The Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City

IBEW Local 124 is a Title Sponsor of the 2015 Craig Whitaker Memorial LMC Golf Tournament to be held July 20 at Oakwood Country Club. Sponsors, foursomes, donors and volunteers are committing now. Contact the LMC if you need a registration form.

The LMC's Construction Industry Committee next meets at 8 a.m., Thursday, June 11 at Mark One Electric Co., Inc., 909 Troost, KCMO.

The LMC honors those who have served our mission and have passed on, including co-founders the Rev. Maurice Van Ackeren, S.J., the Rev. Frank Murphy, S.J., Meyer Goldman and Bob Reeds. We also recognize those who gave their lives for our liberty. Finally, we welcome back everyone from the Memorial Day holiday.

The LMC thanks Missouri legislators for their service during the just-completed 2015 session. While not all of the LMC's issues were successful, the LMC appreciates the efforts of legislators and the efforts of our members to keeping elected officials informed. A wrap-up of the LMC's 2015 Missouri issues will be posted soon.

Meanwhile Kansas legislators continue to work. Maintaining transportation funding is a key issue in the wake of budget difficulties.

The LMC congratulates developers and the city of Kansas City, Mo., on the proposed downtown hotel. LMC member JE Dunn Construction Co. will be the general contractor. The LMC has long supported enhancing the city's convention and tourism industry.

Construction Committee Discusses Dramatic Legislative Activity, Industry Impact

Construction Industry Steering Team Summary of Minutes

 8 a.m., Thursday, May 14, 2015, Mark One Electric Co., Inc.

Attending:  Terry Akins, Conseulo Cruz, Greg Davey, Brian Dietz, Jerry Helmick, Matt Johnson, Dennis Joyce, Greg Lever, Bill Livingston, John Tompson, Colleen White, Brian Wood, Bob Jacobi.

•Thanks to Rosana Privitera Biondo and Mark One Electric Co., Inc. for hosting.

•Plans for a major convention hotel in downtown KCMO have been announced.  A hotel at the Hollywood Casino is on hold for a few years, with the Unified Government using penalty revenues for employee raises until then.  The KCMO Streetcar is beginning to lay rail.  Also in KCMO, the One Light project achieved a perfect compliance audit of both JE Dunn Construction and project subcontractors.

•”Right-to-Work” was passed by the Missouri legislature; the Senate invoked a rarely used “previous question” to force a vote, which has effectively ended Senate action through adjournment Friday at 6 p.m.  The House is in limbo due to the “interngate” situation affecting Speaker Diehl (Note: he has since resigned from the House).  Neither favorable house vote produced enough votes to override a promised gubernatorial veto; committee members are urged to contact Gov. Nixon supporting a veto and legislators who had voted no to urge they keep that position.  The proposed gas tax for transportation is effectively dead for the session; Missouri will face a transportation funding crisis in a few years and Kansas is seeing cuts to balance its budget.  Missouri’s budget also cut three prevailing wage enforcement positions.

•Kansas HB 2074 will be debated today; it would lower the state’s percentage take of slot machines at racetracks, an attempt to revive the Woodlands but the bill’s prospect is also causing the stall in building the Hollywood Casino hotel.  The LMC opposed similar bills in the past.

•KCMO is expected to pass an ordinance requiring mandatory benchmarking of large commercial and residential buildings.  The LMC opposed the ordinance, but negotiated in committee for provisions that eliminate a “shaming list,” reduce compliance penalties and eliminate a verification requirement so the LMC became neutral on the substitute ordinance.

•KCMO’s Planned Industrial Expansion Authority has a new director in place, David Macoubrie.  PIEA is looking to include prevailing wage on more of its future projects.  It is also considering E-Verify requirements as well.  Each of the economic development agencies has their own requirements for whether prevailing wage is required, though all are under the Economic Development Corp. umbrella.

•A proposed KCMO additional certification authority for women contractors is now an “advisory” source.

•NICE held a successful iBuild Showcase April 14 with nearly 2,000 students attending, about half middle and half high school students from 46 schools.

