FOUNDATIONFOR SUCCESS

FOUNDATIONFOR SUCCESS

A Publication of the Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust of Eastern Missouri

Volume I, 2012

CONTENTSFoundation for Success is a quarterly

magazine published by the Eastern Mis-souri Laborers’ District Council

Laborers - Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET)

OFFICE: 3450 Hollenberg Drive Bridgeton, MO 63044Phone: (314) 291-0373

e-mail: LECET@molecet.orgwww.molecet.org

www.buildunion.com

The LECET BOARD of TRUSTEES

Labor Members

Gary Elliott, Business Manager, Eastern Missouri Laborers’ District Council

Perri Pryor, Secretary/Treasurer Eastern Missouri Laborers’ District Council

Don Willey, Business Manager, Laborers’ Local 110

Jimmy Sparks, Business Manager, Laborers’ Local 840

Contractor Members

Mike Jerome, Bi-State Utilities Company

Bill Luth, Fred M. Luth and Sons, Inc.

Joe Leritz, Leritz Contracting Company

Jim Morgan, Subsurface Constructors

Patrick R. Pryor, LECET Director

INSIDE

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2012 Apprenticeship Graduation

EMLDC April 3-D ArcheryTournament

Missouri Legislative Report

COVER STORYLaborers’ Rally at State Capitol P.G 6

LECET is a partnership between the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) and its affiliated construction and environmen-tal contractors.

LECET works to generate business opportunities for signatory union contractors and job opportunities for members of LIUNA by improving communications, cooperative relations, and efficiency of representatives of labor and management.

Through these actions and others, LECET ensures that signatory construction owners and users understand the benefits of working with LIUNA members and their employers.

MISSION STATEMENT

Pg. 2

Pg. 10

Pg. 12

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Missouri Proposed Pipeline ProjectAnother oil pipeline company announced plans in early April to build 200 miles of 36-inch diameter pipe across Missouri. Governor Jay Nixon joined Enbridge, Incorporation officials in Concordia, Missouri to announce the nearly $1-billion construction project stretching from Flannigan, Illinois in the northwestern part of the state, through Missouri and ending in Cushing, Oklahoma.

“Construction will take place in six counties in the Eastern Missouri Laborers’ District Council service area,” said Business Manager Gary Elliott. “While Enbridge has not hired the contractor to perform the work, our hope is it will be a union contractor employing our members.”

In an article appearing in the Missouri News Horizon electronic newspaper, Enbridge Planner Denise Hamsher is quoted as saying: “generally for large diameter pipelines, this is a qualified, experienced contractor, not necessarily based in Missouri. But what they do is bring in their skilled labor, and about half of that workforce…is pulled from local labor halls and local business. It really just depends on the mix and the qualifica-tions of welders, and equipment operators and la-borers and all that in this area.” She was quoted as saying about one/half of the workforce is likely to be Missouri residents.

What gives the Laborers and other trades people in Missouri the leg-up on the potential to get this work is experience. In 2007 through 2008, many Missouri Laborers were hired to work on the Rockies Express Pipeline (REX-West & REX-East) project, a natural gas pipeline stretching from Colorado to Audrain County, Missouri and onto Monroe County, Ohio. The project was complet-ed in 2009. Prior to starting that job, Laborers’ took the pipeline training courses at the Training Center in High Hill and the Southern Illinois

Training Center. One of the requirements pipe-line construction companies work under is have employees who have worked on pipeline projects within the last four years.

The Missouri portion of the Enbridge pipeline will stretch for some 200 miles across Lewis, Marion, Shelby, Macon, Randolph and Chariton counties in the EMLDC service area and Saline, Lafayette, Johnson, Cass and Bates counties in the Western Missouri District Council service area. The alignment of the new pipeline will follow an existing line Enbridge operates. The Missouri portion of the pipeline construction project is expected to cost more than $400 mil-lion and create nearly 550 new construction jobs. Along with the installation of the pipe, four pump stations will be constructed to help push the flow of oil through the system. Pump stations are planned to be built in Chariton and Shelby counties in the EMLDC area.

