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plaindealerVol. 91 Issue 10 “A Voice for Working Kansans since 1919” July 2009th

eThe PlainDealer(316) 529-8513

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

IN THIS ISSUE...Job Search Resources —2

SPEEA News Update —3LL774 CSC: Reduced-Cost Groceries! —7

Laid-Off Worker Center Sessions —8

Department of Labor Responds to Unemployment Benefits Concerns

Labor Fed COPE DirectorLowen ResignsJake Lowen, recent COPE Director for theWichita / Hutchinson Labor Federation,resigned his position effective July 1,2009.“It has been my immense pleasure to getto know everyone in the WHLF family, and I will greatly value many ofthe relationships I’ve formed in the last two years,” Lowen said in anemail to WHLF delegates.“I have greatly enjoyed my time serving as your Director and amimmensely proud of what we were able to accomplish together.”He will begin a new career in mid-July as an independent grassrootsorganizing consultant / contractor.“I am excited about the opportunity to help progressive organizations inKansas develop solid grassroots campaigns to fight for and win on theirissues,” said Lowen.He did a fantastic job and will be greatly missed,” said Judy Pierce,President of the WHLF. “We wish him every success in his new ven-ture.”In his two years at theLabor Fed, Lowen orga-nized and computerized filesat the office and brought itinto the 21st Century, andhe was instrumental inpassing the raise to Kansas’minimum wage.“Besides our minimum wagevictory, I am also veryproud of our 2008 and 2009election work, the moderniz-ing of the WHLF technol-ogy infrastructure and ourincreased outreach tocommunity and faithorganizations,” said Lowen.

Melanie,I appreciated the opportunity totalk with you briefly yesterdayregarding the efforts of the KansasDepartment of Labor to respondpromptly and efficiently to theunprecedented number of claimsand questions received on a dailybasis by our UnemploymentInsurance Contact Center.As I shared with you yesterday,the number of claims beingreceived by our Contact Centereach week has grown at a signifi-cant rate. As an example, for theweek ending June 13, 2009, 5,083initial claims were filed with ouroffice. For that same week, 49,962continued claims were filed withour office.

To put that in perspective, thosenumbers represent a 99 percentincrease in initial claims from thesame week one year ago, and a 171percent increase in continuedclaims. There are now more than42,000 individuals receivingunemployment benefits, comparedto just under 15,000 individuals ayear ago. Each claim can generateadditional phone calls to ourContact Center as individualscheck on the status of a claim, orcall with questions regarding thefiling process, etc.Let me give you some backgroundon how we’ve been dealing withthis increase in demand.Contact Center:One of the first things we did wasadd staff to our Contact Center. InNovember, 10 additional employ-ees were hired and were on thephones in December. In lateJanuary, another 25 employeeswere hired and on the phones inFebruary. We also temporarilyextended the operating hours ofour Contact Center. BeginningFeb. 9, 2009, we extended theoperating hours to 7 a.m. to 6:30p.m. Monday through Friday andfrom 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.This was intended to provide moretime throughout the week forindividuals to reach our ContactCenter.We saw the impact of the in-creased staff and expanded hoursalmost immediately. The number ofcalls we were able to handle in aweek doubled and wait timesdropped from an average of nearly30 minutes in January to anaverage of about five minutes inMay.During this time, we analyzed ourcall volumes and call flows todetermine how best to staff on apermanent basis to meet the calldemands. To accommodate theextended hours schedule, we hadour staff working in three shifts.That meant there were certaintimes during the day that theContact Center was not fullystaffed.

We found that when we were fullystaffed, we could handle more callswith shorter wait times. So, wedeveloped operating hours and astaffing plan that would allow usto have a full staffing contingentover more hours of the day.On May 18, we implemented ournew core hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30p.m. Monday through Friday. Thischange should cause the numberof calls being handled to remainmore consistent throughout theday, and wait times for callersshould level out, as well.Website updates:We have also taken measures toreduce the number of calls comingthrough our Contact Center byexpanding the functionality of ourwebsite. Previously, individualswho needed to submit a change ofaddress or phone number had tocall our Contact Center to makethat change. Now, those changescan be made online. That’s anaverage of 1,500 calls a week thatcan now be avoided.Claimants also can now use thewebsite to change their passwordor retrieve their PIN for their onlineaccount. Those who file theirunemployment claim online createtheir password and PIN when theyfile their initial claim. If they forgetthe information they used to haveto call the Contact Center toretrieve it. That’s no longernecessary with the increased Webfunctionality.Staffing:These measures have all helped,but we continue to struggle withthe increasing demand for ser-vices, and continue to look forways to improve our service. Imentioned on the phone that wehad experienced some turnover inour Contact Center. We have hiredadditional people to fill thosepositions, and they are beingtrained quickly so they can begintaking calls. However, in the timeneeded to interview, hire and trainadditional people, we have had tooperate under staffed, and that hasbeen impacting the wait times in

our Contact Center. In addition,we’ve had to add staff to ouradjudication unit.As I explained on the phone,anytime an issue is identified witha claim, it goes to adjudication,where more information is ob-tained to resolve those issues.About 30 percent of all claimsreceived go through adjudication.Employees handling adjudicationneed to have a greater knowledgebase than those accepting claimsor responding to general inquiries.That means two things: hiringadjudicators from our existing call

center staff and a longer trainingperiod.The good news is that we havehired additional staff for both ourcall center and our adjudicationunit. We are in the process oftraining those staff members sothey can begin helping to alleviatesome of the backlogs we’recurrently experiencing. While thatis happening, however, we willexperience longer wait times in theContact Center and there will betimes when callers will find itdifficult to get through.

(Continued on following page)

Then-Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson and JakeLowen, COPE Director for WHLF, follow-ing the signing of a bill raising the stateminimum wage in Kansas.

