plaindealerVol. 91 Issue 5 “A Voice for Working Kansans since 1919” February 2009th

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The PlainDealer(316) 529-8513

3830 S. Meridian Ave.Wichita, KS 67217–3704

IN THIS ISSUE...Union Members Save Plane Passengers —2

Need a little help getting by? —5Lubbers Commercials: Buy American —7

EFCA Message Wheel —8

Democrats for Working Kansans By Chris Harris, Jan. 22, 2009, www.KSDP.orgToday, members of the House andSenate Democratic Caucusesjoined together to unveil acollaborative series of bills andpriorities, all crafted specificallywith the Kansas worker in mind.The “Democrats for Working

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Democratic members of the Kansas House and Senate unveil their 2009 “Democrats for Working Kansans” Agenda at theStatehouse on Thursday, Jan. 22. From left: Rep. Jim Ward, Rep. Melody McCray-Miller, Rep. Delia Garcia, Rep. JudyLoganbill, Sen. Tom Holland, House Democratic Leader Paul Davis, Rep. Louis Ruiz, Senate Democratic Leader AnthonyHensley, Rep. Ed Trimmer, Rep. Milack Talia, Rep. Dolores Furtado, Rep. Ann Mah.

GREEN JOBS FOR KANSAS: Environmentalists andLabor unite to bring economic recovery to Kansas manufacturing

Blue Green Alliance Members(from left to right) Elizabeth Bishop, Sierra Club; Donna Birks, UAW-Local 31; Harry Bennett, Kansas

Rural Center; Nancy Jackson, Climate and Energy Project; Martin Eddy, Wichita Machinists Union;Donn Teske, Kansas Farmers’ Union; Emil Ramirez, United Steelworkers; Eileen Horn, Climate and

Energy Project; Wil Leiker, Kansas AFL-CIO; A.J. Villegas, Communication Workers of America;Jeff Manning, UAW-Local 31; David Kirkbride, Sierra Club.

www.climateandenergy.org/LearnMore/InTheNews/KSBlueGreen.htmEleven labor and environmental organizations launchedthe Kansas chapter of the Blue Green Alliance onThursday, Jan. 8, 2009, at CWA Local 6402 headquarterson East Harry in Wichita.“Wichita lost 1,300 jobs last year alone,” said EmilRamirez of the United Steelworkers. “By supporting agreen economy, we want to bring manufacturing jobsback to Kansas.”BGA is an uncommon partnership born of a commongoal: to realize the enormous opportunities of a renew-able energy economy for the state.Kansas stands to gain more than 11,000 family-support-ing manufacturing jobs in the renewable energy industry,according to a recent report from the Renewable EnergyPolicy Project (REPP) , a nonprofit, nonpartisan policyresearch organization based in Washington, DC.The report, which projects $1.97 billion of investment,spurred local labor unions, community and farm organi-zations, and environmental groups to form a Kansaschapter of the Blue Green Alliance.

Kansans” agenda addresses anumber of important issues facingthe everyday people who contrib-ute and invest in the State ofKansas, including: improvedworker benefits, fair wages,promoting Kansas-made products,

guaranteeing health and safety inthe workplace, implementing newimmigration reform, and expandingeducational and training opportu-nities.“Democrats in the House andSenate are committed to Kansas

workers, families and businessowners,” said House DemocraticLeader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence.“These people are counting on usin 2009 and we have a responsibil-ity to offer them the help theyneed.”“In the last year alone, 2.6 millionAmericans lost their jobs, thehighest number of job losses ourcountry has seen since the end ofWorld War II. During this difficulteconomic time, working Kansasfamilies have borne the brunt ofthis heavy burden,” said SenateDemocratic Leader AnthonyHensley, D-Topeka.“As large corporations – such asBoeing, Cessna, and the GeneralMotors Assembly Plant – continueto scale back or go out of busi-ness, many more workers will beforced to cut back their hours,work for lower wages, or lose theirjobs altogether.”“Kansas will recover from thisrecession, but if we don’t protectour hardworking Kansas familiesnow, the long-term impact of thiseconomic downturn will be much

more far reaching and have muchmore damaging consequences tothe future of our state,” Daviscontinued.“That’s why we’ve joined heretoday – to stand up for the peopleof Kansas by enacting respon-sible, proactive policies.”Highlights of the “Democratsfor Working Kansans”agenda include:Strengthening Retirement Benefits for StateRetireesQuality Education for Kansas WorkersKansas Workers Rights: Workplace Healthand SafetyKansas Jobs for Kansas WorkersFair Wages for Kansans and KansasProducts First

February 20092 — The PlainDealer

Learn about the Employee Free Choice Act at www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca

Union Heroes Save Passengers on U.S. Airways FlightBy Mike Hall, Jan. 16, 2009, AFL-CIO NOW BlogThe quick-thinking, bravery, experience and extensive training of US Airways Flight 1549 pilot, Capt. Chelsey Sullenberger, co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles, thecrew of flight attendants, the air traffic controllers guiding the flight low over Manhattan and the rescuers were the key factors in yesterday’s“Miracle on the Hudson,” where 155 people survived an emergency landing in the river.The mainstream media is chronicling the miracle, but as Marcy Wheeler on Emptywheel, http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com> points out:

