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The PlainDealer(316) 529-8513 3830 S. Meridian Ave. Wichita, KS 67217–3704

IN THIS ISSUE...UNITED WAY LABOR SUMMIT —2

AT THE RAIL —4JOBS WITH JUSTICE CONFERENCE —7

FROM THE FIELDS TO FACEBOOK—8

Vol. 93 Issue 9 “A Voice for Working Kansans since 1919” July 2011

IAM Charges GOP Senator with Ethics Violations in Boeing Case www.GoIAM.orgPosted By James Parks, AFL-CIO Blog

During the height of the Wiscon-sin protests against Gov. Walker’s attacks on workers’ rights, chants of “the people, united, will never be defeated” pulsated through the Wisconsin State House. The shak-ing walls could be heard not just inside the Capitol, but for quite a distance outside. And thanks to the power of the Internet, they could be heard around the world.When we see attacks like auto-workers being blamed for the auto crisis, teachers blamed for the teaching crisis, and public work-

-tured ones that could be resolved by simply making the rich pay their fair share in taxes)—you can bet that the same corporate forces that have tried to divide and con-

Hate Speak: Pitting Worker Against Worker, So We Don’t Fight TogetherPosted by Manny Herrman, AFL-CIO Blog

quer workers for generations are behind them.How can we overcome divisions in the labor movement—and the broader collective movement—to show soli-darity?This Friday, AFL-CIO Media Relations Director Alison Omens moderated a session with Josh Dorner, Communica-tions Director for Progressive Media at the Center for Ameri-can Progress, Susan Madrak of Suburban Guerilla and many

mcjoan) from Daily Kos, Marcy

Firedoglake and John Aravosis of AMERICAblog. They gave us their take on how all of us can work to counter ongoing attacks against working people. It starts with building real solidarity

that cuts across class lines and

-sions that pit one group of workers against another. And it also requires

rejecting both right-wing attacks and, for some of us, confronting our own internal feelings of class identity.Take the New York City snow plow drivers who were accused of deliberately sabotaging snow

removal efforts to smear public workers in the mainstream media, only to be vindicated later. Labor and progressive bloggers—and all of us—need to work to beat back this kind of right-wing smear attack. “Nobody talks about get-ting up in the middle of the night, plowing snow—and what reality is like,” noted Joan McCarter. “Instead, [snow plow drivers] are reduced to caricatures. There is a certain amount of demonization.”Stopping the demonization of workers starts with recognizing that anyone who has a job—no matter what that job is—deserves

from other people. And it requires ongoing attention, solidarity and coverage—from bloggers, and from all of us.

WORKERS DESERVE BENEFITS, RESPECT

Boeing to cut 225 positions; company’s goal to “reduce cost

and improve productivity”

The Wichita Eagle reported on June 15 in an article by Jerry Siebenmark that Boeing must cut employee jobs thru layoffs, job transfers, and retirements.

According to the article, a lag in maintenance work and a need to reduce cost and improve productivity are to blame for the elimination of jobs.

In a separate article published mid June by The Associated Press, Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research gave Kansas’ manufacturing climate an A grade. The state received lows marks for logistics, human capital, global reach, tax climate, and venture capital.

Unemployment Rates by State: Kansas

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis-tics. Data are seasonally adjusted. CBR Data Center

The International As-sociation of Machin-ists and Aerospace

-day released a letter

sent to the Senate Select Com-mittee on Ethics calling for an investigation into South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Gra-ham’s conduct and statements regarding the National Labor

-ing complaint against the Boeing Company.The IAM letter cites poten-tially unethical efforts by Sen. Graham and others to pressure NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon to drop the law enforcement proceeding against Boeing.“I believe that prior to the issu-ance of the Boeing complaint on April 20th, Senator Lindsey Graham communicated with NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon in one or more attempts to pressure him not to do so,” said IAM General Counsel Chris Corson. “I also believe that these communica-tions included threats that the Senator would seek to defund or otherwise adversely affect the funding of the NLRB if the Boe-ing complaint were pursued.”The IAM letter also cites a letter from Sen. Graham to Presi-dent Obama, in which Graham

declares he will pursue sanctions against Solomon and the NLRB even if it turns out that the NLRB’s law enforcement action against Boeing is upheld.“I don’t believe that a Senator or any other politician should be trying to interfere with and prevent a law enforcement trial,” said Corson, who cited possible violation of Senate Rule 43. “Americans expect law enforce-ment to be there for them when they are victimized by discrimi-nation or other unlawful behav-ior. When politicians intervene on behalf of a rich businessman or corporation in order to stop law enforcement from doing its job, our Constitution and rule of law are put in jeopardy.”The IAM represents more than 25,000 Boeing workers and is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America, with nearly 700,000 active and retired members in dozens of industries.

