The Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City

The LMC mourns the death of former KCMO Mayor Dick Berkley. Mayor Berkley supported the LMC and its mission from the early days; the LMC was founded the year he was elected Mayor. We appreciate his friendship over the years and his contributions to Kansas City which continued long after he left the Mayor's office.

The LMC congratulates past board member Emil Ramirez for his promotion to International Vice President of the United Steelworkers. Emil has been a strong supporter of the LMC.

Congrats to leaders from LMC member organizations who were named to Kansas City Magazine's Top 50 Power Players: Chris Rosson, United Way; Hon. Quinton Lucas and Hon. Nathan Willits, City of Kansas City, Mo.; Jennifer Collier, Kansas City Public Schools; Gordon Langford, JE Dunn Construction Co.; Joe Reardon, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce; John Sherman, Kansas City Royals; and past LMC honoree Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service has released its schedule of online and in-person courses from the FMCS Institute for winter and spring. It's available at www.fmcs.gov .

Photos are now in for most of the fall sessions of the Mid-Level Leadership Program and can be found at left under Photo Album 2023 Mid-Level Leadership. Also check out photos from other 2023 events as well as past years.

Construction Committee Discusses Election Results, Infrastructure Investments, Workforce

Construction Industry Steering Team Summary of Minutes

 8 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 9 2023, Mark One Electric Co., Inc.

Attending: Sam Alpert, Tristin Amezcua-Hogan, Brian Curtin, Jon Doughty, Ed Downey, Josh Franklin, Luke Moylan, Chuck Roseburrough, Chris Stanton, Stefan Townsend, Bob Jacobi.

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

•Session #25 of the Construction Summit:  Efforts continue working with the Fair Contracting Alliance.

Election results in Kansas school board and city elections were largely favorable to the work of the Summit.  Labor-endorsed candidates won 41 of the 47 races in which positions were taken in Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

•A handout on increasing women participating n the construction trades was distributed.  The handout was provided by the Heartland Women in Trades.

•Welcome to Brian Curtin, McCownGordon Construction Co., who is attending his first committee meeting;

•The transit tax renewal in Kansas City, Mo., passed overwhelmingly Tuesday.  The Jackson County use tax proposal was defeated.  Both issues were endorsed by the LMC.

•The recent contract settlement between the UAW and Ford and with General Motors indicates $1 billion in investments for the Ford Claycomo plant and just under $400 million in the GM Fairfax plant, securing a future for particularly the Fairfax plant and generating work for the trades.

•An ethics investigation of the Missouri Speaker of the House may complicate the 2024 legislative session even further.  With numerous Senators running for higher office or facing primary challenges, passing controversial legislation may be difficult.

•The partnership announced between the city and the U.S. Department of Transportation has the potential for up to $15 billion of infrastructure investments, including a possible high speed transit  line from KCI to Downtown.  These investments, plus other recent announcements, mean extensive investment in the next several years in the metro area.

•NICE is printing additional Construction Career Handbooks for distribution.  The handbook includes all trades with information on career and apprenticeship opportunities.  It is also available on line at www.nice-kc.com.

NICE recently held a successful annual fundraiser with a program focused on the new KC Current soccer stadium and the role of women in construction.

•The Full Employment Council has many potential workers for the construction industry including those with past construction or mechanical experience, and funds to support their training and placement.  Funds to support their apprenticeship, on the job training and internship are available.  Stefan Townsend, FEC  director of employer services, is seeking opportunities.  He can be reached at 816-651-4157 and [email protected].

•One impact of the defeat of the Jackson County use tax is complicating and perhaps delaying a vote on a new Kauffman Stadium.  A final site has not been chosen but extensive discussions are underway with Jackson County and KCMO as well as with Clay County.  An April 2024 vote is targeted though a decision and agreements may not be in place in time.  Either way the construction industry is prepared for a campaign on any public vote as well as to build the stadium and surrounding development.

•The KC Business Journal breakfast featuring Lance Claiborne is Dec. 6, 8 a.m., at the The Space by Dolce Bakery in Prairie Village.

•The Mid-America Labor/Management Conference plans several construction-related speakers including a Detroit IBEW leader who will talk on the opioid crisis and value of NARCAN at job sites, former US Engineering executive Rob Marriott and a possible return of Jim Hadel, Roofers International president.  The conference is July 7-10 and the hotel is taking reservations.

•A first time joint conference with Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the Labor and Employment Relations Association will be held in New York June 26-30.

•Upcoming events:

*DBIA Awards Celebration, Nov. 17, 11 a.m., The Gallery

*Building Trades Holiday Party, Dec. 1, IBEW Local 124

*KC Business Journal breakfast-Lance Claiborne, speaker, 8 a.m. Dec. 6, The Space by Dolce Bakery

*Builders’ Holiday Party Dec. 6, Lydia’s

*DBIA Happy Hour Dec. 7, Milburn Country Club

*LMC Board meeting Jan. 17, 9:30 a.m.