Governor Jay Nixon was pleased with the news. “I applaud Enbridge for investing in this signifi-cant project that will reduce our dependence on oil sources from outside of North America, cre-ated jobs for outstanding Missouri workers, and row our economy,” said the governor in prepared remarks. “My administration will continue to work closely with Enbridge to help move this criti-cal proposal forward.”

Construction is expected to begin in mid-2013 with the peak coming late in 2013 when as many as 1,100 workers will be on the project. Once completed in 2014, the pipeline is expected to carry as much as 600,000 barrels of oil per day.

Enbridge is a Canadian-based company with a system of pipelines, pump stations and refineries located throughout North America.

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Nearly 60 apprentice Laborers graduated to become journeymen Laborers at the 14th annual Construction Craft Laborers’ Appren-ticeship Recognition Dinner held in March. Each apprentice had to complete 288 hours of training at the Laborers’ Training Center in High Hill. In addition to the classroom learn-ing, apprentices also had to work 4,000 hours in the field developing the skills they learned in school.

Speakers at the ceremony included Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) vice-president and Midwest Regional Manager John Penn, Eastern Missouri Laborers’ District Council Business Manager Gary Elliott, Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Castle Contract-ing, Mike Meyers and Laborers’ Training Center Director of Training, Larry LaMontagne. Each speaker stressed the importance of the ap-prentices completing the program and how important the skills they learned will be used throughout their working life.

Not only did the graduates receive their cer-tificates of completion, but each also received tool belts, watches and other items that will be helpful with their work. Twenty-five of the 58 graduates completed their apprenticeship training with perfect attendance and were rec-ognized for this accomplishment.

Family members, friends, Laborers’ officials and representatives of contractors all partici-pated in the graduation.

Congratulations to all the following apprentices now turned journeymen, Laborers’ local and their sponsoring construction companies:

David P. Roberts, Local 110 Kyle M. Brewer, Local 660BSI Constructors, Inc. L. Krupp Construction, Inc.

Lucas M. Rieger, Local 110 Sean M. Stanford, Local 42Wilson Concrete LLC Grant Bricklaying Company

Kevin T. McEvoy, Local 110 Jessie D. Duncan, Local 42Reed & Scharf Construction Co. Fred Weber, Inc. Donal S. Redfern, Local 660 Zachary L. Short, Local 840Midwest Mudjacking & Construction All Type Excavating, Inc.

Scott W. Cissell, Local 660 Alfred A. James, Local 42Duneman Demolition, Inc. Bates Utility Company

Sandra A. Hart, Local 110 Joel A. Ellis, Local 660Fred Weber, Inc. Karrenbrock Construction

Cori L. Livsey, Local 110 Jason R. Michaels, Local 42L. Krupp Construction, Inc. Advanced Environmental Services

James L. Farnsworth, Local 660 Matthew G. Frederick, Local 660SAK Construction Insituform

Donald W. Lingner, Locla 42 Daniel Massey, Local 660West Contracting Dave Kolb Grading

Christopher M. Cichon, Local 660

2012 Apprenticeship Graduation

The graduaTing class of 58 apprenTices Turned Journeymen

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Joshua J. Akers, Local 110Mid America Pipe Services D & S Fencing Company

Felipe J. Colon, Local 42 Christopher L. Wilson, Local 1104MC Masonry & Restoration Gillespie & Powers, Inc

Daniel J. Friedmann, Local 110 Jonathan E. Hill, Local 110Unnerstall Contracting L. Krupp Construction, Inc.

Christopher J. Pullen, II, Local 110 Joseph M. Wilson, Local 1104Fred Weber, Inc. Foeste Masonry, Inc.

Joseph M. Greene, Local 660 Cordell J. Thomas, Local 42Amcon Municipal Concrete ICON

Robert J. Patterson, Jr., Local 110 Nathan M. Edwards, Local 110Traffic Control Company Vee-Jay Cement Contracting

John T. Johnson, Local 42 Corbert C. Mitchell, Local 110Concrete Strategies Aalco Enterpises, Inc.