What they are not telling you is just about every single one of these heroes is a union member.They are union members who got that that extensive safety and job training thanks to their union contracts.Sullenberger, with 40 years of flight experience, served as instructor and safety committee chairman for the Air Line Pilots (ALPA, www.alpa.org).Following, the US Airways merger with America West, the airline’s pilots are now members of an independent union.The crew of three flight attendants who shepherded the passengers safely out the emergency exits are members of the Flight Attendants-CWA(AFA-CWA, www.afanet.org). Says AFA-CWA President Patricia Friend:

Flight attendants are highly trained safety and security professionals and today’s successful evacuation is an overwhelming example of thenecessary role flight attendants serve on board the aircraft. Flight attendants receive extensive training on emergency evacuations and each yearthey undergo additional training to ensure their proficiency.

The air traffic controllers who helped route the Airbus A320 around Manhattan, after Sullenberger reported that a bird strike had shut down bothengines, are members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA, www.natca.org).As Reuters reports:

According to controllers, an “eerie calm” defined controller and cockpit communications as options dwindled.There are fewer controllers working longer hours because of Bush’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has refused to bargain a contractwith the union for nearly three years. Yet the controllers continue to “Guide you home,” as their motto states. Says Wheeler:

Someday they will rename National Airport (serving Washington, D.C.) for the work these men and women do to keep us safe in the air.The ferry crews that immediately responded when they saw the plane in the river are Seafarers (SIU, www.seafarers.org) members. The SIU providesextensive safety training for its members. Marine Engineers (MEBA, www.d1meba.org) members pilot many of the ferries and fireboats that re-sponded. Those police and fireboats that arrived to pull passengers to safety are crewed by members of the Fire Fighters (IAFF, www.iaff.org) andPatrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA). As Wheeler points out:

They are the men and women who performed so heroically on 9/11.Congratulations to all the brave men and women union members who performed so heroically yesterday.http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/01/16/union-heroes-save-passengers-on-us-airways-flight/

Labor Calls for Unity After Years of Division By Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, www.nytimes.com, 1/8/2009The presidents of 12 of thenation’s largest labor unions calledWednesday for reuniting theAmerican labor movement, whichsplit apart three and a half yearsago when seven unions left theA.F.L.-C.I.O. and formed a rivalfederation.The union presidents issued theirjoint call after the transition teamfor President-elect Barack Obamasignaled that it would preferdealing with a united movement,rather than a fractured one thatoften had two competing voices.David E. Bonior, a member of Mr.Obama’s economic transition teamwho withdrew from considerationas labor secretary, helped arrangeand oversee a meeting of theunion presidents on Wednesdayin Washington.The leaders are hoping, by April15, to approve a plan to reunify,one union official said. But someofficials said they might fail toreach agreement.Mr. Bonior, a former Housemajority whip, said he wouldorganize meetings with laborleaders over the next few weeks inthe hope of hammering out details

about what form a reunified laborfederation would take.The 12 union presidents issued astatement, saying: “The goal ofthe meeting is to create a unifiedlabor movement that can speakand act nationally on the criticalissues facing working Americans.While we represent the largestlabor unions, we recognize thatunity requires broad participa-tion.”The call for reunification wassomething of an about-face for thepresidents of the Service Employ-ees International Union, theTeamsters and several otherunions that quit the A.F.L.-C.I.O.,asserting that the federation wasstodgy and had not done enoughto reverse organized labor’s longdecline. The breakaway unionsformed a federation called Changeto Win.“There was a real sense ofcommitment to unifying ourmovement again,” RandiWeingarten, president of theAmerican Federation of Teachers,said Wednesday. “It was clear thatmany of us felt that the whole isgreater than the sum of its parts,

and we really want to do things tohelp American workers get theirrightful place in society.”To bring about reunification,several labor leaders have calledfor revamping and modernizing theA.F.L.-C.I.O., traditionally thenation’s main federation, currentlywith 56 member unions. Butseveral labor leaders have calledfor replacing the A.F.L.-C.I.O. witha new, more dynamic group.There was general agreement thatany future federation should focuson political and legislative matters,while also serving to encourageindividual unions to do more toorganize workers.The leaders of several breakawayunions have called for changingthe name of the A.F.L.-C.I.O.because they had vowed never toreturn to the same federation.But many A.F.L.-C.I.O. officialsargue that it would be silly to alterthe name of such a well-knownorganization and replace it with aname that few Americans arefamiliar with.Labor officials said they did notdiscuss on Wednesday whowould succeed John J. Sweeney,

74, who is scheduled to step downthis year after heading the A.F.L.-C.I.O. for 13 years.Richard Trumka, the federation’ssecretary-treasurer and formerpresident of the United MineWorkers, has been lobbyingamong union presidents tosucceed Mr. Sweeney.But some union leaders, especiallythose in the rival labor federation,say they want a fresh voiceleading organized labor.The reorganizing proposals thatunions president have floated inrecent days include a rotatingpresidency for the A.F.L.-C.I.O. orits successor federation, with thepresidents of individual unionsserving two-year terms as head ofthe parent federation.One A.F.L.-C.I.O. official describedthat plan this way: “The dukeswant to replace the king.”But many officials oppose arotating presidency, saying theparent federation needs a strong,visible president who, by dint ofserving for several years, isrecognized by Congress and thenews media as the undisputedvoice for labor.