Washington, D.C., June 17, 2011

July 20112 — The PlainDealer

Find us online at www.PlainDealerLaborNews.com! Add YOUR local’s events to our online calendar.

Here it is July already, where has half the year gone? Between the

activity at my day job, home, and everything going on at the PlainDealer, time has just slipped away from me. Guess I should get down to business.As many of you may know, Melanie Jenney our edi-tor has decided to move on to other adventures. She has been my “boss” since I agreed to create and man-age the www.PlainDealer-LaborNews.com website. Melanie is a very special person in my book and I am honored to include her in my circle of friends. She will be missed around here. Please join me in wishing her good luck in her future endeavors.And now for our new editor, Vanessa Whiteside. While we have yet to meet face-to-face, we have quickly become acquainted with each other via emails. I’ve done what I can to make her

The PlainDealer Labor News Website Report, July 2011 www.PlainDealerLaborNews.comBy Michael Kennon, Website Manager, [email protected]

Dear PlainDealer Readers,

Hello! It is with enthusiasm that I’ve accepted the position of editor at The PlainDealer beginning with this issue. While the job began almost imme-diately and there is much to learn, my background includes experience in journalism.When I’m not preparing The PlainDealer to go to press, I’m working as a full-time English and journalism teacher at a rural high school outside of Wichita. My roots are in Wichita having graduated from Wichita State University, The University of Kansas, and Fort Hays State University with a master’s degree in July. I returned to the area a couple of years ago after living in Colorado to accept my dream job: teaching high school journalism.

PlainDealer will carry on its tradition of keeping local workers aware of union happenings on a local and national level. I encourage you to share story suggestions and calendar event news with me at anytime. My goal is to keep readers informed of union news, as well as entertained on occasion, via the printed newspaper and online at www.plaindealerlabornews.com. What is it you would like to see more of in the newspaper each month? How can The PlainDealer better serve is readers? Your suggestions are welcomed at: [email protected].

Sincerely,Vanessa Whiteside, EditorThe PlainDealer

PlainDealer hires new editor; encourages reader feedbackVanessa Whiteside, Editor, [email protected]

transition as my new boss as painless as possible, at least for me. Actually, I believe we’ll be able to work to-gether very well and maybe have a few laughs along the way. Like Melanie, Vanessa will be handling all editorial duties and I will continue to keep the website running and updated. Vanessa is a welcome addition to the

PlainDealer.For the future, while it may not be obvious quite yet, you will be seeing changes in the printed edition and our website. Vanessa and

of these changes, but rest assured they are coming. I was supposed to talk about some of the newly planned features, but I’m feeling a little devious this afternoon and instead I’m just going

to encourage you to visit our website to see just what pops up. To top that off, not all of the new features and changes are going to happen all at once so you will just have to keep coming back to see what is new. Ha!Seriously, we want to hear from all of our readers and website visitors for your sug-gestions of what you would

like to see in our monthly printed edition and on the website. To help you out, I have created a new “Feed-back” submission form on the website. The link is at the bottom of every page of the website – just click on “Feedback.” We want to hear from you!Another new feature recent-ly added is a link to FEMA’s web page for information

“...we want to hear from all of our readers and website visitors for

your suggestions.”

you should know to pre-pare yourself and your family should a natural disaster strike your area, like what happened in my hometown of Joplin, MO on May 22. This website does have very useful in-formation everyone should read. I cannot stress that enough.While my family members still in the Joplin area came through it all relatively safe, there was quite a bit of concern immediately afterwards for everyone’s well-being. I have posted a 15 minute video I shot for the PlainDealer web-site showing some of the destruction caused by the tornado, but please believe me when I say none of the pictures or videos shown anywhere to the public have the same affect on someone as seeing it in person. The link to view this video is on the home page in the “News from eMails” section.

