Gov. Greitens Brings a New Style of Accessibility

Greitens complains of lack of coverage, but won't talk with reporters

• By Kurt Erickson • St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• 
  
• JEFFERSON CITY • In his latest mission as Missouri’s governor, former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens is employing tactics taught in the military.
  When it comes to interacting with the press, the political newcomer has been a disciplined operator, carefully picking his targets and keeping his distance from unanticipated questions that may impede his objective.
  His stealthy approach is not uncommon behavior in this age of social media, when politicians routinely turn to Facebook and Twitter to spread their message directly to voters.
  But now, after offering minimal opportunities for the press to ask him questions in his first six weeks in charge, the Republican chief executive is beginning to complain about the coverage he is receiving from the news media.
  “Nobody [in the media] is going to write a story about how Sen. [Jamilah] Nasheed and I are working together, or how Sen. [Kiki] Curls has given my administration names and recommendations for positions. Nobody is writing about the work that we’re doing with the Black Legislative Caucus to advance issues that are important to all Missourians,” Greitens said at an NAACP-sponsored event in the Capitol on Feb. 14.
  After he vented, Greitens was surrounded by reporters asking for more information. The governor left without answering questions.
  The Post-Dispatch has since made multiple requests to the administration for details on the topics he said the media had ignored. There has been no response.
  Greitens also has refused to answer a series of questions that stem from his campaign, including the identity of his biggest donors, who gave him nearly $2 million in such a way as to shield their identities from the public. When donors remain secret, the public has no way of tracking any decisions Greitens may make as governor that benefit them.
  His refusal to answer or even listen to questions has drawn widespread criticism from several veteran Capitol watchers.
  Radio reporter Phill Brooks, who has covered Missouri state government since 1970, bemoaned Greitens’ style in a recent editorial.
  “A cloak of secrecy has descended upon Missouri government to a degree I never imagined in all my decades covering the statehouse,” Brooks wrote.
  For now, Greitens’ media ground game is more akin to President Donald Trump’s than his own GOP allies in the Capitol.
  While the president railed at the media during a contentious press conference Thursday in the nation’s capital, Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard and House Speaker Todd Richardson — both of whom are, like Greitens, Republican — conducted their weekly appearances answering questions from the media under the statehouse dome, without restrictions.
  Richard said the practice was good for transparency.
  “Ever since I’ve been Speaker of the House, I thought that was a fair way to do it, to give you a chance to talk to me and I can talk to you,” said Richard, the only Missourian to serve in the top leadership spot in both the House and Senate.
  “I’ve always thought that sunshine and knowing how I feel about certain things — even if you don’t agree — is probably a better way to understand how I envision governing and leadership in the Senate,” said Richard, R-Joplin.
  Richardson said he was carrying on a longtime tradition as the leader of the House by hosting his weekly media availability.
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  “Your all’s mission of communicating what we do in this body to the general public is important,” said Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff.
  Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, said talking with the press corps amplified what goes on in the Legislature.
  “Just giving everybody an opportunity to know what’s going on, I think, is a good thing,” Kehoe said.
  On Feb. 14, a day after complaining about the media during the NAACP speech, Greitens announced he would answer select questions from the public on Facebook, following the lead of fellow Republican governors such as Bruce Rauner in Illinois and Scott Walker in Wisconsin, both of whom also hold standard press conferences.
  “We’re here in Jeff City to fight for you,” Greitens wrote in advance of his chat. “That means listening to the people and answering your questions about what’s going on in your government. If you have any questions about what we’re doing to take Missouri in a new direction, I’d love to answer them.”
  Among the pre-selected questions he answered during his 15-minute session was one about being “bashed” by the media.
  When Greitens has made himself available in person, he or his office has warned that he will not answer questions that are off the topic the governor has selected.
  “Questions unrelated to this situation will not be answered at this press conference,” a recent advisory said.
  The governor also evades reporters who cross paths with him in the Capitol.
  While walking from the House chamber to his office on the second floor, a Post-Dispatch reporter asked Greitens about a recent trip to the nation’s capital.
  “I am not going to do these drive-by interviews,” he answered. “If you want to sit down, I’ll be happy to talk with you. I’m just letting you know so you save your time.”
  But numerous requests made by the newspaper for an interview dating back to his Nov. 8 election victory have been rebuffed.
  “Rest assured, I will let you know when we have budgeted time for you to meet with the Governor,” said spokesman Parker Briden, who is paid $54,000 annually. “It is not a priority at this moment.”
  In his recent editorial, Brooks points to an early January event in which Greitens spent time in the Senate chambers observing the proceedings. As the governor made his way back to his office, two reporters approached him seeking to ask questions.
  His response, again, was to suggest scheduling an interview.
  Brooks found the response puzzling.
  “What could have been a tremendously positive story about how Greitens demonstrated a more engaged approach with the Legislature became a story about how he effectively fled from reporters,” he wrote.

