The Western Kentucky Worker

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

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

Volume 8, Number 4, April 2007

Now it's a Paducah monument The state Workers' Memorial, which stood outside the old state AFL-CIO headquarters in Frankfort , has been moved to the lawn between the Area Council hall and the Interstate-24 Business Loop . It is expected to be rededicated on April 28, Workers' Memorial Day. (Photo by Jeff Wiggins)

IAMAW president is expected on Workers' Memorial Day

R. Thomas Buffenbarger, international president of the IAMAW, is slated to speak at the annual W.C.Young Award dinner, which will be held on Workers' Memorial Day, April 28.

A memorial service and monument rededication will be held at 2 p.m., also on April 28, on the council hall lawn. The dinner will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at MLC's Restaurant, said Benny Adair, who is helping organize the service and the dinner, which will be $10 per person.

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Chambers will be Labor Day parade grand marshal

Wayne Chambers, vice president of United Steelworkers Local 665 in Mayfield, has been named grand marshal of the 2007 Paducah Labor Day parade.

“It was really a shock and a surprise – and an honor,” said Chambers, who spent 38 years in the union at the recently closed Continental General Tire plant in Mayfield. “It was also an honor for me to even be considered.”

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Williams' service praised as ‘well above the call of duty'

Council President Jeff Wiggins has sent a letter on behalf of the council thanking Hardy Williams for his long service on the Jackson House-Sanders House Board of Directors.

Wiggins read the letter at the March council meeting. The letter praised Williams, council recording secretary, for going “well above the call of duty to fulfill all of the duties that were required of you. You leadership during the time of crisis at the Jackson House is to be commended.”

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State fed votes ‘no endorsement' for Bruce Lunsford

Jeff Wiggins believes the Area Council will support the state AFL-CIO COPE Committee's vote of “no endorsement” for the Bruce Lunsford-Greg Stumbo ticket in the May 22 primary.

“At the March council meeting, the delegates voted ‘no recommendation' for all of the Democrats running for governor and lieutenant governor,” said Wiggins, council president and state COPE Committee member. “We don't like Bruce Lunsford, but we included him because he might win the primary. If he does, he is still better than any of the Republicans.”

Lunsford is unpopular with Kentucky unions because he endorsed Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher for governor in 2003. Reportedly, Lunsford also gave money to a trio of other GOP lawmakers who unions consider anti-labor. They are Sens. Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning and former U.S. Rep. Anne Northrup.

Defeated for reelection to Congress last year, Northrup is one of three Republican candidates for governor in the primary.

“The vote of ‘no endorsement' for Lunsford and Stumbo was overwhelming,” said Wiggins. What union support the Lunsford-Stumbo ticket may have had all but disappeared after Steve Earle, a United Mine Workers international representative, and Charles Wells, head of AFT-Kentucky, said Stumbo, who is state attorney general and a candidate for lieutenant governor, made threatening phone calls to them after their unions voted a “no endorsement” for the Lunsford-Stumbo slate. Stumbo admitted he phoned Earle and Wells but denied threatening them.
The COPE Committee voted “no recommendation” for the other Democrats running for governor and lieutenant governor. They are Steve Beshear-Daniel Mongiardo; Gatewood Galbraith-Mark Wireman; Steve Henry-Renee T. True; Otis “Bullman” Hensley and Richard Robbins and Jody Richards and John Y. Brown III.

The committee also voted “no endorsement” for Fletcher and his primary challengers, Northrup and Billy Harper. “Fletcher is one of the most anti-union governors in Kentucky history,” said Wiggins. “Northrup and Harper are just as bad.”

Wiggins said he wore two hats at the COPE meeting. He represented his union, the Steelworkers; and the Area Council.

“I cancelled myself out,” he said. “I voted ‘no endorsement' for Lunsford and Stumbo as a Steelworker and ‘no recommendation' for them and the other Democrats as the council's representative.”
Wiggins said he had to cast the council's vote because paperwork hadn't cleared for newly-elected council COPE Director Howard “Bubba” Dawes and Wayne Chambers, the council's other representative on the state COPE Committee.

Heretofore, Stumbo enjoyed strong labor support. He is a former state representative.

Stumbo was not at the COPE meeting. Lunsford was, but further hurt himself with unions by “getting into a shouting match with another Mineworker,” Wiggins said.

The Mineworker is Eddie Bowling. “Bowling said he objected to Lunsford's remarks about being offended that [Earle and Wells]…claimed that [Stumbo]…threatened them after their respective organizations voted as a part of a coalition not to support their ticket,” the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. “Bowling said he challenged Lunsford on that because of ‘the audacity and the arrogance and the untruthfulness of Mr. Lunsford to say he was offended.'”

Besides Lunsford, 22 other primary candidates were invited to speak to the COPE Committee. Several Democrats and a few Republicans showed up, Wiggins said.