Several presidents have also calledfor creating a strong executivedirector’s position, partly in thehope that the parent federationwould have two strong voicesrather than one.Those at Wednesday’s meetingincluded Andy Stern, president ofthe Service Employees union, wholed the walkout in 2005; as well asthe presidents of the Teamsters,the United Steelworkers, UnitedAuto Workers, and the AmericanFederation of State, County andMunicipal Employees.One somewhat surprising attendeewas Dennis Van Roekel, presidentof the National Education Associa-tion, which, with 3.2 millionmembers, is the nation’s largestlabor union, but has traditionallyremained outside any larger laborfederations.Officials from several Change toWin unions have said in recentmonths that they were seeing littleadvantage in maintaining aseparate labor federation.The New York Times Company,www.nytimes.com

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The PlainDealer — 3February 2009

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Your Union Works for You, Can You Work for It Too?!?

The Plaindealer (ISSN 0898-4360)Periodicals Postage Paid at Wichita, KSPOSTMASTER:Send address changes to:The Plaindealer3830 S. Meridian Ave.Wichita, KS 67217–3704(316) 529-8513Melanie Jenney, Editoremail: ThePlainDealer@D70iam.orgBoard of DirectorsJudy Pierce, President, Labor FederationBrenda Honse, Vice President

(CWA Local 6402)Tim Franta, Sec./ Treas. (IAM Local 733)Stuart Elliott (APWU Local 735)Deb Boatright (Local 708)Dave Philpott (IAM Local 774)Kathy Petersen (IAM Local 839)Ralph Stout (Local 834)John Shepherd Jr. (UA Local 441)Advertising and stories are due by the 15thof each month. Subscription rates are $15per year. Special rates available to unionmembers and locals subscribing as a body.Founded in 1919 by Tom Tilma, thePlaindealer is the official publication of theWichita/Hutchinson Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, and covers news of interest to workingpeople.Story suggestions and letters to the editorshould be sent to the PlainDealer at 3830 S.Meridian Ave., Wichita, KS 67217–3704;by email to theplaindealer@d70iam.org, orcall (316) 529–8513 with your ideas. To beconsidered for publication, letters to the editormust be signed and include the author’stelephone number. Views expressed inletters to the editor are not necessarily theviews of the Plaindealer, its Board ofDirectors or affiliated unions.Published monthly by PlaindealerPublishing, Inc. at 3830 S. Meridian Ave.,Wichita, KS, 67217.

Goodyear Tire Gets Away withPay Discrimination, but Lilly LedbetterWins the Day Mai Shiozaki, www.NOW.org January 22, 2009Tonight the Senate passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act by a bipartisan vote of 61 to 36, vindicating LillyLedbetter’s long search for redress after 19 years of pay discrimination.“This is an important first step in our efforts to undo years of backsliding on the right to be paid a fair andequitable wage,” said National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy. “The Ledbetter bill will allowredress for workers with the energy and willpower to seek redress in the courts, but we have a long way to gobefore we have fair pay for women, and laws with real teeth.”While it is too late for her to receive the compensation she deserved from Goodyear and was denied by theSupreme Court, Lilly’s determined quest for equal rights for women in the workplace led to today’s Senatepassage of the legislation introduced in her name. President Obama is expected to sign the legislation nextweek after concurrence from the House.The Ledbetter Act, which was blocked in the Republican-led Senate last year, will essentially reverse the 2007Supreme Court decision that required workers to file charges on a pay discrimination claim within six monthsafter receiving their first discriminatory paycheck. The Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire andRubber, which reversed the jury’s compensation award to Ledbetter, essentially gave employers the go-aheadto discriminate in pay, as long as they weren’t caught in the first six months after the onset of their illegalactions.Earlier this month the House passed the Ledbetter Act with a companion bill, the Paycheck Fairness Act, whichwould close loopholes that allow employers to pay men and women discriminatorily and provides conse-quences for that discrimination. The Senate today acted only on the Ledbetter Act, so work on passage of thecompanion bill begins tomorrow.We salute Lilly Ledbetter and promise to continue working for passage of fair pay legislation with real teeth, sothat her long journey through the courts and the halls of Congress will not have been in vain, and all workerswill be able enjoy a fair, safe and equitable workplace where they can do their jobs and support their families.

