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Candidates Carroll Hubbard, left, and Rick Johnson speak to the Area Council.

Council votes ‘no recommendation' in key senate race

The council has voted not to recommend Carroll Hubbard or Rick Johnson for endorsement in the May Democratic primary.

Both of them are our friends,” said Jeff Wiggins, council president. “By voting ‘no recommendation,' individual union members and individual union locals are free to support either one of them.”

Paducah Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 184 has endorsed Johnson. His brother belongs to the union as have their father, four uncles and five cousins.

Kyle Henderson, Local 184 business agent, said he will seek a Johnson endorsement from the West Kentucky Building and Construction Trades Council. The building trades unions have left the council.

“Right now, Local 184 and the other building trades unions are not with us,” Wiggins said. “But they are welcome to come back any time.”

Hubbard, a Mayfield attorney, and Johnson, a lawyer from Symsonia, want to challenge incumbent state Sen. Ken Winters, R-Murray, in the November general election. Winters' territory is the First Senatorial District, which includes Carlisle, Hickman, Fulton , Graves, Calloway, Trigg and Lyon Counties .

“Let me predict tonight that I will carry all seven counties...,” Hubbard told delegates at the February council meeting. Hubbard was the First District state senator when he was elected to congress in 1974.

Hubbard and Johnson have been labor-endorsed in their past races. Winters hasn't, and won't be, Wiggins added.

Winters is one of the most anti-union members of the state senate,” Wiggins said. “We've got to beat him and take back the Senate. We think we have a good chance of beating him with either Carroll or Rick.”

Johnson, a former state Court of Appeals judge, also spoke at the February meeting. Both he and Hubbard said they oppose right-to-work and favor the prevailing wage. “They're with us on our issues,” Wiggins said.

After hearing the candidates, delegates voted 6-5 in favor of a proposal recommending Johnson for state AFL-CIO endorsement. The proposal failed because it didn't muster the required two-thirds majority.

A “no recommendation” resolution then passed, 9-2. No one proposed that the council recommend Hubbard for endorsement.

Hubbard served in the state senate from 1968-1975. He represented the First District in Congress from 1975 to 1993, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. He also ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1979.

After Hubbard was linked to the House banking scandal of the early 1990s, Tom Barlow of Paducah defeated him in the 1992 Democratic primary and was elected that fall. Hubbard pleaded guilty to three felony charges and spent two years in prison, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

In 2002, his license to practice law was restored. Eventually, he returned to politics.

In 2006, while living in Paducah , Hubbard ran for the Second District state senate seat held by Bob Leeper, I- Paducah . Leeper defeated Hubbard by 58 votes in a three-man race that included Republican Neal Archer, who finished last. Hubbard received the area council's unanimous recommendation for endorsement. A state AFL-CIO endorsement followed.

Hubbard said he was grateful for union support. He said labor helped him beat incumbent State Sen. George Brand of Mayfield in the 1967 Democratic primary and defeat U.S. Rep. Frank Albert Stubblefield of Murray in the 1974 Democratic primary. Until Barlow beat him, Hubbard had little or no primary or general election opposition. “I was indeed a friend of labor during the 18 years I had the privilege of being the First District United States representative,” Hubbard said. “You know I have been your friend from my voting record in the United States Congress.”

During his lengthy tenure in Washington , the Committee on Political Education of the national AFL-CIO rated Hubbard 66 percent “right” on votes affecting unions. He ranked third among the state's four House Democrats in 1992, but ahead of the three Republicans, according to AFL-CIO archives. Hubbard's score for 1992 alone was 83 percent, which tied him for second among Democrats – Rep. Chris Perkins was first with 100 percent -- and put him far in front of the Republicans.

Meanwhile, after he lost the 2006 race for state senate, Hubbard moved to Mayfield. He lived in Mayfield while he was in the state senate and in congress.

“Naturally I was hoping, having been running for state senator since last March, that I wouldn't have an opponent,” Hubbard said. Johnson announced his candidacy shortly before the January filing deadline.