July 20092 — The PlainDealer

Finished reading this issue of The PlainDealer? Pass it on to a laid-off brother or sister.

Election Commission Dismisses ClaimsAgainst Wal-Mart By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press Writer

Tips:There are some things callers can do to help minimize their wait time andspeed the processing of their claim:

• Mondays are typically the busiest day in the Contact Center. Ifyou can, call later in the week. Wednesdays and Thursdaystend to have the lower call volumes.

• Call volumes are highest during the middle of the day. Callingearly in the day – from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. – may help reduceyour wait time.

• Our Website, www.uibenefits.dol.ks.gov, includes a number offrequently-asked questions. Be sure to check there first to see ifyou can find an answer to your question – you may be able toavoid a phone call.

I hope this information is helpful. I realize this is a very trying time forthose who are unemployed and that it can be extremely frustrating toexperience difficulty getting through to the unemployment office orextended wait times to speak with a representative. At the KansasDepartment of Labor, we’re working hard to manage through thoseissues and help as many people as possible as quickly as possible.Please let me know if you have further questions.Kathy Toelkes, Director of Marketing and CommunicationsKansas Department of Labor

Unemployment, continued from Page 1

Looking for a New Job?The Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas offers many resourcesfor job seekers but, contrary to what many people suppose, they do notprocess unemployment claims.Kimberly Cronister, Communications Coordinator, said that they try to bea one-stop center for people looking for employment. Besides the manyprograms they offer, they are located in the same building (150 N. MainSt.) as Sedgwick County Human Resources, Flint Hills Job Corps,Veterans Programs, Building Opportunities Workforce Center and theCenter for Financial Training.The mission of the Kansas WorkforceCenters is to provide and facilitatequality employment and relatedservices responsive to the needs ofKansans. They can help you assesscurrent skills and identify employmentopportunities, and even providetraining to improve interview skills orbuild a resumé.Many self-service resources areavailable onsite, including:· Computers for online job searches, developing and posting resumés· Copy machines for making copies of your resumé· Fax machines to send out resumésStaff-assistance services to job seekers include:· Career planning· Job counseling· Interview training· Job preparation and life skills coaching· Comprehensive assessments· Labor market informationCronister also pointed out their partnership with the Department ofCommerce on an employment website, www.KansasWorks.com.KansasWorks.com is a free site for employers to post jobs and look forpotential employees, and a place for job seekers to post their resumés forconsideration.The most important advice she can give, said Cronister, is “just don’tgive up... keep trying!”For information: www.Workforce-KS.com or www.KansasWorks.com

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The FederalElection Commission has dis-missed a complaint by laborgroups that accused Wal-MartStores Inc. of pressuring employ-ees to vote against Democrats inthe November election, thoughFEC staffers warned that the casewas a “close call.”Commissioners voted to end theinquiry requested by the AFL-CIO,American Rights at Work andWakeUpWalMart.com after anAugust article in The Wall StreetJournal. However, the six-membercommission split on whetheremployees of the world’s largestretailer broke the law when theymade comments that went beyonda script regarding a bill that wouldmake it easier for workers tounionize.Wal-Mart held meetings that storemanagers and department supervi-sors were required to attend, towarn that if Democrats prevailed inthe general election, they wouldlikely push through a bill that thecompany says would hurt workers.That bill, known as the EmployeeFree Choice Act, would allow labororganizations to unionize work-places without secret ballotelections. In its findings, commis-sion staffers found that Wal-Martput together a script andslideshow presentation to show tohourly employees who superviseother workers at the retail chain.Wal-Mart has vigorously opposedunionization efforts at its stores inthe past. One slide warned: “IfDemocrats win enough Senateseats and we elect a DemocraticPresident in 2008, this will be thefirst bill presented.”Two slides later, the commission’sreport said, those giving thepresentations were asked to tellworkers that such bills would be“potentially harmful to ourbusiness.”“We are not trying to tell you oranyone else how to vote or who aperson can support. Republican,Democrat or Independent: That isyour personal choice,” the scriptreads.“However, we do want to encour-age you to be informed on howcongressional and presidentialdecisions could impact ourpersonal lives and the companywe work for.”

In a report to commissioners, FECemployees said that Wal-Martprovided a clear statement in itspresentation that it was not tryingto tell workers how to vote in theupcoming election. Still, the reportacknowledged, the presentation“could be interpreted, and wasinterpreted by some, as a warningto vote against the Democraticpresidential candidate, and,therefore, makes the guide a closecall.”The report also said some Wal-Mart presenters went off-scriptand made their own denunciationsregarding the unionizing bill andthen-Democratic presidentialcandidate Barack Obama.After the story appeared in thenewspaper, the report said Wal-Mart itself acknowledged “evenmore egregious” problems at themeetings.The company said one presentershowed a slide that read “Obamaunion” and told those attending“why unions were bad.” In adecision announced Tuesday toreporters, the commissionersagreed that the script and slideshow themselves weren’t aviolation of federal election law.However, the commission dead-locked over the steps individualpresenters took when sharing theinformation with other workers.In a letter, commissioners CynthiaL. Bauerly and Ellen L. Weintraubwrote that they felt a “limitedinvestigation” was needed toferret out whether Wal-Martencouraged workers to embellishthe script.

