The Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City

More Details Available on Mid-Level Program

The brochure for the 2007-2008 Mid-Level Leadership Program sponsored by the LMC and Rockhurst University can be found at Download mlppdfbrchr.cwk (WP).pdf (81.8K) . The application form is also available on this blog under Leadership. The program's first class is Sept. 26; however, a reception is tentatively planned for earlier in September for alumni and prospective participants. Watch the blog for details.

Construction Committee Meets Aug. 9

The LMC's Construction Industry Committee will meet at 8 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 9 at Mark One Electric Co., Inc., 909 Troost. Please let Bob Jacobi know if you plan to attend.

Correction

We apologize for misspelling the name of SMACNA Intern Sang T. Duong in the golf tournament results story. Just another example where spellcheck can't do everything! Thanks again to Sang and all of the volunteers at the tournament.

2007 Golf Tournament Succeeds

Mother Nature smiled upon the LMC’s 19th annual Golf Tournament July 23 at Oakwood Country Club. Despite morning rain and occaisionallly threatening skies, the 60 players and nine volunteers stayed dry and enjoyed an afternoon of cooperation and competition.

Taking home trophies and $800 in pro shop gift cards for the first place foursome was Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City with a score of 57. HMC Companies/Mark Mauro/National Medical Card won second place and the trophies and $400 in gift cards. The third place foursome was Plumbers Local 8, earning trophies and $200 in gift cards. The longest drive contest was taken by Jeff Wilkinson, Heavy Construction Laborers Local 663 ($100 gift card) and the nearest-to-the-pin winner was Brian Whittaker, Craig Whitaker foursome.

Key to the successful tournament were sponsors (listed below), volunteers and the Golf Committee including Craig Whitakter (Reece & Nichols), Vince Migliazzo (Mark One Electric Co., Inc.), Shirley Cannon and Angelo Lanzia (M & I Trust Co.), Sung T. Doung (SMACNA-KC) and her friend William, Mary Jacobi, Vicki Tarpley (Labor Beacon) and Colleen White (Strategic Workplace Solutions). Sponsors and participants included:

Luncheon Sponsor-J.E. Dunn Construction Co.

Eagle Sponsors:
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City
Brotherhood Bank
Buiilders’ and Heavy Constructors Associations
Mechanical Contractorrs Association
HMC Companies/Mark Mauro/National Medical Health Card
Pipefitters Local 533
Walton Construction Co.
UMB Asset Management

Refreshment Cart Sponsor: Kansas City Insulation Contractors

Hole Sponsors: M & I Taft-Hartley Trust Co., Mark One Electric Co., Inc., Missouri AFL-CIO, Teamsters Local 541 and Winger & Co.

Foursomes: Fire Fighters Local 42, Heavy Construction Laborers Local 663, Mark One Electric Co., Inc., Plumbers Local 8, Preferred Health Professionals, Craig Whitaker-Reece Nichols, Turner Construction Co.

Individual Players: Financial Counselors (2), Marco Consulting, Terry Stone.

See photos of each foursome and others from the tournament in the album 2007 Golf Tournament. Photos were taken by Mary Jacobi.

Note: Check back soon for photos of the winning foursomes and individuals.

Painters District Council Joins LMC

The LMC is pleased to announce that the Painters District Council #3 has joined. District Council #3 has been participating in the Construction Industry Committee for the past year. Mike Williams is the recently-elected Business Manager.

An updated Directory of LMC members and the Board of Directors is available at Download membershiprosterbd.cwk (WP).pdf (93.5K).

Arts/Culture Belong in Workplace, Schools

One of the many civic and business leaders meeting July 17 at Commerce Bank noted that the speaker “is the first Bush appointee I’ve heard where I agree with everything he said.”

The speaker, National Endowment for the Arts (N.E.A.) Chairman Dana Gioia, used personal experience and research data to make the case for the impact of art in education, business and civic culture. Gioia noted that, for example:

•Students participating in school arts and music are more successful in classwork;

•People who read for pleasure are more likely, regardless of income level, to volunteer for and give to charity, to attend cultural events and to participate in civic life;

•Attendees at performing arts events are much more likely to exercise and play sports.

Unfortunately, Gioia said, the percentage of readers has declined substantially in the past 20 years. Similarly, young adults are less likely to attend arts and cultural events and to be involved in physical activities such as exercise and sports. In other words, the U.S. work force is becoming less literate, less engaged and less physically fit at a time when, as Gioia points out, our best possible economic advantages in a global marketplace are our creativity and energy.

Gioia’s talk to area civic leaders took place at the same time as an important national U.S. Dept. of Labor conference on workforce development. His message would have been appropriate for the attendees of that conference as well.

Many school districts have cut or eliminated arts and music programs either to deal with budget deficits or the misguided notion that such programs take away from the “basics” of reading, writing and math. Yet research demonstrates that in fact such programs enhance student performance and interest in those very basics.

Under Gioia’s leadership, the N.E.A. has focused its grants more on engaging communities in art and culture and reaching out to small town and rural areas. The role of arts in economic development has been proven, but those benefits should be extended beyond urban cores, Gioia said.

The N.E.A. chair came to KC at the invitation of Joan Israelite, a recently-appointed N.E.A. board member and head of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City. Through its Business Council for the Arts, the Arts Council has introduced numerous workplace art programs to help generate productivity, employee engagement both at work and in the community and to stimulate arts-related economic development, such as in the Crossroads District of Kansas City.

For the Kansas City and U.S. workforces to be globally competitive, the basic skill of reading and the inclination for creativity at all levels are musts. At least one governmental leader, Gioia, is recognizing that reality and acting on it. Israelite also cited the city of Kansas City, Mo., for its support of the role of art in the local economy as another example. And Johnson County, Kansas, is led by an artists, Annabeth Surbaugh.