Justin L. Jackson, Local 660 John M Boedeker, Local 42M. & H Concrete Contractors SAK Construction

Kevin G. Krug, Local 110 Steven W. Pickard, II, Local 42Marschel Wrecking, LLC L. Krupp Construction

Samuel G. Krug, Local 110 Kyle M. Souders, Local 110Marschel Wrecking, LLC T.J. Ahrens Excavating, Inc.

Ryan M. Glass, Local 110 Keith P. Reese, Local 42L. Keeley Construction Bechtel Construction Co.

Christopher A. Cochrane, Local 110 Glen A. Martin, Local 660

Traffic Control Company Vehige Bricklaying, Inc.

Travis K. Dixon, Local 110 Brian P. Kozemczak, Local 110Spencer Brickwork, Inc. Legacy Building Group

Stephanie K. Sexton, Local 660 Grant C. Hart, Local 42Fred Weber, Inc. Acme Fireproofing & Insulation

Eric J. Heimbach, Local 660 Jarrod C. Hunter, Local 110Paric Corporation Collins & Hermann, Inc.

Corey C. Sauls, Local 42 David W. Estell, Local 110B & P Construction, Inc. Midwest Service Group

Jared P. Colvin, Local 42 Earl E. Steel, Jr., Local 42Gaines Construction, Inc. Brooks Environmental Services

Clint S. Ball, Local 110 Matthew M. O`Neal, Local 110D & S Fencing Perkins Contracting Company

John C. Walker, Local 110 Linda K. VanMeter, Local 42Gaines Construction, Inc. Legacy Building Group

midwesT regional manager & liuna Vice presidenT John penn adminisTered The

laborers’ oaTh To The new Journeymen.

Cont’d on page 8...

Working This Summer..

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Working This Summer....Precautions To Take..Precautions To TakeThe construction industry brings with it built-in hazards for workers. However, Laborers have shown that when union workers and employers work together jobsites can become safer.

Through the Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America, construction work and other fields where Laborers are employed are being made safer through a unique system that edu-cates workers on serious hazards in construction such as how to protect themselves from summer heat and sun.

Your body builds up heat when working and sweats to shed off extra heat. Sometimes work-ing on a highway job, pouring hot asphalt, or lifting heavy loads in excessive heat, your body may not cool off fast enough. Too much heat can make you tired, hinder your job performance and increase your chance of injury. You are also at risk for:

Dehydration – loss of body water and you can’t cool off fast enough. You feel thirsty and weak.

Cramps – Muscle cramps from the heat may oc-cur even after you leave work.

Heat exhaustion – You feel tired, nauseous, headachy, and dizzy and silly. Your skin is damp and looks muddy or flushed. You may faint.

Heat stroke – You may have hot dry skin and a high temperature, or you may feel confused. Convulsions are a possibility and you may become unconscious. Heat stroke can kill you unless you get emergency medical help.

Another risk of working in the heat is heat stress. The main factors in heat stress are tempera-ture, humidity, air movement, physical activity, clothing worn, and the radiant temperature of surroundings. Temperature alone seldom causes heat stress. It is usually a combination of fac-

tors. When heat is combined with other stresses such as hard physical labor, loss of fluids and fatigue, the potential for heat stress increases.

The three most common types of heat stress are heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Other heat disorders include dehydration and what is known as “heat syncope” – a condition where the victim experiences dizziness and faint-ing. Depending on the severity and type of heat stress, symptoms can range from heavy sweat-ing, dizziness and fatigue, to clamminess, lack of sweating, unconsciousness and even collapse.

Anyone can suffer from heat stress. Although some people are at greater risk of developing symptoms than others, anyone could become a victim of heat illness if environmental conditions overwhelm your body’s ability to regulate its temperature. The key to preventing heat stress is awareness.

To help protect you from these heat hazards:

*Drink a lot of cool water all day – before youfeel thirsty. Every 15 minutes, you may need acup of water.

*Keep taking rest breaks. Rest in a cool, shadyspot. Use fans.

*Wear light-colored clothing, made of cotton.

*Do the heaviest work in the coolest time of theday.

*Work in the shade if possible.

*For heavy work in hot areas, take turns withother workers, so some can rest.

*If you travel to a warm area for a new job, youneed time for your body to get used to the heat.