•Gov. Nixon gave a rousing and well-received speech to the national Building Trades Conference in Washington, DC.

•OSHA has developed new construction standards which take effect Aug. 15.  Check OSHA’s website or contact Brian Wood, local OSHA labor liaison, for details.  Specific areas addressed included confined spaces in attics, crawl spaces, sewer systems and pits.

•The Committee will not meet in July due to the Mid-America Labor/Management Conference.

•Upcoming events include:

  *Builders’ Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament, May 18, Milbourn Country Club

  *Workers Memorial Day, April 28, 8 a.m., Builders’ Training Center

  *Midwest Minority & Women Business Expo, May 13, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., MCC BTC

  *HCA Luncheon, Guadalupe Center, May 20, 11:30 a.m.

  *Federal Procurement Conference hosted by Sen. McCaskill, UCM in Warrensburg, May 28

  *NAWIC Golf Tournament, June 8, Adams Pointe Golf Club (Blue Springs)

  *Rockhurst University Joseph Freeman Golf Tournament, June 29, Lions Gate

  *KCMO general election day June 23

  *Working Families Friend Golf Tournament, June 16, The National/Duece

  *Mid-America Labor/Management Conference, July 5-8, 2015, Camden on the Lake

  *LMC Craig Whitaker Memorial Golf Tournament, July 20, Oakwood Country Club

  *KC CREW Golf Tournament, Aug. 6, Shoal Creek

  *Working Families Friend Fall Cookout, Sept. 10

  *LMC Public Officials Reception, Oct. 15, 5-7 p.m., Kauffman Performing Arts Center

  *Construction Expo Oct. 21

  For details on the above events, please contact the sponsoring group or the LMC

•Next Meeting: 8 a.m., Thursday, May 14, 2015, Mark One Electric Co., Inc.

•Adjourn

The Missouri legislature passed HB 116, "right-to-work." The LMC opposes this bill and urges Gov. Jay Nixon to veto it. We thank the following senators who voted against ending debate on the bill and bringing it to a vote:
Maria Chappelle-Nadal, Shalonn "Kiki" Curls, Tom Dempsey, Bob Dixon, Joe Keaveny, Paul LeVota, Jamil Nasheed, Gary Romine, Jull Schupp, Scott Sifton, Ryan Silvey, Wayne Wallingford, Gina Walsh and Paul Wieland. Also to Sen. Jason Holsman who voted against passage of the bill.

The Missouri Senate is likely to debate this week a "right-to-work" bill, SB 127. The LMC opposes this and similar bills. Opponents are urged to contact their Senators early this week. The General Assembly session ends May 15. Contact the LMC for details.

The Labor-Management Council encourages you to register now to attend to attend the 30th Annual Mid-America Labor/Management Conference July 5-8 at the Lake of the Ozarks (www.malmc.org). The MALMC strives to bring together leaders from both labor and management, providing an opportunity to build relationships, network and improve your skills.

Highlights of the conference include:

•Four rounds of timely, topical workshops, including one on labor-management collaboration to improve health care benefits while controlling costs
•Keynote speaker Rick Gregory, a labor/management facilitator and 50-year member of the United Food and Commercial Workers’ Union
•Missouri Court of Appeals Traveling Docket of labor-related cases
•The annual MALMC golf tournament July 7 at Osage National Golf Resort
•Networking opportunities and events, including karaoke.

For the second time, the conference will be held at the Camden on the Lake Resort, Spa and Yaht Club at Toad Cove—the newest and most luxurious full-service resort at Lake of the Ozarks. The MALMC will be the only event there, and room space is limited so reservations should be made soon. Attendees can make reservations by calling 888-365-5620 and asking for the Mid-America Labor Management Conference rate of $149 per night or click here to make an online reservation using the user ID LABR0715 and password LABR0715.

Please let the conference or us know if you have questions.

Thanks to the Kansas City Labor Beacon for its extensive coverage of the LMC's 36th Anniversary and 16th Awards Dinner April 16. The coverage begins on the front page of the April 30 issue.