Kathy S. PetersenIAMAW Sister of the MonthKathy Petersen, 12-year member of IAM Local Lodge 839 in Wichita,Kansas, was named IAMAW Sister of the Month for January 2009. Onesister from the nationwide IAMAW is highlighted each month to inspire

and encourage others to become moreinvolved.Sister Kathy was overwhelmingly electedPresident of her local after having servedas the lodge’s Vice President. She is thefirst woman to hold each of those officesin the history of the local.Employed as an Inspector for Spirit AeroSystems, Sister Kathy became moreinvolved with her union after thecompany was sold by Boeing to OnexCorp. and many active members were laidoff. Seeing a need in her local, shestepped up and volunteered to take up

some slack. Sister Kathy serves on numerous committees and isinvolved in various activities at the local, district and within thecommunity. She has become an effective leader by reading the bylaws,learning the constitution, asking questions and making mistakes.Sister Kathy advises, “It is important to learn from your mistakes andkeep the lines of communication flowing in all directions!”For other sisters wanting to get involved and become leaders, SisterKathy says, “Don’t second-guess yourself. Do the right thing for theright reasons and always remember to communicate.”As a leader of the local, Sister Kathy is involved in a lot of activities,organizing in particular. She has worked tirelessly to organize non-represented workers. It’s her goal to help build a stronger union andencourage other sisters to be more active.Most recently, Sister Kathy was one of the recipients of the Women inOrganizing Grant awarded by the Berger Marks Foundation.

www.goiam.org

Support the ERA!Female union members are theonly women who earn the samepay as men for the same work.Otherwise, U.S. women only earn76 cents for every dollar that a manmakes. Maybe that will change.Rep. Geraldine Flaharty and 21other co-sponsors have intro-duced House Concurrent Resolu-tion No. 5003, a proposition toamend article 15 of the constitu-tion of the state of Kansas byadding a section concerning equalrights for men and women.The Equal Rights Amendment(ERA) is the cornerstone ofeconomic equity for Americanwomen. It will provide a durableguarantee of equal status anddignity under law. Under thepresent patchwork of regulationsand court decisions, women stillsuffer discrimination in many areasincluding pay, hiring, promotion,insurance, pensions, educationalopportunity and inheritance.Full text of bill can be found at:www.kslegislature.org/bills/2010/2009_5003.pdf

February 20094 — The PlainDealer

Learn about the Employee Free Choice Act at www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca

Harold Meyerson: Destroying What the UAW BuiltBy Harold Meyerson, Dec. 17, 2008 Special to The Washington PostIn 1949, a pamphlet was publishedthat argued that the Americanauto industry should pursue adifferent direction. Titled “ASmall Car Named Desire,” thepamphlet suggested that Detroitnot put all its bets on bigness, thata substantial share of Americanconsumers would welcomesmaller cars that cost less andburned fuel more efficiently.The pamphlet’s author was theresearch department of the UnitedAuto Workers.By the standards of the postwarUAW, there was nothing excep-tional about “A Small Car NamedDesire.”In its glory days, under theleadership of Walter Reuther, theUAW was the most farsightedinstitution – not just the mostfarsighted union – in America.“We are the architects ofAmerica’s future,” Reuther told thedelegates at the union’s 1947convention, where his supporterswon control of what was alreadythe nation’s leading union.Even before he became UAWpresident, Reuther and a team ofbrilliant lieutenants would drivethe Big Three’s top executivescrazy by producing a steadystream of proposals for manage-ment. In the immediate aftermath ofPearl Harbor, Reuther, then head ofthe union’s General Motorsdivision, came up with a detailedplan for converting auto plants todefense factories more quicklythan the industry’s leaders did. Atthe end of the war, he led a strikeat GM with a set of demands thatincluded putting union and publicrepresentatives on GM’s board.That proved to be a bridge too far.Instead, by the early 1950s, theUAW had secured a number ofcontractual innovations – annualcost-of-living adjustments, forinstance – that set a pattern for therest of American industry andcreated the broadly sharedprosperity enjoyed by the nationin the 30 years after World War II.The architects did not stop there.During the Reuther years, theUAW also used its resources toincubate every up-and-comingliberal movement in America. Itwas the UAW that funded thegreat 1963 March on Washingtonand provided the first serious

financial backing for CesarChavez’s fledgling farm workersunion. The union took a livelyinterest in the birth of a studentmovement in the early 60s,providing its conference center inPort Huron, Mich., to a groupcalled Students for a DemocraticSociety when the group wanted todraft and debate its manifesto.Later that decade, the unionprovided resources to help theNational Organization for Womenget off the ground and helpedfund the first Earth Day. And fordecades after Reuther’s death in a1970 plane crash, the UAW wasamong the foremost advocates ofnational health care – a policy that,had it been enacted, would havesaved the Big Three tens ofbillions of dollars in healthinsurance expenses, but which theBig Three themselves were untilrecently too ideologically hide-bound to support.

Narrow? Parochial? The UAW notonly built the American middleclass but helped engender everymovement at the center of Ameri-can liberalism today – which is onereason that conservatives havealways held the union in particulardisdain.Over the past several weeks, it hasbecome clear that the Republicanright hates the UAW so much thatit would prefer to plunge thenation into a depression ratherthan craft a bridge loan thatdoesn’t single out the autoindustry’s unionized workers forpunishment. (As manufacturingconsultant Michael Wesselpointed out, no Republicandemanded that Big Three execu-tives have their pay permanentlyreduced to the relatively spartanlevels of Japanese auto executives’pay.)