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Three years and counting that is how long it has been since Congress passed a federal highway bill. Just when the highway bill was set to expire on March 30, the U.S. House and Senate had to resort to the old stand-by, a continuing resolu-tion, to prevent the federal highway program and current federal fuel tax from expiring. President Obama signed the continuing resolution, which keeps the highway program and the federal fuel tax in place for another three months.

This is the ninth extension of the program. Congress will again have to deal with the issue before it recesses for the July 4 holiday. How much is at stake with the failure of Congress to pass a new federal highway bill? For start-ers, the federal tax on gas and diesel fuel, which generates an estimated $110 million per day, would expire. Before you get all excited about not having to pay the 18.4-cent per gallon federal gas tax and the 24.4-cent per gallon diesel tax, remember this is how most highway jobs are funded in Missouri and the other states. Con-gressional Democrats estimate that the federal highway bill supports 1.8-million construction jobs. YOURS may be one of them!

The U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Repre-sentatives have different versions of a highway bill. The Senate overwhelmingly passed a two year highway authorization bill, dubbed Mov-ing Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP 21) at total cost of $109 billion ($50.450 billion per year). The House highway bill, known as American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act, calls for spending $260-million over a five year period and contains provisions to increase off-shore oil drilling rights and eliminates federal transit funding. The House has never been able to pass their bill.

Federal Highway Bill, Safe For Now

Cont’d on page 8...

“Remember........your health should be a top priority.”

If you work in protective clothing, you need more rest breaks. You may also need to check your temperature and heart rate. On a Superfund site where the temperature is 100 degrees or more, EPA mandates that a health professional should monitor your body weight, temperature and heart rate.

If you think someone has heat stroke, CALL emergency services, and move the worker into the shade, wipe their skin with cool water, and loosen their clothing. Use a piece of cardboard or other material to fan the worker.

Skin cancer is also a concern to construction laborers because so much of their work is done outdoors and overexposure to the sun is the leading cause of skin cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute: 1,300,000 new cases of skin cancer are reported each year in the U.S. Skin cancer can be deadly.

To help prevent skin cancer:

**Wear protective clothing; long sleeved shirts, neck covering and long pants will protect your skin from the sun and other workplace hazards and keep you cooler.

**Use sunscreen with SPF-15 or higher and apply 30 minutes before exposure to the sun; reapply at frequent intervals especially if you perspire.

**Minimize your sun exposure or be especially cautious when the sun’s rays are the strongest (between about 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.)

**Be aware of highly reflective surfaces such as snow, sand, water or concrete where you work.

**Check medications and cosmetics to see which increase your skin’s sensitivity to sun.

Labor raLLy at the CaPitoL

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More than a thousand union members, with 400 of them being members of the Laborers’ Union in Missouri, attended a rally at the Mis-souri State Capitol in Jefferson City recently to let their voices be heard about the anti-worker legislation filed in the Missouri legislature this year. “I am very proud of the turnout we had of Laborers for the event,” said Eastern Missouri Laborers’ District Council Business Manager Gary Elliott. “These bills that the legislature is

considering have a direct negative impact on our members. It is important we let the legislators know how unhappy we are with them on these issues.”

Laborers from both eastern and western district councils organized their members to attend the event held on the steps of the state capitol. Buses carried many retired members who came to fight to preserve the rights they had earned years ago, only now to see legislators attempt to take them away.

When they arrived, union members were asked to go to their representatives and senators and

discuss with them the problems with the leg-islation. Laborers were given postcard sized handouts to sign and leave with A dozen bills to weaken Missouri’s Prevailing Wage law have been filed with another half-dozen bills filed to make Missouri a Right-to-Work state. Along with these topics, bills have been filed to limit how unions can fund their political activity and to weaken the workers’ compensation program.

Statewide leaders addressed the crowd in bright sunshine. Governor Jay Nixon, who a week and a half before the rally vetoed the first two bills passed by the legislature because the governor felt the legislation did more harm than good to workers, vowed to veto any of the bills dealing with right-to-work and prevailing wage. The governor’s words drew many cheers from the crowd.