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3830 S. Meridian Ave.Wichita, KS 67217-3704

United Way of the Plains will be hosting a Labor Summit on Monday July 11, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

The summit will bring together the United Way and Labor leaders from over thirty labor organizations from around Sedgwick County. The summit will be a three-hour informational session on how United Way is using resources and achieving results for working families in our lo-cal communities.

The partnership between United Way and the AFL-CIO began over sixty years ago and with the two organizations having a lot in common, we have a rich history of caring about human needs, justice, fairness and opportunity.

For more information on the summit please contact Mario Cervantes, AFL-CIO Community Service Liaison, United Way of the Plains,267-1321 ext 4209.

United Way of the Plains partnerswith AFL-CIO to help working familiesBy Mario Cervantes, AFL-CIO Community Services Liason, United Way

The PlainDealer — 3July 2011

Read past issues at www.PlainDealerLaborNews.com! Spread the Union News!

The PlainDealer Periodicals Postage Paid at Wichita, KS POSTMASTER:Send address changes to: The PlainDealer3830 S. Meridian Ave. Wichita, KS 67217–3704

Vanessa Whiteside, [email protected] OF DIRECTORSJudy Pierce, President, Labor FederationTerry Haskins (IAM LL 639)Tim Franta, Sec./ Treas. (IAM LL 733)Stuart Elliott (APWU Local 735)Gayle Wilson (CWA Local 6402)Kathy Petersen (IAM Local 839)Dan Rutherford (Local 834)John Shepherd Jr. (UA Local 441)Martin Eddy, (IAM Local 774)Advertising and stories are due by the 15th of each month. Subscription rates are $15 per year. Special rates available to union members and locals subscribing as a body.Founded in 1919 by Tom Tilma, the

of the Wichita/Hutchinson Labor Fed-eration, AFL-CIO, and covers news of interest to working people.Story suggestions and letters to the editor should be sent to the PlainDeal-er at 3830 S. Meridian Ave., Wichita, KS 67217–3704; by email to [email protected], or call (316) 529–8513 with your ideas. To be considered for publication, letters to the editor must be signed and include the author’s telephone number. Views expressed in letters to the editor are not necessarily the views of the Plaindealer, its Board of Directors

Published monthly by PlainDealer Publishing, Inc.

at 3830 S. Meridian Ave. Wichita, KS, 67217

The Fire Fighters, long known for their bipartisan impact on Capitol Hill, have be-come the second big

union to decide their campaign

give money to federal candidates, at least for now. They may not be the last.The decision, by the union’s board just over a month ago, was needed

and elsewhere, have moved to the forefront of the union’s political agenda, IAFF President Harold Schaitberger explained. “We know we have legislative

elections that will require us to be on the offensive at the state and local level through this fall. I expect this strategic decision to focus our resources on state and local ef-forts to last as long as the political and leg-

states continue,” he said. The union has

-ing anti-worker legislation in Wis-consin, Ohio, Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan, Nebraska, Alabama, Tennessee and New Hampshire,

have,” IAFF’s board said.“The attacks launched at our members since the November 2010 elections have changed the landscape. Extreme Right-Wing conservative and so-called Tea Party politicians are coming after Fire Fighters, paramedics and all public workers with a vengeance across the United States, so it’s time to focus our efforts on the states,” Schaitberger said. “Now more than ever, as our adversaries speak and act with a concerted, focused message, we need our friends to respond with similar strength and leadership to beat back the multi-faceted, well-organized assaults the right has launched at us – funded by anti-labor extremists. While we

our friends aren’t doing enough

backs,” Schaitberger said.

