By BILL FINN
Kentucky State Building and Construction Trades Council state director
Kentucky workers have endured the worst period in our history under Gov. Matt Bevin. Bevin has spearheaded a continuous stream of anti-labor bills filed to lower the wages, benefits and protections of workers. No other state in the nation has had to endure these reductions as Kentucky has.
Electing Andy Beshear as governor is critical to Kentucky’s working families. Andy will restore dignity and respect for us and stop the assault on workers.
The Bevin administration’s sole focus has been to undermine organized labor, specifically our construction local unions. The administration's venom towards us--to bust our unions and reduce our work opportunities, and our financial ability to represent workers--has been Job #1.
Andy Beshear is committed to fostering economic development in Kentucky, but not at the expense of workers. Governor Bevin has proven that he is unable to even consider that approach.
In 2017, Bevin and his Republican legislature passed a "right to work" law and repealed the prevailing wage law in its entirety. Thus, the first steps to lower the standard of living for workers were in place.
In 2018, the legislature, encouraged by Bevin, cut workers comp, the sole protection for injured workers. Kentucky had experienced 14 straight years of reductions in workers compensation premiums for employers. Even that was not enough for the Bevin administration. Creating more barriers and hardships on injured workers was more important and was put in place.
Investigations of jobsite fatalities and OSHA enforcement were neglected because the Bevin administration considered that too much of a burden on business. Only after the media exposed this lack of enforcement did investigations begin.
Skilled trades' qualifications, apprenticeships and licensing have been rolled back and watered down. No one in the industry supports a weakened qualification process, but that is what happened and continues.
The construction unions and our signatory employers held various seats on boards and commissions of interest to the construction industry that are appointed by the governor. Every board from licensing to apprenticeship training was wiped out, and every one of our appointees was removed. Non-union contractors were appointed in our places.
In 2018, an attempt was made to repeal the Kentucky Performance Bond. This law requires a wage and benefit bond to protect construction workers and miners in case of bankruptcy. This law would have protected the Blackjewel miners who were forced to block the railroad tracks for some justice. Not only did Bevin not enforce the law, he tried to repeal this protection for workers.
Even our retirees in Kentucky got stuck with an annual $500 increase in state taxes. The state tax exemption up to $41,000 was lowered to $31,000, resulting in a gift of another tax break to those who backed Bevin--at our retirees' expense.
In 2019, a prohibition of Project Labor Agreements became law. PLA’s promote local jobs for local workers on public projects. Bevin signed the bill to prohibit PLA’s.
A 40-percent cut in unemployment benefits, including a reduction from 26 weeks to 20 weeks, was proposed this year and failed to pass by just one vote. This increased hardship on workers, who rely on this benefit to survive the winters or economic downturns, is a priority of Gov. Bevin. These cuts will be tweaked and passed in the 2020 legislature if Bevin is re-elected.
The Kentucky apprenticeship standards are under assault now. The journeyman-to-apprentice ratio of 3-1 is being lowered to 1 journeyman to 2 apprentices. This will become law if Bevin is re-elected. It’s no longer about qualified workers, it’s about numbers.
Even 10-minute break times during the workday are under assault. Previous attempts to repeal break times will return and become law in order to make Kentucky “more business friendly."
There haven’t been any press releases from the Bevin Administration touting the great savings they found by repealing prevailing wage and lowering the pay of construction workers. Not one word--that's because there have been no savings.
What Bevin has actually done, so effectively, is reduce the standard of living for non-union construction workers, too. There isn’t a day that goes by that the skilled trades shortage is not highlighted by government, by businesses, by school systems and the chambers of commerce. Lowering the wages, benefits and safety protection of workers have driven workers to other industries.
For the four years Bevin has been governor, our members have given testimony, have rallied, protested, and worked to stop and overcome these systematic reductions at every level. Bevin’s campaign slogan is “We’re just getting started." Our chance to change this direction happens on election day, Nov. 5.
Andy Beshear’s platform is about us. It’s about blue-collar working men and women who have felt the brunt of these anti-labor bills to inflict hardship on our families. Enough is enough!
Andy Beshear has promised to promote a repeal of "right to work" and to restore the prevailing wage law. It will be an uphill climb, but it will be a great start to restore some sanity in Frankfort. Please vote for Andy.
Former attorney general and speaker of the House Greg Stumbo is running for another term as AG. Greg’s 100- percent labor voting record proves his commitment to improving the lives of Kentucky’s working families. Please vote for Greg Stumbo as AG.
Heather French Henry is our endorsed candidate for secretary of state. Heather is a longtime friend of the building trades and deserves our support. Heather will promote voting rights. Please vote for Heather.
Sheri Donohue is our endorsed candidate for auditor. Sheri has committed to audit public projects to determine if any savings were found by lowering the paychecks of Kentucky construction workers. We welcome those audits. Please vote for Sheri.
Please get your people out to vote. In 2007, Steve Beshear won the governor’s office with 26 percent of all voters coming from union households. We don’t make up that percentage of all the eligible voters, but we encouraged our people to vote, and we made the difference. We can do it again and elect Andy Beshear as governor, and stop the war on workers. Please vote!