Elected officials across Kansas City and Jackson County gathered outside of the AT&T redevelopment project in downtown Kansas City, MO organized by Councilman Kevin O’Neill on August 10th.
Mayor Quinton Lucas, Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca, and union allies spoke, decrying the treatment of workers and promising to enact legislation to punish bad contractors who put workers at risk and undermine area standards.
Close to a hundred union allies joined the elected officials and union organizers in the morning heat to discuss Councilman O’Neill’s wage theft legislation and to talk about future solutions. The AT&T project is notable because of the death of an out-of-town and non-union worker.
“We need to realize this isn’t routine, this isn’t acceptable, this isn’t normal, and this is something we need to call out at each and every step,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas. “We need to make sure there are not more tragedies or situations where contractors are ignoring the rules we have set up in Kansas City and throughout this state.”
One thing that came out of this event is the possibility of a Workers’ Bill of Rights, suggested by Leg. Abarca to the verbal agreement of those elected officials around him.
“Today we are demanding a few very simple things… A promise that safe practices on this project and everyother project that these companies take part in are maintained and preserved and that they allow city inspectors, union inspectors, and whoever wants to make sure things are done fairly to come on the site,” said Mayor Lucas to applause. “Rather than skirting our rules, we need to make sure that people are getting fair pay, that they are not abusing and taking advantage of workers and not trying to find those who may not know all of their rights…. We are not here asking. We are not here begging. We are here demanding… We will use every bit of power to make sure this doesn’t happen again… More than anything, we will make sure that Kansas City is the most labor friendly city in the country.”