He said Lunsford didn't deny contributing to McConnell, Bunning and Northrup. “But Lunsford said he gave two-thirds of his political contributions to Democrats,” Wiggins said. “That didn't impress anybody.”

Wiggins said his superior, USW District 8 Director Billy Thompson, denounced Stumbo's calls to Earle and Wells. “He told Lunsford that when you attack one member of labor, you are attacking everyone from labor. Lunsford said he understood that.”

The COPE Committee endorsed Jack Conway for attorney general, incumbent Crit Luallen for auditor and Dick Robinson for secretary of state. All three candidates are Democrats.

Other office-seekers who received “no recommendation” were four candidates for state treasurer: Republicans Brandon Smith and Lonnie Napier and Democrats Mike Weaver and Todd Hollenbach.

The council voted 12-2 to endorse Napier, a GOP state representative. “He has consistently sided with us in Frankfort ,” Wiggins said. “He was against a right-to-work law and against repealing the prevailing wage.”

The COPE Committee voted “no action” for three other candidates, all Republicans: Ken Upchurch and Melinda L. Wheeler, who are running for state treasurer, and Stan Lee, a candidate for attorney general.

Wiggins explained that an endorsement by the state COPE Committee pledges all unions in the Kentucky AFL-CIO to support the endorsed candidate. “An endorsement takes a two-thirds vote,” he said.

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Earle was among friends at the March council meeting

Council delegates voted a “no recommendation” for all Democrats running for governor and lieutenant governor in the May primary. But it was evident they sided with Steve Earle in his dispute with Greg Stumbo, running mate of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bruce Lunsford. “Before all this happened I wasn't too happy with Stumbo,” said Hardy Williams, council recording secretary. Delegates seemed to agree.

Earle addressed the March council meeting. “As a member of this council, I really appreciate the opportunity to speak to you,” he said. “An injury to one is an injury to all.”

Earle, a United Mine Workers of America international representative, and Charles Wells, head of AFT-Kentucky, said Stumbo, the state attorney general, made threatening telephone calls to them after their unions voted a “no endorsement” for the Lunsford-Stumbo ticket.

Stumbo said he called Earle and Wells. He denied threatening the union leaders.

Council delegates who spoke up said they believed Earle.

Williams, who made the “no recommendation” resolution for all Democratic gubernatorial candidates, criticized Stumbo for backing off his investigation of Gov. Ernie Fletcher. Fletcher's administration allegedly violated state merit system rules by hiring people based on their Republican politics.

“I felt like an individual who would sacrifice all the money that was spent to investigate a guilty governor by giving him a plea agreement so he [Stumbo] could run for office was out of line,” Williams said.

He told Earle, “I understand where you are coming from. We stand with you.”

Honorary delegate Ken Tyler also stood up for Earle. “Labor didn't leave Stumbo,” he said. “Stumbo left labor.”

Tyler 's remarks drew an “amen” from Jeff Wiggins, council president. “Steve is a man of his word,” Wiggins said. “He is a man of integrity. Sometimes we disagree, but that's part of being in a democratic society.”

Earle thanked council members for their words of support, plus email and phone messages.

“In the 36 years I have been a member of the United Mine Workers, I have been called a lot of things,” Earle said. “I have never been called a pathetic liar. I've never been called a stooge. “Nor have I ever been accused of being on the take. No union member said those things to me, nor did anybody walking down the street.

“Those things were said by our attorney general, Greg Stumbo.”

Earle said the UMWA unanimously decided “to remove Bruce Lunsford and Greg Lunsford for consideration in the May primary in part because of Mr. Lunsford's decision to endorse Ernie Fletcher in the 2003 gubernatorial election and…serve on the transition team that helped abolish our labor cabinet.”

Earle said Stumbo called him at home. “It went from me trying to explain my actions to personal insults and profanity from Mr. Stumbo.”

Earle said Gary Best, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 227, showed him an email from Stumbo in which the attorney general claimed “we have evidence that Steve Earle has a business relationship with people in another campaign.”

Stumbo meant Steve Beshear's gubernatorial campaign, Earle said. “Mr. Stumbo said I was working for Jim Cauley [Beshear's campaign manager].”

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Galbraith and Wireman are the Democrats' ‘new face'

Gatewood Galbraith, Democratic candidate for governor, visited the March council meeting and told delegates he had “stood on more picket lines than there are letters in my name.”

Galbraith is a Lexington attorney. “I'm not here to whisper sweet nothings in your ears,” he said. “I don't have to tell you what shape the unions are in in this state and this country.”

Galbraith said when unions are strong, the country is strong. He said he and his running mate, Mark Wireman, “are offering ourselves as the face of the new Democratic party.”

He said he opposes right-to-work laws and the North American Free Trade Agreement, “which is killing us.” He called for $5,000 vouchers for state high school students to continue their education after they graduate. Galbraith said he favors state-owned gambling casinos, “so all the taxes and the profits go into the general fund.”

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

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