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UNION VIDEO
OF THE MONT
August 2010

Hasn’t Goldman Sachs done enough to the taxpayers of our nation? They’ve taken billions in bailout money, now they want to get their hands on money meant to rebuild Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. While homes remain destroyed five years after the hurricane, and thousands remain homeless, money meant to rebuild the ravaged area is instead being used to lure Hawker Beechcraft away from Wichita, according to the Sept. 2 article in the Wichita Eagle, Hurricane funds used to lure businesses, by Dan Voorhis. MORE Local Lodge 733 On the Web: LL733IAM.COM Download the LL 733 flyer

Wichita Labor Day Picnic Saturday September 4   Wichita will hold its Labor Day picnic on Saturday September 4 from noon to 4:000 pm at the IAM Hall, 3830 S. Meridian. There will be bingo, food, speeches, fun, and more. You can download a flier here.

IIAM LL 774 Protests Outsourcing     High-Stakes Talks Begin at Hawker, Cessna   (IAM Aug 24, 2010) All eyes in the aviation community were on Wichita, KS last week, where IAM leaders gathered to open a pair of negotiations that could determine if that city continues to be known as the Air Capital of the World. IAM President Tom Buffenbarger met with top representatives of Cessna Aircraft and Hawker Beechcraft as the industry continues to struggle with a market for business jets that collapsed in the wake of the 2008 credit crisis. “The demand for aircraft will return and this industry will eventually recover,” predicted Buffenbarger. “The key question is how much of it will still be here in Wichita when it does. It is critical that we do not allow our long-term goals to be compromised by short-term thinking.” The IAM represents approximately 2,500 workers at Cessna, where the contract expires in September. The IAM contract with Hawker Beechcraft, which covers about 2,400 workers, does not expire for another twelve months, but the company has requested earlier negotiations. The state of Louisiana has offered Hawker Beechcraft millions of dollars to relocate their factory. Buffenbarger was sharply critical of states using federal stimulus money to attract employers from states like Kansas, rather than create new jobs. “All we are doing is shifting resources, we are not creating new resources,” said Buffenbarger in an Associated Press article. “The way I viewed stimulus funds and government policy was to expand jobs, make more opportunities - not just move them from point A to point B.” Joining Buffenbarger at the bargaining table were representatives of negotiating committees for Locals 774 and 733, who represent workers at Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft, respectively. Also at the table were IAM Headquarters GVP Rich Michalski, Southern Territory GVP Bob Martinez, as well as Aerospace Coordinator Ron Eldridge, District 70 President Steve Rooney and others. “We’re all here to bring as much experience as possible to these negotiations,” said GVP Martinez. “The task of saving jobs under these circumstances isn’t easy, but we have the will and we have the resources. We also have thousands of highly-skilled members who deserve nothing less than our very best efforts.”   SPEEA Wins Breakthrough on College Aid   SEATTLE - Ongoing efforts by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001, resulted in The Boeing Company this week announcing an improvement to its employee college assistance program. The "breakthrough" came Wednesday (Aug. 18), when Boeing announced that starting Sept. 1, it is eliminating funding limits for employees using its Learning Together Program (LTP) to pursue a master's degree or certificate programs in Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Math andEngineering. "We have had a team of SPEEA leaders and staff engaged with Boeing in serious, sustained and substantive discussions since December 2009," said Ray Goforth, SPEEA executive director. "That has led to process improvements as well as this recent funding breakthrough." Funding limits were part of broad changes Boeing made to the program in January. SPEEA, the union representing engineers and technical workers at the aerospace giant, has worked since then to restore the program. More than 700 SPEEA members were using the program to further their education at the time of the cuts. Engineers and technical workers are taking classes at 44 different schools. "I must congratulate Boeing for taking our members' concerns seriously, "Goforth said. "To date, we've made a number of process improvements as well as this recent funding breakthrough." Goforth noted that input from union members was vital to achieving the recent improvement. "We used our leverage to force a dialogue that resulted in a vastly superior decision to what the company produced without employee input," Goforth said. SPEEA continues to pursue a multi-pronged effort to keep and restore the program as an avenue for employees to maintain and enhance their careers. The effort includes continued bargaining to address the changes. An arbitration hearing is scheduled for November. The union also filed an unfair labor practice charge which is on hold pending the outcome of the arbitratiom.       Join the fight to save local aviation jobs   By Bob Martinez International VP IAM It's not every day a city can stand up and boast, "We're No. 1!" Wichita can. A recent Brookings Institution study found Wichita was the No. 1 American metropolitan area in export growth. The "aviation cluster" was the reason given for the strong export record. Aviation is the last great American industry, one in which we lead the world, and Wichita is the Air Capital. While this is something to cheer, we are at a dangerous point in this city's proud history. We could quickly drop our title and instead be an exporter of jobs. While Spirit AeroSystems and Bombardier Aerospace have committed to Wichita, Hawker Beechcraft is threatening to move thousands of jobs, and Cessna Aircraft recently opened another plant in Mexico. The threat is real, and the situation is serious. We've lost so many jobs because of the economic downturn; we can't afford to lose them all permanently. MORE     Hawker Beechcraft Threatens to Abandon Wichita    In a letter to the 2,400 members of District 70 who are employed at Hawker Beechcraft in Wichita, KS, District President and DBR Steve Rooney painted a grim picture of plans by the company to dramatically reduce its presence in Wichita. Rooney’s letter to members was posted following a meeting this week with company officials.  “The outlook given by the company was bleak for the future,”€? said Rooney. “The picture we are getting is of a Hawker Beechcraft Wichita that will shrink almost immediately by 75 percent or more within two years, without a guarantee of even the last few jobs staying.”  Rooney also indicated that Hawker Beechcraft is seeking a long-term contract with the IAM, but one that strips workers of union rights, without any long-term guarantees.  “We cannot commit to anything without guarantees, and we know that you cannot sacrifice rights, benefits and a standard of living only to see the jobs leaving our community in a few years anyway,” wrote Rooney, who listed seniority and due process rights among the protections targeted for elimination by Hawker. “We are not, at this time, opening negotiations. We will not do so until we believe there could be a realistic path to success and job security.€?”  In a response to Rooney’s letter, the company issued a statement that said in part, ‘The company values this partnership and believes that there is a great opportunity available to us to work together to influence a positive outcome. Link Oklahoma Unions Announce “Oklahoma Laborfest” for August 26-28   Oklahoma’s largest coalition of labor Unions and labor activists, the Central Oklahoma Labor Federation (COLF), has announced its plans for the first ever Oklahoma Laborfest.€? After several planning committee  meetings of union members and labor advocates, COLF President Tim  O’Connor unveiled the purpose and framework of the festival on June 24. “The purpose of this festival is to create greater awareness of  Oklahoma’s working class culture and to build pride in the state’s rich labor history through music, the arts, and camaraderie”€? said O’Connor. “Our youth should know about Oklahoma labor heroes like Kate Barnard and Pete Hanraty. They should know our state motto ‘Labor Omnia Vincit’ which means ‘˜Labor Conquers All’ We should appreciate Oklahoma’s history of fighting for workers’ rights since the beginning of statehood.”  MORE   Strike Sanction Vote Approved by Local Lodge 774   Members of IAM Local Lodge 774 met on Saturday July 17 and held a strike sanction vote. The vote was 99 percent in favor. The vote does not mean that there will be a strike. The vote is required by the IAM constitution. It notifies the IAM international headquarters that there is a possibility of a work stoppage so that they can get the appropriate funds in order in case there is a strike and will be able to pay the strike benefit. The overwhelming vote for the strike sanction will strengthen the hands of the IAM LL 774 negotiating team.It will give them confience to go into talks knowing that their membership is standing with them.. The vote does not automatically mean there will be a strike. A second Strike Vote will be taken after the contract is negotiated and presented to the membership. The strike vote must receive a 2/3 majority for an actual strike to take place. Link IAM LL 839 Negotiating Committee Recommends Contract Approval   IAM Local Lodge 839 Contract Vote Jun 25, 2010 Century II, 225 West Douglas Avenue Wichita, KS Polls Open 7 AM to 5 PM. Meeting and Contract explanation 11 AM. First shifters may leave work at 9 AM to attend the meeting. Important: Don’t get a ticket! DO NOT park in the Library parking lot! Also, no backwards parking in metered stalls. Trolleys will run from 10 AM to 1 PM from Lawrence Dumont Stadium   Here is the message from the negotiating team Brothers and Sisters: It all starts with a job. Our International President, Tom Buffenbarger, said this at the meeting of management and stewards last March. Without a job, the highest pay and best benefits are worthless. JOB SECURITY – That’s what it comes down to. This contract is precedent setting. It is completely different from any otherUnion contract in the history of the American aviation industry. It has been a long, strenuous, tough negotiation process, but we are bringing to the membership a tentative agreement that stems the tide of outsourcing and job offshoring. Our proposed agreement ensures that Spirit will remain a strong and viable Company, able to compete in the world market and bring home new contracts, which will ensure a strong future for us as well as the company. This long-term contract is groundbreaking – it is the first of its kind in the industry, the first of its kind in the nation. Our proposed agreement contains the strongest job security language in the industry. LABOR PEACE EQUALS JOB SECURITY – That has been the bottom line throughout these negotiations. This contract represents a huge change from traditional labor-management bargaining, and we believe that the needs of our members as well as those of the company have been addressed and met. Please take time to read and understand this contract. In the next few days our negotiating team will be available to discuss the contract and answer any questions you might have. Your Negotiating Committee believes this contract is in the best interests of the membership and the long-termviability of our good jobs here in Wichita, KS, and we unanimously recommend the contract. {Here is a video explaining the contract.] >   2010 Kansas AFL-CIO Community Services Conference   Mario Cervantes, United Way of the Plains labor liaison, reports on the 2010 Community Services conferences here with lots of pictures!   City-wide aerospace rally    Wednesday, June 16th 4:30 PM Holiday Inn Select 549 South Rock Road Kellogg and Rock Road Wichita, KS (google map) It’s about Job Security! Let Wichita and the aerospace companies know you want to keep good jobs right here in Wichita! It’s time to wake our city up, before it’s too late! There will be an update on negotiations with Spirit AeroSystems. The union will also inform us about the latest meeting with Hawker Beechcraft concerning plans for continued outsourcing. Don’t miss this rally! It’s about your job - it’s about your family. Let’s bring all the Wichita aerospace workers together at one time to let our community know how important these jobs are! And it's not just aerospace workers who are invited. All union workers and everyone who wants to defend good jobs is encouraged to attend.