He and Hubbard have pledged to run positive campaigns. “But…you may well remember the negative campaign that my opponent did against his opponent,” he added. “I guarantee you the voters of the seven counties [in the First Senate District] remember it.”

Hubbard meant Johnson's 2006 race for the state Supreme Court against Circuit Judge Bill Cunningham of Kuttawa. Cunningham won. The council unanimously recommended Johnson for endorsement over Cunningham. The state AFL-CIO endorsed Johnson.

Hubbard said Winters, who is on the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, “is an absolute brick ‘no' vote on labor bills.” He said that the Republican can be beaten, but also said “…a primary doesn't help our efforts to defeat Ken Winters in November. That is for sure.”

Hubbard added, “Oh, sure it would be great to have your endorsement tonight as the Democrat candidate for state senate…. I think the fair thing, the objective thing, the helpful thing would be for your council to indicate you have two friends of labor running for First District state senator and that you either endorse us both or not endorse either one. How can you choose one over the other when both of us have been friends of labor throughout our terms of public office? You well know I was your friend in the state senate and in Washington and I want to continue to be your friend, and I will be again in Frankfort .”

Hubbard came to the council seeking its support after he announced his candidacy last year. He noted that Johnson “met with you in January. I didn't know we were allowed to be here in January.”

Wiggins said all candidates are welcome any time. “We always appreciate them when they come to us personally. Ken Winters has never been here.”

Johnson, too, has visited the council several times. “All of you know, I come from a union family and I'm a union member, too,” he told delegates. Johnson belongs to AIM-UNITE! Chapter 22, an organization of local union retirees and union supporters.

Johnson was elected to two terms on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, serving 15 years.

He won in 1991 and again in 1999.

Johnson lost Democratic primary races for the state house of representatives in 1986 and 1988. He lost races for the state supreme court in 1995, 1998 and 2006.

Like Hubbard, the council voted unanimously to recommend Johnson in 2006. He, too, was endorsed by the state AFL-CIO.

“I feel like I was born with the union label,” Johnson said. “That's the way my brother, Jimmie, who has been a Pipefitter for over 30 years and a Democratic activist, and I were raised.”
He added, “I think back – Sammy Henderson – what this building means [The council hall is named for Henderson, a Pipefitter fatally injured on the job] and look at the walls here… [with plaques honoring] the W.C. Young [Award] recipients over the years and just the history. I grew up with you all watching leaders like Bill Sanders and W.C. and some of the older ones pave the way.

“Now…we see some of these younger folks here tonight. It's always good to come back to these meetings and to make new friends, folks that share your belief in fighting the good fight for the working families. I have always been honored to have your support.”

Johnson said union wages enabled him to go to college and study law at George Washington University in Washington , D.C. He said he returned to western Kentucky and
“practiced law for the first 12 years of my career representing those very same people and very same unions I grew up admiring – working side by side with people like Bill Simms and Louis Dawes and Harold Kindred – people I had so much regard for.

“And then you honored me and sent me to the Court of Appeals. I am proud of the fact that for 15 years, I had the reputation across state of Kentucky as the voice for the little guy, the voice for the worker.”

Johnson is again practicing law. “As a lawyer before I went on the court and in during my last year back in private practice, I have always represented working families,” he said. “I have never represented an insurance company. I have never represented the employer.”

He said his clients include the Paducah chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police. “I am very proud that they came to me to represent them in their contract dispute. I can't tell you how much it means to me after being out of practice and being accepted once again as a legal representative for those folks.”

Johnson pledged to support Hubbard if his opponent wins. Likewise, Hubbard said he would back Johnson if he wins. “I think all of us who live in the First District and who favored endorsing Rick will vote for Carroll if he wins the primary,” said a delegate from Graves County . “I certainly will. We all agree that Winters must be defeated.”

The state AFL-CIO Executive Board will meet March 15 in Frankfort to decide on candidates. In almost every case, the E-board goes along with what a council recommends, Wiggins said.

Return to Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council Home Page

Mike Lawrence gets local labor nod for state house race

Mike Lawrence admitted he didn't know every labor issue.