ACTION ALERTFire Fighters to Stop Giving to Federal CandidatesPosted by Mark Gruenberg, PAI Staff Writer - International Labor Communications Association

The latest actions from the House GOP strengthen Schaitberger’s case: The Republican-run Ap-propriations Committee plans to slash federal grants for Fire Fighter safety and emergency responder training – including training in responding to terror-ists – from $800 million this year to $350 million in the year start-ing Oct. 1.IAFF’s decision followed in the footsteps of the Sheet Metal Workers. The difference is that IAFF will concentrate on fund-ing state and local races, instead. SMWIA decided to concentrate its political funds on issues, such as health care and the Employee Free Choice Act, Government Affairs Director Vincent Panvini has said.One IAFF aide asked, after AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka’s

recent comments on changes in labor’s political giving, “Does that mean the Republicans who de-

referring to state lawmakers who opposed the GOP’s anti-union bills there.SMWIA’s and IAFF’s decisions also are in line with recent com-ments by Trumka and AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, chair of the federation’s politi-cal committee. Challenged after his speech about whether labor would walk away from Democrats who do not consistently support workers, Trumka shot back: “Ask Blanche Lincoln.” The former Arkansas Demo-cratic senator almost lost her 2010 primary to Democratic Lieut. Gov. Bill Halter. Labor – which is very small in Arkansas – strongly supported Halter due to Lincoln’s anti-worker votes and opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, labor’s top legislative priority. Lincoln barely won the runoff. She then got clobbered by Republican John Boozman in the increasingly red state in Novem-

ber.McEntee told his union’s leg-islative conference earlier this year that Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who faces a tough re-election race next year, irked AF-SCME by co-authoring legislation – with a Tennessee Republican – to cap federal spending at 20.6% of gross domestic product, regard-less of economic conditions. That could hamper vital services, McEntee said. But Missouri sources dismissed his comment.If other unions follow the lead of IAFF and SMWIA – and Trumka warned that politicians who stay neutral in the national Right Wing campaign would lose support -- the impact on giving to Demo-cratic congressional candidates would be substantial. Data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics showed

nine union campaign

including those of IAFF and AFSCME, were among the top 20 donors to congres-sional candidates in the 2009-2010 election

cycle. Overall, union campaign

than 90% of their dollars to Democrats.IAFF’s FIREPAC – which, like other campaign committees, de-pends on voluntary contributions -- was 9th in the list, with $2.34 million in the last campaign cycle, the center reported. And 82% went to congressional Democrats.

committee was 13th, with $2.314 million, and 99% of that went to Democrats.

committees in the top 20 donors

-

-- $2.176 million) and the Labor-

donated to Democratic candi-dates by at least 8-to-1 margins.

top 20, with $2.007 million, and it backed Democratic congressional candidates by a 98%-2% margin.

“Overall, union campaign finance committees sent more than 90% of

their dollars to Democrats.”

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Direct PipelinePLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS LU441

Richard L. Taylor, Business Manager and Financial Secretary-Treasurer

LocallySome good news to report is the approval to go forward with the construction of the new airport ter-minal in Wichita. This is a project that has been on the books since 2003 and is way over due. It is the type of project that is badly needed by all the Building Trades in and around the Wichita area. There are also some other nice projects scheduled to come out over the next few months. The past three year’s economy has been devastating to many of our members. Jobs are the only remedy. The bad side is these projects coming up will not get started overnight. It will still take some time for the projects to get to the

the right direction. We have recently added golf shirts and camp shirts to our stock and also stainless steel pocket knives with Kansas Local 441 engraved on them. And as always, don’t forget Local 441 golf balls, t-shirts

Deaths

were no deaths since the last report. PoliticalThis has been a tough year for working families across the country with all the political attacks aimed at the middle class. Elections will come around again. Let’s not forget!It is important that we promote candidates that will support us in the pursuit of jobs for our member-ship. That obviously is our number one priority. Thank you to all Local 441 members for your support both through your participation in the PAC fund and your involvement and support with various political groups.

MeetingsLocal Union 441 meetings are being conducted on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Union Hall located at 1330 East First Street in Wichita. If other meetings are scheduled, you will be duly

NOTE: Please take the opportunity to attend Union meetings in your area. The teleconference system is working well and has much better sound and video quality than in the past. The good news is that it is be-

