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The Western Kentucky Worker | |
Official newsletter of the Western Kentucky Area Council, AFL-CIO
Prepared by Berry Craig, KEA-NEA and AFT Local 6038
Volume 6, Number 6, June, 2005
CORRECTION
The May issue of The Western Kentucky Worker incorrectly said total donations for the 2005 Labor Day Program amounted to approximately $15,000. The actual total is around $5,000. We apologize for the error.
Benny Adair is among first KSHN award recipients
Benny Adair has received one of the first four "Kentucky Safety and Health Network Outstanding Individual" awards.
"I have known Benny for several years, and he has been a wonderful representative of our union brothers and sisters," said Michael C. Donta, KSHN president. "He is highly deserving of this recognition."
Adair, a KSHN board member and past president, said the award humbled him. "I felt like I didn't deserve it," he said. "But I am proud to represent labor on the board." Adair lives near Benton . He is the area council's vice president and a member of IAM Local 1720.
Adair received the KSHN award at the group's recent Governor's Safety and Health Conference and Exhibition in Louisville . The KSHN is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is "to increase the awareness of workplace safety and health...through educational programs, scholarships and endowments and communications through state-wide symposia and our quarterly newsletter, the Network News , and the newly-unveiled website at kshn.net," Donta said.
The 21st annual conference was sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Labor, which is an agency of the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet, and the KSHN. The theme was “Partnerships in Safety and Health.”
"We had a wonderful conference," said Donta, a member of Steelworkers Local 7047 in Ashland . "Gov. Ernie Fletcher and Secretary LaJuana Wilcher attended, and there was a real spirit of cooperation among all groups represented in the network." Those groups are labor, business, government and education. Kentucky has the South's "most informative safety and health conference," according to Donta, who also sits on the Kentucky State AFL-CIO Executive Board. "Participants have the unique opportunity to exchange ideas with more than 1,000 leading safety and health professionals. Several companies also set up exhibits and booths displaying the latest in safety equipment." Adair will remain on the KSHN Executive Committee until July 31, when he plans to retire. The other award winners were David Hart, Air Products and Chemicals, Calvert City, business; Larry Potter, Department of Labor, Frankfort; government; and Dr. David Kraemer, chair, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Murray State University, education. In addition, Dr. George Nichols, a professor of safety and health at Murray State , received the KSHN President's Award "for his lifetime of service to the safety and health community." The KSHN also awarded college scholarships totaling $19,500 to students from throughout Kentucky .
Donta said the KSHN strives to help protect Kentucky workers from preventable injuries and illnesses related to the workplace. The group is supported by membership dues from individuals and by sponsorships.
He said the objectives of the KSHN are to
-- Safeguard Kentucky 's working men and women from job-related hazards, which endanger personal safety and health
-- Actively support rules, regulations and laws designed to eliminate injuries and illnesses resulting from human or mechanical errors in the workplace
-- Conduct a vigorous and continuing program of education for business, labor, education and government, designed to focus attention on safety hazards and how they may be avoided through cooperative efforts
-- Provide specialized services designed to aid members in establishing and maintaining effective safety and health programs.
"The major accomplishments of the KSHN have been to gain national, state and local recognition of efforts to create awareness in workplace safety and health, and sponsorship of events that improve conditions and ensure ongoing commitments toward improved health and safety," Donta said.
"Our other concerns include emergency response, right-to-know issues, AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, and other social, economic and medical concerns. The combined expertise of our members plays a vital role in the protection and safety of workers in our state."
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Union construction workers are more productive
By BERRY CRAIG, KEA-NEA/AFT-Kentucky
“I can say from personal experience that those studies are right,” said Wiggins, Area Council president. Wiggins is a member of Steelworkers Local 9447-5 and a maintenance worker at the Gerdeau-Ameristeel mill in Calvert City . Wiggins said a non-union company hired to install a million dollar machine is costing the company plenty. “Nine times out of ten, when get you a non-union contractor in your plant to put in machinery, they screw it up. The company has to spend more money to make it right. But when union labor is used, the job is done right 99 percent of the time."
The high-priced gizmo, called a gauge talker, measures steel bars to ensure they are the proper size. “Because this contractor did such a bad job setting it up, we had to weld guides on it,” said Wiggins, who is also on the state AFL-CIO executive board. “We had to do a lot of other things to it to make it work like it's supposed to. Because we had to modify the machine, it might not even be under warranty now -- and all because this non-union contractor set it up wrong." Wiggins said companies often hire non-union contractors -- called "rat" contractors by building trades unions -- because they think non-union work is cheaper. "But you don't really save money in the long run when you have to turn around and hire somebody else to redo the job or you have to redo it yourself.”
Wiggins says he hears the same complaints about rat contractors from union maintenance workers at other Calvert City plants, most of which manufacture chemicals. “It just makes sense to use the building trades unions and their contractors rather than to hire these non-union outfits from [right-to-work] states like Alabama or Georgia or from this area. Those of us in industrial unions appreciate the building trades unions. We know their members are skilled workers who know how to do a job right the first time. They make my job a lot easier and save the company money, too.” Unions boost productivity in a variety of ways, according to the AFL-CIO. “The voice that union members have on the job--sharing in decision-making about promotions and work and production standards--increases productivity and improves management practices. Better training, lower turnover and longer tenure also make union workers more productive." In addition, the AFL-CIO says studies have shown "that by lowering turnover rates and giving workers a voice in how work is done, unions raise productivity by 19 to 24 percent in manufacturing, 17 to 38 percent in construction and up to 16 percent in hospitals." Other research backs up the AFL-CIO. "The view of unions as a major deterrent to productivity is erroneous," wrote Richard B. Freeman and James L. Medoff in their book, What Do Unions Do? The Harvard economists added, "In many sectors, unionized establishments are more productive than nonunion." Freeman and Medoff also wrote that "on balance, unionization appears to improve rather than to harm the social and economic system...Our analysis shows that unions are associated with greater efficiency in most settings, reduce overall earnings inequality, and contribute to, rather than detract from, economic and political freedom."
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Wiggins asks for prayers for Edwards and Hicks
Jeff Wiggins, council president, asks that prayers be said for two union brothers battling cancer.
"Please remember Aaron Edwards and Lewis Hicks," he said. "Put them in your prayers."
Edwards, who lives near Possum Trot, was council sergeant-at-arms. Before he retired, he also was active in his union, IAM Local 1720.
Hicks, the 2005 W.C. Young Award recipient, is a council trustee and COPE director. Mayor of La Center, he belongs to PACE Local 5-680.
Hicks was at the May council meeting. "I want to thank everyone for honoring me with the W.C. Young Award," said Hicks of the council's highest honor.
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Professor Carla Draffen symbolizes union solidarity
If you enjoy logging on to the council website, thank Carla Draffen.
"She does great work for us and it's time she got some recognition," said Jeff Wiggins, council president.
Draffen is a professor of information technology at the West Kentucky Community and Technical College . She is a member of AFT Local 6010.
"She doesn't charge us a penny for the valuable service she provides us," Wiggins said. "Carla gives of her time to help the union movement in our area. She is what solidarity -- that old union byword -- is all about."
Draffen posts The Western Kentucky Worker and other features on the council's website, www.wkyafl-cio.org.
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The next Western Kentucky Worker will be in August
There will be no July Western Kentucky Worker . Editor Berry Craig will be on vacation in June. Publication will resume in August.
Got news? Email it to Berry Craig at bcraig8960@charter.net or Jeff Wiggins at JLWiggins2@Juno.com.