The Western Kentucky Worker

Official newsletter of the Western Kentucky Area Council, AFL-CIO

Prepared by Berry Craig, KEA-NEA and AFT- Kentucky

Volume 7, Number 9, October 2006

Council adds Kautz to its list of endorsed candidates

Delegates voted unanimously to endorse Will Kautz at the September council meeting.

Kautz, a Paducah attorney, is running for district judge. He joined a parade of other office seekers, all but one union-endorsed, who spoke to delegates.

State Reps. J.R. Gray, D-Benton, and Frank Rasche, D-Paducah, thanked the council for getting behind them. Both are state AFL-CIO endorsed.

Gray expects Democrats to fare well in Kentucky and nationwide in the November election. “There may be an even bigger uprising out there against Republicanism than what any of us realize,” he added. “But none of us can take it for granted….Everybody is out there working hard and working united for a Democratic victory.”     

Rasche said he was grateful the council is for him. “I am glad we are back on the same wavelength,” the lawmaker said.

The council recommended that the state AFL-CIO endorse Rasche over Bruce Brockenborough, a Paducah Republican. Brockenborough is one of the few Republicans who have sought council support, Wiggins said

Like Rasche, he opposes a right-to-work law and supports the prevailing wage. Gov. Ernie Fletcher, a Republican, made passage of a right-to-work law and the abolition of the prevailing wage top priorities in the 2006 session of the General Assembly.

Both measures failed. “We can thank J.R. Gray for that,” Wiggins said. “He is our best friend in Frankfort .”

Wiggins said he is troubled by Brockenborough's claim, posted on the candidate's lnternet website, that he has “met privately with many local labor leaders” who have “offered private support.”

“I talk with local labor leaders all the time,” Wiggins said. “None of them have told me they support Bruce privately.”

Wiggins said Brockenborough came to the council twice and has written him in support of union positions on right-to-work and the prevailing wage. “I know he and Larry Sanderson have talked,” Wiggins said.

Sanderson is business manager of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 184. “Larry was emcee of the Labor Day political speaking at Carson Park ,” Wiggins said. “He had a Frank Rasche sticker on his shirt.”

Wiggins said he was surprised that Brockenborough didn't mention right-to-work or the prevailing wage when he spoke at Carson Park . “I don't know what that meant,” Wiggins said. “But when Frank spoke he said he was against right-to-work and for the prevailing wage. Labor is united -- publicly and privately -- for Frank Rasche.”

The state AFL-CIO does endorse some Republicans who the federation believes are consistently pro-labor, Wiggins said. He cited State Rep. Steven Rudy, a West Paducah Republican, who said he was against a right-to-work law and for the prevailing wage.

Because of his stand on those issues, the council recommended Rudy for endorsement. “But he was never called on to vote on right-to-work or prevailing wage,” Wiggins said. “I'm beginning to have some doubts about our recommendation.”            

Wiggins said since Rudy's endorsement, he has met with Thomas French, the Fancy Farm Democrat who is challenging Rudy. French spoke to the September council meeting.

“I have gotten to know Tom and I like what he has to say,” Wiggins said. “Rudy is the endorsed candidate, but I say let your conscience be your guide when you go and vote.” 

Other endorsed candidates who thanked the council were Carroll Hubbard of Paducah , a Democrat running for the state senate; Van Newberry, a Democrat who is unopposed for McCracken County judge-executive; Jon Hayden, Democrat for McCracken County sheriff; and Gerald Watkins, who is in the race for the Paducah city commission. Watkins is a Democrat, but the city commission election is non-partisan.

Wiggins also said Jerry Beyer, a union-endorsed Democratic candidate for McCracken County commissioner, sent his regrets. “He was unable to be here tonight because of a prior commitment,” Wiggins said.

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State AFL-CIO Workers' Memorial is Paducah bound

The sale of the state AFL-CIO headquarters means a monumental move to Paducah .

“We will be getting the state Workers' Memorial,” said Jeff Wiggins, council president.

Delegates voted to spend whatever money is needed to bring the stone marker to Paducah . Council Vice President Benny Adair and Hardy Williams, council recording secretary, volunteered to get the monument with a truck and a trailer.

The granite memorial, which is at least six-feet-tall, will be erected on the council lawn next to the Downtown Business Loop. “We hope to dedicate it on Workers' Memorial Day next April,” Wiggins said.

The council also plans to erect a local worker's memorial similar to one the Tri-County Central Labor Council sponsored in Henderson . The Henderson marker is in a city park.