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill's Fundraising Event!

RobinWenneker cordially invites you to the Columbia Kick-Off Reception with U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill
Saturday, March 11 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM At the Country Club of Missouri 1300 Woodrail Avenue Columbia, Missouri 65203
	Suggested Contributions Host: $2,700 Co-Host: $1,000 Patron: $500 Friend: $200 With questions or to RSVP, please contact Erika Brees at 314-669-5955 or ebrees@clairemccaskill.com  Or register onlinewww.actblue.com/page/CoMoKickOff

Email Senator Rowden to Oppose Charter Schools!

ACTION ALERT: CHARTER SCHOOL EXPANSION BILL

The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee met on February 9, but postponed the vote on HB 634 (Roeber). The bill would allow charter schools to operate in any district in the state. The bill was heard last week in House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. The sponsor distributed a HCS version at the meeting. The HCS would limit the expansion to St. Louis and Jackson County and allow charter school open enrollment in those counties.  

The Association believes the charter school law must be transformed to ensure that charter schools function as team players in a single public school system, not as individual, privately-run schools that divert public funds without accountability to or control by local communities. However, the Speaker's office is pressuring the Committee to vote to approve the bill with only expansion and without the necessary reforms. If approved by the committee, the bill could be taken up by quickly by the House.

The Association opposes expansion of charter schools until such time as the law is revised to ensure that all charter schools are required to meet the standards of accountability, transparency and respect for the rights of students, parents and staff as are applicable to traditional public schools.

ACTION NEEDED: PLEASE CALL, WRITE OR USE THE LINK BELOW TO SEND AN E-MAIL TO URGE YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE TO OPPOSE HB 634.

Email Senator Rowden now: http://www.senate.mo.gov/D19WebApps/Contact.aspx

What is Right to Work?

By Celeste Bott-St. Louis Post Dispatch

JEFFERSON CITY • The Missouri Legislature on Thursday sent a "right-to-work" proposal to Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican who campaigned on a promise to sign it. 

When he does, it'll be an early political victory for the new chief executive, who has never held political office before. 

It'll also be a culmination of a decades-long fight between the business-backed GOP and labor-friendly Democrats. Here's the battle, explained:

What does right to work mean?

“Right to work” is a shorthand for laws throughout the country that prohibit labor unions from requiring workers to pay dues as a condition of employment. Proponents say the law is necessary to end “forced unionism,” giving Missourians the “right to work” without giving up any of their earnings to a labor organization.

They also insist that the law will create jobs and make Missouri more competitive, sending a message that the Show-Me state is friendly to employers.

Even though Missouri isn’t yet a right-to-work state, membership isn’t compulsory in some unions in the state. But a collective bargaining agreement can require that the employer collect dues from nonmembers, who don’t get to vote for union officials or contracts.

Unions deemed exclusive bargaining agents are required by federal law to provide fair representation to all workers covered by a contract whether the workers pay dues or not. If they fail to do so, the worker may be able to get relief in court or with the National Labor Relations Board.

Unions and Democrats argue that a right-to-work law would allow all workers to be “free riders,” reaping the benefits bargained for them, such as higher wages or better health care benefits, without paying for it.

And without unions financially able to go to bat for them, they contend, Missouri’s working class will see lower wages and fewer benefits.

So who’s right? Does the law actually create jobs?

That’s not clear. Some studies point to positive effects on states’ economies and wages. Others find little to no impact.

Economists attribute that uncertainty to a wide-ranging number of factors that influence job growth — it’s difficult to say whether one policy is responsible for strengthening a state’s economy.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce points to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showing that jobs in right-to-work states grew by 8.6 percent in the last decade, compared with 5 percent growth in states without right-to-work laws.

“Looking across the country, Missouri’s lack of right-to-work protection has put us at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to attracting jobs to our state,” said Dan Mehan, the chamber’s president.

Other experts don’t dispute the job growth, but point out that many states have seen robust job growth as they rebound from the Great Recession, so right-to-work laws passed in that time frame aren’t the only factor to consider.

“Right to work doesn’t seem to have much of an impact one way or another, both in improving the state’s business climate or in terms of devastating the health of organized labor,” said Jake Rosenfeld, a sociology professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

The expansion of right-to-work laws reflects a continuing decline in union strength, Rosenfeld said.

In 2016, about 262,000 Missouri workers, or about 9.7 percent of the total workforce, were members of unions, according to data released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Though that’s the highest percentage since 2011, the overall trend has been lower. In 2006, about 284,000 Missouri workers, or about 10.9 percent of the workforce, were union members.

“The only reason these laws get passed is because unions already decreased dramatically, in terms of what they can get done,” Rosenfeld said.