Other statewide officeholders speaking included Attorney General Chris Koster, whose of-fice is responsible for enforcing the prevailing wage law in the state; and State Treasurer Clint Zwiefel. Zwiefel chairs the Missouri Hous-ing Authority which came under attack when it required the prevailing wage be enforced for building new homes in Joplin with public money.

Members Expressed Their Dislike for Anti-Worker

Legislation

local 840 business manager Jimmy sparKs

(cenTer) discusses The rally wiTh fellow

business manager Tim sims from local 955

(bacK To camera)

many laborers’ TraVelled To Jefferson ciTy Via busses arranged by The easTern

missouri laborers’ disTricT council

Labor raLLy at the CaPitoL

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Some of the loudest applause was saved for state senators and representatives who spoke to the crowd of supporters about their efforts to defeat the anti-worker legislation. Senator Ryan McK-enna, a member of the Laborers’ Union from Jef-ferson County, spoke about the need to reach out to all elected officials, Democrats and Repub-licans, and secure their help. McKenna noted

that unless some Republican senators had voiced their opposition to the prevailing wage law bills, the measures would have “been rammed down our throats.”

Many of the attendees said how happy they were to see Labor turnout such a large number of members for the event. Along with the Labor Rally, many religious organizations were at the Capitol on the same day, but for a different rea-son. One long time legislative worker remarked that the mixed crowd of Labor and religious

groups was the largest she had seen in nearly 20 years working at the Capitol.

While no other rallies are planned at this time, organizers said don’t be surprised if another such event is scheduled should the anti-worker legisla-tion move forward.

goVernor Jay niXon addressed The crowd wiTh words of encouragemenT and prom-ises To TaKe acTion To proTecT worKers

righTs

a laborer himself, senaTor ryan mcKenna (d-Jefferson counTy) was one of many

elecTed officials To speaK To The crowd.

Three grandchildren of a reTired local 110 member broughT Their home-

made signs To The rally To demonsTraTe Their supporT.

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Ryan C. Swetitch, Local 110 Robert R. Weeks, Local 110Envirotech, Inc. Midwest Service Group

Please welcome these new journeymen La-borers when you see them at your job site.

new Journeyman roberT paTTerson, Jr. of local 110 (employed by Traffic conTrol) receiVed his cerTificaTe from mason con-TracTors associaTion eXecuTiVe direcTor daVid gillicK (on lefT) and easTern mis-

souri laborers’ disTricT council business manager gary ellioTT (on righT)

The Laborers support the Senate bill and con-demn the House version of the bill. Laborers’ International Union of North American (LiUNA) General President Terrence O’Sullivan expressed disappointment with failure of Congress, particu-larly the House, to pass a highway bill. “After nearly three years of temporary extensions, another 90-day extension shows incompetence and dysfunction. The Highway Bill is the single-largest jobs creating legislation in the nation and is mainly how highways, bridges and transit systems are built and maintained.”

The hang-up toward passing a long-term federal highway bill has been how to fund it. Revenue from the federal fuel tax has continued to fall short of expectations as motorist buy less and newer vehicles are more fuel efficient. The fed-eral highway trust fund, where fuel tax revenues are deposited, is nearly broke and required a bailout last year. While there have been numer-ous proposals about how to fix the funding prob-lem, nothing has been found to be acceptable to all the parties.

In the meantime, the nation’s highway infra-structure, including Missouri’s, continues to age and deteriorate. “We need to pass a strong, bipartisan Highway Bill not just to protect our economy and our bridges, but also our lives,” said O’Sullivan in prepared remarks.

Federal Highway Bill cont’d from pg. 5

highway consTrucTion will come To a sTand-sTill unless congress can pass a

federal highway bill

conTinued

from

page

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LECET BOARD HAS NEW FACESThe Laborers’-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust [LECET] of Eastern Missouri has several new mem-bers on its Board of Trustees.

Mike Jerome, President of Bi-State Utilities is a new management trustee on the Board. Mike succeeds Ken Karsten who died last year. Mike was appointed by the SITE Improvement Association to fill the seat.

Don Willey, Business Manager of Laborers’ Local 110 in St. Louis, is a new labor trustee on the LECET Board. Don succeeds Steve Bradley from Local 916.

