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Union activists flood Statehouse

By Tim Carpenter
Created Mar 16 2011 - 6:18pm

State safety inspector Paul Kosmala took off work Wednesday in Topeka to speak personally with legislators about the
value of collective bargaining.

Hospital worker Carl Parker, of Larned, pressed the flesh while urging House and Senate members to avoid imposing
reductions in salaries and benefits.

Wichita case manager Larry Slapar was there to remind Kansas politicians that state workers are voters, too.

Welcome to lobby day with the Kansas Organization of State Employees, a group of 11,000 psychologists, janitors, truck
drivers, correctional officers, social workers, investigators, mental health technicians and administrative assistants. More
than 400 worked the halls and offices of the Statehouse.

"We're not the enemy," said Debbie Slapar, who joined Larry for KOSE's day of action.

Both have worked at the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services for 19 years.

"We're trying to remind them state employees are also taxpayers," Larry Slapar said.

Members of KOSE and six other labor organizations made the rounds. They handed legislators a one-page summary of
concerns as each entered the House chamber.

The flier warned, "Don't gamble with our future!"

The central message was state workers understand the Kansas government's budget is on life support, but persistent
reduction of employee salaries and benefits won't solve the problem.

"We just want to have our voice heard," said Jane Carter, executive director of KOSE.

Legislators have unnerved state employees by discussing reform of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.
The system has an unfunded liability in excess of $7 billion, and reduction of employee benefits and expansion of
employee contributions are on the table.

Kosmala, an inspector with the Kansas Department of Labor, said the rising cost of health insurance, lack of pay raises
and potential restructuring of the pension system was causing heartburn. It is enough to turn a person into a devout
union organizer, he said.

"I'm here to ensure we don't lose our collective-bargaining rights," he said.

Parker, an employee of Larned State Hospital, said many KOSE members were unhappy with a House bill that would
prevent public union members from having contributions to labor political action committees be deducted directly from
paychecks.

The House isn't interested in the same limitation on private corporations with employee-sponsored PACs.

"They want to cut our pay," he said. "Make us pay more for retirement. Now, we can't deduct money out of our paychecks
for political activity?"

Tim Carpenter can be reached

at (785) 296-3006 or

timothy.carpenter@cjonline.com [1].

1 of 2 3/17/2011 11:20 AM
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