Diana Arends of Independence used to work at Ball Metals in Kansas City. She was there for 10 years, in a union job.
“Best job I ever had,” she said.
Two years ago, the plant closed when the company moved that work to non-union locations, ending a couple hundred jobs. Arends is still looking.
“My message is I need a job. We need jobs,” she said Tuesday at a rally with about three dozen people on the Independence Square.
Those at the rally said workers have been under attack in the Missouri General Assembly with bills such as those to make it harder for unions to operate and to get rid of cost-of-living increases in the minimum wage, which voters approved in 2006. Neither effort ultimately passed in Jefferson City this year.
“Stop creating laws that destroy 125 years of social progress,” said Mike Lewis, a Catholic deacon.
Standing in front of the statue of Harry Truman – “the workers’ president,” Lewis called him – ralliers specifically called out state Rep. Noel Torpey, R-Independence, for supporting what Lewis called anti-worker legislation. He accused Torpey of siding with out-of-state special interests seeking to rewrite the country’s social contract, at the expense of “people who get up every day, try to earn an honest wage.”
As of Tuesday evening, Torpey had not returned a phone call seeking his reaction and response.
MO Jobs with Justice is holding a “statewide week of action” to target individual legislators – Torpey is the only one in Eastern Jackson County – and highlight what they describe as taking the side of CEOs instead of the working people whose votes they rely on at election time.
Many at the rally wore red stickers that said “Stop corporate greed” and carried signs saying such things as “We are one Missouri,” “Respect union rights” and “Don’t forget your constituents.” They dismissed this year’s unsuccessful drive in the General Assembly to make Missouri a “right to work” state as pushing for the “right to work for less.”
“They need to work together to create quality jobs instead of picking the pockets” of minimum wage workers, said Molly Barlow, a restaurant server in Kansas City who works to organize other minimum-wage workers.
“Representative Torpey,” she said, “stop voting for bills that hurt.”
