I have always been a strong supporter of labor. I grew up in a union home, by father was a member of the UAW, working in the plant at Pontiac Motors, in Pontiac Michigan. In our family there was no question that if you had a job, you joined the union and supported your union brothers and sisters. We learned that a strong union provided a decent wage and job security and that when done right the union benefits management as well as labor.

I have made a list of what I consider labor issues and have tried to learn more about these issues. I guess the easiest way to discuss this is to go down the list and talk about each point.

The 2017 so called “Right to Work” needs to be repealed. When labor and management both agree that all workers must join the union as a condition of employment this is an agreement that they make together. The state has no business being involved in the contract. This law is an attack on labor, aimed at weakening union bargaining power. When labor and management agree that union membership is a condition of employment that agreement should be respected by the state.

Prevailing wage laws. 2017 was a bad year for workers in Kentucky. Not only was “Right to Work” passed but the prevailing wage law was repealed.  This means that contractors bidding on state projects can cut costs by paying workers less. Before workers had to be paid the prevailing wage for the area the project was in. So if a state job was in Louisville workers brought in from Pike county got paid the same average pay as similar workers were paid in the Louisville area. I believe that Kentucky needs to restore the prevailing wage law. We can discuss how high or low to set the minimum prevailing wage threshold when the legislation is being discussed.

Workers deserve a decent wage. The current federal minimum wage of $7.25 is too low and the state of Kentucky can do better. Despite the rise in costs of goods and services the minimum wage has not changed since 2009. Currently the “living wage” in Kentucky is $11.17 an hour. For a full-time worker, 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, this comes out annually to only $23,233.60, income that nobody can afford to build a life on. I support a gradual increase in the minimum wage aimed at an eventual increase to $15.

Workplace safety and health are important issues that must be addressed by labor unions, management and the state and federal government. We cannot allow anyone to cut corners and put workers’ safety and health at risk.

AI and automation are important considerations in protecting jobs in the near future. Jobs are being eliminated and this impacts on how families can afford basic needs like food and housing. There must be a plan for finding employment for workers displaced by AI and automation.

 Before the Civil War Abraham Lincoln accused slave owners of being guilty of committing wage theft, stealing the profit produced by their enslaved workers. Wage theft continues today, by misclassifying workers as independent contractors, to avoid paying taxes, minimum wage and overtime.

We cannot ease up on child labor laws. First off, I believe that the priority for children should be for them to be in school. If they are in high school any work they do should be connected to whatever program they are involved in in school. If a child is working to help support the family then the state needs to do a better job providing programs to help families so that the burden does not fall on children. We need strong child labor laws to protect the health, safety and future of children.

We need to strengthen due process laws and protect workers from “At-Will” firing. We need to protect workers from being fired for retaliation. There needs to be valid cause when firing an employee.

All wages must be paid. Earned vacation is part of an employee’s wages and must be paid at termination.

Workers’ rights must always be respected. Employers are paying for more than just a man’s labor, they are buying his most precious commodity, his time. And not just the time spent on the job, but the time spent gaining the skills, experience and expertise to not only do the job, but to do it well. When management respects the worker, workers respect management.

One final note, we must get away from the old, hateful idea that unions are somehow connected to communism or socialism. No one is trying to take control of production or redistribute wealth. The goal is for labor and management to make an agreement where both can profit.