“There was not enough informa-tion at this stage of the proceedingconclusively to determine thatWal-Mart either did or did notattempt to coerce its employeesinto voting against Democraticcandidates,” the commissionerswrote. “What we did not have wassufficient information to find noreason to believe a violationoccurred, given the publicstatements of the employees and(the) corporation’s response.”Daphne Moore, a Wal-Martspokesman, said the company waspleased with the FEC’s decision.Moore said she had no informa-tion on whether employees whoembellished their presentationsfaced any disciplinary action.Officials with the AFL-CIO referredquestions to American Rights atWork, a labor advocacy groupsupported by unions and progres-sive groups. Josh Goldstein, aspokesman for the organization,said the group would examinewhat options it had after the FEC’sdecision. An FEC spokeswomansaid the groups likely would haveto file a new complaint to bring thematter back before commissioners.“We still believe there waswrongdoing on the part of Wal-Mart,” Goldstein said. The FECcomplaint is the latest skirmishbetween Wal-Mart and unions.Wal-Mart has long opposedworkers unionizing in its stores.After failing to organize employeesof Wal-Mart with traditionaltactics, unions launched twopolitical campaign-style groups in2005 in an effort to harness publicopinion to pressure Wal-Mart toprovide better wages and benefits.

The PlainDealer — 3July 2009

Read The PlainDealer online through a link at www.D70iam.org!

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 FederationTim 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.

Cessna ContinuesLayoffsOn June 5, Cessna Aircraftissued 60-day layoff noticesto another 700 salariedemployees. The layoffs, partof a round announced inApril, affect workers through-out the company.

So far, Cessna has an-nounced work force reduc-tions totaling more than6,900, or 45 percent of itswork force.

(www.kansas.com)

If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate thescience of human relationships – the ability of allpeoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the sameworld at peace. –Franklin D. Roosevelt

SPEEA News Update

SPEEA leaders with State Rep Jim Ward, Assistant Kansas HouseDemocratic Leader, on June 15. Ken Frazier, SPEEA Council

Secretary; Debbie Logsdon, SPEEA Council Chair; Representa-tive Jim Ward; Earl Carter, SPEEA Eboard MW Vice President

Restore Workers’ Freedom to Choose for Themselves Whether to Join a Union

WEU Negotiations continue withthe Spirit Company.The negotiations team had amember meeting on June 8 at theWichita Aviation Museum toupdate attendees on the status.Council Reps handed out fliers atthe Spirit gates on June 9. Thereare Red shirt Wednesday and Redshirt Fridays also going on. Weappreciate the NW support of ournegotiations.The Council Representativesenjoyed the SPEEA conference inSeattle. I have heard a lot of goodcomments. It was one of our best.This was a wonderful opportunityto bond with our brothers andsisters.L&PA held a member meeting June18th with Representative Jim Wardas the speaker. He brought us upto date on what the legislature hasaccomplished this year and whatthey didn’t get accomplished.He predicted that next year will bea bad budget year for the state,worse than this year due to theincreased unemployment. Hediscussed how they determinewhat to cut and how there aredifferent priorities for differentrepresentatives depending ongeography.Upcoming MAC events include theJuneteenth parade, and theWingnuts tailgate party before thebaseball game. They are alsoworking on getting vendors forour new win-win card.Heart Association – DonnaCastaneda headed up a SPEEAteam to work at the Heart Associa-tion Walk this last Saturday. Theyhanded our SPEEA information. Inaddition to this she also walkedand went over her personal goal ofa $1,000 donation.

The MW Council requested ourMW Tellers to review the possi-bility of redistricting the Boeingbuildings so that we could fill anadditional Council Representativeposition. This was approved bythe Tellers and the opening will beannounced in the next SPEEApublication.Spirit announced in a companynewsline they will be unilaterallychanging our tuition paymentbenefit from one where thecompany pays upfront to onewhere our members must paytuition first, and then wait until theend of the semester to get theirpayment back. We consider this asa negative change and shouldrequire bargaining with us. Bobplans on meeting with the com-pany on this issue.The Kansas Food Bank had a fooddrive while we were in Seattle atthe conference. Council officersapproved spending $200.00 fromthe Recruitment budget topurchase food for the drive. TheWichita staff purchased the foodand presented it to the radiostation for SPEEA members. Theywere on the radio and challengedthe other unions to meet ourdonation. There is a big shortageon food at the food bank due to somany layoffs in our area.Merits at Spirit will be as follows:Adjustment Effective - 6/15/09,Notices Distributed to Employees -6/22-7/6, and Adjustment Visibleon Paycheck - 7/9/09 (retro to 6/15)MW Committees – are in theprocess of reorganizing andhaving elections for officers. Newofficers for these committees arebeing sent to Terry Hall as they areaccomplished.

From Debbie Shepard, SPEEA, IFPTE 2001

A June 13 Wichita Eagle article featured Spirit WTPU member DougStukey and his wife, Becky. The couple has designed and built a traveltrailer based on retro teardrop designs.For the entire article and photo, go online to www.kansas.com/126/story/850698.htmlhttp://itg.teardrops.net

Excerpt:Reflections on travelingBy Mike Berry, The Wichita EagleDoug and Becky Stukey are putting the finishing touches on theircustom-designed handbuilt aluminum teardrop travel trailer, just in timeto attend the upcoming International Teardrop Gathering at Minden,Nebr., June 18-21.Not every memorable wheeled vehicle has a great powerplant hummingor rumbling under the hood. Doug Stukey realized that when he spottedhis first teardrop travel trailer rolling down the road in YellowstoneNational Park about 25 years ago.“I saw one behind a ’53-’54 pickup, but I never got a good look insideit,” he said. He and his wife, Becky, enjoyed traveling and camping atthe time and he thought, “You could pull that anywhere. It would be aneat little thing to overnight camp in.”But they remained tenting campers and thoughts of having their ownteardrop trailer faded a bit.“Then I got the bug again a few years back. Roger Mingle had his firstteardrop trailer at Lake Afton,” said Doug, who was impressed enoughto begin laying out his own design in masking tape on the floor of theStukey garage.That was about two years ago and this week, the Stukeys are preparingto take their shiny new polished aluminum custom-built trailer to thethird International Teardrop Gathering in Minden, Neb.“I wanted it to look like a vintage retro diner when we got done with it,”Doug said. The use of aqua “boomerang” pattern Formica and chromeribbed trim on the table tops and kitchen serving areas helps achievethat look. He designed his own aluminum ice box to keep drinks andfood cold on the road, and a stainless steel toaster oven and a slide-out2-burner propane cook top make hot meals a breeze.The original plan was to use a set of drawings of a “modernistic” 1940svintage teardrop trailer, but Stukey decided he didn’t really like the looksof it. His version is 10 feet long and weighs in at about 1,000 pounds. “Ibuilt it a little taller... to get some extra headroom,” he said.Interior accommodations feature a full-size bed, with air conditioningand warmth from a ceramic heater available from a 120-volt campgroundhookup. A 3-speed 12-volt skylight fan circulates interior air.The bed can be reformatted into a pair of couches that face each otheracross a two-piece collapsible table, which can be converted intooutside individual tables that attach to the side of the trailer.Doug Stukey designed his own chassis, complete with a spare tirecarrier and had his buddy, Charlie Timmons, weld it together beforepowder-coating the whole assembly. The trailer rides on a torsionsuspension setup that mounts chrome 13-inch wheels and tires.