How did this all start?

The door for right-to-work opened when a Republican-led Congress passed the federal Taft-Harley Act in 1947, which deemed “closed shops,” or businesses that required all employees to be part of the union, illegal. From there, individual states could pass laws prohibiting unionized businesses from collecting dues from employees who weren’t union members.

More than 35 percent of workers were in a union in the 1950s, but the fast-growing movement didn’t hold its own against mobilized businesses and right-wing organizations that lobbied state legislatures for union restrictions, making right-to-work a heated political issue.

The right-to-work debate was renewed when Indiana passed legislation in 2012. Michigan, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Kentucky have all followed suit.

Missouri would be the 28th right-to-work state. Its shift would mark the first time in U.S. history that more than half of the nation’s workforce lived in states with right-to-work laws.

What politics are at play here in Missouri?

Typically, Republicans — backed by business organizations such as the Missouri Chamber of Commerce — have been the primary supporters of right to work, with limited exceptions.

Unions far more frequently back Democrats, who generally say that by curbing labor’s ability to collect dues, the GOP is in effect limiting the power and influence of labor unions, which often supply millions in donations and volunteers to Democrats’ political campaigns.

They also point to megadonors such as Joplin business magnate David Humphreys who can pour millions into candidates who support right-to-work legislation under Missouri’s lax campaign finance laws.

“Any appeal to rational thought, evidence or policy implications stands small against the millions in dark money that have bought this issue passage,” said Senate Minority Leader Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, during debate over the Senate’s bill.

I’m in a union. Will anything change for me?

That depends on what type of union you’re in. If dues in your union are already voluntary, this legislation won’t affect you.

If you’re under a “union shop” or “agency shop” and you have to pay dues or fees to a union, in time, you will no longer have to.

The right-to-work law passed by lawmakers contains what's known as a “grandfather clause.” It leaves unchanged any labor contracts negotiated before the bill takes effect, letting them expire on their own.

So even when the bill takes effect in August, your current contract will also remain in effect. When it expires, you’ll no longer have to pay if you don’t want to be a union member.

In St. Louis specifically, agency shop contracts cover workers at Ameren, Boeing, Laclede Gas, as well as phone companies and major grocery chains.

So what are the next steps?

As with any bill, Greitens has several options. He could sign it into law. He could veto it, returning it to the General Assembly where a two-thirds vote of both houses would be needed to override the veto. Or he could decline to sign it, letting it take effect without his signature in 15 days. 

But Greitens signing the bill, and quickly, is all but guaranteed. Right to work was at the top of the agenda for both GOP leaders and the newly minted governor this year. Republicans have tried to pass similar legislation in years past, but found a roadblock in former Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat.

Is anyone exempt?

The bills don’t apply to federal workers, workers on military bases and workers under the National Railway Labor Act, such as airline and railroad workers.

Will voters have a say?

According to Republican lawmakers, they already have. Right to work was a major talking point in the 2016 election cycle, particularly in race for governor. Greitens’ Democratic opponent, former Attorney General Chris Koster, spoke out against the legislation.

So Republicans argue that by electing Greitens and other GOP candidates on board with the legislation, voters have spoken.

Opponents to the bill point to a right-to-work ballot measure that was overwhelmingly rejected by Missouri voters in 1978, when the Missouri Capitol was controlled by labor-friendly Democrats.

Attempts to attach a referendum to the bills currently being considered — which would put the issue before voters a second time — have failed.

But union backers are pushing separate ballot initiatives in 2018 that would give voters the chance to in effect reverse any right-to-work law passed this year. Lawsuits have already been filed to block those initiatives.

Sadly Right to Work is Here in Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY • Gov. Eric Greitens signed “right-to-work” legislation into law on Monday, fulfilling a campaign promise that has been cheered by Republicans and the state’s business community.

It was a busy day for the governor, whose victory lap took him to an abandoned warehouse in Springfield, Mo. — “a far too familiar sight for many towns across Missouri,” according to a release from the governor’s office — and to Poplar Bluff, where he held ceremonial signings.

At each event, he was flanked by lawmakers who have been biding time for a GOP governor willing to sign the pro-business measure, which prohibits labor unions from collecting dues as a condition of employment.

“This hasn’t been an easy fight,” Greitens said.

Eventually, he rounded back to his office at the Missouri Capitol, where supporters crowded around his desk and applauded as he hailed the bill as a “simple and straightforward measure.”

“If (workers) choose not to join, they can’t be forced out of their job,” he said.

Greitens, like the legislators who cheered him Monday, is hopeful that the change will lure business to Missouri and keep the state competitive with 27 other states that have adopted similar laws.