Jim Sparks, Business Manager of Laborers Local 840 in Rolla, also joined the Board recently. Sparks replaces Larry Bloomer, Business Manager of Laborers’ Local 662 in Jefferson City who has retired.

The LECET Board of Trustees has eight members, four representing the Laborers and four represent-ing management. The Board sets the policy by which the LECET program operates in Missouri. The current Trustees are listed on the front inside cover of Founda-tion for Success.

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Despite a steady, sometimes tor-rential rain for much of the day, more than 40 archers took part in the Eastern Missouri Laborers’ Spring Archery Tournament on Saturday, April 14 at the Laborers’ Training Center in High Hill. The tournament has become an annual spring and fall event for members and their guests.

Just hitting the decoy with an ar-row isn’t enough to score well in this tour-nament. Drawn on each decoy are targets in circles ranging from the smallest outward to

the largest. Shooting your arrow into the smallest target gets the highest amount of points.

Competition is held in five different categories from Cub (for the kids) to the Bow hunter. Participants shoot at various wildlife decoys at different distances depending upon which category they are placed. The decoys are spread out through-

out the Training Center grounds and because of the rain, some of the targets were a little hard to get too. A small creek, swollen with the heavy rain, made walk-ing across it difficult. In fact, most archers had to be ferried across the creek in a four-wheel drive vehicle.

The winners in the various catego-ries are shown with their trophies in categories. After a sloshing through the wet grounds, participants were treated to chili and grilled hot dogs while waiting for all the results to be added.

Despite the weather, nearly every-one said they really enjoyed the course and the tournament. Watch for details about the fall tourna-ment in this and other newsletters.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who participated!

ARCHERS BRAVE THE ELEMENTS TO SHOOT IN TOURNAMENT

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Bow Hunter Category, from left to right:

Brian LaGarce-3rd, Perri Pryor-2nd and

John Payne-1st

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Traditional Category, from left to right:Mark Ebert-3rd,

Lonnie Nichols-2nd and John Hembrock-1st

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Women’s Category, from left to right:

Andrea Bockelkamp-3rd, Dorothy Bell-2nd and Stacey LaGarce 1st

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Junior Category, from left to right: Hunter Ullrich-1st & Luke Rud-man-2nd

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Cub Category, from left to right: Dalton Claus-5th, Dane Stuckey-4th, Dalton Bandy-3rd, Garrett Huck-2nd & Brock Shaw-1st

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Highest score by a Laborer Mem-ber, Michael Bandy who scored

381 points. Michael had the mis-fortune of having his bow crack before the shoot-off was held.

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Depending upon your point of view, some people will be glad to see the 2012 Missouri Legislation come to an end, the sooner the better. The legislative session must end on Friday, May 18.

This session has seen an abundance of anti-union, anti-worker bills filed to weaken workers’ rights and the strength of unions in Missouri. Just look at the turnout for the Labor Rally in late March at the Capitol, see page __. Up to this point (April 20), none of the legislation has passed, although not without many battles. However in the time that remains, legislators can still cause a lot of problems, so Laborers and other union members and union contractors must keep close watch on what goes on at the Capitol and not let their guards down.

By mid-April, only three bills, out of the hun-dreds that have been filed, have been passed and sent to the governor for his signature. Governor Nixon vetoed the first two bills to reach his desk. The bills dealt with employment discrimina-tion and the state workers’ compensation system (H.B. 1219 & S.B. 572 respectively). The third bill approved and signed by the governor dealt with the terms of school board members in spe-cific districts.

The following is a recap of some of the major issues/legislation under consideration this legis-lative session.

Prevailing Wage Law ChangesThe focus of most anti-worker attention this session has been efforts to amend the state’s prevailing wage law. During debate on one Sen-ate prevailing wage bill, the President Pro Tem of the Senate accused the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations of “collusion” with unions in setting the prevailing wage. De-partment officials strongly denied such an allega-tion.

More than one dozen bills have been filed to change the prevailing wage law which affects many Laborers and other tradesmen involved in the public construction industry. The law re-quires workers on public works projects be paid the “prevailing wage” for the type of work they perform in the specific county where they are working. The wages for specific occupational titles (Laborers, Carpenters, etc) are determined by a survey conducted each year by the Missouri Labor Department.

