The Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City

LMC Golf, MALMC Announced

The 14th Annual Craig Whitaker Labor-Management Council/CIGNA Golf Tournament will be held Monday, July 23, 2012 at Oakwood Country Club, 7 a.m. registration.  For details and registration form contact bob.jacobi@rockhurst.edu.  Other sponsors, foursomes, prize and giveaway donations and volunteers are sought.

The 27th Mid-America Labor/Management Conference will be held July 15-18 at the Lodge of the Four Seasons.  University of Missouri Head Football Coach Gary Pinkel will be the keynote speaker.  Check the conference website, www.malmc.org, for details and registration.

LMC Honors KCMO Health Trust, Daley

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LMC Honors KCMO Health Trust, Daley

 Kansas City, Mo. - The Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City (LMC) presented its Leadership in Labor-Management Cooperation award to the City of Kansas City, Mo., Health Insurance Trust at its 13th annual Awards and 33rd Anniversary Celebration April 12 at Argosy Casino.  The LMC also honored James Daley, past dean of the Rockhurst University Helzberg School of Management, with its Service to the LMC Award.

 More than 250 participants also received an overview of the world economy and key trends from James Moffett, Lead Portfolio Manager and Chief International Strategist for Scout Investments, Inc.  Moffett noted that the economy is gradually improving and the U.S. is outperforming much of the world.  He also called for a pro-growth, rather than austerity, economic policies and for an equalization of taxation on employment versus investment income.

 Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster told the group of leaders in business, labor and government that the state needed to maintain its prevailing wage law and that he would aggressively enforce it.  He particularly urged that the people of Joplin benefit from the jobs and wages that will be generated by its rebuilding.  Koster added that Kansas City benefits from its labor-management relationships.

 The Health Trust was established to lower the city’s health care costs while maintaining and improving benefits.  The trust, governed by representatives from the city’s management and unions, has already saved the city millions of dollars and gotten employees more involved in their health care.  New benefits include free on-site health care managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City. City Councilman John Sharp and initial trust co-chair Louie Wright, Fire Fighters Local 42, were recognized for their leadership roles in its creation and implementation.

 Daley was honored for his outstanding support for the mission and organization of the LMC.  He has advised the board of directors, taught in the Mid-Level Leadership Program and served as an active member of the Issues Committee as well as enhancing the partnership between the Rockhurst University Helzberg School of Management and the LMC.  Daley recently retired as dean.

 The LMC also recognized outgoing Management Co-Chair Mike Sanders, Jackson County Executive, and retired Executive Committee member and past Labor Co-Chair Louie Wright, Fire Fighters Local 42 past president, after electing Scott Hoisington, Deputy Director of Operations for Turner Construction Co., as the new Management Co-Chair.

 Other officers elected or re-elected included Secretary Dave Kendrick, Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council business manager; Treasurer Don Greenwell, Builders’ Association president and  Executive Committee member Mike Kotubey, MMC Contractors president.  Board members elected or reelected were Sam Alpert, Construction Users Council executive director; Tim Bell, Western Missouri and Kansas Laborers District Council business manager, Rosana Privitera-Biondo, Mark One Electric Co., Inc. president; Allen Dillingham, Builders’ Association director of government relations; and Ron Johnson, Teamsters Local 541 financial secretary.

 The event’s co-sponsors included Founding Sponsor IBEW Local 124; Anniversary Sponsors Builders’ Association and Power Partners; Award Sponsors Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, Brotherhood Bank, CIGNA, J.E. Dunn Construction Co. and Pipefitters Local 533; and Supporter Chase/Union Plus Mortgage.

 The organization also announced that its annual golf tournament will be Monday, July 23, at Oakwood Country Club.

The Labor-Management Council seeks to enhance collaboration and trust between labor and management and impact the community.  Formed in 1979, it is a nonprofit based at Rockhurst University.  For more information contact (816) 501-4565; bob.jacobi@rockhurst.edu; or http://labormanagementkc.typepad.com, where photos and other information from the event will soon be posted.

