JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A major Republican donor, David Humphreys, who had been relatively quiet donated half a million dollars to a new committee Sept. 15 that is rumored to be targeting Republicans that support Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of Right-to-Work legislation.
Days ago, the “Committee for Accountable Government in Missouri” filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission and Humphreys, President and CEO of Joplin-based Tamko Building Products and a longtime generous Republican donor, dropped $500K into the committee.
Read more from The Missouri Times.
Author: paul
Rising out of the Nevada desert is Las Vegas’s newest addition to its entertainment lineup. The $375 million arena will be a destination for sports fans and tourists looking to escape the heat in a new 20,000 seat arena encased in an envelope of copper. The project, located west of the Las Vegas Strip between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo hotels, is financed by MGM Resorts and the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).
Crown Corr is the contractor responsible for the building’s unique copper siding that will make it stand out—even in Las Vegas’ iconic and visually busy skyline.
While the building’s main purpose is to house a potential NHL franchise beginning in 2017, the facility will also be used to house NBA games; boxing and UFC matches; and concerts and special events.
Contractor Praises Union Crews
Crown Corr is expected to employ several hundred Sheet Metal Local 88 members during the coming year. They will be fabricating approximately 19,000 square feet of metal shingles along with 140,000 square feet of panels for inside and outside the arena. Bill Belanger, Crown Corr’s site superintendent, raved about the Local 88 members on the job, saying he has, “worked all around the 
United States installing architectural panel systems, and the manpower from local 88 is second to none.” “The employees that we have on this site—from Journeyman to Apprentices—are the most prideful and safety conscious group I have had the pleasure to work with.” Referring to the complicated and technical process required to complete a contract of this magnitude, Bellanger noted that, “the installation of the panel system on this project is not only difficult, but extremely tight in tolerance, which must be maintained for proper fit and finish. This seamless execution of this work exhibits Union Pride.”
Quality Mechanical, one of Local 88’s largest contractors, is also performing work on the arena project. Bob Sidebottom, their sheet metal general foreman for the project, noted that, “we’ve been looking forward to doing this project. It presents some unique challenges that our team has handled admirably. This job will be an example of our craftsmanship and our ability to bring a project in on budget.”
THE LAS VEGAS ARENA, OWNED BY AEG AND MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL, IS BEING CONSTRUCTED BY HUNT -PENTA, A JOINT VENTURE.
Union members are making sure Missouri Republican lawmakers who voted against ‘right-to-work’ earlier this year know that they will have union support during the next election.
Missouri’s chapter of the AFL-CIO held a rally and knocked on doors Saturday in Jefferson County ahead of the General Assembly’s veto session next Wednesday. That’s when a vote to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a “right-to-work” bill could be brought to the floor. The measure would bar making union dues a condition of employment. Currently a business or union can require dues when a majority of workers have voted to organize.
Read more from St. Louis Public Radio.
Jefferson City, Mo. — Not enough Missouri lawmakers appear to support a contentious right-to-work measure to overturn Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of the bill, an Associated Press analysis shows.
Interviews with lawmakers indicate House Republicans in favor of right to work are short of the needed two-thirds majority required to overturn Nixon’s veto heading into Wednesday’s legislative session.
At least nine of the 23 Republican House members who voted against the legislation in May told AP they plan to support Nixon’s veto if the proposal is brought up for an override vote, and another has publicly said she still opposes right to work. The bill would prohibit workplace contracts that require union fees to be collected from nonmembers.
Read more from Springfield News-Leader.
MADISON, Wis.—Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker on Monday will call for sweeping restrictions on organized labor in the U.S., seeking to replicate nationwide his successful effort as Wisconsin’s governor to curb the power of unions.
At a town hall meeting in Las Vegas, Walker will propose eliminating unions for employees of the federal government, making all workplaces right-to-work unless individual states vote otherwise, scrapping the federal agency that oversees unfair labor practices and making it more difficult for unions to organize.
Many of Walker’s proposals are focused on unions for workers at all levels of government, while others would also affect private-sector unions. Labor law experts said such an effort, if successful, would substantially reduce the power of organized labor in America.
Read more from Yahoo.com.
A new Canadian study has found that unionized construction workers reported 23 percent fewer injuries that require time off than their non-unionized counterparts. The study was conducted by the Institute for Work and Health and focused on the time period between the years 2006 to 2012. It was published by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and is the first peer reviewed Canadian study to investigate union safety in Ontario’s construction industry.