Richard Taylor

At the Rail Column by Martin Hawver 6/20/11

Now, it’s hard to say just who ought to have

a condition of employment.Not sure that it should include, say, roofers, or maybe those people at the drive-up window of a donut store, or reporters. Should it include schoolteachers? Hmmm…The State Board of Education last week decided that it shouldn’t include schoolteachers. Tough decision.Figure that more than 99 percent of all schoolteachers are just that: They teach our kids, don’t get into trouble and really, there’s not a lot of

were found at a crime scene or such they can rule in or out the teacher.-

involving children. Or…that somewhere out there in Kansas is a school-teacher who has moved to Kansas because in some other state he/she was convicted of some sort of crime, and that we don’t want spending the day with Kansas schoolchildren.This whole thing gets more complicated. The state board heard last week that somewhere out in Kansas, there are teachers who are suspects in crimes—possibly involving children—and there are four school superintendents who haven’t reported that to the state board.

suspects in those crimes involving children are teachers.Now, let’s not forget due process. That means you aren’t a criminal until you are convicted of the crime. Until that time, well, you’re just a sus-pect and nothing more. So do we need to know who’s a suspect? Ought those suspects be suspended, or at least given other jobs to do until

But there’s more spinning around the issue. Teachers? What about caf-eteria workers, or bus drivers or school maintenance staff? Where does it start and where does it end?And, if the person is someone that the district wants teaching or as-

Doesn’t that seem almost like due diligence on behalf of the employer? Maybe the next step after a hiring decision has been made and the school district is ready to make a formal job offer?Or…is it something that a potential employee can offer up during the interview process, like offering to be the coach of the debate or chess team? An indication that he/she really wants the job?It seemed easy at the board meeting for some members to say yes to the

Wouldn’t it be nice to know what’s right and what’s wrong and who, if

Yes, that would be nice.

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this statewide nonpartisan political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com

SPEAK OUT

COURT RULING

WI Supreme Court Rules; Collective Bargaining Can Be Gutted By Tula Connell, AFC-CIO BlogAccording to WisPolitics.com, the Wisconsin Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision, threw out a lower court ruling invalidating the collec-tive bargaining law passed by the Republican-led Legislature and

The decision had not yet been posted at the court’s site by late this afternoon. But a posting at the court’s site for the appeal described an order in which Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi’s orders in the case are vacated and declared void.“The court has ruled Walker and

the legislature can do whatever they want, however they want, with no regard for the rule of law.” The brief description on the court site said the court concluded the Legislature did not violate a provision in the Wisconsin Constitution that the doors of each house shall be open except when public welfare requires secrecy. During oral arguments last week, there were a series of questions about public access to a confer-ence committee meeting in which lawmakers took up the legislation. That meeting was the basis of the

open meetings violation Sumi found in invalidating the law.In her dissent, Justice Abraham-son says it is ridiculous the court would decide to take the case and decide it on the same day. A reasoned decision is the corner-stone of democracy, and the court simply didn’t take the time to address all the substantive matters of the case.In short, the court has ruled Walker and the legislature can do whatever they want, however they want, with no regard for the rule of law.



APWU, Mailing Groups Urge Legislators to Support H.R. 1351APWU Web News Article, June 16, 2011, www.apwu.org

Scholarships help working families’

dreams come true!

Find details and applications at

UnionPlus.org/Scholarships

Whether you’re going back to

school, looking for specialized training or trying to educate your kids, Union Plus can help you cut tuition costs at colleges, grad schools and advanced technical programs with:

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EdMail

The APWU, along with dozens of key mailing industry groups and labor unions,

urged U.S. representatives to support crucial legislation

viability to the Postal Ser-vice.“We urge you to act now to free the Postal Service of the unnecessary and unsustain-able statutory requirement that has destabilized the

poses an immediate and seri-ous threat to the U.S. econo-my,” the organizations wrote in a June 14 letter that was sent to every member of the House of Representatives.The letter urged members of Congress to support H.R. 1351, a measure introduced

MA) on April 4 that would correct the overfunding of the Postal Service’s pension accounts, and would allow the agency to use any sur-plus to meet its retiree health

-tion.