*Working Families Friends Casino Night, Feb. 2, 6-10 p.m., 1222 W 12th St KCMO

*Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast-Pat McCown speaker, Feb. 13, 7:30 a.m., Kay Barnes Ballroom

*Builders’ Anniversary Event Feb. 15

*Midwest Construction Safety Conference March 19-22

*NICE iBuild Reception April 1, Bartle Hall

*NICE iBuild April 2, 2024, Bartle Hall

*Workers Memorial Day event April 26

*Builders Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament May 6

*FMCS/LERA National Conference, June 26-30, 2024, New York

*Mid-America Labor/Management Conference, July 7-10, Camden on the Lake

*Builders’ Member Summer Party July 17

*Construction Innovation Expo Sept. 17

*Builders’ Holiday Party Dec. 12

•Next Meeting: 8 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, Mark One Electric Co., Inc. 

•M/S/C to adjourn at 9  a.m.

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.

The LMC is gratified that Kansas City, Mo. voters overwhelmingly passed Question 1 to renew the sales tax for the Kansas City Transportation Authority that the LMC endorsed. While the Jackson County use tax did not carry, we will continue to look for that issue in the future.

We also congratulate all of the city and school board candidates in Kansas who ran and look forward to working with those who were elected.

A reminder to vote today!

he LMC mourns the passing of Mary Whitaker, widow of Craig Whitaker, longtime LMC board member and founder of our golf tournament. Mary was Craig's partner in providing support and leadership to the LMC, and supported the golf tournament when we named it for him after his death. Mary's family members included leaders in US Engineering as well. Below is her obituary:

Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend, and wife to Craig Whitaker for over 63 years.
She was a true original! Born to Gus and Nora Oxler December 23, 1922, a Christmas gift, and the only girl with five brothers. She was the fourth of six as her younger brothers always pointed out. Mary attended St. Elizabeth’s grade school, St. Teresa High School and St Teresa’s college (now Avila College) before joining TWA as a hostess. She married C. Craig Whitaker November 17, 1945 after his return from services as a P-51 pilot with the Army Air Corps in the European Theatre.

Craig and Mary live in Vetville, South Bend, Indiana on the campus of Notre Dame University until Craig received his degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1949. They moved to Minneapolis, MN, and Chicago, IL with Whitaker Cable Corp., the business his father, Jack P. Whitaker founded. Besides being a devoted mother and wife, Mary managed to volunteer at St. Ann’s school, Circle 7, St. Mary’s Hospital, KC Art Institute (Fireside), Lakemary Center, Little Sisters of the Poor, and Notre Dame Auxiliary. She played golf, tennis, did gardening, and was an avid bridge player. Her friends and family will remember her as a free-thinker who never stopped searching, a courageous woman with extraordinary spirit and curiosity who lived life to the end.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Gus and Nora Oxler, her brothers, Tom (Beverly), Mike (Mildred), Joe (Joyce), John (Mary Lou), Gus, and her beloved husband, Craig and daughter, Constance Whitaker Maffin (Bob). She is mourned by her sister-in-law Harriet Oxler, daughter Jan Van Hoose (Jim), sons Craig Whitaker, Dr. Ted Whitaker (Mary), Brian Whitaker (Laura), nine grandchildren, ten great grandchildren & another expected this month, and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held from 9:00-10:00am on Friday, November 10th followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00am in St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 7231 Mission Rd, Prairie Village KS 66208. Interment will follow in Forest Hill and Calvary Cemetery, 6901 Troost Ave Kansas City MO 64131.

In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions to Lakemary Center, 15145 S. Keeler St., Olathe, Kansas 66062 or the charity of your choice.

The Labor-Management Council urges area voters to participate in the Nov, 7 elections for local government, school board and issue races. Each vote counts even more in off-year races and it’s vital for our communities to have their say in local government.

As part of our mission to enhance collaboration by solidifying trust and communication between labor and management in the community, the LMC takes public issue positions that reflect a consensus of labor and management and have an impact on the region’s economy and quality of life. The LMC’s positions for Nov. 7, adopted unanimously by the Board of Directors comprised of one-half from labor, one-half from management:

•YES to Kansas City, Mo. Question 1. The issue renews the 3/8 cent sales tax for the Kansas City Transportation Authority enabling critical mass transit for the city. The tax, which the LMC has supported since first enacted earlier this century and upon its first renewal, supplies about 30% of the KCATA’s budget.

•YES to Jackson County Question 1. This issue allows the county to enact a use tax, as many localities have done since a U.S. Supreme Court decision, on purchases of out of state goods. The county plans to use the funds for infrastructure, county buildings and homeless services.

The LMC also reminds voters in Kansas that local government and school board races are on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Please let us know of any questions. See you at the polls Tuesday!