Construction Committee Updated on KCCP, Workforce Issues

July 12, 2007

Attending: Rosie Biondo, Troy Carlson, Jim Delaney, Sang T. Duong (for Khensa Karim), Garald Eagan, Don Greenwell, Garry Kemp, Dave Kendrick, Payne Mendenhall, Herb Millard, Randy Millburn, Colleen White, Bob Jacobi

•Introductions and thanks to Rosie Biondo and Mark One Electric Co. for hosting.

•IBEW-NECA may hold one more Town Hall Meeting for rank and file, otherwise the meetings are complete with more than 500 participants. A meeting for contractors is set for July 19. The rank and file will attend a Nov. 17 session with Mark Breslin at the Overland Park Convention Center where the results and plans to address the issues discovered will be announced.

•The Kansas City Construction Partnership is now incorporated and approaching developers/owners. At the Building Trades Business Managers’ meeting July 10, management association representatives were also present and nearly every craft has agreed to participate; some crafts are further along than others regarding their change processes but all within the Building Trades are on board. The job of the Building Trades is shifting to “preparing the locals for the marketplace” and the job of local business managers is shifting to “preparing the workers for the marketplace.” Breslin spoke to the Laborers regional meeting in June. A national meeting is taking place later this year where KC could be recognized. Participating in LEED could be a focus as well as the market is looking for more LEED-certified projects. The key now is to apply what has been learned and it is happening.

•Meetings continue with KCMO Human Relations Dept. on the implementation of the recently-passed Workforce Ordinance. While July 1 is the start date, real enforcement will not begin until reporting forms and regulations are ready. Garry Kemp and Colleen White are meeting with Philip Yelder this morning regarding data collection issues.

•Discussion continues regarding the MBE/WBE ordinances’ use of SBA regulations on contractor size and owner net worth to determine eligibility for the program. It is proposed that the city create its own standards as the SBA ones do not fit well with the KC industry’s situation.

•The City Attorney, Jim Brady, has indicated his opinion that the recently-passed SB 339 invalidates the city’s need to enforce prevailing wage. However other attorneys and legislators involved say that is not the case, that the city’s MOU with the state regarding investigation and enforcement remains in tact. Further discussions will take place

•M/S/C to request that the LMC Issues Committee identify key board and commission appointments in area governments and to develop recommendations for those appointments.

•The city of Independence recently passed new contractor regulations requiring contractors on jobs of $500,000 and above to have certified training, safety and pension plans. A copy of the ordinance will be distributed to committee members.

•No new action has been taken on removing the federal 3% rule, though the lead sponsor of the House repeal bill is well-positioned. Locally Reps. Boyda and Graves are cosponsors. Committee members are urged to contact other members of the area delegation to ensure their support when the bill comes to a vote.

•The National Institute for Construction Excellence is now writing curriculum grades 9 and 12,with teacher training in August for Kansas City, Kansas teachers. NICE is also talking with Skills USA/VICA on ways the programs could work together.

•Placement of eligible apprentices in Skills USA/VICA national contests will be pursued.

•The U.S. Dept. of Labor Workforce Conference takes place July 16-17. Eight crafts are participating with booths. Spots remain for the dinner July 16; contact Dave Kendrick at the Building Trades if you wish to attend.

•The LMC Golf Tournament is July 23 at Oakwood Country Club; the NICE Tournament is Aug. 10 at Shamrock Hills and the Building Trades tournament is Aug. 16 at Eagles’ Landing. Reservation information for each tournament is available at the LMC’s blog, http://labormanagementkc.typepad.com.

•The next meeting will be 8 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 9 at Mark One Electric.

•M/S/C to adjourn.

Golf Tournaments Get Labor and Management Together, Support Causes

Members of the labor-management community will be gathering at several golf tournaments this summer, building stronger relationships while also supporting community causes:

•The LMC Golf Tournament is set for July 23 at Oakwood Country Club.

•The National Institute for Construction Excellence Tournament (NICE) will take place Aug. 10 at Shamrock Hills Golf Club in Lee's Summit.

•The Greater Kansas City Building & Construction Trades Tournament will be Aug. 16 at Eagle's Landing Golf Club in Belton.

For details and registration information, check here Download golfpromormnd07-all3.cwk (WP).pdf (195.6K). The file includes registration information for all three tournaments.

Mid-Level Leadership Program Now Accepting Applications

The 2007-2008 Mid-Level Leadership Program is now accpeting applicaitons. The application, Download MALMC07.pdf (617.3K), can be completed and submitted at any time up to the deadline. Fall classes will take place from 4-8 p.m. on Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10, Oct. 17, Oct. 24, Nov. 7 and 14 at Rockhurst University, plus one additional event to be announced.

A complete description of the class content and specifics will be available here soon.

KC Mayor Agrees Not to Accept Honda

Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser responded positively to the LMC's recent letter (see earlier post) regarding his initial decision to accept a free Honda. Here is the Mayor's reply to the LMC:

Dear Mr. Jacobi:

Thank you for your letter dated June 11, 2007, suggesting that I drive a car manufactured in Kansas City. As I'm sure you're now aware, I have chosen not to accept the Honda hybrid, and will continue to drive the car I already own. As to your suggestion to have the local dealership replace the city-leased Lincoln with a locally produced hybrid, I can tell you that we pursued that option, but city staff could not get the deal to work out in a way that was sufficiently advantageous to taxpayers.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Funkouser
Mayor

The LMC appreciates the Mayor's reconsideration of his decision to accept the Honda and the effort to lease a locally-made hybrid (the Mercury Mariner, produced at the Claycomo Ford plant).