“The crisis is immediate be-cause the USPS will run out of funds by the end of the summer,” the letter states. “Since 2006, the Postal Ac-countability and Enhance-

has required it to pay rough-ly $5.5 billion each year to pre-fund future retiree health

workers that have not even been hired yet.“The Postal Service can no longer bear this burden,” the organizations wrote.The letter points out to lawmakers that the effects of a crippled Postal Service would be dire. “The USPS stands alone in offering affordable and accessible, universal service to 150 mil-lion homes, and thousands of communities and businesses six days a week. “It is at the heart of a $1.3 trillion mail-ing industry that employs over 9 million workers.“It is the linchpin in market-ing and distribution systems through which businesses large and small can advertise services and distribute prod-

ucts,” the letter said.The organizations noted that independent of this pre-funding requirement, the USPS has done its job to remain solvent, shedding more than 110,000 jobs since 2007 and making numerous closings of facilities and op-erations — but legislation is needed to ensure the Postal Service remains viable in the future.“H.R. 1351 would allow sound business decisions to be made in a clear and stable environment while provid-ing Congress and the postal community the time to de-velop a consensus on further reform,” the letter said.“The Postal Service provides a vital service that is impor-tant to the nation’s economic recovery,” the letter stated. “As a business and a pub-lic service mandated in the Constitution, a healthy USPS remains vital to your com-munity and the Nation.”

Are You Making Lemonade?What to do when life hands you lemons...

who have started new ventures can now post information regarding their business or services on our website.The best part? It’s FREE!

We would like to give preferential status to those currently out of work , any union member regardless of their current employment situations can submit a request. It’s a way to get the word out about new businesses and support unemployed union workers.

An online form is available at:http://www.plaindealerlabornews.com/lemonade.html.

GET ACTIVE! GET INVOLVED!

IT IS YOUR UNION



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CORPORATE DOLLARS

Trends in CEO Pay Posted by AFC-CIO Executive PayWatch

2010 was another good year to make lots of money—if you were a CEO. CEOs of the largest companies received, on average, $11.4 million in total compensation last year, according to the AFL-CIO analysis of 299 companies in the S&P 500 Index. Overall, CEOs of the 299 companies in the AFL-CIO Executive PayWatch database received a combined total of $3.4 billion in pay in 2010, enough to support 102,325 jobs paying the median wages for all workers.

-

in 2010.Are these CEOs being paid to expand their companies, grow the real economy and create good-paying jobs? Apparently not. According to the Federal Reserve, U.S. corporations held a record $1.93 trillion in cash on their balance sheets. A lack of business investment is one reason that more than 14 million Americans remain unemployed.During the past decade, CEOs of the largest American companies received more in compensation than ever before in U.S. history. They supposedly deserved this money for increasing stock prices. Did they? On Dec. 31, 2010, the S&P 500 Index closed 19 percent below its high on March 24, 2000.Over the past decade, shareholders—including workers—lost trillions of dollars in retirement savings through the collapse of the Internet stock bubble and the corporate accounting scandals at Enron and other companies. More recently, shareholders have suffered further declines from the bursting of the real estate

While CEO pay is still out of control on Wall Street and in the rest of Corporate America, shareholders now

Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that President Obama signed in July 2010.Starting in 2011, shareholders of publicly traded companies are required to be given a say-on-pay vote on executive compensation. Although these votes are not binding, they will encourage boards of directors to reform their companies’ executive compensation. No CEO wants to suffer the embarrassment of shareholders voting against their pay.

ups, golden parachutes, corporate jet travel, preferential pensions and perquisites unrelated to performance are now under the microscope. Compensation is becoming more long-term and linked to measurable perfor-mance.The Wall Street Reform Act also provides other protections for investors. Board of Directors’ compensation committees now must consist entirely of independent directors. Financial companies must ensure that their incentive pay plans do not create excessive risk.But CEOs are pushing back. They particularly dislike the requirement that companies disclose to investors the pay disparity between the CEO and the typical worker. Congress required disclosure of this information because investors are concerned about growing CEO pay and its impact on pay disparities within companies.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2009 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, national cross-industry estimate of median annual compensation for all occupations.