 

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2011 LMC Golf Tournament a Success

The 2011 LMC Golf Tournament featured 76 golfers, numerous prizes and a near hole-in-one at Oakwood Country Club July 18.

 Photos from the tournament are now available in a photo album to the left; more will be added later.  Participation increased from last year.

Winning foursomes included CIGNA, first place; Turner Construction Co., second place; Plumbers Local 8, third place; Doug Albers, longest drive; Tim Murdock, nearest-to-the-pin.  Raffle ticket buyers also were rewarded with several gift cards from M&I Bank and shirt and golf balls sets from Scout Investment Advisors.  All golfers and volunteers enjoyed pulled pork smoked by Robbie Makinen, Jackson County.

The LMC thanks the following sponsors and volunteers:

Eagle Sponsors--Black & Veatch, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, Bricklayers Local 15,CIGNA, Humana, J.E. Dunn Construction Co., Mechanical Contractors Association and Pipefitters Local 533.

Refreshment Cart--Teamsters Local 541

Hole Sponsors--Aetna Labor Division-John Tuerk, Jean Peters Baker for Jackson County Prosecutor, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Scout Investment Advisors, The Segal Company, SMACNA-KC, United Labor Credit Union.

In-Kind: Teamsters Local 838 and Signatory Bottlers and Distributors, CIGNA, Robbie Makinen, M&I Bank, Scout Investment Advisors, Turner Construction Co.

Volunteers--Angie Brown, Janice Dickey, Lyle Farrand, Dawn Godard, Mary Jacobi, Jon Lewis, Helen Linquist, Jen Monahan, Robbie Makinen, Janice Taylor.

Rocky Kloth, Carpenters District Council, came within less than two inches of making a hole-in-one on the 16th hole, which would have won him $20,000.  Check out the photos of how close he came.

LMC Golf Tournament Set for July 18

The Labor-Management Council Golf Tournament will again bring together our community’s top labor and management leaders in an informal atmosphere combining cooperation and competition on Monday, July 18.  The tournament also recognizes Craig Whitaker, longtime LMC Board member who founded the tournament.  The tournament will be held at Oakwood Country Club, one of the area’s top-rated courses and located at 9800 Grandview Road in south Kansas City.  All ability levels are welcome!

Registration and access to practice putting and driving begins at 7:30 a.m. with an 8 a.m. shot-gun start for the four-person scramble.  An awards luncheon including more than $1,500 in prizes will be held immediately after play is complete.

Sponsorships, foursomes, individual player slots, in-kind donations and volunteer spots are all available.

Participation will be limited so sign up early! Foursomes & individual players/twosomes must register by July 16.  Sponsors must commit by July 9.  Contact the LMC for a registration form, bob.jacobi@rockhurst.edu or (816) 501-4565.

Check out photos from past golf tournaments in the photo album section of the blog.

LMC Awards Dinner Adds Kick for 2011

Participants in the 2011 Labor-Management Council 32nd Anniversary Celebration and 12th Annual Awards Dinner have a special opportunity to benefit even more from the event.

In order to promote early reservations and to expand awareness of one of our newest members, the LMC will award two sets of two tickets each to the Kansas City Ballet Winter performance.  All table (10 chances each) and seat (1 chance per seat) reservations for the dinner made by March 1 will participate in a drawing for the tickets.

The winners will receive VIP Orchestra section passes for the Ballet’s performance of Giselle at the Lyric Theatre (value of $80 per ticket).  A haunting story of love, betrayal and revenge, Giselle will showcase the Ballet’s outstanding performers.  The show runs March 10-13.

To be entered for the drawing, please get your reservations in no later than Feb. 28.

In addition to this drawing, we will hold a second drawing for tickets to the Ballet’s May 5-8 performance of Moves.  That drawing will be held at the Awards Dinner and include all attendees who provide a business card.

For more information or to make reservations, contact the LMC at bob.jacobi@rockhurst.edu or (816) 501-4565.