The study focused on claims from over 40,000 construction firms. The study also found that while unionized firms filed fewer claims for injuries that required time off, they actually filed more claims for injuries which resulted in “no lost time.” According to Institute for Work & Health Senior Scientist Dr. Ben Amick, co-lead investigator on the study:
“These findings suggest that unionized workers are encouraged to report injuries, including injuries that don’t require time away from the job. At the same time, these reporting practices enable construction unions to better identify and proactively manage workplace hazards that lead to injury.”
The journal article concludes that apprenticeships and more of a focus on safety and training requirements allow union workers to report incidents without fear of retaliation. You can read more here via We Party Patriots.
On September 8, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law legislation requiring that all freight trains and light engines are operated by a crew of at least two individuals. This critical legislation will protect SMART TD jobs, support the health of the Railroad Retirement trust fund and make California’s railroads — and the communities that surround them — safer.
By Missouri Governor Jay Nixon
We celebrate Labor Day to honor American workers and the role they continue to play in creating a strong and prosperous nation. Labor Day reminds us that the rights won by the labor movement benefit all workers, and calls us to keep fighting to keep the American Dream alive for every Missouri family.
Skilled workers build our homes, teach our kids, keep our streets safe, and maintain our roads and bridges. Here in Missouri, skilled union labor builds the best-selling truck in America, the Ford F-150, and the 2015 Motor Trend Truck of the Year, the Chevy Colorado. Union hands build the F/A-18, the nation’s first strike-fighter that continues to fight terror and protect our servicemen and women around the globe.
Read more from Labor Tribune.
This Labor Day, we recognize the incredible achievements of North America’s working people and celebrate the men and women whose hard work make our nations prosper.
We recognize there are many who are frustrated because despite all the vital contributions we make, too many of us struggle to support our families. Working families in both the U.S. and Canada have sacrificed tremendously and are more productive than ever, yet many of our friends and neighbors are not seeing the rewards for their work.
At SMART, we are making inroads towards addressing these problems and other challenges members and those working in our industries face each and every day. We are fighting back and organizing the unorganized. We are doing this in places like Bushnell, Florida where we gained over one hundred new members last month during the course of a large scale organizing campaign. We are seeing the fruits of our labor by finding new sources and avenues for work in the deep south, like the new work opportunities throughout the Southwest and Southeast U.S. that will be secured by whoever can be first to fill the work. Your Union is working aggressively to ensure those positions are filled by SMART members in order to strengthen a lasting industry relationship to ensure continuous work for all of us in the future.
In the Transportation Division, we are looking forward to a stronger, more united future. We are sharing resources and ideas, like those seen at recent workshops for local Union Leadership at the SMART TD Leadership Conferences. The more we share and learn from each other, the faster and more efficiently we can grow together to secure the promise of a better future.
And lastly, we are looking to kick off a new Union Label Campaign for those of you working in the Sheet Metal Industry. Those of you who come across the SMART Union Label at work will be receiving important information in the mail about the campaign in the coming weeks. You will be using new technology, through your mobile phone, to help you perform these functions.
This Labor Day, let’s celebrate working families, speak out for the aggressive change we need to promote a better future, stand together in solidarity and work to ensure our Union grows and prospers together, for the benefit of all our members.
Fraternally,
Joseph J. Sellers, Jr.
SMART General President
Richard L. McClees
SMART General Secretary-Treasurer
Almost half of states in the United States today are right to work states. ‘Right to work’ is a statute or law that prohibits union security agreements between labor unions and employers. These laws govern the extent to which an established union cannot require an employee’s membership, payment of union dues or fees as a condition of employment either before or after hiring.
The Taft-Hartley Act created a law for this provision. It supersedes, but continues most of the provisions of the NLRB (National Labor Relation Board). In addition, it provides for an 80-day injunction against strikes that endanger public health and safety, and bans closed shops, secondary boycotts, jurisdictional strikes and certain other union practices. Since 2000, four states have become a ‘Right to work’ state.
These laws represent challenges for unions to promote the welfare of their members and workers in general. Some of our bus locals operate under these laws, which can make our work more difficult, but not impossible.
Organizing and representing our current and new membership is a common goal that we all can share in our locals. We should organize on a regular basis. As an officer, organizing can be an asset to the local’s membership. Keeping organizing at the forefront of membership makes everyone a part of the team.
Representation is critical. Let’s know our agreement and be prompt with answers to membership questions. As members, let’s talk about the importance of your union, (what it provides, working conditions, safety and what it has done for you). Be involved by attending union meetings and union functions that the locals may have. Encourage your brothers and sisters to attend as well. And most importantly, ask questions.
Some locals have adopted new-employee orientations. This gives employees a first-hand opportunity to meet their local representatives and for them to interpret the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Additionally, it gives representatives an opportunity to explain how the union works in an employee’s best interest.
Together, we are powerful with greater and engaged membership!