THE ENVIRONMENT

How To ‘Go Green’ Posted by unionsmart.orgAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that the population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. That means that if the world’s natural resources were evenly dis-tributed, people in 2050 will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people in 1950 had.

natural resources - some of which are already depleted. So as popu-lation growth greatly strains our

resources available. If we intend to leave our children and grand-children with the same standard of living we have enjoyed, we must preserve the foundation of that standard of living. We save for college educations, orthodontia, and weddings, but what about sav-ing clean air, water, fuel sources and soil for future generations?Some of the greatest threats to future resources come from things we throw away everyday. House-hold batteries and electronics of-ten contain dangerous chemicals

leak through the bottom barrier and pollute the groundwater. This can contaminate everything from the soil in which our food grows,

to the water which will eventually come out of aquifers and into our tap water. Many of these chemi-cals cannot be removed from the drinking water supply, nor from the crops that are harvested from

human health are tremendous.Did you know...

recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gal-lons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.

on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.

you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.Throwing away items that could be recycled diminishes energy, water and natural resources that could be saved by recycling.The more we throw away, the more space we take up in land-

“landfull”, taxpayers have to build a new one. The less we throw

will last. The amount of taxpayer money we save by extending the



Local Union Bulletin BoardThursday, July 7Operating Engineers LU101— Regular Meeting, 7 p.m., 3830 S. Meridian, Wichita Saturday, July 9Machinists Local 2328— E-Board Meeting, 9 a.m., 2055 S. Ohio, Salina Regular Meeting, 10 a.m., 2055 S. Ohio, SalinaMachinists Local 834 & 839— Regular Meeting, 10 a.m., 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaMachinists Local 639— E-Board, 8 a.m., Regular Meeting, 9 a.m., WichitaMonday, July 11

227 S. Pattie, WichitaUSW Local 01350— Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Union Hall 427 N. Main, Hutchinson, 67501

SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001— Membership Recruitment / Organizing Committee 973 S. Glendale, WichitaTuesday, July 12Machinists Local 708— Regular Meeting, 7 p.m., 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaCWA Local 6402— E-Board, 5:30 p.m., 530 E. Harry, Wichita Stewards, 7 p.m., 530 E. Harry, WichitaAPWU Local 735— Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.m, 6920 W. Pueblo, WichitaWednesday, July 13IBEW Local 1523— Regular Meeting, 5:30 p.m., 530 E. Harry, Wichita Machinists Local 1989— E-Board, 3:40 p.m., Regular meeting, 3:50 p.m. 2005 Kansas Ave., Great Bend, 67530LU 441 Retirees— Breakfast, 9 a.m., Spears, 4323 W. MapleAPWU Local 735— Regular Meeting, 8 a.m., 6920 W. Pueblo, WichitaThursday, July 14SPEEA— Midwest Council Meeting, 973 S. Glendale, WichitaWichita Area Union Label— E-board, 6:30 p.m.; Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.m.Saturday, July 16Machinists LL733— E-Board at 12:30 p.m.; Regular Meeting at 2 p.m. (because of July 4th holiday)Monday, July 18SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001— Membership Recruitment / Organizing Committee, 4:30 p.m., 973 S. Glendale, WichitaSPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001— L&PA, 4:30 p.m. at SPEEA Hall, 973 S. GlendaleGlaziers Local 558— 5 p.m., 1330 E. 1st St., Wichita, KSTuesday, July 19CWA Local 6402— Membership Meeting, 6:30 p.m., 530 E. Harry, WichitaWednesday, July 20SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001— Governing Documents Committee, 5 p.m., 973 S. Glendale, WichitaThursday, July 21Salina Labor Federation— Regular Meeting, 7 p.m., 2055 S. Ohio, SalinaSaturday, July 23Machinists LL2799— E-board meeting 9:30 a.m., 3830 S. Meridian, Wichita Regular Meeting, 10:30 a.m.Machinists Local 774— 10 a.m. Regular Meeting, 3830 S. Meridian, WichitaThursday, July 28Wichita-Hutchinson Labor Fed—3219 W. Central, Wichita, KSDistrict 70 Retirees— Luncheon, 11:45 a.m., 3830 S. Meridian, Wichita

Jobs with Justice National Conference - August 5-7 A movement to build working class power in Washington D.C. www.jwj.org

At the Jobs with Justice Conference attendees have the opportunity to learn from others and work with labor leaders, community leaders, workers excluded from labor law protection, and students to stand up to corporations while building a movement.

The conference is located at Omni Shoreham 2500 Calvert St. NW, Washington D.C.

enforcement

Register online at JWJ.org

AFL-CIO Young Workers Summit - Sept. 29-Oct. 2 www.nextupsummit.comEarly Bird Registration: $25 before July 31, 2011.Regular Registration: $35 from Aug. 1 to Aug. 12, 2011.