Join SPEEA at the Juneteenth Parade   SPEEA will again have a contingent in Wichita's 10th Annual Juneteenth Celebration Parade. They invite other union members to join them. The parade will be on Saturday, June 19, 2010 starting at WSU Parking Lot (21 Street to Pearson Farm located at 33rd. & North Hillside.. The theme of the parade is “Reflections of the Past, Looking into the Future.” Juneteenth is a celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation which President Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863, but the news took two and half years to reach Texas when thousands of slaves began to celebrate in the streets of Galveston, Texas. Juneteenth is now recognized as a state holiday in 36 states. Parade organizers are asking participants to help us support the celebration by purchasing a button for $3.00 for each person who is participating in the parade. Parade will start at 12 noon Line-up 11:00 a.m. (WSU lot 21st.& Hillside)

Support Topeka City Workers   City workers of Topeka AFT Local 6406. are being threatened by new restructuring proposal by some city leadersl Many Topeka workers and union members (50-80 workers) could lose their jobs. KOSE and other union members are stand ing in solidarity with their brothers and sisters from AFT local 6406! Local 6406 is organizing some actions to protect their jobs and are in need of support from their union brothers and sisters throughout the state of Kansas. Local 6406 Actions: Sign Making Party June 14th, 5:00pm KAPE Building 1300 SW Topeka Blvd Topeka, KS 66612 City Council Meeting Picket June 15th, 4:30pm Topeka City Hall 215 SE 7th Street Topeka, KS 66603 City Council meeting at 6:00pm City Council Meeting Picket June 22th, 4:30pm Topeka City Hall 215 SE 7th Street Topeka, KS 66603 City Council meeting at 6:00pm

Kansas state workers unite for equitable pay   by Levi Henry Kansas state employees in early June 2010 illustrated the power of collective bargaining for the purpose of encouraging positive change in their government and workplace. State employees, represented by the Kansas Organization of State Employees (KOSE), have successfully ratified their second contract with the State of Kansas, which included $10.7 million in undermarket adjustments for state employees who were being unfairly underpaid for similar private and public sector jobs. While some bloggers and members of the media will attempt to skew these adjustments as raises for state employees, it is important to understand the nature of these adjustments and who the adjustments impact. State workers receiving equitable adjustments to pay included: 466 food service employees, who prepare the meals for those in state hospitals and prisons, who were making, on average, $17,000 annually; 1,350 Kansas prison correctional officers, who keep watch of the most violent of Kansas offenders, were starting at an average of $27,000 annually 400 KDOT Equipment Operators were earning an average starting salary of $19,000; and 466 custodial workers who were earning, on average, a $23,000 starting salary. All totaled, 6,800 Kansas workers who were determined to be below comparable market pay in the region, will receive undermarket adjustments to their pay. The adjustments are not about pay raises: the increases are about equity for our employees and providing the best services we can as a state. MORE