July 20094 — The PlainDealer

Finished reading this issue of The PlainDealer? Pass it on to a laid-off brother or sister.

Green is GoodAs KAs KAs KAs KAs Kererererermit the Fmit the Fmit the Fmit the Fmit the Frrrrrooooog said,g said,g said,g said,g said, it’ it’ it’ it’ it’s not als not als not als not als not alwwwwwaaaaays easy being gys easy being gys easy being gys easy being gys easy being grrrrreen,een,een,een,een, b b b b but it ut it ut it ut it ut it can can can can can be prbe prbe prbe prbe profofofofofitaitaitaitaitabbbbble!le!le!le!le!RECYCLING IN KANSAS NEWSLETTER, Vol. 21, No. 6, June 2009Published by the Waste Control & Recycling Coalition; Margaret J. Miller, Editor, kanzania@yahoo.comCONSERVATION RATE ON ELECTRICITY FROM WESTARIf Westar customers can keep their electricity usage below 900 kWh per month, they will receive a lower rateunder the $130 million increase which Westar received from the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) andnow in effect. This change in rate design was proposed by the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board (CURB) whichsaw the change as a way to provide an affordable initial block of energy to all customers and also encourageconservation in the summer. All customers will receive the lower rate on the first 900 kWh, and if they don’t goover that usage, they will never jump up to the higher rate. CURB urges all customers to use less electricity,such as by installing programmable thermostats, replacing old appliances and sealing up drafty homes. Youreditor suggests spending time on hot days at the library or at malls; they are already air conditioned. Reducingdemand on electric generation plants in the dog days of summer will defer the need to build more plants.(CURBside News, May 2009)NEW WIND-POWER BUSINESS FOR HUTCHINSONSiemens Energy has selected Hutchinson as the site of a $50 million wind turbine plant. The plant will assemblenacelles, the structures at the top of wind towers that include the generators, gears and electronics. The first90-ton nacelle is expected to be shipped in December 2010. The plant will employ 400 workers. The company isalso building a service center on the site and there will probably be opportunities for many subcontractors. Thestate is providing forgivable loans and Reno County is giving $2 million in cash. Hutchinson will give Siemens109 acres in the Salt City Business Park. Local governments will build a rail spur.Gov. Mark Parkinson predicts the plant will anchor a new industry in Kansas. According to the American WindEnergy Assn., Kansas ranks third in the U.S. for its wind energy resource potential. Kansas now has about1,000 megawatts of wind energy. It helps that the Legislature passed a bill this session that gives $5 million towind energy manufacturers investing more than $30 million and creating 200 jobs. It is also good thatHutchinson is close to earlier wind-power development. Parkinson says that Siemens is an internationallyknown leader in wind turbine development. Siemens is based in Germany and is Europe’s largest engineeringconglomerate. (Wichita Eagle, May 6, 2009)GREEN BUILDING RIDES OUT THE RECESSION IN OHIOSeveral Ohio builders and architects that specialize in environmentally friendly building techniques say theirfocus on green construction has helped them in the recession.R.J. Perritt of Homes of Amherst, Ohio, says, “If we weren’t doing anything with the green concept, we’d bedead in the water.”Panzien Construction of Mayfield Village, Ohio, said it has seen very little drop in the number of green con-struction projects. In fact, this company says the “vast majority” of the company’s projects want to register forLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification through the U.S. Green BuildingCouncil. Most projects register while in the design stage.Ozanne Construction’s green construction efforts also have been insulated from the impact of the recession,said the project estimator for the Cleveland company.Doty & Miller Architects of Bedford say that 2007 and 2008 were its best years(Waste Recycling & News, April 27, 2009)RECYCLED COMPUTERS FROM OREGON TO GUATEMALANextStep Recycling, a computer recycling business in Eugene, Oregon, renovates computers due for thelandfill and loads them with Spanish and indigenous language software and ships them to Guatemala. There,INEPAS, a non-profit organization in Guatemala, places the computers in schools where parent councils haverequested them. These parents volunteer their time, sometimes even their scarce cash, to keep the machinesclean, secure and in good repair. Most of the computers are placed in poor areas where only 1% of publicschools have computers. Many of the parents are illiterate. But they see the value of learning to use computersfor their children. (Eugene Register-Guard, March 21, 2009)IN A NEW GERMAN SUBURB, LIFE GOES ON WITHOUT CARSIn Vauban, Germany, the 5500 people live without private cars. In fact, street parking, driveways and homegarages are generally forbidden. Housing is in row houses, 4 or 5 stories high, designed to save energy. Everyhome is a short walking distance from transportation to a large city, Freiburg, near the French/Swiss border.Automobiles can be rented for longer trips. Many of the residents of Vauban have given up their cars to livethere. In California, the Hayward area planning association is developing a Vauban-like community calledQuarry Village on the outskirts of Oakland with access to the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART).(New York Times, May 12, 2009)DENVER TAXI COMPANY GOING ALL GREENMetro Taxi of Denver is switching its fleet from conventional to hybrid vehicles. It is also using the used oilfrom its vehicles for heating, and is recycling a couple of thousand tires every year. Retired Master SergeantBrian Horvath is using his expertise from a 20-year career in the U.S. Army to improve the taxi company’sperformance. Since Denver is closer to the ozone layer, they need to reduce their carbon footprint. They areusing specially made furnaces from Clean Burn Inc. to burn used oil. Horvath says that Metro will be able tosave 2.7 million gallons of fuel annually once the fleet is completely converted.