Rock Talk Celebrates Labor-Management, Rockhurst

   “Rock Talk: Past, Present and Future of Labor-Management Relationships” drew more than 50 participants and a stellar lineup of speakers Sept. 17 at Rockhurst University.  The event also featured announcements regarding the Mid-Level Leadership Program, which begins this year’s sessions Sept. 29.  Sponsors included the Builders’ Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City.
  In addition to the 25--year old Mid-Level program, the LMC will offer an advanced version in 2011.  The advanced version, noted LMC Executive Director Bob Jacobi, will be open to Mid-Level graduates and allow them to further develop their leadership skills.  An advisory group is now being formed to help design and implement the new program.
   A celebration of Rockhurst’s centennial and its unique role in labor-management relationships, the event also gave participants insights into Kansas City’s labor-management history.  Local attorneys played critical roles in the development of labor relations in the trucking, movie theater and baseball industries.  Presenters also outlined the critical challenges facing labor-management relationships today and unique (and not so unique) issues faced in arts and sports.
   Rockhurst’s unique contribution to labor-management relationships began in the 1930s with the Institute for Social Order, founded by professors the Rev. John Friedl and Harry Kies.  The institute offered programs for union members, business leaders and public officials to address the dramatic changes in labor-management relationships after passage of the National Labor Relations Act.  That tradition continued as Rockhurst offered the nation’s first bachelor’s degree in industrial relations and professors such as the Rev. Frank Murphy, S.J., became respected teachers and arbitrators.
   That history guided the founders of the Labor-Management Council to seek Rockhurst’s assistance in forming the organization.  William H. Dunn, Sr., chairman of J.E. Dunn Construction Co., joined with then Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO President Bob Reeds to approach the college.  Fr. Murphy and then Rockhurst President the Rev. Maurice Van Ackeren, S.J., helped put the LMC together and agreed to house it at Rockhurst.  The LMC remains based at the university in its Helzberg School of Management.  Helzberg Dean James Daley is a consultant to the LMC Board and teaches in its Mid-Level Leadership Program.
   Dunn recalled the troubled labor-management atmosphere when the LMC was formed in 1979.  Strikes, particularly in the construction industry, were frequent.  An opportunity to build relationships came, Dunn noted, when both sides agreed on a key bill in Missouri that had fallen off the legislative radar.  A joint lobbying effort resurrected the bill and got it passed.  That victory ignited the LMC’s formation.  Since then, Dunn added, the LMC has brought labor and management together on hundreds of local, state and federal issues.  He pointed out the role the organization still plays in addressing key social and economic problems.
   The former longtime LMC co-chair and past Rockhurst board chair praised the organization’s current efforts and urged participation.
   Ray Beagle, past chair of Lathrop and Gage and a Rockhurst trustee, recounted the development of collective bargaining in the trucking industry.  Beagle’s then two-person law firm evolved into the prime representative of the industry dealing with Jimmy Hoffa and the fast-growing Teamsters.  The relationships led to national bargaining that helped the industry prosper.  Beagle also chronicled the downfall of national bargaining, caused by the federal prosecution of Hoffa and deregulation of the trucking industry.
   Kansas City and Beagle also played a crucial role in the movie theater industry.  As then-attorney for AMC Theatres, Beagle explained Durwood’s revolutionary vision for multiplex movie theaters and the many obstacles, including labor contracts with the International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees.  Beagle helped implement Durwood’s vision around the world; ironically, the union worked well with the change virtually everywhere but in AMC’s hometown of Kansas City.