KOSE Ratifies Agreement with State of Kansas   KOSE Achieved Major Victories Including Market Adjustments for 6,800 State Employees (Topeka, KS June 7, 2010) - Kansas Organization of State Employees (KOSE ) members overwhelmingly voted (99% of voters) voted to ratify a 2010-2013 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA which will now be sent to Governor Mark Parkinson for his signature. The MOA governs such things as compensation, hours of work, benefits, discipline and protocol for classified executive branch state employees. During a seven month period of Meet and Confer with the State the KOSE Bargaining Team achieved major victories for state employees. Michelle Walters, a state employee at SRS and a Team Member says of the now ratified agreement, "This MOA is a huge win for Kansas state employees. It strengthens the rights of 11,000 state workers." MORE_

2010 Wichita Area NALC Food Drive Sets New Record 179,622 total pounds collected on Saturday May 8 2010 in Wichita alone! This is an increase from the 2010 Wichita total of 160614. when outlaying offices are added in, the total will no doubt surpass 2009 when just over 200,000 pounds was collected.” Larry Gunkel of the Kansas Food Bank says “I want to thank YOU! for such a great job on the food drive! Thank you for sharing your day volunteering, when you could have been at the River Festival or with family and friends! “ Among the non-NALC volunteers who helped were Richard Flahharty – IAM & AW/retired,Deb Tracy- Learjet/IAM 639,, Sara Cooper-Wichita Labor Federation and mother her Tasha Cooper,Stuart Elliot – APWU.Joe Ewers-IAM 733/Hawker and his son Brice, Tony Spicer-Bombardier-Learjet – IAM & AW LL 639,, Harold Evans-SPEEA, George and Rhonda Anthony-SPEEA –KANSEL, and Mario Cervantes-IAM834- CS Liaison United Way of the Plains. Here’s a slideshow of the food drive at the downtown station and the Kansas Food Bank

Workers Memorial Day--Wichita Observance 2010   Kansas Secretary of Labor Jim Garner, keynote speaker for Wichita’s 2010 Workers Memorial Day observance talked to Kansas Workbeat about workplace safety and unemployment compensation--two government programs that work.

WSU Student Activist (now SEIU 513 organizer) Talks about AFSCME’s Union Alternative Break   Chris Hicks has been active in student and progressive politics at Wichita State University over the last several years as a leader in the Student Labor Action Project, Campus Progress, Political Science Club, and Young Democratic Socialists. In March he attended AFSMCE’s alternative union break in Baltimore, Maryland. I caught up with him when he returned and asked a few questions. Chris is now working as an organizer for SEIU 513. Q You've been heavily involved in student activism and student labor solidarity work, why did decide to apply to AFCME's union spring break? I applied to AFSCME Alternative Spring Break because I felt it'd give me a chance to see union organizing from another point of view. In student organizing, we kind of romantize the idea of union organizing where someone shows up and says, "You should have a union!" and everyone agrees. This gave me an opportunity to see the daily work that goes into union - work site visits, house visits, paper work, and of course the hours. I knew it'd be an opportunity to organize with workers in a way I never had before. MORE

IAM Prepares for Historic Negotiaitons with Spirit   ( Front row, left to right: Local 839 President Kathy Peterson, 1st Shift In-plant Rep David Eagle, District 70 DBR Steve Rooney, BR Becky Ledbetter.  Middle row : 2nd shift In-plant Rep Howard Johnson, Headquarters GVP Rich Michalski, IP Tom Buffenbarger, Local 839 Communicator Dennis Williams.  Back Row: IAM General Counsel Christopher Corson, Grand Lodge Representative Don Barker, Aerospace Coordinator Ron Eldridge, District 70 BR Mike Burleigh. IAM) The bargaining committee for members of Local 839 at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, KS, recently completed an intense week of negotiations preparation at the Winpisinger Center, where they are readying for a bargaining session that could change the face of the aerospace industry. The future of the U.S. aviation industry was a frequent topic of discussion. The workers in Wichita and Spirit’s leadership share a mutual interest in outlasting the current recession and ensuring Wichita remains the Air Capitol of the nation for years to come. “Aerospace is the last great American industry,” said International President Tom Buffenbarger, who met with the committee. “It is vibrant, innovative and highly productive. We remain the unquestioned world leaders. What we do here during the next six months will chart the course for this industry, our members and our nation for years to come.” MORE