Sedgwick County ExtensionOffers Program on EstatePlanning and End-of-life IssuesA program developed by KansasState University CooperativeExtension Service (CES) on estateplanning and end-of-life issues willbe presented on Tuesdays fromJuly 28 to August 18, 2:00 p.m atthe Sedgwick County ExtensionEducation Center in Wichita.Called “Legally Secure YourFinancial Future: Organize,Communicate, Prepare,” it willfeature talks by Sedgwick CountyExtension Educator Sarah Taylor,attorney Cathleen A. Gulledge, andhealth care professional CarolynHarrison.To register for the event, whichcosts $10, contact Anita Monarezby July 22 at 316-660-0100 oramonarez@ksu.eduAccording to Sarah Taylor,Sedgwick County ExtensionEducator, a large proportion ofAmericans die without a will or anadvanced health directive.“Many people believe thatproperty will automatically pass onto their heirs without complica-tions,” she notes.

“Some people just never getaround to making legal arrange-ments to protect their survivors.Others have the mistaken beliefthat assets have to be of a certainsize before the heirs will beaffected by a tax liability, the ideathat estate planning is notimportant for young parents,concerns about the cost ofpreparing wills and importantdocuments, and discomfort aboutdiscussing end-of-life issues withfamily members,” Taylor explains.She says information will bepresented to participants to helpthem understand the kinds ofpersonal information to gather,organize, and store so that familymembers can easily access them;recognize the legal documents thatare essential in estate planning;realize the importance of familycommunication about legal issues;know how to select and work withan attorney; and learn how toprepare a plan to protect, distrib-ute, and transfer their assets.

The PlainDealer — 5July 2009

Read The PlainDealer online through a link at www.D70iam.org!

Another Union Member SharesFrustrating Unemployment Experience[The following is a letter to the editor from a reader of The PlainDealer in response to an article and Letterto the Editor in previous issues. I contacted the Kansas Department of Labor with some of these concerns andhave included a response letter on the first page of this issue.I am interested to hear about other readers’ experiences, good and bad. Please send your stories toThePlainDealer@d70iam.org]

By Corey Rink, June 4, 2009After reading Ken Baker’s letter inmy recent copy of The PlainDealer, I felt it was necessary toshare my experiences as well.I too was laid off on April 8 fromHBC. I knew that I would have anissue with claiming benefits since Ihave been going back to schoolpart time to finish my degree inElectrical Engineering and one ofthe State’s questions asks if youare entering or attending school. Iwas on their website immediatelyobtaining the correct form that Iwould need to fill out and send in.During an information session forlaid off workers, which took placeat HBC, I asked a State representa-tive from the Department of Laborexactly what process I needed tofollow. She mentioned the form,but said I should wait to fax it untilI had received paperwork from theState. This was to ensure that Iwas in their system first.Once I received my paperwork, Ithen faxed my completed form.Then I just sat back and waitedpatiently, knowing it could takesome time with all the people outof work. I was checking my claimstatus online daily.After about a week and a half ortwo, my status showed that I wasdisqualified and a determinationnotice was sent. It was aboutanother four or five days after that,when it arrived. It said thatalthough I had filled out therequired form, the information wasinsufficient. It also said that anattempt was made to contact theclaimant for additional informationbut no response had beenreceived. That was odd, because Idid not recall anyone calling me,so I checked the caller id anddetermined that they possiblycalled from a “private number”.However, no one left any messageon my machine!Next began my barrage of phonecalls, or rather my attempts to getthrough. The first problem withtheir phone system is that youspend the first five minutes goingthrough menus and entering

information with your telephonekeypad just to find out that if toomany people are on hold, youmust call back later. How annoy-ing! I quickly developed thememorization of my entire se-quence of numbers to enter andwhen in the menus I could do sowithout waiting to hear theinstructions. It did not help thatmuch since inevitably I wasprompted to “try my call againlater.” It did not matter that theyhad extended hours; I tried early inthe morning, midday, and late atnight. On average, it took about anhour and a half or two of constantdialing, hanging up, and dialingagain before I made it into thequeue. It was such a feeling ofaccomplishment just to be on holdfinally, which lasted about 30minutes.The first person I spoke with didnot seem to know what was goingon. I explained my situation indetail, but it did not seem to help,so he asked if I could hold, which Idid. After he came back, and bythe end of the conversation, hisanswer was just repeating thewords that were written on mydetermination notice.I asked if there was anyone elsethat might be able to assist withthe situation, and he said all theycan do is put in a request for asupervisor callback. He said thatsomeone would call back within 24hours. That was on Fridaymorning, so I did not expect tohear anything until Monday, but itwas Tuesday when I had amessage on the machine. It wasindeed from a private number, butthis time they left a message. Alady said what they needed wasvery simple and should be easy.On my form, there was an area fora graduation date. I had put downa month and year, but they neededa month, DAY, and year. She left anew fax number and her name. Iimmediately amended my form andwrote a letter of explanation andfaxed everything to Topeka. Again,I waited…Two weeks later, I decided to trymy luck at the phone queue again

