HAYS, Kan. - A former commander, under whom I served in 1973 and 1974, has become, over the years, a very good friend. The bond is secured by the fact that we shared a friend, now deceased, of "best friend" stature to both of us. Colonel P____ and I correspond frequently. In a recent message to him, I reminisced as to how indebted I am to him for certain actions he took on my behalf prior to my departure from his command in Korea. He replied to the effect that no one is "indebted" to someone for simply doing his duty. He stated, in effect, that his two major interventions on my behalf, thirty-six years ago were warranted and deserved, that it was his duty to intervene, and that not only I, but the Army, benefited.

WICHITA, Kan. - I don't ever remember so many choices in the Kansas Democratic primary as we have this year.  There are contested races for United States Senate, Secretary of State, and the 4th Congressional District.  There has been a lot more heat and dollars spent on the GOP side, so the information for Democrats to make an informed decision has been hard to come by. For what it is worth, here are my personal recommendations.

US Senate: Charles Schollenberger is the candidate who has taken the most progressive positions on the issues.  Schollenberger, so far as I can determine, is the only candidate to openly support unions and the Employee Free Choice Act.

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WICHITA, Kan. - On June 7 KOSE (Kansas Organization of State Employees) members overwhelmingly approved a new contract to ratify a 2010-2013 MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) which will now be sent to Governor Mark Parkinson for his signature.

The MOA governs such things as compensation, hours of work, benefits, discipline and protocol for classified executive branch state employees.

During a seven month period of Meet and Confer with the state the KOSE Bargaining Team achieved major victories for state employees.

Michelle Walters, a state employee at SRS and a team member says of the now ratified agreement, "This MOA is a huge win for Kansas state employees. It strengthens the rights of 11,000 state workers."

WICHITA, Kan. - Kansas Secretary of Labor Jim Garner made some timely remarks on the importance of OSHA and unemployment compensation at the 2010 Workers' Memorial Day observance in Wichita, Kansas. The event was sponsored by the Wichita/Hutchinson Labor Federation.

Garner points out that the unemployment benefits program has pumped $1 billion into the Kansas economy in the last year.. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, has led to a remarkable decline in deaths and injuries on the job.

MCDOWELL CREEK, Kan. - "Families have to balance their budgets," my Republican friend said to me, "and the state should, too." We were discussing Kansas's latest round of budget cuts. I had expressed a worry that deeper cuts would eliminate even more jobs and that insufficient spending on education and infrastructure would undermine long-term recovery. Afterwards, I thought about the family as a metaphor for the state. What if we pushed the analogy further?

A few days ago, I was in a post office in another community, waiting to mail a package. I had spent the previous day on the phone and then on-line, trying to get the USPS's click 'n ship to work. The USPS has been urging customers to complete transactions on-line; but after many hours of frustration -- and multiple "chats" with on-line help -- I learned that the zip code I was trying to mail to had not yet been entered into the system. Hence, my trip to an actual, physical post office. There I found a line of customers extending out the door and around the lobby. I was recovering from surgery and unsteady on my feet, so my package and I leaned against various spots on various walls as the line crept toward the two employees at the counter.

TOPEKA, Kan. - On Wednesday, state employees will be making their voices heard in Topeka. Below is a press release they sent out Tuesday.

More than 250 members of the Kansas Organization of State Employees (KOSE) will be marching on the State House to make our voices heard and to share our concerns with Legislators. In the midst of this current budget crisis we are more vigilant than ever to protect our jobs, paychecks, and pensions. As state employees, our jobs, wages, and retirement are directly linked to what happens at the State House.

We understand this crisis calls for shared sacrifice from all aspects of state government. However, we are not about to sacrifice our very livelihoods and the well being of our families to balance this budget. We know where the real waste in government is and if we were better protected from reprisal we would bring it out into the open. That is why we support the Whistleblower Protection Act. It's time to cut government waste, not jobs!

TOPEKA, Kan. - The Kansas Senate will debate an unemployment insurance bill Thursday that will reduce benefits for many Kansans.

Send an email to your state Senator now!

A senate committee chaired by Wichita Senator Susan Wagle passed HB 2676 out of committee. They have tacked anti-worker provisions on to to a House measure designed to aid businesses with high unemployment tax cost. The Wagle bill would place a moratorium on the "waiting-week" benefits and eliminate spouse relocation benefits.

TOPEKA, Kan.- Last Friday, the Kansas Coalition for Workplace Safety held a rally in the old Supreme Court chambers at the Kansas State Capitol. The rally was well attended by many of us who want to see injured Kansas workers given a fair shake for a change.

Rep. Paul Davis, the House Minority Leader and Sen. Anthony Hensley, the Senate Minority Leader gave a run down of Kansas' failing public policy concerning the treatment of workers injured on the job by no fault of their own.

Workers who have been victimized by our workers compensation system showed up to have their stories heard as those of us who attended saw real life examples why we need to ramp up this fight. We are among the worst in the nation, folks, and it is time we get this backwards mess straightened out.

SALINA, Kan. - In a new book, Gendered Tradeoffs: Family, Social Policy, and Economic Inequality in Twenty-One Countries, Becky Pettit and Jennifer Hook contend workplace equality for women boils down to not only whether women are included in the work force but on how they are included.

Despite big changes over recent decades, workplace gender inequalities endure in the United States and other industrialized nations around the world. These inequalities are created by facets of national social policy that either ease or concentrate the demands of care giving within households and shape expectations in the workplace.