   The evolution of labor relations in major league baseball also has close Kansas City ties.  Steve Fehr, special counsel to the Major League Baseball Players Association and attorney with Jolly Walsh, Hurley, Raisher and Aubrey, noted that KC attorneys were brought in to respond to a lawsuit filed by baseball owners in an area federal court.  The players’ association then engaged the local attorneys, including Fehr and his brother, and eventually Donald Fehr became the union’s executive director.
   Critical current issues were addressed by Dick Cook, Cook Labor Relations Consulting and recently retired vice president of labor relations for Hostess Brands; Michael Kitchen, human resources manager, city of Kansas City, Mo., and Larry Rebman, director of the Missouri Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations.  Kitchen and Rebman are Mid-Level Leadership graduates.
   Cook explained the journey of Hostess, formerly Interstate Brands, through bankruptcy.  That process helped save thousands of union jobs and required flexibility by both workers and management.  Cook emphasized that benefits present a real challenge for labor-management relationships.  Pension benefits loom as the next health care as a source of difficult bargaining as many funds see the ratio of workers paying in compared to retirees shrink at the same time investment earnings have tanked.  Cook urged labor and management to push Congress for changes to help relieve the burden on plans which have seen obligations fall on fewer companies.  He also said that health care reform will generate changes and urged unions to organize more aggressively even without labor law reform, which appears unlikely to pass in the near future.
   Kitchen highlighted the evolving relationship between the city and the three unions representing its workers:  AFSCME Local 500, Fire Fighters Local 42 and Fire Fighters Local 3808.  Those relationships have evolved from highly contentious to strong partnership, particularly with Local 42.  Such partnerships are a huge benefit for both the city and the workers, he noted.
  Rebman highlighted the vital role of unemployment compensation in the state’s economy, as the largest payroll in the state right now is the UI system’s benefits.  But Missouri, like nearly every other state, is facing huge deficits that the federal government will not bail out, Rebman noted, and labor and management are needed to help make changes to keep the fund solvent without harming employers’ competitiveness. Workers’ compensation is seeing declining premiums but a decision must be made soon on the fiscally-challenged second injury fund’s future. On other fronts, the department is aggressively enforcing prevailing wage, health and safety laws and working with employers to ensure compliance.
   Labor-management relationships are crucial in sports and the arts as well.  Fehr explained the contentious history of relationships between major league baseball owners and players, with every expired contract resulting in a lockout or strike until 2003.  Ironically, the issue of steroids forced the union and owners to work more effectively together and that has helped the relationship, Fehr pointed out.  Recent contracts have included significant revenue sharing though not all of the lower-revenue clubs have used those funds for player salaries, he said.
   The atmosphere, and the scale of money involved, is a bit different at the Kansas City Ballet noted ballet executive director Jeffrey Bentley.  The ballet has long worked with union stagehands and unionized Kansas City Symphony players, but ballet dancers did not organize until recently.
   Dancers joined the American Guild of Musical Artists, and are in the first contract between AGMA and the ballet.  Ballet General Manager Kevin Amey said that the ballet’s precarious finances made negotiations challenging but that the relationship between the ballet and its dancers is strong and the ballet believes the unionization is a positive for the organization.  Dancer Nadia Iozzo said a key issue has been whether dancers are required to attend, without pay, training before rehearsal sessions.  The dancers won the right to do so but also understand the importance of such training to their health, she said.  Dancers face low pay and relatively short careers and look to perform with companies that are unionized, she said, so the relationship helps attract quality performers to Kansas City.
  Amey also urged participants to attend the ballet and support the artists.
   For photos of “Rock Talk” check the LMC blog soon, http://labormanagementkc.com.