to see if I could get some answers.Once I made contact with some-one, I asked for by name thewoman that left me the message. Iwas told that they were notallowed to let me request to speakwith someone in particular. Theyput me on hold and went to speakwith the woman in question. Theycame back and said they spokewith her, and she said the fax wasreceived and it was in the depart-ment that took care of such formsand decisions. So I waited somemore… about another week, beforecalling again. This time, no oneseemed to know what washappening or where my stuff wasat, so they requested I resend myinformation. So, back to the faxmachine I went along with anotherletter I wrote to explain where inthe process everything was.Another week went by and therewas no change in my statusonline, but by this time, I had beenanswering ‘No’ to their questionabout school, since the semesterhad ended. Now I was alsointerested why my change instatus was not being reflected onmy account. The person I spokewith on this day did not have anyanswers for me either. She said theAppeals Department had myinformation and they were waitingto schedule my hearing. (Once Iinitially received the disqualifica-tion notice, I wrote a letter ofappeal so that I would cover mybutt just in case the bureaucracyof the government screwed thingsup).She gave me the number to theappeals department, whom Iimmediately called. They informedme that my first determination wasin line to be scheduled. I stoppedher and asked ‘“First… how manydeterminations do I have.” Shesaid two, but she did not have anyinformation on them. So, back tothe phone queue lottery Igo…This time, the lady I spokewith was the most helpful ofanyone to date. I asked her if theykept notes on my account so Iwould not have to explain every-thing all over. They did. She asked

if I could hold while she spokewith her supervisor and I told her“absolutely.” When she cameback, she said that I had beenmore than cooperative in provid-ing them with all of the informationrequested and she thought shecould get everything squaredaway. I was elated!She put me on hold one more time,and when she returned she saidthat everything was taken care ofand I should receive my debit cardand all that good stuff. That waslast Friday and today is Thursday.As I write this, I am still waiting toreceive my benefits in the mailfrom the state. It has been eightweeks and counting since the

layoff and no benefits. And nowschool has started for the summer,but my classes are during theevening and thus will not ‘inter-fere’ with me being available forwork. I was told just to call back inand they would code my accountso it would not affect my benefits.I asked if there was someone or anextension I could call to do that.Again, I was told no, but they areno longer on extended hours ofoperation, so all representativesare present and available to takecalls.Hmmmph.So it looks like I will have to pressmy luck with dialing into theirphone system yet again. Joy.

Farmers Union, Others, Present atKPC MeetingFrom Jim Herrmann, Kansas Progressive CaucusThe Kansas Progressive Caucus met Saturday, June 6, at the Emporiapublic library. The meeting opened with kind remarks and a moment ofsilence in respect for Dr. George Tiller, who was killed May 31 and whosefuneral was also on June 6 in Wichita.The morning agenda included discussion of the 105-county strategy, theupcoming legislative agenda, organizing fund raisers, parade participa-tion, the recent energy bill, and the “prograssive” medical marijuanamovement.After lunch there were presentations from speakers Don Teske, CharlesSchollenberger, and Sen. Chris Steineger.Don Teske, president of the Kansas Farmers Union, presented a slideprogram on the history of the Kansas Farmers Union. In addition to oldphotos and the accompanying stories, he showed slides of the Presiden-tial inauguration in January. The National Farmers Union has officespace very close to capitol hill, and Don got good tickets through them.He was close enough to actually see Obama, which is better than can besaid for most of the people in attendence. Don mentioned that theFarmers Union has historically supported Democrats and progressivecauses, while Farm Bureau has historically supported Republicans andconservative causes.A possible candidate for U.S. Senate, Charles Schollenberger gave amostly biographical speech to inroduce himself, including where hecomes from and a bit about his progressive values. He believes that astrong populist progressive message can resonate with Kansas moder-ate Republicans and Democrats alike. His background is in journalism.State Senator Chris Steineger is considering running for Governor. Chrisexplained why he believes that he has the right combination of skills andpositions to appeal to the majority of Kansans. He is exploring a maincampaign theme with a combination of environmental responsibility andfiscal responsibility — ideas, he says, that are not mutually exclusive,but fit together rather well.

July 20096 — The PlainDealer

Finished reading this issue of The PlainDealer? Pass it on to a laid-off brother or sister.

Direct PipelinePLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS LU441

Richard L. Taylor, Business Managerand Financial Secretary-Treasurer

LocallyAs of May 1st a new Contractor, Mid-American Water and Plumbing Inc., becamesignatory to Local 441. Mid-American is a Contractor that has been in business for overtwenty years and is located in Manhattan. Organizer/Agent Phil Petty is primarilyresponsible for signing this new contractor and was also successful in organizing all oftheir current employees that perform plumbing and pipefitting work for the companytotaling 22 new members. The new members include a mixture of Journeymen andApprentices at various years of classification. As the opportunity arises for you to meetthese new members, please make them feel welcomed as new members of Local 441. Mid-American has proven to be very aggressive and has bid several projects over the pastcouple of months. One most notably that Mid-American was successful on is the Marysville HospitalProject that will start late summer or early fall.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 deaths of Brother Gerald E. McEachern, 65, Ret. Pipefitter, residing in ElDorado, KS, passed away on May 18, 2009, Brother Bernard A. Vande Velde, 77, Ret. Pipefitter, residingin Topeka, KS, passed away on May 28, 2009, Brother Mike R. Sporn, 44, Pipefitter, residing in Wichita,KS, passed away on May 30, 2009 and Brother Harold M. Burns, 81, Ret. Pipefitter, residing in Cherokee,KS, passed away on May 31, 2009. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with their families.PoliticalAlthough obvious political activities have slowed with the wrapping up of the Legislative Session and2009 not being an election year, we must still maintain contact with our political leaders. The preparationthat is involved in attempting to change or restructure current bills or laws is a lengthy process. It is nottoo early to start laying the groundwork to make changes at the state level during next year’s sessionthat can affect labor in a positive way. One item that is at the top of our agenda is to bring back stateprevailing wage.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 month at 7:00 PM at theUnion Hall located at 1330 East First Street in Wichita. If other meetings are scheduled, you will be dulynotified.NOTE: We have recently upgraded our system used to teleconference the monthlyUnion meetings. Please take the opportunity to attend a meeting in your area. Thenew system has much better sound and video quality and is being provided at noadditional cost to Local 441.Retirees ClubThe next Retirees meetings will be on July 1st, August 5th, and September 2nd at 10a.m. at the Hall. Please come 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 Hawver 6/15/09Remember back in February, about Valentine’sDay, when the state needed to borrow somemoney from idle accounts to put into the State

