Hugh McVey, President * Herb Johnson, Secretary-Treasurer * Thomas E. George, Vice President

LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP

Monday, May 16, 2005

The First Session of Missouri’s 93rd General Assembly ended at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 13, 2005. Republicans passed the worst workers compensation law since 1926. We believe it will deny benefits to thousands of Missouri’s injured workers and result in cost shifting to health care plans already struggling with continued insurance rate increases annually. We also believe it will result in considerably more litigation with additional costs to employers and employees.

No other damaging legislation for labor was passed. There will be no changes to prevailing wage, project labor agreements or employment security. There was no damage to our union teachers by way of vouchers or wage discrimination (merit pay). There was an additional charter school provision for the St. Louis public school system.

Our thanks goes out to the support we had in the Senate, led by Senators Victor Callahan, Tim Green, and Chris Koster and all our democratic and republican friends in the Senate. We would also like to thank our friends in the House, led by Representatives Jeff Harris, Tom George, Jenee Lowe, Gina Walsh and Clint Zweifel and all the rest of our 24 union members and friends in the House of Representatives.

Representative Steve Hunter, District 127, an employee of Associated Industries, introduced Right-to-Work (for less), Pay Check Deception and an unnecessarily burdensome reporting bill that failed to gain any support sufficient to warrant serious consideration. However, it did mobilize our members and friends everywhere; resulting in massive numbers of e-mails, faxes, telephone calls, and post cards to all Representatives and Senators.

We will be working during the remainder of the year to prepare for next session and to rectify as many changes possible that were made in the workers compensation legislation.