Today, setting the terms of thatloan has become the final task ofthe Bush presidency, which putsthe auto workers in the unenviableposition of depending, if not onthe kindness of strangers, then onthe impartiality of the mostpartisan president of moderntimes.Republicans complain that laborcosts at the Big Three are out ofline with those at the non-uniontransplant factories in the South,factories that Southern governorshave subsidized with billions oftaxpayer dollars.But the UAW has already agreedto concessions bringing itsmembers’ wages to near-Southernlevels, and labor costs alreadycomprise less than 10 percent ofthe cost of a new car. (On WallStreet, employee compensation atthe seven largest financial firms

in 2007 constituted 60 percent ofthe firms’ expenses, yet reducingoverall employee compensationwasn’t an issue in the financialbailout.)In a narrow sense, what theRepublicans are proposing wouldgut the benefits of roughly amillion retirees. In a broad sense,they want to destroy the institu-tion that did more than any otherto raise American living standards,and they want to do it by usingthe power of government to lowerAmerican living standards - in themiddle of the most severe reces-sion since the 1930s.The auto workers deserve better,and so does the nation they did somuch to build.Meyerson is editor-at-large ofAmerican Prospect and the L.A.Weekly.

UPDATE:Raise the Wage KansasDid you know the Kansas minimum wage is $2.65?How is the economic crisis affecting our lowest-paid workers?For the past year, the Kansas Action Network has organized efforts andevents to Raise the Wage in Kansas. They recently succeeded inWyandotte County (Kansas City, KS area).Now the campaign has come to Topeka!Please join us at an educational forum to learn how it worked in Wyan-dotte County.HEAR from…Wyandotte County Commissioners Mark Holland and Mike Kane…sub-federal minimum wage workers…David Burress, an economist who has studied the issueSATURDAY, FEB. 7 at 2 p.m.First United Methodist Church600 SW Topeka Blvd., TopekaSince the Kansas legislature has consistently resisted raising theminimum wage, it’s up to cities to do the right thing. That’s why theKansas Action Network is bringing together faith, labor and communityorganizations in a campaign to raise the wage floor by city ordinance inWichita and Topeka.For information, toshare your story, or to seek accommodations underthe Americans with Disabilities Act, contact organizer Heidi Zeller at(785) 760-2764 or email raisethewagekansas@gmail.com.Kansas Action Network, Inc. is a broad-based coalition for workers’rights, social justice and economic fairness,seeking a common ground in the pursuit of ajust society.See www.ksactionnet.org orwww.raisethewagekansas.org

The PlainDealer — 5February 2009

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Your Union Works for You, Can You Work for It Too?!?

energy needs have been overtakenby events. We need a revival ofthe entrepreneurial spirit in theKansas business community thatrecognizes the opportunity beforeus,” said Dan Nagengast, Execu-tive Director of the Kansas RuralCenter.“Our mission is to engage ourmulti-cultural society in a positivemanner which empowers individu-als to collaborate and promoteideas and activities which focuson building an accessible sustain-able earth community that honorsand preserves people and theenvironment,” said RichardMabion, community activist withBuilding a Sustainable EarthCommunity.The Kansas Blue Green Alliance isa state chapter of the nationalpartnership of the United Steel-workers, Communications Workersof America, Natural ResourcesDefense Council and the SierraClub - two of North America’slargest private sector manufactur-ing unions and two of the nation’slargest environmental organiza-tions. It promotes programs andpolicies that result in the develop-ment of the green economy.

Need a Little Help?Find it here.Do you know someone who’slaid-off and needs help?Local 839 sent this list of organiza-tions that offer assistance topeople who are struggling to makeends meet.Also, don’t forget about UnitedWay’s phone line, 2-1-1, to reach arepresentative who can directcallers to resources in their area.Another option for anyone tryingto trim a food budget is AngelFood Ministries, a non-profit, non-denominational organizationdedicated to providing groceryrelief. With several sites aroundthe city, Angel Food Ministriesprovides a medium-sized box (withan average retail value of $60) for$30. There are no applications tocomplete or prequalifications.Angel Food Ministries alsoparticipates in the U.S. FoodStamp program.Each host site sets its own datesand times for accepting orders andpurchase procedures. Go towww.angelfoodministries.com tofind out more.

BGA partners include the UnitedSteelworkers, the CommunicationWorkers of America District 6,Kansas AFL-CIO, The LandInstitute, Kansas Rural Center,Kansas Farmers Union, the GreatPlains Alliance for Clean Energy,Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and otherlocal unions and communitygroups will work together topromote programs and policiesthat create a green economy in thestate.“Some of the biggest issues facingKansas - rising unemployment dueto a struggling economy, ouroverdependence on importedfuels, and global climate change -can be tackled all at once,” saidRamirez. “In November alone, morethan 530,000 Americans lost theirjobs.”The REPP report found that morethan 425 existing Kansas firmscould manufacture componentparts for renewable energytechnologies.Counties poised to benefit mostfrom development of wind, solar,geothermal, and biomass re-sources include Saline, Johnson,Sedgwick, Ellis and Wyandotte.