General Fund or some 40,000 Kansas employees wouldn’t be paid?Remember legislative leaders wailing that their constituents were beingheld hostage by the governor, used as a club to force them to allow thatinternal borrowing that the governor wanted to do but the Legislaturewasn’t keen on?It was a pretty interesting little showdown. And, by the way, the Legisla-ture lost. There were some other things going on, but finally, theLegislature’s top leaders went along with the borrowing because theywere basically not prepared to go home for the weekend and faceconstituents who didn’t get a paycheck on that mid-February Friday.Well, legislators were mad; they realized that if there is one ultimatepolitical lever that a governor can use to get what the governor wants, itis probably not paying lawmakers’ constituents.And…that’s all over now.It was quiet, nobody paid much attention to it, but in the last hours ofthe 2009 Legislature, a bill got passed and eventually signed into lawthat will never allow state employees-not just the “regular” folk whowork for state agencies, but also members of the Kansas National Guardwho are essentially the prom queens of the state payroll – to be used ashostages by an administration to force lawmakers to approve internalborrowing.The administration can put a halt on payments to school districts, touniversities, hold back payments to contractors or maybe delay pay-ments to others, but state employees are off the table.Is this a big deal? Yes.Almost immediately after July 1 passes and the state begins a new fiscalyear with virtually no money in the bank, legislative leaders are going tobe asked to approve more of that internal borrowing-probably the samemoney that the state will repay on the last day of June to square up thebooks.If the leaders OK the borrowing, well, that’s just the course of business.But if they want to dissect just what that newly borrowed money will beused for, they won’t have to worry that the paychecks of their stateemployee-constituents are on the line.In a time of tight budgets, the balance of power shifts, just a little, towardthe Legislature. We’ll see where that takes lawmakers…Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawveris publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. www.hawvernews.com

Laid off, but want to continue to receive The PlainDealer?Losing a job means losing so much more than just employment. It impacts many other

subtle physical and psychological effects: Losing a social environment and peers; a placeto make a contribution of skills; job and associative benefits.

Laid-off union workers who would like to continue to receive The PlainDealer cansubscribe at a greatly-reduced rate of just $6 a year. Contact Melanie Jenney,

Editor of The PlainDealer, at (316) 529-8513 for more information.Archived issues are available online at www.D70iam.org. (Look for the link in the right column.)

The PlainDealer — 7July 2009

Read The PlainDealer online through a link at www.D70iam.org!

LOCAL UNION BULLETIN BOARD

Hammond, Zongker & Farris, L.L.C.ATTORNEYS AT LAWCity, State, Federal, Trial & Appellate Practice

•THOMAS E. HAMMOND

•JAMES B. ZONGKER

•DAVID H. FARRIS

Cases involving:Workers Compensation,

Auto Accidents,Injury and Wrongful Death

NO RECOVERY • NO FEEFREE INITIAL CONSULTATION

262-6800727 N. Waco • River Park Plaza • Wichita

Mailing Address:P. O. Box 47370 • Wichita, KS • 67201

Thursday, July 2Operating Engineers LU101— Regular Meeting, 7 p.m., 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaWednesday, July 8IBEW 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, July 9SPEEA— Midwest Council Meeting, 973 S. Glendale, WichitaWichita Area Union Label— E-board, 6:30 p.m.; Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.mSaturday, July 11Machinists 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, WichitaMachinists LL639— E-board Meeting 8 a.m., Regular meeting 9 a.m.Machinists LL733— Regular meeting at 2 p.m.Sunday, July 12APWU Local 735— Regular Meeting,8 a.m, 6920 W. Pueblo, WichitaMonday, July 13NALC 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, July 14Machinists 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, July 15SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001— Governing Documents Committee, 5 p.m.,

973 S. Glendale, WichitaThursday, July 16Salina Labor Federation— Regular Meeting, 7 p.m., 2055 S. Ohio, SalinaSteelworkers Local 13417— Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.m., 530 E. Harry, WichitaSaturday, July 18Machinists 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, WichitaMonday, July 20SPEEA/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, July 21CWA Local 6402— Membership Meeting, 6:30 p.m., 530 E. Harry, WichitaThursday, July 23Wichita Hutchinson Labor Fed— 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., 3219 W. Central Ave., WichitaSaturday, July 25Graphics Union Local 575— 10 a.m., 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaThursday, July 30District 70 Retirees— Luncheon, 11:45 a.m., 3830 S. Meridian, Wichita

The community service committee of Local Lodge 774, IAMAW, has started a reduced-cost food deliveryprogram through Prairie Land Food, a Kansas-based non-profit organization.“This is a way our committee could help not only our members but everyone in our community,” said BobGainer, a member of the community service commit-tee. “This is open to the public and we need a lot ofhelp to spread the word.”Other members of the committee are Andre Triplett,Charlotte Washington, Jacquie Sazama and MartinEddy.The program offers a low-cost monthly nutritiousgrocery package. The basic “Prairie Pak” includesan assortment of frozen meats, fresh fruits andvegetables for $20 (plus $3 transportation fee). Add-on selections of meats or fruits and vegetables areavailable for a small additional fee.Prairie Land Food is not a government-fundedprogram and there are no income guidelines. Theprogram is participation-driven: The more peoplewho participate, the greater the cumulative buyingpower.Some of the proceeds have found themselves goingback into communities in the form of developmentgrants, and plans are underway to start a scholar-ship program for Kansas youth.For more information or to arrange a presentation toyour organization, contact me at rgainer@cox.net orby phone at 316-838-8289. The contact at PrairieLand Food is June Glasgow,june@prairielandfood.com, or call (800) 998-9436.“Please feel free to call me if you have any ques-tions or if you would like to attend our meeting,”said Gainer, “and we would also be glad to haveanyone show up on distribution day to volunteer.”“We want this to become a big deal!”

