The Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City

The LMC Construction Summit will continue at the next Construction Industry Committee meeting time, Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 8 a.m.

With the weather slowing down legislative activity this week, next week will heat up. A few of the key issues the LMC is following:

•The Missouri Senate General Laws Committee hearing on "right-to-work", SB 118, is rescheduled for Feb. 23. Also a bill we opposed last year, to forbid eminent domain on the Grain Belt Express energy transmission line, is back also and is now on the House Perfection Calendar.

•KS HB 2306 has been introduced, re-establishing a local option for prevailing wage.

•The city of KCMO looks closer to changing economic incentives policy (Ord. 200497).

•In addition to movement on the COVID relief bill, the President has appointed a new interim general counsel of the NLRB and announced a nomination for the next general counsel.

The LMC wishes all a safe start to the week. The Rockhurst University campus is closed today and Tuesday but--pending the rolling power outages--we can still be reached at bob.jacobi@rockhurst.edu.

Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on an outstanding season in 2020. We look forward to more (and better) Super Bowl performances from the Chiefs in the future.

The LMC mourns George Schultz, best known as U.S. Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan but a leading labor economist for most of his career. Dr. Schultz was a leading researcher in labor-management relationships and also served as U.S. Secretary of Labor. He served as CEO of the Bechtel Construction Co., pioneering labor-management partnerships on key Bechtel projects. He continued writing and speaking on labor-management issues in recent years, even as he neared his 100th birthday recently.

The LMC wishes the Kansas City Chiefs great luck on Sunday!

The LMC mourns the death of Milton Warriner, retired business manager Plasterers' & Cement Masons Local 518. Milton's family suggests contributions to St. Jude. He was a highly respected leader in the industry and mentored several outstanding leaders at Local 518.

The Rockhurst University Helzberg School of Management, where the LMC is based, has been reaccredited for a full five years – the maximum number of years an institution receives between accreditation visits. The Helzberg School is one of only 5% of all business programs to be accredited by the AACSB.

The LMC congratulates Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for his nomination as U.S. Secretary of Labor. Mayor Walsh is a past leader of the Boston Building Trades Council and member of the Laborers.

The LMC Construction Industry Summit resumes on Feb. 11, 8 a.m., via Zoom.

The LMC Board of Directors unanimously adopted the following Public Issues Agenda for 2021:
Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City Issues Agenda 2021

The LMC takes public issues positions when they are supported by at least 75% of Board of Directors members from both labor and from management. This year’s Agenda was approved unanimously by the Board of Directors:

Federal
•Any future stimulus funds include significant vertical construction projects.
•Support continuation of Davis-Bacon in any new federal infrastructure program.
•Oppose federal “right-to-work.”
Watch: Multiemployer benefit fund reform

Missouri
•The LMC supports reasonable and effective economic development incentives. While the LMC supports ensuring that tax credits and other incentives are cost effective, we want to preserve those tax credits crucial to economic development such as the historic tax credit, tax increment financing and enact an angel tax credit and data center incentives.
•The LMC opposes legislation to impose “right-to-work.”
•The LMC supports maintaining and increasing Medicaid eligibility and adequate provider reimbursement.
•The LMC supports state funding for a comprehensive transportation plan.
•The LMC supports Prevailing Wage.
•The LMC supports development of a statutory framework for public employee collective bargaining in Missouri to reduce uncertainty for workers and for public employers.
Watch: Unemployment Insurance, Workers Compensation, Utility Rates & Energy Capacity, Education/Kansas City School District.

Kansas
•The LMC supports reasonable and effective economic development incentives.
•The LMC supports continued funding for the comprehensive transportation plan.
•The LMC opposes immigration reform proposals that would put the burden of I-9 verification on contractors for subcontractors. Verification responsibility should fall only on the direct employer of those workers.
•The LMC supports reinstatement of a local option for prevailing wage in Kansas.
•The LMC supports maintaining and increasing Medicaid eligibility and adequate provider reimbursement.

Local
•The LMC endorses renewal of the Kansas City, Mo., city earnings tax on the April 6 ballot.
•The LMC opposes elimination of the Kansas City, Mo. city earnings tax until an alternative is in place.
•The LMC supports prevailing wage on projects with economic development incentives.
•The LMC supports modernization of the Kansas City International Airport.
Watch: Possible Kansas City, Mo., Public Safety Sales Tax increase

The mission of the Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City is to enhance collaboration by solidifying trust and communication between labor and management in the community.

Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs for running it back to the Super Bowl! The team's leadership, management and union workers (NFLPA, SEIU) have succeeded on and off the field in providing winning play and as safe as possible experience for fans, players and staff. We look forward to another historic win at the 55th Super Bowl in two weeks.