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Labor Day parade may have been a history-maker

Paducah 's Labor Day weekend lineup featured what might have been the city's longest-ever Labor Day parade.

“It was huge,” said Jeff Wiggins, Western Kentucky Labor Day Committee president. “We usually have big parades in an election year. Some people said they remembered one or two longer than this one, but it seemed like the biggest parade to me.”

Wiggins and his all-volunteer committee host a three-day Labor Day weekend celebration every year. Besides the holiday procession, festivities include spicy barbecue, free entertainment, a flea market and political speaking.

The parade heads up Broadway, Paducah 's main street. Other events are at the city's Carson Park .

State Rep. J.R. Gray earned the honored spot in the parade. The Benton Democrat and veteran lawmaker was grand marshal.

“J.R. Gray is labor's best friend in Frankfort ,” said Wiggins, a Steelworker who is also president of the Western Kentucky Area Council, AFL-CIO, and serves on the state AFL-CIO Executive Board.

Gray, chairman of the House Labor and Industry Committee, was saluted with a shiny plaque at the park. He got to speak first as grand marshal and spoke again later as a candidate.

Gray thanked Labor Day committee members “for all of the work you have done for all of these years.”

Bill Londrigan, state AFL-CIO president, also praised the Paducah program. He cited other Labor Day celebrations in Louisville , Owensboro , Covington , Ashland , Elkhorn City and Lexington .

“Now this Labor Day, like each that have preceded it, marks another year in the unrelenting struggle for power, influence, resources and wealth between the masses of workers and the wealthy elite, their political stooges and the corporations they control,” Londrigan said. “Yes, brothers and sisters, there still is a class war in this country and with globalization, the class war has spread to every continent on earth.”

Londrigan invited the crowd to “look at the American economy today…Gas prices skyrocketing while oil company profits set records, CEO salaries through the roof while the minimum wage remains stagnant for a decade, health care costs increasing unabated while congressmen and senators enjoy free health care for life, CEOs and billionaires reaping huge profits, union members under attack while corporate power and influence grows, workers caught in a race to the bottom while low-paying jobs and no-benefit jobs mushroom.”

Londrigan also recalled that “this Labor Day marks the 25 th anniversary of the firing of the striking air traffic controllers by Ronald Reagan. This event marked the beginning of 25 years of anti-unionism spurred on by Reagan's blatant attack on workers and their rights to a union. This action unleashed several decades worth of anti-union actions by corporations and the National Labor Relations Board which has dampened efforts to organize new workers and resulted in huge membership losses due to increased employer antagonism to unions.”

Londrigan added, “As we look to the future this Labor Day 2006, let us not forget that organized labor faces a constant and unrelenting attack by the power elite that controls the vast wealth of this globe and that without trade union solidarity – the glue that unites workers against capital – workers and their unions will continue to be helpless pawns in the great struggle for influence, power, resources and wealth.”

Paducah 's Labor Day program is deeply rooted in the city's past. The old Paducah Central Labor Union sponsored the first local Labor Day parade in 1893. For reasons not clear, the processions stopped after World War II.

A group of area unionists organized the Western Kentucky Labor Day Committee in 1975 and resurrected the parades. For a while, the Paducah parade was the official state AFL-CIO Labor Day celebration.

Gray saluted American workers and cited labor history. He warned against a Republican takeover of the state House of Representatives.

“I can tell you without reservation that the workforce in this nation and in this state can compete with anyone anywhere on the globe as long as our politicians, both federal and state, do not tie our hands behind us,” he said. Gray said many workers “suffered, bled and died for our labor movement….I salute all those men and women who helped make our lives better.”

Gray reminded the crowd that Gov. Ernie Fletcher, a Republican, made passage of a right-to-work law and repeal of the prevailing wage top priorities in the 2006 session of the General Assembly. Gray helped lead labor's fight against Fletcher's proposals.

“No one who advocates a right-to-work law and harmful changes in our prevailing wage law has any interest in our workers or their unions,” Gray said. “To the contrary, their sole mission is to lower the wages and the standard of living of our workers and to destroy our unions.”

In addition, Gray said unions “face a tremendous challenge in the November elections. If the Republicans should ever gain control of the Kentucky House of Representatives – heaven forbid – we will become a right-to-work state, and there will be no prevailing wage law.”

Several other politicians spoke, many of them union-endorsed. Bill Londrigan, state AFL-CIO president, addressed the crowd.