Construction Committee Discusses Prevailing Wage, JOC, Events and Tax Credits

Construction Industry Steering Team Summary of Minutes
 8 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010, Mark One Electric Co., Inc.
Attending:  Sam Alpert, Rosana Privitera-Biondo, KC Borden, Craig Chastain, \Sang Duong, Don Greenwell, Scott Hoisington, Kevin Istas, Garry Kemp, Dave Kendrick, Dave Lovetere, Bill Miller, Payne Mendenhall, Bill Miller, Lonnie Scott, Tom Whittaker, Colleen White,  Bob Jacobi.
•Introductions and thanks to Rosie Biondo and Mark One for hosting.
•The KCMO Prevailing Wage subcommittee is working on improving city staff’s ability to spot potential violations, identifying serial violators and pre-qualification procedures.  The Missouri Dept. of Labor is now posting violators’ lists on the web.  A training session on prevailing wage compliance will be conducted by Colleen White and held at Penn Valley CC Sept. 15; participants can get two hours of non-code continuing education credits towards Johnson County contractor licensing requirements.  The next committee meeting is 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13 at KCMO city hall, 8th floor.  All Construction Committee members are welcome to attend.
A similar committee was suggested for the Unified Government, particularly since a recent project receiving public subsidies was not considered as requiring prevailing wage.
•Discussion of the KBR contract with Kansas City, Mo., and the University of Missouri system for Job Order Contracting continued.  Issues include the number of contractors KBR actually uses, accessibility to potential contractors and how jobs are divided.  The city manager has discretion to use or not use KBR, and the contract is up for renewal by April 2011.
•Kansas City, Mo. is putting a renewal of the Public Safety Sales Tax on the November ballot.
•About $12,000 remains to be raised for the proposed study of the impact of the KCMO earnings tax, with the statewide ballot issue on the November ballot and a Spring election if that issue passes.  Contact Sam Alpert or the LMC to contribute.
•The LMC will approach Chuck Tarpley, business manager for Plumbers Local 8, regarding the LMC board of directors vacancy created by the retirement of Frank Jackson.
•The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) Development Day is Sept. 16, 5-7:30 p.m. at Downtown Marriott.  Sponsored by J.E. Dunn Construction Co. and Commerce Bank.  Booths from firms involved in commercial real estate will be available.
•Rock Talk: Past, Present and Future of Labor-Management Relationships is set for Sept. 17 at Rockhurst University.  Sponsors include the Builders’ Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
•NICE’s golf tournament is Sept. 20 at Oakwood Country Club.  Foursomes, sponsors, donations of food/beverages and prizes are needed as well as volunteers.
•KC CREW’s next luncheon Sept. 21, 11:30 a.m. at Mission Hills Country Club features Bill Black, author of The Commercial Real Estate Revolution: 9 Transforming Keys to Lowering Cost, Cutting Waste and Driving Change in a Broken Industry.  Registration at www.crewkansascity.org, $35 per person.
•Western Mo. & Kansas Laborers’ Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament Sept. 24 at Drumm Farm.  Contact Jason Mendenhall (Local 663), Reginald Thomas (Local 264) or Mark Adkins (Local 1290) or Payne Mendenhall (LECET) for details.
•DAD’S Day Bike Run and Car Show make-up day will take place Sept. 25 at the Independence Events Center in conjunction with a city of Independence event that will feature fire and public works equipment and vehicles.
•LMC Mid-Level Leadership Program begins Sept. 29 at Rockhurst University.
•NARI class on wage and hour Sept. 30.
•The MAMBDC  will honor J.E. Dunn Construction Co. and the Dunn family Sept. 30, 5:30 p.m. at Donnelly College.
•Minority & Women Coalition Luncheon Oct. 29, Argosy Casino; federal legislators are expected to speak.
•NICE is about to bring in a new education consultant and to begin planning for the 2010-11 school year and 2011 iBuild Showcase.
•Enid, OK, will be the location of the next Construction Challenge for the midwest.  Kansas City was the previous location and hosted the nation’s most successful event.
•KCMO is looking for a new manager for MBE/WBE certification as Heidi Moyer has moved.
•Dave Kendrick reports that the first meeting of the Missouri Tax Credit Review Commission has been held, with a focus of identifying tax credit programs that create jobs.  Hearings will be held soon and testimony taken.
•The next meeting will be held at 8 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 14 at Mark One Electric Co., Inc.

Centennial Event Takes Shape

Rock Talk: Past, Present and Future of Labor-Management Relationships
Celebrating Rockhurst University’s Centennial and Its Unique Role in Labor-Management

You are invited to join the Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City and Rockhurst University at a unique event Friday, Sept. 17, 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the university.

