.25.
Currently
about
17,000
Kansans
earn
the
Kansas
minimum
wage
which
is the
lowest
in the
nation
and
lower
than
all the
U.S.
Territories.
It was
a
remarkable
day at
the
capitol
Thursday
as
Senate
Bill
160
was introduced
on the
floor
of the
Kansas
Senate.
In the
debate
that
followed,
Senators
Brownlee
and
Wagle
attempted
to add
an
amendment that
would
have
repealed
the
minimum
wage
altogether.
The
amendment
was defeated.
(15 for
the
amendment,
17
against.) A
motion
was
then
made to
end
debate
on the
bill
and
recommend
it for
final
passage.
It
passed
by a
very
strong
margin.
Eight
Senators
switched
from
wanting
to do
away
with
the
minimum
wage to
vote to
increase
it to
the
federal
level.
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Kansas Blue Green Alliance forms
to highlight thousands of new jobs in the clean energy economy
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On January 8 Wichita eleven labor and
environmental organizations launched the
Kansas chapter of the Blue Green Alliance.
"Wichita lost 1,300 jobs last year alone," said
Emil Ramirez of the United Steelworkers. "By
supporting a green economy, we want to bring
manufacturing jobs back to Kansas."
BGA is an uncommon partnership born of a
common goal: to realize the enormous
opportunities of a renewable energy economy
for the state.
Kansas stands to gain more than
11,000
family-supporting manufacturing jobs in the renewable
energy industry, according to a recent report from the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP),
a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research organization based in Washington, DC.
The report, which projects
$1.97 billion
of investment, spurred local labor unions, community and
farm organizations, and environmental groups to form a Kansas chapter of the Blue Green Alliance
. (See summary link below for full breakdown of the top 20 Kansas counties who would benefit.) MORE
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