The Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council has hired Mike Talboy to be their new Political Director, a newly created staff position for the organization. This innovative move from the Building Trades is intended to expand the political presence of the organization throughout the metro in both Missouri and Kansas, with a focus on increasing opportunities for union workers in the construction industry and expanding pro-worker legislation. The greater Kansas City-metro has a massive influx of construction projects projected to head its way over the next decade providing significant leverage to local construction trade unions looking to expand market share.
“Throughout my career in both the public and private sectors, I have always enjoyed a strong connection with labor. This is the natural next step in our relationship, and I cannot wait to help the men and women who build this region,” said Mike Talboy in a written statement to The Labor Beacon on his new role.
Mike Talboy, at just 47, is a well-known presence in the political scene for the metro, most recently working as an attorney for the influential Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C. law firm. He previously served as the first-ever Director of Government Affairs for Burns & McDonnell, a multinational construction, architecture, and engineering firm based in Kansas City, where he successfully managed government relations and lobbying strategies across the country for local, state, and federal government interactions and established strategic client relationships.
Talboy is no stranger to public service, having served as the Missouri House Minority Leader as a Democrat from the then-37th District, a seat he won in 2006, 2008, and 2010. As the Minority Leader, Talboy notably developed relationships on both sides of the aisle with electeds at all levels of government across the state and fought on behalf of union members. Talboy served during some of the most difficult times for Democrats in the state of Missouri, but was able to help minimize attacks on labor unions during his tenure.
Talboy has lived in Kansas City since 1993. He received his bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Missouri–Kansas City in 2000, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law in 2002. Talboy is of Colombian descent.
“For us, creating this position and hiring Mike Talboy is a step towards the next level for the Building Trades and a signal to our members that we are serious about fighting for their interests. We want union construction to be the default across the metro and to do that, we need to be in as many rooms as possible,” said Ralph Oropeza, Business Manager of the Greater Kansas City Building & Construction Trades Council. “With the work outlook we have ahead of us, we need to be all hands on deck to take advantage of this moment in Kansas City history.”
“Bringing Mike onboard was just common sense,” said Dave Coleman, President of the Greater Kansas City Building & Construction Trades Council and Business Manager of Ironworkers Local 10. “We are determined to fight for our members and make sure that workers doing construction work in our region do so with a good union contract and all of the life-changing benefits that come with that. To do that, we need to expand our relationships and be in every room we can.”
The Greater Kansas City Building & Construction Trades Council is made up of Boilermakers Local 83, Ironworkers Local 10, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 15, International Brotherhood of Electricians Local 124, Teamsters Local 541, Pipefitters Local 533, Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ Local 518, Roofers and Waterproofers Local 20, Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 8, Operating Engineers Local 101, Elevator Constructors Local 12, Sheetmetal Workers Local 2, Heat and Frost Insulators Local 27, Sprinkler Fitters Local 314, and Sprinkler Fitters Local 669. You can find out more about the Greater Kansas City Building & Construction Trades Council at buildkc.org.
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.