Labor-Management relationships are at a crossroads in the U.S., facing globalization, an uncertain economy, changes in labor laws and shifting demographics.  Of course, labor-management relationships have faced new realities before, and then as now, Rockhurst University has played a key role.

To help celebrate the Rockhurst centennial, on Sept. 17 the Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City and the Mid-Level Leadership Program bring together top leaders to explore the past, present and future of labor-management relationships.  We will also examine the university’s unique role in shaping local and national labor-management relationships since the 1930s and make announcements regarding the LMC’s Mid-Level Leadership Program at Rockhurst.

Sessions at Rockhurst University’s Conway Hall, Room 005, will include history of area labor-management relationships and Rockhurst’s role; the current state of labor-management relationships; labor-management relationships in sports and the arts and recognition of Mid-Level Leadership graduates.

Confirmed speakers include William H. Dunn, Sr., chairman, J.E. Dunn Construction Co.; Ray Beagle, past chair of Lathrop & Gage, Rockhurst trustee and labor attorney; Steve Fehr, attorney who has represented the Major League Baseball Players Association; Jeffrey Bentley, executive director, Kansas City Ballet; Dan Hubbel, regional director, National Labor Relations Board; Dick Cook, recently retired vice president of labor relations for Hostess Brands; Gary O’Bannon, director of human resources, city of Kansas City, Mo.; Larry Rebman, director, Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.  Check future emails and our blog, http://labormanagementkc.typepad.com, for additional speakers.

Breakfast and lunch in included in the event.

To participate, please contact the LMC at bob.jacobi@rockhurst.edu or (816) 501-4565.

Craig Whitaker/LMC Golf Tournament a Success

The 13th annual Craig Whitaker Memorial/Labor-Management Council Golf Tournament at Oakwood Country Club was indeed lucky.  The more than 60 players and volunteers beat the sweltering heat and enjoyed excellent golf, outstanding food and drink and great relationship-building.  At lunch Kansas State Treasurer Dennis McKinney spoke about home construction and education funding programs the state provides.  Kansas State Rep. Stan Frownfelter was among the players. Check this blog soon for photos.  The supporters and participants included:

The first place foursome was Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City; second was MO-KAN LECET (Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust), and in third was J.E. Dunn Construction Co.  Mark Huber, Turner Construction Co., won for nearest-to-the-pin while Gordon Clark, Boyd & Kenter Law foursome and Transportation Workers Union, won the longest drive.

Craig Whitaker Memorial/LMC Golf Tournament Participants
Eagle Sponsors
Blue Cross Blue Shield of KC, J.E. Dunn Construction Co., Mechanical Contractors Association, Pipefitters Local 533

Foursomes
Argosy Casino, Boyd & Kenter PC, Fiduciary Consultants, IBEW Local 124, MO-KAN LECET, Preferred Heatlh Professionals, Teamsters Local 838/Signatory Bottlers, Turner Construction Co., United Labor Credit Union, VSP + Rep. Stan Frownfelter, Whitaker Family

Refreshment Cart Sponsor
Penn National Gaming/Hollywood Casino

Hole Sponsors
Bricklayers Local 15, Preferred Health Professionals, Scout Investment Advisors, Inc., Teamsters Local 541, Turner Construction Co.

In-Kind Sponsors
Robbie Makinen, Jackson County (pulled pork for lunch), M&I Taft-Hartley Trust (golf bag for raffle), Teamsters Local 838 and Bottlers/Pepsi (drinks)

Volunteers:  Lyle Farrand, Retired Teamsters Local 541; Mary Jacobi, Jackson County Circuit Court; Herb Millard, American Subcontractors Association; Greg Lever, Taliferro & Browne Inc.; Colleen White, Strategic Workplace Solutions.

Construction Committee Meets June 10

The LMC Construction Industry Committee next meets at 8 a.m., Thursday, June 10 at Mark One Electric Co., Inc., 909 Troost.