But for the state’s unions, the signing is an event they had previously been able to delay. Greitens’ predecessor, Gov. Jay Nixon, blocked similar efforts with his veto pen and argued, along with fellow Democrats, that the measure was a political ploy to weaken Missouri labor.

Experts take issue with both arguments, saying the bill won’t necessarily serve as a job creator nor a death sentence for unions, but debate around the issue has always been inherently political.

Businesses and their organizations, which typically donate to Republicans, support the legislation. Unions, who more typically back Democrats, contend the inability to collect dues keeps them from bargaining for important rights and benefits for their workers and curbs their political influence.

In particular, they take issue with Joplin roofing magnate David Humphreys, a Republican megadonor who in the 2016 election poured millions into the campaigns of those supportive of right to work, including Greitens.

Democrats in the Legislature were unsuccessful in attempts to amend the bill to address some of their concerns. Now, unions are making one last-ditch effort to block the law by voter referendum.

Next steps

On Monday afternoon, Missouri AFL-CIO President Mike Louis and Missouri NAACP President Rod Chapel filed a petition with the secretary of state’s office that would to put right to work on the ballot.

Louis has previously filed petitions that would invalidate the law after it takes effect, but this petition is different — it’s a seldom-used tool that allows citizens to block legislation approved by lawmakers and the governor before it goes into effect.

Louis and Chapel would need the support of 5 percent of voters from two-thirds of Missouri’s congressional districts by Aug. 28 — the day the right-to-work law is to take effect.

If they’re successful, they will essentially force the issue to go before voters, and the law can’t take effect unless a majority of voters approve it in 2018.

“This referendum will guarantee that employers in Missouri can decide for themselves how to run their businesses and reach agreements with their employees without government intervention,” said Missouri AFL-CIO President Mike Louis.

Greitens, at his final event of the day, acknowledged the opposition that last week descended on the Capitol and his office with pleas for him not to sign the measure.

“I understand there will be people who don’t agree with us on this issue. I respect the thoughtful disagreement on issues,” Greitens said.

“Right to work doesn’t eliminate unions. It makes them more responsible and accountable to their members on the front lines,” he added.

But as Greitens and Republican leaders enjoy their victory, union members remain fearful that the new policy will lower wages, benefits and workplace safety for the state’s middle class.

“By passing so-called ‘right to work,’ Gov. Greitens and other politicians in Jefferson City chose millionaire CEOs and out-of-state corporate special interests over Missouri’s working families,” said Al Bond of the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council.

CMNEA School Board Forum!

Teachers Moved to Activism

So much has happened in the past few weeks concerning the Secretary of Education appointment and opposition to her appointment. In a nutshell, during her interview with the U.S. Senate panel, Betsy
DeVos showed that she knew absolutely NOTHING about education.

She is not an educator, she is a full supporter of charter schools (which seeks to take funding away from public schools), she does not know anything about student assessments, curriculum, or how schools operate, and she feels that in order to keep all students safe, guns should be allowed into public schools to keep students safe from grizzly bears that plague our schools in the upper northwest.

The National Education Association opposes the appointment of Betsy DeVos. Here is the official statement and call to action:

Betsy DeVos - President Donald Trump's pick for secretary of education - has no experience with public schools. She's never worked as an educator or in a public school in any capacity. She didn't attend public schools, and did not send her children to public schools.  

Instead, she has spent her career working to undermine public education. DeVos has lobbied and bankrolled failed schemes like vouchers, which take money away from public schools to fund private schools at taxpayers' expense and with little to no accountability. By nominating Betsy DeVos, the incoming Trump administration is demonstrating it does not share our vision of public education and what works best for students, parents, and communities.

Tell your senators that we need an experienced, qualified secretary of education who actually wants to strengthen and improve all public schools. Contact your senators now, and tell them to vote NO on Betsy DeVos.

We have done just that. We have called and we have written. In interviews and emails, Claire McCaskill has come out publically stating that she will NOT support Betsy DeVos' nomination to the cabinet.

Senator Roy Blunt has come out with a statement on his Facebook page: 

I believe Betsy DeVos understands that decisions about education need to be made much closer to where kids are. I look forward to working with her to find ways to get those decisions back to local school boards, and moms and dads. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee for the Department of Education, I will be working hard to ensure that public education continues to be appreciated as the cornerstone of opportunity in America.

With that, several Columbia Public School teachers visited Sen. Blunt's office to make their statements/views known. Please click onto this link to the facebook page, showing a video of their activism: CPS teachers visit Sen. Blunt's Office

Since then, our colleagues are hosting another peaceful demonstration TOMORROW, Feb. 6th. Here is the information to learn. If you do attend, please remember to keep the sidewalks clear, follow all rules, if you are a CMNEA member- feel free to wear your t-shirt (CMNEA is NOT sponsoring this event) and do NOT engage with the opposition. Here is the link to the information: Feb. 6th event