“But I know [Labor Commissioner] J.R. Gray,” he said. “I know [Council COPE Chairman] Bubba [Dawes] and I know [Council President] Jeff [Wiggins]. I know they can help me and guide me.”

The council helped the Democrat by recommending his endorsement for the state House of Representatives. The McCracken County circuit clerk, Lawrence is running against incumbent Steven Rudy, R-West Paducah.

Rudy represents the First House District, which includes Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton and Hickman counties and part of McCracken County .

“This was not a spur of the moment decision,” Lawrence said. “I've been thinking about it for the last five years. My wife and I have talked about it and prayed about it. We decided that I needed to take my experience and qualifications to a higher level.

“I am passionate about people….I care about working people. I want to be your new voice in Frankfort .”

Lawrence said he supports the prevailing wage, adding “you've got to have standards and those are good standards.” The prevailing wage “doesn't need to be messed with.”

He said the so-called right-to-work is a fraud. “I don't know who came up with that title but the person was almost genius because people hear that and say, ‘Hey, that's a good idea.'”

Under a right-to-work law, a worker can receive union-won wages and benefits without joining the union or paying union dues. The union must also represent the non-union worker to the boss.

Lawrence likened right to work to duck hunting. “I build a blind in Ballard County ,” he explained. “I put out decoys and get all this stuff ready to hunt, and this guy sees me at the mall and asks me, ‘Hey, Mike, you care if I hunt down there? Can I borrow your boots? Can I use your gun? Can I use your shells? Will you clean the ducks for me?'”

Lawrence said he won't forget labor support. “I guarantee you one thing for sure, when I am elected I will come here. I will meet you anywhere. I will come to your house and talk about any issues we need to talk about.”

The state AFL-CIO's Executive Board endorses candidates in state races after hearing from area councils. The E-board meets in Frankfort on March 15.

Return to Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council Home Page

Area Council endorses Robert Coleman and Gerald Watkins

Jeff Wiggins knows the math.

“We need three votes to turn city hall around,” he said. “We've got to have the mayor and two commissioners.”

As a move toward that end, the council endorsed two candidates: Robert Coleman for mayor and Gerald Watkins for the commission.

“I will carry into the mayor's seat a knowledge of the working people that work for our city government,” said Coleman, the longest serving commissioner in Paducah history.

“I have been 100 percent union in my thoughts, arguments and votes ever since I have been on the city commission,” Watkins said.

“It's an insult to the taxpayers of this city to be treated like they don't matter,” said Richard Abraham, who is also running for the city commission.

The council will consider endorsing him and possibly other candidates when it meets in March.

Watkins is seeking a second term. Abraham is a former commissioner who ran unsuccessfully in 2006. “I enjoyed the job,” said Abraham of his one term on the commission.

He said on labor issues, Watkins and Coleman “have been on the short end of a lot of votes when it takes three votes to get things done.” Abraham added that he wants to be the third vote.

Coleman, who is retired, said he has carried a union card for 55 years, as a railroad worker and a mail carrier. He said he was president of the Paducah local of the National Association of Letter Carriers and was the chairman of the union's Kentucky board of trustees.

He was also the NALC national scholarship committee chairman.

Coleman was first elected to the commission in 1973. He said he was “the key person and the reason why” the International Association of Firefighters got its first contract with the city. “I have always supported our local unions in the city because I know the struggle that labor has had in this country,” Coleman said. “Without [unions] we would not have the great middle class that we have here in this nation.”

When Firefighters delegate Nathan Torian questioned whether Coleman supported the recently ratified contract with the union, the commissioner was quick to respond. “I supported the contract,” he said. “I have never voted a Firefighters' contract down.”

Torian nodded, smiled and replied, “I know I'm not old enough to argue with you.” Coleman chuckled and the delegates laughed and applauded.

Coleman pledged that as mayor he would appoint to city boards “people who would recognize and negotiate” with the city unions – AFSCME, the Firefighters and the Fraternal Order of Police.

