Independence’s very own Missouri former-State Senator John “JJ” Rizzo had the honor of opening the Missouri AFL-CIO 32nd Biennial Convention held in Riverside, MO at the unionized Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa.
Rizzo has helped lead the fight against Republican attempts to gut unemployment insurance and prevailing wage for years. He is now term limited.
The first morning of the event featured union-endorsed Missouri State Senate candidates Robert Sauls, Maggie Nurrenbern, and Patty Lewis and nominee for Missouri Governor Crystal Quade, all of whom spoke on the necessity of backing organized labor and the important value that union members bring back to their community. All four speakers have spent years of their life fighting anti-union Republican legislation in Jefferson City, including right-to-work-for-less and gutting unemployment insurance.
“We deserve better. We deserve a governor who understands what folks are going through, and not just that, prioritizes people over profit,” said Quade. “All they want to do is help their friends bottom line or out-extreme each othero to win their next race.”
“There is no compromise to be found on your wages, your benefits, and your issues,” added Crystal Quade, talking about fighting Right-to-Work-for-Less in Missouri. “I am sick of government overreach and attacks on our families.”
“I’m proud to support unions and working families, because thats what this nation was built on,” said Sauls, the current state representative for eastern Independence, MO and now-candidate for the State Senate District that covers Independence.
Democratic Party Senate nominee Lucas Kunce also delivered a rousing speech about the power of unions and congratulated his wife, Marilyn, for organizing her workplace. Kunce is taking on anti-union and anti-worker incumbent Sen. Josh Hawley, who has some of the lowest approval ratings in the nation. Kunce gained fame among Kansas City’s union members last year following a viral video of him climbing at Ironworkers Local 10’s Training Center.
The state convention saw Missouri AFL-CIO Political Director Carson Pope, a resident of Kansas City, lead the delegates through their political endorsements, which will be printed in future issues of this paper. Pope will use those endorsements to run a labor-to-labor field campaign that will allow union members to knock on the doors of other union members to turn out the vote in important races across the state.
Rabbi Doug Alpert of Kansas City’s Congregation Kol Ami delivered the invocation, speaking elaborately about the proud Jewish tradition of supporting organized labor. Rav. Alpert also explained that the Jewish sages believed that in an instance where workers wages and benefits were denied, workers had the right to go into the employer’s home to collect the value of what was due.
Kansas City union leaders, like Building Trades Business Manager Ralph Oropeza, AFT Local 691 President Jason Roberts, and CWA Local 6360 President Tom Gebken were asked to lead important committees for the convention, bringing together the minds of delegates from unions across the state.
The Missouri AFL-CIO also announced that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, part of the Teamsters, has reaffiliated with the body and passed a resolution encouraging other Teamster Conferences in Missouri to rejoin the state body.
The convention passed resolutions dealing with climate change, labor education, union jobs, prevailing wage, railroad safety, organizing, the FIFA World Cup, and even a resolution that encourages all unions in the Kansas City area to subscribe to The Labor Beacon.
Thank you to all who attended and represented Kansas City at this historic conference! Our labor movement is better because of you.
Tristin Amezcua-Hogan is the Editor of The Labor Beacon and a member of LIUNA Local 264. Tristin also serves as the Director of Communications for the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO and the Chair of the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance.
Tristin grew up as the son of a UA Local 669 member in Tecumseh, KS and the great-nephew of George C. Amis, longtime leader of the United Rubberworkers (now USW Local 307) in Kansas. Growing up in rural Kansas as the child of teen parents, Tristin quickly came to appreciate the life-changing benefit of a union job.
Tristin and his partner, Rebeca Amezcua-Hogan, are residents of the Westside, Kansas City, MO's historic Mexican neighborhood. They are proud members of Kansas City's New Reform Temple.