“Our goal is to ensure that as theU.S. moves to develop renewablesources of energy, Kansas workersare positioned to reap the ben-efits,” said A.J. Villegas, represen-tative for the CommunicationWorkers of America.A renewable energy economy inKansas would draw upon andexpand the existing manufacturingbase in the state, helping to offsetthe 11,000 manufacturing jobs lostbetween January ’01 and June ’07.“This is recovery for Main Street,”said Nancy Jackson, executivedirector of the Climate & EnergyProject of The Land Institute.Constructing wind projects, forexample, creates jobs for sheetmetal workers, machinists,electricians, operating engineers,laborers, and truck drivers.“Kansas workers would also beemployed retrofitting homes,businesses and commercialbuildings with high-efficiencyheating and cooling systems andinsulation, and creating the nextgeneration of fuel-efficientvehicles,” said Scott Allegrucci,executive director of the GreatPlains Alliance for Clean Energy(GPACE).

“For example, Kansas City KansasGM Fairfax plant builds hybridBAS (Battery Alternator System)technology vehicles in theChevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura.This project will present a greatopportunity to further GeneralMotors alternative propulsion(hydrogen fuel cell electric)vehicles in Kansas,” said JeffManning, President of Local UAW31.“The development of a renewableenergy economy in Kansas willuse our abundant wind resource toproduce clean energy - increasingour energy independence whileprotecting the health and environ-ment of Kansas citizens,” saidStephanie Cole of the Sierra Club.“We can work together to providegood, family-supporting jobs -helping future generations ofKansans to enjoy good careersclose to home,” said Donn Teske,President of Kansas Farmers’Union.“Farmers and rural people want toown wind turbines. Labor andurban people want to build andinstall them. Consumers wantrenewable energy. The prevailingbusiness models serving our

Partners in the Kansas Blue GreenAlliance include:Climate and Energy Project (CEP)The Sierra ClubGreat Plains Alliance for CleanEnergy (GPACE)Kansas Rural CenterGreenpeaceUnited SteelworkersCommunication Workers ofAmericaUAW - Local 31Kansas AFL-CIOKansas Farmers UnionBuilding a Sustainable EarthCommunityFor more information, or to join theKansas Blue Green Alliance,contact Emil Ramirez, UnitedSteelworkers at (816) 836-1400 oreramirez@usw.org.www.ksdp.org/blog

[Green Jobs continued from page 1]

The 2009 Good Jobs, Green JobsNational Conference will be heldFebruary 4 – 6 at the Marriott WardmanPark Hotel in Washington, D.C.Register today atwww.greenjobsconference.org

February 20096 — The PlainDealer

Learn about the Employee Free Choice Act at www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca

Direct PipelinePLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS LU441

Richard L. Taylor, Business Managerand Financial Secretary-Treasurer

LocallyWe want to welcome a new Mechanical Contractor to the Wichita area, P1 Group. P1 hasbeen a Union Contractor and signatory to Local 441 for many years in the Topeka andLawrence area. They also have been established in the Kansas City area for many yearsand are signatory with Local 8 and Local 533. They have a very good reputation not onlyin Kansas, but throughout many parts of the United States having been involved innumerous projects nationwide.P1 Group’s opportunity to move into the Wichita market was due in part to the FaganCompany cooperate office deciding to close their Wichita branch. This gave P1 thechance to purchase an already well established operation including the necessary facilities need tocompete in today’s market. P1 Group also feels that even with the downturn in the economy the timingis good considering several large projects are coming out for bid in the Wichita area.We also have a new Gas Distribution Contractor, Miller Paving, which has recently signed up with Local441 and has secured a three year contract with Kansas Gas Service. They currently have projectsstarting in Wichita, Topeka, and the Manhattan/Fort Riley area.We have golf balls, tee shirts, and hats. Come by and get outfitted with Local 441 apparel.Please take time to view your web site. The address is: www.ua441.org.DeathsWe are sorry to report the death of Brother Wilson D. Thompson, 86, Plumber, residing in Grand Terrace,CA, passed away on November 8, 2008. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with his family.PoliticalThe 2009 Political Session in Topeka is underway with concern about the economy obviously being thefocal point. The approval of the air permits for the Holcomb Power House Project will be a big part of thesession again this year. I feel our chances are good this year to get a decision in favor of the projectsimply because of the jobs this project will generate and given the forecast of large unemploymentacross the state and the entire country for that matter.We have secured a contract with Sunflower Electric requiring a PLA (Project Labor Agreement) to beutilized on the project if it goes forward. This agreement ensures that Kansas Union Building Trades willbe used to man the project.We will continue to build a long-lasting establishment in the political arena of our jurisdiction. We feelthat it is critical to maintain a presence politically so that when issues arise; the local will already havean established voice that will be heard. Thank you to all Local 441 members for your support boththrough your participation in the PAC fund and your involvement and support with various politicalgroups.MeetingsLocal Union 441 meetings are being conducted on the second Monday of each monthat 7 p.m. at the Union Hall located at 1330 East First Street in Wichita. If othermeetings are scheduled, you will be duly notified.NOTE: We have recently upgraded our system used to teleconference the monthlyUnion meetings. Please take the opportunity to attend a meeting in your area.The new system has much better sound and video quality and is being providedat no additional cost to Local 441.Retirees ClubThe next Retirees meetings will be on February 4th, March 4th, and April 1st at 10 a.m. at the Hall. Pleasecome and join us!Breakfast is the second Wednesday at 9 a.m. We are meeting at Spears Restaurant, 4323 W. Maple fromJanuary through November.All retired members and their families are invited to join us. Come enjoy the fellowship!For more information, call Jim Wilbert at 722-6859.