Gerald Watkins, left, and Richard Abraham speak to the council.

Watkins agreed that Coleman supported the contract for the Firefighters. “I will vouch for Robert. In executive session, we kind of let it all hang out. There is no more passionate, strong, articulate and eloquent fighter for you than Robert Coleman. We have fought like heck down there to support the Firefighters, to support AFSCME and to support the FOP. But there have only been two of us.

“I know the vote for the [new Firefighters'] contract was 5-0 in front of the TV cameras. But in the back room there were only three of us for you. Robert and I have been there for you the whole time and one [Mayor Bill Paxton] switched, I guess, for the convenience of the election. Robert and I have always been consistent in fighting for you guys and we always will be.”
Watkins urged the council to back him, Coleman and Abraham. “It is especially critical that we support Robert and support him in a big way. We've got to have him as our next mayor.”

Watkins said he also has a strong union background. He said he belonged to AFSCME when he was a city worker and helped organize an American Federation of Teachers local for faculty at old Paducah Community College . He was an officer in both unions.

“Wouldn't it be great if Robert and Richard and I could go down there and be a majority?” Watkins asked. “Wouldn't it be great to have a majority and take back city hall?”

Area councils can make endorsements in local races. “We don't need state fed approval,” Wiggins said.

Area Council president Jeff Wiggins, right, swears in Donald J. Beverly as a new delegate at the February council meeting. Beverly will represent IAM Local Lodge 1969 in Calvert City . Each local that belongs to the council is entitled to two delegates. The council meets monthly in Paducah .

Return to Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council Home Page

Adair and allies hope to resurrect old Labor-Management Committee

A group of area union leaders is trying to revive the old West Kentucky Labor-Management Committee.

“We have reincorporated and we will have a meeting in the next month or two and sit down and decide what to do next,” said Benny Adair, area council vice president and chairman of the group that wants to bring back the committee.

Larry Robinson of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 184 is vice president. Area Council President Jeff Wiggins is secretary.

“We hope to have the committee going again by the time of the Labor-Management Conference in September,” Adair said. “We want to have an election for officers and trustees.”

The committee consisted of union, management and local government representatives. Adair said it helped inspire the state Labor-Management conferences held annually at Kentucky Dam Village State Park .

“We think bringing back the committee would be good for this end of the state,” said Adair, also directing business representative for IAM District Lodge 154. “I think it will help us attract industry to our area.”

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Paducah Labor Day festivities to be trimmed to one day

The Western Kentucky Labor Day Committee Inc. is still planning on a one-day Labor Day celebration.

“It's open for discussion,” Frances Willey, committee secretary-treasurer, told delegates at the February council meeting. “But we voted to make it a one day program – the parade followed by political speakers, the flea market, food vendors and music at Carson Park afterwards.”

The all-volunteer committee puts on the city's annual Labor Day Program. The not-for-profit group gets no government funds and must rely heavily on donations from unions, businesses and individuals.

Heretofore, the festivities started on Saturday, continued through Sunday and ended on Labor Day. The parade is the main attraction.

“We had a good year last year,” Willey said, “The parade was a big success thanks to [Parade Organizer] Bubba [Dawes].”

Willey said the group hopes to line up a quality band for the park. “You've got to have a good band with a name people recognize to draw a good crowd,” said delegate Bonnie Edwards.

Willey agreed. “When we had Confederate Railroad, you couldn't stir people with a stick,” she said.

In other business, Jeff Wiggins, council president, read a handwritten note from R. Thomas Buffenbarger, IAM international president, congratulating the council and Kentucky unions for helping Steve Beshear, the labor-endorsed Democrat, win the governorship last November.

Dawes, who is also the council COPE director, relayed thanks from Will Coursey of Elva, another labor-endorsed Democrat, who won a February special election to the state House of Representatives. Coursey replaced State Rep. J.R. Gray of Benton, who was named labor commissioner. “If it wasn't for organized labor he wouldn't have been elected and he knows that,” Dawes said. “He will make us a good representative.”

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