Missouri Legislative Report #2 For 2008

Finally, only three weeks of Session is left to worry about pending bills that could be devastating to unions.  We have several Republicans that continue to vote right with the Democrats on critical labor legislation.  We let them know we appreciate their support. 

A lot has been going on since my last report.  The good news is most critical bills will not get out of committee in time to be voted on this year.  The bills that will hopefully be left in committee include House Bills 1811 that establishes certain employee rights about  Open Shop (Right to Work),  House Bill 1872 that prohibits employers from deducting payments from employee’s paychecks for political purposes and House Bill 2094 that requires labor unions to publicly disclose information concerning their finances.

We still have several bills of priority nature that are still pending.  House Bill 1850, 2302, 2309, 2310, 2365 and Senate Bills 901, 927, 929, 1007, 1046, 1050, 1164, and 1241.  Bills to support are House Bills 1424, 1916, 2030, 2041, 2311, 2349, and Senate Bills 901, 927, 929, 1077, 1115, and 1138.  Several bills deal with Immigration but none have been passed.  There are over 100 bills to be watched until session ends and would be too lengthy to report on in this report.  If you are interested in the contents of the bills they may be read at http://www.moga.mo.gov 

The Lobby Day and the Legislative Reception sponsored by the Carpenters’ District Council of St. Louis and Kansas City were successful.  The business representatives and members visited the Capitol and spoke individually with the lawmakers about our issues.  The Legislative Reception was well attended with over 100 Representatives, and the following day at the Breakfast several speakers shared their concerns and ideas on pending legislation.   

This past month over 200 carpenters were in Jefferson City to show support of the Missouri Building Trades Unions legislation on the Illegal Immigrant problem.  They asked for legislation to strengthen Missouri by holding employers responsible for their actions.  The media estimated over 2,000 tradesmen visited the Capitol.

The Annual Legislative Charity Softball Tournament was held at Lions & Eagles fields in Jefferson City.  Sincere thanks goes to the carpenters that barbecued and served this large crowd that included many Senators and Representatives.  This was a great opportunity again for carpenters to informally visit with the legislators about our issues.

Thank you for your time and for being involved.  This is the most critical election of our lifetime coming up in 2008, so let’s work hard and get our candidates elected that will actually help us. 

My address is 1930 North Circle Drive, Jefferson City MO 65109