A New Day, A Better Way
Kansas Organization of State Employees, AFT, AFSCME, AFL-CIO
MAY 2011SPECIAL EDITION
Proudly Created by Union Labor
S
tate workers throughoutKansas are tired of blatantattacks on the services weprovide day after day.It’s time for us tospeak out with our collec-tive voice and promote thework we do on behalf of allKansans.In the followingpages you will meet someof the most hardworkingand inspiring people Kansashas to offer—dedicated citi-zens and KOSE members.Officer GeraldDennison is a CorrectionsOfficer II at the HutchinsonCorrectional Facility wherehe has been employed forover thirteen years to pro-tect our communities.Dale Thompson,Salina, has been a store-keeper specialist at KDOTfor six years and he keepsour roads open for travel.Wally Roberts,Topeka, is a fire investiga-tor and has been with theKansas Fire Marshall for adecade protecting publicplaces from bomb threatsand unlawful firearms.Officer RichardShort is a CorrectionsOfficer II at the TopekaCorrectional Facility andhas served our state foreight years making apositive difference in thelives of inmates.Wanda Handy,substance abuse counselorat the Kansas Juvenile Cor-rection Complex in Topeka,has committed six years of her life to counseling at-risk children.Michelle Walters,Topeka SRS, is a humanservice specialist and hasmade it her mission to pushour social welfare system towork for those who need itand to discourage thosewho cheat it.As State workerswe offer our talent, guid-ance, and leadership to our jobs every day. We are byno means selfless, but thequality of the services weprovide always come first.In today’s climatewe must support ourselves,our fellow workers, and theservices we provide. Wemust speak out againstthose who would mischar-acterize our motives anddisparage our intentions.We serve the citi-zens of Kansas: we protectcommunities, children andthe vulnerable, we strive tomeet the needs of the lessfortunate while in a pooreconomy, and we upholdthe institutions of Kansas sothat every citizen has a stategovernment they can relyon and be proud of.
KOSE Members
Speak Out:
We are Corrections Officers, Social Workers, RoadCrews, Administrative Assistants, Investigators,Custodians and Caregivers.
Our Jobs Make Kansas Work!
Volume 3, Issue 2
Page 2
KOSE LOBBY DAY 2011:
We’re Entering a New Era for Kansas State Workers
O
n March 16 KOSE members joined together from across thestate to lobby their legislators.According to the
Topeka Capital Journal
400workers attended the event.The KOSE Lobby Dayis held every year, but this yearin particular we launched a newera for Kansas state workers.In years past our lobbyday was reserved for our mostdedicated and steadfast mem-bers; however, this year KOSEmembership decided to inviteour brothers and sisters fromother Kansas unions to join ourlobbying effort.Union brothers and sis-ters answered our call and manyunions such as other AFTKansas Locals, the Teamsters,the IBEW, and the IAMattended our lobby day as wellas many more.KOSE members alsosponsored non-members whowanted to attend lobby day andwere interested in our union’spolicies and practices.KOSE members arrivedearly at the Statehouse ready toprotect the services all Kansansdepend on. Many workers hadmultiple meetings with theirlegislators throughout the day.KOSE members andsupporters, equipped with fliers,declared: “Don’t Gamble withmy Future!” They presented theLegislature facts and figureswhich displayed the dangers of pay cuts and benefit reductions.KOSE members were most con-cerned over our retirement andwhether it’d be available forfuture generations.Workers formed gaunt-lets outside the Legislature’schambers to ensure that everylegislator got our message.Workers held firm onthe issues, but always remainedrespectful to legislative leadersand Statehouse security.Kansas unions stood upfor their issues and togetherworkers all through the state areenergized and ready protect our jobs and services.For more pictures please visitwww.koseunion.org/ lobbyday2011
Top
: group photo infront of Statehouse
Bottom:
the gauntletoutside the SenateChamber.
Page 3
A New Day, A Better Way
T
he 2011 Legislative Session was a long, hard fought battle on all fronts.We faced devastating cuts to the services we provide and that so many Kan-sans rely upon. In addition to the Agency cuts, state workers faced proposals of deep pay cuts, “surcharges” on our health insurance, and complete dismantlingof our pension system. Ultimately, KOSE members had some big wins! Wesuccessfully defeated some of the most egregious attacks on our pay andbenefits. We expected the worst, but our voices fought back!
KPERS
The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) was one of the bigtopics of the 2011 Legislature. Both the House and the Senate proposed differ-ent changes to KPERs; both proposals varied in compromise and sustainability.The final “compromise” includes the following provisions:
Establishes a 13-member KPERS Study Commission to consider otherfixes to the current plans, including defined contribution plans and hybridplans that could include a defined contribution component. The Commis-sion would be required to report no later than January 6, 2012 on its rec-ommendations, which would then be introduced as two identical bills ineach chamber of the Legislature.
After each Chamber votes on the proposals of the Commission, thefollowing provisions and changes would be implemented:The employer contribution annual rate cap of 0.6 percent wouldincrease to new annual limits as follows:0.9 percent in FY 2014;1.0 percent in FY 2015;1.1 percent in FY 2016;1.2 percent in FY 2017.
KPERS Tier 1 members would have two options
:Employee contribution of 6% with a multiplier of 1.85%for future yearsof service (
default
). Remain at the current 4%b but reducing the futuremultiplier to 1.4%.
KPERS Tier 2 members would also have two options
:Employee contributions remain at the current 6% with a 1.75%multiplier, but the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) would be elimi-nated. Freeze the current contribution rate at 6%, reduce the multiplierfrom 1.75% to 1.4% and retain the COLA.
The Budget
In one of the worst budget years, the House decided to dig in its heels andrequire an arbitrary ending balance of $50 million. The Senate held strong onour market adjustments and services until the early morning hours at the end of Session.The House demanded even more cuts to vitalstate services as the Session dragged on in an attemptto boost the State’s ending balance. In an attempt to‘flat fund’ the budget, the House actually cut morefrom services and programs than the Governor. Thebudget eventually passed with these cuts and‘adjustments’:
An across the board 1.193% cuts to all Agencies;
Elimination of market adjustments for FY 12 andFY 13 – leaving no debate future budgets;
2.5% TAX on state workers’ health insurance;
“Sweep” all employee travel rewards.We all know that an across the board cut isnot only devastating to the Agencies, but means wewill continue to work just as hard as before with less.These cuts mean we will continue to do our jobs forless than both the private and public sector. Evenworse, this also means we could face lay-offs anddeeper cuts.State workers had a hard fight this Session,but we had our voice heard. With record-breakingattendance at Lobby Day, Legislators heard from stateworkers more than ever. Unfortunately, we still havemany more battles during the interim and we mustbuild our power for next year. KOSE members, ourfamilies and neighbors, need to stay in touch with ourlegislators while they are at home in their districts.Make sure they hear from you!
They need to knowthat the work that we do matters!
2011 Kansas Legislative Summary
By Jane Carter, Executive Director
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