Register online at nextupsummit.com

Registration cut-off is Friday, Aug. 12. Should you decide to cancel your registration, please do so by Aug. 12 to receive a full refund.

address, telephone number and reason for cancellation.

A continental breakfast is provided each day of the summit, lunch is provided on Friday and a reception is provided on Thursday and Saturday. Bring money to pay for meals while traveling, dinner on your own Friday, lunch Saturday and snacks/beverages each day.

Become a Volunteer with The United Way of the Plainshttp://unitedwayplains.org/

Give back to Sedgwick County and surrounding areas by volunteering your time with The United Way of the Plains.

United Way Volunteer Center matches your interests and talents

central Kansas—including agencies not receiving United Way funding.

Dial 2-1-1 by phone Match the volunteer job that is best for you at: www.211kansas.org/211volunteer/Job/Search.aspx

10/2010

For full details, visit UnionPlus.org

Live.Relax.Enjoy.

40 BENEFITS

help stretch your paycheckand make life a little easier.

We know you work hard for your money. That’s why we’ve created 50 benefits to help you and your family get more out of life. Visit UnionPlus.org and see how to:

Save on wireless devices and services available through “Union Proud” AT&T.

Get discounts and upgrades on rental cars, vans, SUVs and trucks, plus great deals on family vacations.

Save on theme parks, sporting events, theater, movies, movie rentals, restaurants and more.

Secure a Union Plus Mortgage with special cost savings and protections against layoff, strikes and hardship.

Get Union SAFE grants to help weather economic storms.

PLUS EVEN MORE BENEFITS offer you additional financial, health, legal, travel, entertainment and educational savings and services.

From the Fields to Facebook:Union Organizing OnlineBy Tom Dalzell, AFL-CIO BlogWhen I started with the United Farm Workers of America in 1972, some of the old hands taught me a trick: Before you organize people, you have to meet them. To meet them, you have to know where they

the morning, their homes and the occasional bar. Now, with more than 500 million people on social networks like Facebook, that means going online.

the Shame on NVEnergy campaign to shine a light on abusive labor practices the utility engages in—not the least of which is clawing back

company in good faith for decades.For years, unions have been struggling with how to attract younger workers to its ranks. In addition to traditional organizing, we wanted to try something new to reach young people who weren’t hanging out in the same old places—people we hadn’t met yet.We put together the Shame on NVEnergy campaign, which included a website and a Facebook page. This gave us an online base to organize from, and a means to reach out to our members, their friends and fami-

telling their stories, posted news coverage of NVEnergy’s shameful treatment of its elderly retirees, and offered valuable content to people who might be sympathetic to our cause.The result: nearly 40,000 people joined our cause on Facebook, making it the largest political organizing page in the state of Nevada. The next largest in the state, Sen. Harry Reid’s page, has 17,920 members.Our page isn’t static—and neither are our members. We’ve used this platform to encourage thousands of NVEnergy customers to sign peti-tions urging the company to honor its commitments. We organized our members to support a shareholder resolution that allowed 15 percent of stockholders to convene a shareholder meeting—something that formerly only the Board of Directors could do.We are currently thinking about how best to use the megaphone we’ve built—which reaches beyond our 40,000 members to their families and friends, and generates more than 442,000 ‘impressions,’ or messages viewed, each month. Our online organizing has allowed us to amass a huge list of e-mails as well.The truth, we discovered, is that online organizing isn’t that different from regular organizing—something my predecessors probably could have told me, and something I tell the young organizers who are just getting started.

(IBEW) Local 1245, which represents electrical workers in the state of Nevada (excluding Las Vegas) and Northern California. He describes how online organizing complements traditional organizing—and why both need to work together.

Labor News Onlinefrom Kansas City

Heartland Labor Forum KKFI 90.1 FMstreamed at www.KKFI.org

Thursdays 6-7pmFridays 5-6pm

Get your labor news early at:

KKFI: Workers Independent News

4:57 am, 7:57 am, 3 pm

The

PlainDealer

wishes

you

a happy

and safe

July 4th