SPEEA Grievance accuses Boeing of violating contracts by cutting education funds   SEATTLE - An extensive and detailed formal grievance was filed on Friday, Jan. 22, 2010 against The Boeing Company for violating union contracts when it cut and significantly changed a negotiated program that funded employees' continuing education. Boeing and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001, started negotiating proposed changes to the Learning Together Program (LTP) in December. Without completing negotiations, Boeing unilaterally implemented the cuts and changes on Jan. 13. "These cuts are clear violations of our collective bargaining agreement and the National Labor Relations Act," said Ray Goforth, SPEEA executive director. MORE

Photos from 2010 Union Label Chili Feed

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Kansas Health Care Premiums Rose 4.2 Times Faster than Earnings 2000 - 2009 Premiums Rose by 98.8 Percent, while Earnings Rose by Only 23.3 Percent   (Sept 15, 2009).—Family health care premiums rose an estimated 4.2 times faster than earnings for Kansas’s workers from 2000 through 2009, according to a report issued ay by the consumer health organization Families USA. In that 10-year period, family health insurance premiums rose by 98.8 percent, while median earnings rose by only 23.3 percent. The Families USA report for Kansas is an update of its original groundbreaking 2006 report, which was the first of its kind to document these changes on a state-specific basis. Among the new report’s key findings are: For family health coverage provided through the workplace in Kansas, the average annual health insurance premium (employer and worker share of premiums combined) in the 2000-2009 period rose from $6,237 to $12,397—an increase of $6,160, or 98.8 percent. Between 2000 and 2009, the median earnings of Kansas’s workers rose from $22,351 to $27,565—an increase of $5,214, or 23.3 percent. MORE

Environmentalists, Unions Form Bond Over Green Jobs The Kansas Blue Green Alliance hosts statewide tour to highlight clean energy jobs that protect workers, support Kansas families (August 18, 2009 )-Across Kansas nextt week, labor union leaders and environmental organizers will be discussing the future of .green. jobs in Kansas. Labor leaders from many major manufacturing unions in Kansas including the United Steelworkers, International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, and United Auto Workers will gather with environmental leaders from organizations like the Sierra Club, Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy, and the Climate and Energy Project. The Wichita meeting will take place on Wednesday August 26 from 11:30 to 1:00 pm at the CWA, 530. E. Harry. Topeka and Kanss City will host meetings on Thursday August 27.  MORE

Kansas Consumer group alarmed by medical bankruptcies   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

Health Insurance Coverage in Kansas Keeps Shrinking as Premiums, Family Costs Continue Climbing   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

Join the Kansas Workbeat Facebook group               2009 Kansas Workbeat Stories Select a linkLaid Off Worker Center Taking June AppointmentsWichita NAACP Supports EFCAKansas Dems Launch Pro-Worker AgendaWorking Kansans' Agenda: April ReportWorking Kansas' Agneda BlockedKansas Worker Comp Needs ReformKC Jobs With Justice FormedHolcomb Project Labor AgreementKansas Blues Green Alliance FormsWSU Student Labor Action Week2009 Cesar Chavez CelebrationWhy Is Boeing IDSSPEEA Says Boeing Can Do BetterWEU members reject offerSPEEA: If IDS is SoldSPEEA to Revole Boeing OfferSPEEA: Boeing Boched Layoff AnnouncementSPEEA Members Reject Boeign OfferPaul Babich is a Great GuySolidarity and JusitceTheron Black Gets Duran AwardMachinists Fault Boeing for '08 Strike    2007 Kansas Workbeat Stories Select a linkMost dangerous Kansas companiesFed makes 2007 endorsementsSPEEA pushes for All-Americna tankerAFSCME Comes to KansasKPWU 2007 ConventionSteve Boyda on NAFTA SuperhighwayPro-Labor economist speaks at Watermark booksBoyda bill will halt reckless Mexican truck programKansas workplace safety facts 2007UMKC vs. Labor StudiesSebelius supports Employee Free Choice ActFed speaks up for Wichita firefighters

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