Richard Taylor

At the RailColumn by Martin HawverIf you figure that the best money thestate receives is money that peoplevoluntarily hand it, well, you gotta

figure that it’s time for some repairs to the state’sgambling law.Remember two years ago when it was passed, everyone thought thatwe’d have four brand spanking new, glitzy casinos abuilding by now?There were likely, then, we thought, to be at least three combinationhorse/dog tracks with hundreds of adjoining slot machines?The concept was that those enterprises would spin out hundreds ofmillions of dollars for the state—all from people who gladly ponied uptheir money for a chance to win big.Well, it’s all gone south, and legislators are now considering eitherreworking the state gambling law or maybe just repealing it—mostly.Mostly, because the only real gaming effort in the state now is theconstruction of a casino in historic Dodge City, an out-of-the-way littlecasino that is going to be popular and undoubtedly profitable, but on asmaller scale than mega casinos considered for Wyandotte, Crawford/Cherokee and Sumner counties.Here’s the real trick: in a slow economy, if the state wants to get revenuefast, it has to come from slots at tracks, so-called “racinos.”The tracks are there, but they’re shut down because racing alone won’tsupport the enterprises. Slots? That would be the key, but the state’sshare of the take from those slots at tracks is 40 percent, and the cannyowners of the tracks have penciled it out and they can’t make any moneywith that large a state take-out of the profits.So, you just renegotiate that 40 percent? Figure that maybe 25 percent ofsomething is better than 40 percent of nothing?Well, it’s rarely that simple in the Statehouse.Remember that the casino/racino bill passed by just two votes, andremember that many of those same legislators are back in the Capitolnow, and nobody’s sure if the narrow issue of reducing the state’s takefrom racinos would pass or fail… But, everyone is sure that any billdealing with the racinos has the possibility of seeing the whole gamingenterprise being repealed.That’s a big risk for those who like racinos, and it’s a big opportunity forthose who don’t want the state to have any fingerprints on any sort ofgambling.Will the current budget crunch lead some gaming opponents to holdtheir noses and vote yes for lower, but at least some, revenues? Or,would it be a forum for some to pontificate that in these economic times,people shouldn’t be gambling away their money for food or theirchildren’s shoes?This might be one of those smaller issues that lawmakers could considerwhile the bigger and ultimately vital scraps continue over the state’sbudget and deficit.Will it happen?Nobody knows for sure…yet.Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawveris publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about thisstatewide political news service, visit the website atwww.hawvernews.com

The Employee Free Choice Act would give employeesmore power in the workplace. When workers bargain,the middle class is strengthened. They are 52% more

likely to have health care benefits and three times as likelyto have pensions. Working families in unions have more

economic security. When workers bargain,the benefits go to everyone, not just those at the top.

Help convince our new congress to pass this importantlegislation that will help turn around America.

The PlainDealer — 7February 2009

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Your Union Works for You, Can You Work for It Too?!?

LOCAL UNION BULLETIN BOARD

Thursday, February 5Operating Engineers LU101— Regular Meeting, 7 p.m., 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaFriday, February 6, is National Wear Red DayGo Red for Women to raise awareness of heart disease in women. GoRedForWomen.orgSaturday, February 7Machinists LL639— E-board Meeting 8 a.m., Regular meeting 9 a.m.Machinists LL733— Regular meeting at 10 a.m.Monday, February 9NALC Branch 201— 7:30 p.m., NALC Br 201 Union Office

227 S. Pattie, WichitaUSW Local 01350— Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Union Hall

427 N. Main, Hutchinson, 67501SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001— Membership Recruitment / Organizing Committee

973 S. Glendale, WichitaPlumbers & Pipefitters LU441– Regular Meeting, 7 p.m., 1330 E. 1st, WichitaTuesday, February 10APWU Local 735— Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.m, 6920 W. Pueblo, WichitaMachinists Local 708— Regular Meeting, 7 p.m., 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaCWA Local 6402— E-Board, 5:30 p.m., 530 E. Harry, Wichita

Stewards, 7 p.m., 530 E. Harry, WichitaWednesday, February 11IBEW Local 1523— Regular Meeting, 5:30 p.m., 530 E. Harry, WichitaMachinists Local 1989— E-Board, 3:40 p.m., Regular meeting, 3:50 p.m.

