Stand with Kansas Workers!
Governor Brownback and extremists in the Kansas Legislature are once again attacking the middle class and working Kansans.
Here’s what’s happening: Brownback and his allies has introduced a series of bills aimed at hurting working families across Kansas. They want to give big breaks to business and turn their back on the hard working Kansans that fuel our economy at every turn. They are squeezing the middle class in every way they can think of.
Anti-Worker Agenda unfolding in the Kansas Legislature
The following ten bills are a series of unprecedented attacks on working families and the middle class.
House Bill 2515 - This bill is known as the Competitive Bid Protection Act and was introduced by Rep. Marvin Kleeb of Johnson County. In short, the bill states that any governmental entity or construction manager acting on behalf of the governmental entity shall not require in its bid docs, specifications or project agreements any bidder, contractor, sub-contractor or material supplier to enter into any prehire agreement, PLA or CBA with one or more labor organization on the same or other related projects. The bill would effectively prohibit the use of Project Labor Agreements – which keep wages fair and workers safe – in Kansas. The bill was approved by the Committee and sent to the full House.
House Bill 2531 - This bill makes changes to the selection process for Workers Comp Appeals Board judges and Employment Review Board members (Employment Review Board hears unemployment compensation appeals). Currently, members of these boards are nominated by a two-member committee representing both labor and industry. The process is balanced and has worked well since 1993. HB 2531 changes this process to establish a 7-member commission heavily stacked towards business interests (5-2). The bill doesn’t even have the appearance of being fair. The bill was approved by the Committee and sent to the full House.
House Bill 2130 - This bill is a holdover from last session which prohibits the use of voluntary union dues deductions for political activities. The bill effectively silences the voice of working Kansans in the political process. At the end of the 2011 session Rep. Anthony Brown and Sen. Susan Wagle attempted to hold bills hostage Two similar bills have been introduced in the House Commerce Committee this session, House Bill 2581 and House Bill 2627. The bills appear to have the same purpose as House Bill 2130.
House Bill 2592 - This bill was introduced by Republican Marvin Kleeb. The bill prohibits any unit of local government from enacting local ordinances, programs or Economic Development projects that require the employer to pay prevailing wages or anything more than minimum wage or offer any paid leave or benefits other than those required by state or federal law. The bill is scheduled for hearing Friday, February 10 in House Commerce.
Senate Bill 338 and House Bill 2545 - These bills contain the KPERS Study Commission proposals to move the state pension system to a defined contribution plan from a defined benefit plan. Despite figures from KPERS’ own actuary that show the proposals will cost the state over $10 Billion more over the long-term compared to the current system, Legislative leaders and the Governor are advocating for passage of these bills. In addition to costing the state billions of dollars it cannot afford, the King Plan also miserably fails to provide adequate benefits to employees and shifts the ALL risk of guaranteeing benefits from the State to employees. The only ones that benefit under the new plan are Wall Street investment firms at the expense of Kansas workers and their families. The new plan design is insulting to employees who have always met their obligation to the pension system, while the Legislature has failed to meet its obligation. These bills are currently being reviewed by the Senate KPERS Select Committee and the House Pensions and Benefits Committee.
Senate Bill 352 - This bill makes changes to the Employment Security Law which governs the unemployment compensation system. The bill was introduced Karin Brownlee. It would make dramatic changes to the definition of “misconduct” when determining the eligibility of unemployment compensation. The bill will shift the entire burden of proof from the employer to the employee, effectively making workers ineligible for unemployment compensation unless they were part of a direct lay off. The bill is in Senate Commerce Committee.
Senate Bill 355 - This bill was also introduced by the Secretary of Labor. It deletes language in the Wage Payment Act that requires the Secretary to appeal a wage payment decision on behalf of an employee if the wage payment was under 10K. This will unnecessarily force workers who have been denied wages to obtain their own representation or go through the process on their own if they want to appeal a decision. It also deletes language that allows the Department’s Division of Industrial Safety and Health to inspect private company worksites for safety and health hazards.
Enough is enough. We are asking you to call members of the House Commerce committee where the majority of these bills are being heard and worked. These legislators are attacking working Kansans and labor, and they need to hear from you. Call a representative from your area because they need to hear how you feel.
Click here to find out who your legislator is and reach them at their office numbers listed below.
House Commerce Committe
Member District Office Phone
Rep. Anthony Brown (Chair) 38 785-296-7679
Rep. Gene Suellentrop 105 785-296-7680
Rep. Mike Slattery 24 785-296-7687
Rep. Rick Billinger 121 785-296-7659
Rep. Rob Bruchman 20 785-296-7644
Rep. Gail Finney 84 785-296-7668
Rep. Stan Frownfelter 31 785-296-7648
Rep. Randy Garber 62 785-296-6014
Rep. Dennis Hedke 99 785-296-7699
Rep. Dan Kerschen 93 785-296-7647
Rep. Marvin Kleeb 48 785-296-7680
Rep. Reynaldo Mesa 123 785-296-6838
Rep. Leslie Osterman 97 785-296-7659
Rep. Virgil Peck 11 785-296-7641
Rep. Louis Ruiz 32 785-296-7122
Rep. Joseph Scapa 87 785-296-7643
Rep. Scott Schwab 49 785-296-7632
Rep. Annie Tietze 56 785-296-7648
Rep. Caryn Tyson 4 785-296-6838
Senate Commerce Committee
Member District Office Phone
Sen. Susan Wagle (Chair) 30 785-296-7386
Sen. Julia Lynn 9 785-296-7382
Sen. Tom Holland 3 785-296-7372
Sen. Jay Emler 35 785-296-2497
Sen. Oletha Faust- Goudeau 29 785-296-7387
Sen. Jeff Longbine 17 785-296-7384
Sen. Ty Masterson 16 785-296-7388
Sen. Ray Merrick 37 785-296-7383
Sen. Robert Olson 23 785-296-7358
Sen. Jean Schodorf 25 785-296-7391
Sen. Chris Steineger 6 785-296-7375
Call them now and tell them Kansas can’t afford to win the race to the bottom. It’s time for them to end the war on working families, get to putting Kansans back to work, and to making sure that the hard-working Kansans are fairly compensated for their hard work.