Tighten Your Budget Belt Through Prairie LandFood Program From Robert Gainer, LL 774 Community Service Committee

Faces and Features: Laid-Off Workers CenterCall July 20 – 24 to set up August appointment at the Laid-Off Workers CenterUnited Way of the Plains will take calls July 20 – 24 to set up appointments for the Laid-Off Workers Center’sAugust session.To set up an appointment, individuals must call United Way’s information number by dialing 2-1-1 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (this is a toll-free number). For those having difficulties dialing 2-1-1 through theirphone provider, call 1-888-413-4327. The center will be open on a monthly basis as needed beyond July.The tentative schedule is:August 2009 Session – Aug. 3 (additional days as needed)Call for appointment: July 20 – 24 September 2009 Session – Aug. 31Call for appointment: Aug. 17 – 21 October 2009 Session – Oct. 5Call for appointment: Sept. 21 – 25

Union Members Turn Out to RaiseMoney at the 2009 Greater WichitaStart! Heart WalkSaturday, June 13, was a perfect day for a walk. The exercisewas good, and so was the cause: The 2009 Greater WichitaStart! Heart Walk!The event took place in Cessna Stadium at Wichita StateUniversity.

Tallgrass Third Thursday: Recharge with FUELThe Wichita Association for theMotion Picture Arts (WAMPA)and the Tallgrass Film Festival willpresent FUEL, the Best Documen-tary Audience Award winner of the2008 Sundance Film Festival, asthe Tallgrass Third Thursdayselection for July. The filminvestigates the possible replace-ment of fossil fuels with renewableenergy. It will screen at 7 p.m., July16 at the Warren East Theatre(11611 E. 13th St.). Tickets for thescreening are $9 general admis-sion and $8 for students andseniors. The film will be followedby a panel discussion and directorJosh Tickell, who will be inattendance.FUEL is an insightful portrait ofAmerica’s addiction to oil and anuplifting testament to the imme-diacy of new energy solutions.Tickell, a young activist andrecently appointed U.N. GoodwillAmbassador, shuttles us on awhirlwind journey to track the

rising domination of the petro-chemical industry — fromRockefeller’s strategy to haltFord’s first ethanol cars to VicePresident Cheney’s petrochemicalcompany sponsored energylegislation — and reveals a gamutof available solutions to “repowerAmerica” — from vertical farmsthat occupy skyscrapers to algaefacilities that turn wastewater intofuel.Tickell and a surprising array ofenvironmentalists, policy makers,and entertainment notables take usthrough America’s complicated,often ignominious energy past andilluminate a hopeful, achievablefuture, where decentralized,sustainable living is not onlypossible, it’s imperative.The film includes appearances bynotables and celebrities includingRichard Branson, Sheryl Crow,Larry David, Larry Hagman,Woody Harrelson, RobertKennedy Jr, Willie Nelson, Julia

Roberts and Neil Young (whorecently had a 1959 LincolnContinental retrofitted to run as anelectric vehicle right here inWichita). Besides the Sundanceaward, the film has garnerednumerous other awards at FilmFestivals during the past year.Founded in 2003 by the late TimothyGruver, the Tallgrass Film Festival is aprogram of the Wichita Association for theMotion Picture Arts (WAMPA), a non-profit501©3 arts organization dedicated toentertaining and enlightening audiences fromAmerica’s Heartland.

Laure Kendall, Case Work Supervisor, andRosa Arrieta, Case Worker

John McCarthy, FoodBank WarehouseOperator, and Dave Potts.

(Back Row, L-R) Margaret Newland, Wichita Workforce Center; MarySchmidt, SRS; Brenda WIngate, Consumer Credit Counseling Services;Mark Stump, United Way; Pamaline King-Burns, Center for Health Equity.

(Front Row, L-R) Dena Purkey, Salvation Army Emergency SocialServices; Sequana Kimbrel, City of Wichita Career Development; Bev

Baalman, COMCARE of Sedgwick County.

Missing a Familiar Face?Huberta (Ast) Sherbon recently retired after 45years with District 70, IAMAW. She was afamiliar face at the Machinists’ Hall, and we willmiss her spunky style.“It was never boring with Bert around!” saidJudy Pierce, Secretary/Treasurer of District 70.

[Photo: Huberta Ast, left, ather June 4th retirement

shindig, with Judy Pierce.]

View an online slide show of the 2009 American Heart Walk (courtesy of Larryand LindaWilson) at www.flickr.com/photos/36087328@N08/sets/72157619398607222/show/

View an online slide show of Huberta’s Retirement party (courtesy of Larry Wilson)at www.flickr.com/photos/36087328@N08/sets/72157619398607222/show/

Donations to theLaid-Off Workers Fundto help provide funding for emergency

assistance to laid-off workers can be madewith checks payable to “United Way Laid-OffWorkers Fund” and mailed to United Way ofthe Plains, 245 N. Water, Wichita, KS 67202.

SPEEA and IAMAWmembers were

among those whoraised money forheart research atthe 2009 Walk.

For more information onthe event, see Local Lodge 733’s

insert to this newspaper.