The parade included a number of union floats, high school bands and other marchers. Gray rode in his vintage 1975 Pontiac convertible with his wife, Yvonne. Gray served in the House in 1976-1989 and from 1995 to the present. He was directing business representative of IAM District Lodge 154. Earlier, he belonged to the Steelworkers in a Chicago-area steel mill.

The parade theme, “Stand Up and Fight Back” was reflected in several union floats. “The media asked me about that,” Wiggins said. “I said we were tired of personal attacks from the governor of Kentucky and the mayor of Paducah . We decided it was time to stand up and fight back.”

Steelworkers Local 665 at the Continental General Tire plant in Mayfield won “best float” honors. The plant will close in February. “It was quite an honor to go out with a winning float,” said Wayne Chambers, Local 665 vice president. “That float was a kind of a snapshot of our local. A lot of people worked on that.”

Wiggins thanked the Labor Day Committee for “its hard work in putting on one of the best Labor Day programs ever.” He cited Howard “Bubba” Dawes, the parade organizer, and Frances Willey, committee treasurer, “for the great job they did.”

Several union-endorsed candidates spoke at Carson Park . They included Tom Barlow, a Paducah Democrat who is challenging U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Hopkinsville. Barlow was elected to Congress in 1992. Two years later, he lost to Whitfield, who also spoke.

“Ed talked about all of his friends in the union at the Gaseous Diffusion plant,” Wiggins said. “That's the old divide-and-conquer strategy. Whitfield is one of the most anti-union members of Congress.”

Wiggins added, “Whitfield even supported a national right-to-work law. But when Tom was in Congress, he voted our way more than 90 percent of the time. Tom is labor's candidate.”

All three candidates in the Second District state senate race showed up at the park. Incumbent Bob Leeper, an independent, is running against Democrat Carroll Hubbard and Neil Archer, a Republican. Hubbard, a former congressman, is labor-endorsed.

“Gov. Ernie Fletcher doesn't care if Leeper or Archer wins,” Wiggins said. “Either one of them will suit him just fine.”

State Rep. Frank Rasche, D-Paducah, told the crowd he is against a right-to-work law for Kentucky and supports keeping the prevailing wage law. His opponent, Paducah Republican Bruce Brockenborough, said he was pro-union and welcomed the support of Democrats.

“But there he was, in front of all those union members and their families -- on our day, Labor Day -- and he didn't say a thing about right-to-work and the prevailing wage,” Wiggins said.

On other occasions, Brockenborough has said he is against right-to-work and for the prevailing wage. “I don't understand his silence on those two important issues on Labor Day,” Wiggins said. “Frank said he was against right-to-work and for the prevailing wage. I'm glad we endorsed Frank Rasche.”

Labor also has endorsed Rick Johnson of Symsonia for the state Supreme Court over Bill Cunningham of Kuttawa. The race is non-partisan.

“Rick was unable to attend and so Bill Cunningham declined to speak,” Wiggins said. “That was a classy thing to do, but Rick is still our candidate.”

Johnson is a state court of appeals judge. Cunningham is a circuit judge.

All three labor-endorsed candidates for the city commission spoke -- incumbent Robert Coleman and challengers Richard Abraham and Gerald Watkins. “It is vital that we re-elect Robert Coleman and get him some help with Richard Abraham and Gerald Watkins,” Wiggins said. “Right now, Robert is our only friend at city hall.”

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Walk or ride for Lewis Hicks in La Center Oct. 7

Lewis Hicks was the only mayor to win the Area Council's endorsement.

Jeff Wiggins says he knows an even better way to show union solidarity with Hicks, the incumbent. “As many of us as possible can walk or ride for Lewis in the La Center parade on Oct. 7,” added Wiggins, council president. “You don't even have to be one of Lewis' constituents.”

Hicks is an Area Council trustee and COPE director. A member of Steelworkers Local 680 at the New Page paper mill in Wickliffe , he was also the 2004 recipient of the W.C. Young Award, the highest honor the council bestows.

“Let's show support for Lewis and help him win another term,” Wiggins said.

Hicks supporters are asked to wear red, white and blue.

The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. at the La Center fairgrounds. A 6:30 a.m.-9 a.m. breakfast will precede the procession. The breakfast will be at the fire station.

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Got news? Email it to Berry Craig at bcraig8960@charter.net or Jeff Wiggins at JLWiggins2@Juno.com.

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