SPEEA secures improvements from Spirit - Union recommends members accept offer

With membership rising and pressure increasing, management at Spirit AeroSystems today presented a new and improved contract offer to 783 engineers represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001.

If ratified by a union member vote, the new 3 ½-year contract will provide a 3 percent bonus, annual salary increases and ensure engineers are compensated for all overtime hours above the regular 40-hour workweek. Employees will see medical premiums increase from 10 to 15 percent, for the life of the contract. MORE.

I Remember Crystal Lee Sutton--the Real Norma Rae

by Harold Schletweg
Business Representative SEIU 513

I just learned Crystal Lee Sutton died in early September. She was the real "Norma Rae." I worked with her in North Carolina in the late 1970s on an organizing project for the Textile Workers Union. She was someone who truly cared about her co-workers.

I had just moved to Greensboro from Louisville to work on the project directed by Pete Brandon. I only had what I could load in my car. She gave me silverware, dishes and glasses.

She also loaned me her staff car so I could visit my uncle in South Carolina when I attended a union conference in Spartansburg (at the time, the Textile Workers were employing her for public relations as the movie Norma Rae had come out not long before and the J.P. Stevens boycott had just concluded successfully and they were focusing on Cannon Mills). MORE

Rogers to Receive NAACP Award

Rita Rogers, assistant directing business manager for IAM District 70 will receive the prestigious Ronald A Walters Civic Leadership Award at the Wichita Branch NAACP 65th Annual Legacy Awards Banquet on October 17th. There is a reception beginning at 6pm Wichita The event will be held at the Marriott Hotel Tickets ($60)are on sale now!

For ticket info or reservations contact tickets@wichitanaacp.org

What's Happening with KPERs?

We have all read the newspapers across the state claiming that KPERs is bankrupt and the system is antiquated. KPERs is NOT bankrupt and beneficiaries will still continue to receive their pensions. These false statements only make employees nervous in these uncertain times. So what is happening?

The House Appropriations Committee is meeting October 12th and 13th to discuss possible changes to the KPERs plans. This could mean that they want to change your pension to a 401(k).

The following is a statement from Kansas State Treasurer McKinney:

“The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System is not bankrupt. Currently there is over $11 billion in assets being held by KPERS. However, it is clear to see that a problem lies ahead in the extended future. This situation exists primarily because the state has not contributed at actuarially required levels for the past 15 years. The sooner that we act on this problem the easier it will be to navigate a solution.”

“Retirees and those close to retiring are the safest in the system as it stands right now. But as I discuss the issue with current employees it is clear to me that workers are willing to do their part to make the system work better for everyone. However, the first burden is on the state to meet its obligations.”

“Using the term bankrupt to describe KPERS is reckless and needlessly scares our teachers, corrections officers, and other state employees that have dedicated their lives to helping other Kansans. These people work hard each day and do not deserve to live in fear of not having the ability to retire. This problem is manageable. Now is the time to get our heads together to come up with solutions. The sooner that we act the easier it is going to be to get us on the right track.”

Babich to serve on state high court nominating committee

Paul Babich has been appointed to serve on the State Supreme Court Nominating Committee by the Governor Mark Parkinson. .

The nominating committee recommends candidates for appointments to the Kansas Supreme Court and the Kansas Court of Appeals. Babich will be one of four public members on the board and will represent the 4th Congressional District.

Babich taught in Wichita public schools for 30 years. He recently retired as president of the United Teachers of Wichita, and has served on the Kansas NEA Board of Directors. 

First Annual Midwest Union Sportsmen's Alliance Clay Shoot

You’re Cordially Invited to participate in this special event as a sponsor, as an individual shooter, or by sponsoring a group of four from your organization. Awards will be given for the highest scoring teams (organizations) and top individual shooters (Lewis class). First time shooters are welcome and encouraged to participate. All proceeds from this event support the USA and TRCP to “help guarantee all of us a place to hunt, fish and shoot.”

WHEN: FRIDAY, October 23, 2009 Registration 8:00 a.m. sharp! ? Shotgun start 9:30 a.m. Lunch and raffle to follow Please note: New Shooter Instruction from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.

WHERE: Saddle and Sirloin Shooting Sports 14401 Holmes Road Kansas City, MO 64145 ? (816) 942-7625

The Union Sportsmen's Alliance is a project of the AFL-CIO and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Project.

Click HERE to download a flyer with complete details and a registration form.

This Week in Labor History

September 30 29 strike leaders are charged with treason – plotting "to incite insurrection, rebellion & war against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" – for daring to strike the Carnegie Steel Co. in Homestead, Pa. Jurors refuse to convict them - 1892

October 1 The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) was signed by President Nixon requiring medium to large employers to provide safe and healthy workplaces - 1970

October 2 Joining with 400,000 coal miners already on strike, 500,000 CIO steel workers close down the nation’s foundries, steel and Iron mills, demanding pensions and better wages and working conditions - 1949

Starbucks Workers Union baristas at an outlet in East Grand Rapids, Mich., organized by the IWW, win their grievances after the National Labor Relations Board cites the company for labor law violations, including threats against union activists - 2007

October 3 The United Auto Workers calls for a company wide strike against Ford Motor Co., the first since Ford’s initial contract with the union 20 years earlier - 1961

October 4 Thirty-seven black striking Louisiana sugar workers were murdered when Louisiana militia, aided by bands of "prominent citizens," shot unarmed workers trying to get a dollar-per-day wage. Two strike leaders were lynched - 1887

In Brief

Harold & Shirlene Walton are celebarting 50th wedding anniversary October 3, 2009. Harold is a former AIM business rep and President of the Wichita Labor Federation. He retired in 1990 as mediator with the Federal Mediationn & concilation service. They will be celebrating with a reception, hosted by their family, from 12-2 p.m., Sunday, October 4, 2009 at College Hill United Methodist Church, 2930 E. 1st, Wichita.

Labor Caucus will meet at 9:00 am on Saturday October 3 during Demofest at the Wichita Hyatt. For more details, click here.http://ksdp.org/demofest

In union solidarity,

Stuart Elliott
Webmaster
Kansas Workbeat
Wichita/Hutchinson Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
3219 W. Central Wichita Kansas 67203  316-941-4061