Many of the bills would change the way the wages are set, from a “prevailed wage” to an average of wages in a specific county. For exam-ple; under the current law if contractor A submits 1,000 hours paid at $25 per hour, contractor B submits 700 hours at $20 per hour and contractor C submits 400 hours at $15 per hour, the pre-vailing wage for that county and occupational title would be $25 per hour because contractor A submitted the largest number of hours worked. Under the averaging proposal, the prevailing wage would be $20 per hour [25+20+15 = $60 /3 = $20 per hour].

Now, what happens to contractor A if he is signa-tory to a union agreement paying $25 per hour in wages to his workers. Do you think contractor A could compete with the other contractors on a prevailing wage job if the wages required were $5 less than what he is paying his union workers. Not likely!

Supporters of the prevailing wage bills contend by changing the method of calculating wages and other amendments, more public works proj-ects can be built in Missouri. However, a study conducted by a University of Missouri-Kansas City researcher, showed that is not true. The study found that the prevailing wage law helped productivity on a job along with the skill level of workers, both factors in keeping construction costs reasonable.

MO Legislature Enters Final Weeks

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Other bills would exempt counties declared natu-ral disaster areas by the federal government from requiring the prevailing wage be paid on public works jobs. This stems from disaster suffered by Joplin in the wake of last year’s tornadoes. Everyone sympathizes with Joplin residents, but should those helping to rebuild public structures in that city, many of them tornado victims them-selves, receive less in wages and benefits be-cause of a disaster? Many construction workers in Joplin were also tornado victims themselves and could use the good salaries provided by the prevailing wage law. An-other flaw in the bills is that all public works projects in the county would be exempt from the prevailing wage law, even if there was no damage caused by a storm.

Right-to-WorkLast year, right-to-work was the big item being pushed by anti-union interests in the Missouri legislature. This year, the issue has been pushed to the back burn-er while prevailing wage has taken the spot light. That is not to say Laborers and labor in general are not paying attention to the issue, but rather it is not being pursued as hard and with only a few weeks left, chances of its passage seem remote.

Limitations on Union Political ContributionsSeveral bills have been filed to restrict how unions can collect contributions from its mem-bers for political purposes, but none of the bills have advanced and are not likely to be approved.

Workers’ Compensation ReformAs previously noted, one of the first bills ap-proved this session made changes to Missouri’s workers’ compensation program. The bills would have reversed a court decision allowing co-workers to sue one another if one worker caused another to be injured on a job site. An-other provision would have placed occupational diseases under the workers’ comp program.

Currently, workers suffering from a disease they got by working at their job, can seek damages through the regular courts.

Governor Nixon vetoed the bill because he does not like the occupational disease portion. There are other bills still active that correct the co-worker issue, but also deal with occupational diseases and try to restore funding for the second injury fund. One or more of these bill is likely to pass this session.

Budget ConcernsMissouri’s fiscal year 2013 budget, which started July 1 and ends June 30, 1013, must be approved and sent to the governor by May 11. Enter-ing this year, Missouri faced a $500-million shortfall in money needed to balance expected spending in fiscal year 2013. When the House debated the budget, funding was cut from the Department

of Labor and Industrial Rela-tions for inspectors who enforce the prevailing wage law, working children’s law and workplace safety. The money saved would not be enough to offset the shortfall of money needed, but the representatives approved the cuts anyway.

The Senate Appropriations Committee restored funding for the positions, but questioned many other expenditures and sources of expected mon-ey the House approved. Several senators have even questioned their own committee’s recom-mendations and instead drafted their own version of a budget. This has led to a delay in approving the budget up to this time (April 20).

Whatever does eventually pass the legislature still must be signed by the governor to become law. Governor Nixon has already indicated, by his veto of two bills and public statements he has made, that he will veto anti-worker, anti-union legislation if it is sent to him.

FOUNDATIONFOR SUCCESS

LECET 3450 Hollenberg Dr. St. Louis, MO 63044

PRSRT STD U.S. PoSTage

PaID ST. LoUIS, Mo

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