2005 Kansas Ave., Great Bend, 67530LU 441 Retirees— Breakfast, 9 a.m., Spears, 4323 W. MapleThursday, February 12SPEEA— Midwest Council Meeting, 973 S. Glendale, WichitaWichita Area Union Label— E-board, 6:30 p.m.; Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.mFebruary 13-15Union members are invited to participate in a Grass Roots Organizing Weekend(GROW) on February 13-15 in Wichita, sponsored by WSU Young DemocratSocialists/Student Labor Action Project.Saturday, February 14WICHITA AREA UNION LABEL CHILI FEED!!!Machinists Hall, 5:30 p.m. to ???Machinists Local 2328— E-Board Meeting, 9 a.m., 2055 S. Ohio, Salina

Regular Meeting, 10 a.m., 2055 S. Ohio, SalinaMachinists Local 834 & 839— Regular Meeting, 10 a.m., 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaMonday, February 16SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001— Membership Recruitment / Organizing Committee,

4:30 p.m., 973 S. Glendale, WichitaSPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001— L&PA, 4:30 p.m. at SPEEA Hall, 973 S. GlendaleGlaziers Local 558— 5 p.m., 1330 E. 1st St., Wichita, KSTuesday, February 17CWA Local 6402— Membership Meeting, 6:30 p.m., 530 E. Harry, WichitaWednesday, February 18SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001— Governing Documents Committee, 5 p.m.,

973 S. Glendale, WichitaThursday, February 19Salina Labor Federation— Regular Meeting, 7 p.m., 2055 S. Ohio, SalinaSteelworkers Local 13417— Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.m., 530 E. Harry, WichitaSaturday, February 21Machinists LL2799— E-board meeting 9:30 a.m., 3830 S. Meridian, Wichita

Regular Meeting, 10:30 a.m.Machinists Local 774— 10 a.m. Regular Meeting, 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaThursday, February 26Wichita Hutchinson Labor Fed— 6:30 p.m., 3219 W. Central Ave., WichitaDistrict 70 Retirees— Luncheon, 11:45 a.m., 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaSaturday, February 28Graphics Union Local 575— 10 a.m., 3830 S. Meridian, Wichita

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Lubbers Commercials a Reminder to Buy AmericanBy Pat Lehman, Grand Lodge Representative, IAMAW, Retired

“The whole problem with theworld is that fools andfanatics are always so certainof themselves, but wiserpeople so full of doubts.”

– Bertrand Russell

Have you seen the great LubbersAuto commercials on TV?They accurately remind UnitedStates citizens the auto industryprovides millions of good jobsthroughout our country, and askconsumers to buy Made inAmerica autos and trucks. Thequality of American made vehiclesis equal or better than the foreignowned companies produce.

I know the old story, “But many ofthe Japanese, South Korean,German, etc. cars are built in theUnited States. Yes they are, byU.S. workers who are paid LESSthan auto workers in the owners’country. The southern states inparticular have paid these foreigncompanies millions and billions ofU.S. taxpayers’ money to locatetheir scab shops in the U.S.

In addition, the companies havefought every effort by theirworkers to have a union, spendingmillions of dollars to keep wageslow, and with few or no benefits.And where does the profit gothese U.S. workers produce for theforeign owned companies, rightback to the foreign owners, out ofthe United States.Just as I want consumers to buyairplanes built in Wichita, andtickets to fly on those planes tokeep our jobs in this country, Iwant the U.S. auto workers tocontinue to have good jobs in theU.S. also.Cheers to Lubbers Auto forrunning these commercials toremind us to “Buy American.” Thejob you save may be your own, oryour son or daughter’s orgrandchild’s future job.

EFCA Message Wheel

Dichotomy By Cathy Wilheim, Wichita Political Bloggerhttp://talesofthedonkey.blogspot.com/2008/12/dichotomy.htmlMonday, Dec. 8, 2008My fear that we are reliving the late 1920s and early 1930s got a littlefirmer today. Today we heard of the bankruptcy of the Tribune Companyand major layoffs at companies like Anheuser Busch. (I mean, beer oughtto be recession-proof, right?)I worry about all the families trying to eke out an existence on unemploy-ment insurance payments. I worry about all the families facinghomelessness, despite having a good job (often two good jobs),because they made a mistake about what kind of mortgage to take. And Iworry about the business owners who are faced with the decisionwhether to risk everything in hopes that things will get better or go outof business before their financial situation worsens.Which brings us to Republic Doors and Windows. In case you missedthe story, this relatively small Illinois company announced to its workerslast week that, having been denied access to their accustomed credit lineat the local Bank of America, they were closing the plant down lastFriday. They gave their 300 workers three days’ notice and indicated thatthere was no money to give them severance packages or even paymentfor accrued vacation time.But those three days were a mistake. It gave the workers time to craft aprotest. Instead of leaving last Friday, they staged a sit-in. They sched-uled themselves to break up the sit-in so that there is always someone inthe plant. They organized the delivery of food and drink. They madeappearances in the media stating their determination to prevent thecompany from selling the doors and windows in the plant – doors andwindows they built – before paying them what is owed them.It reminds me of the actions of unions during the Depression thateventually led to the various laws giving unions the right to protect theirmembers from all the dirty tricks that management engaged in to preventthe organization of their workers. It reminds me of the determinationshown by the World War I veterans of the Bonus Expeditionary Force,who marched in Washington in the summer and fall of 1932, trying to getthe bonus they felt they had been promised. It reminds me of how goodAmericans can be to one another when circumstances demand it.And that tempers my fear with hope.