'If governor Beshear hadn't won, we'd have been set back 20 to 25 years.'

By BERRY CRAIG

Alliance for Retired Americans

A shiny red, white and blue UAW Local 862 trailer-pulling  Ford truck with Jay Henry and Jason Hill in the cab led a Kentucky union contingent in Gov. Andy Beshear's inaugural parade in Frankfort on Tuesday.

The group included Todd Dunn, Louisville-based local 862 president. "The governor has always been there for us," said Dunn, who is also president of the Greater Louisville Central Labor Council. "He always answers the call when it comes to labor."

During the recent UAW strike that led to one of the union's biggest ever contract victories, Beshear backed Local 862 in a special way. "He brought us sandwiches, which he paid for himself," said Dunn. "It was awesome. I opened up with a little humor. I said, "'Look, the governor's an Uber Eats delivery person but they won't let him drive.'

"He just wanted to tell people, 'Hey look, you're a citizen of the commonwealth. You're hard-working and we wanted to let you know you...are trying to improve your life and the lives of those in the community. It wasn't political."

Dunn also said he appreciated Beshear refusal to follow his opponent, Republican Atty. Gen, Daniel Cameron and practice "anger politics."

Union support for Beshear was strong among Kentucky unions. The state AFL-CIO endorsed him a second time. 

"If governor Beshear hadn't won, we'd have been set back 20 to 25 years," said Danelle Barbour of Louisville Teamsters Local 89. "I'm glad to have Beshear back in office."

Tim Beckley, her union brother, said he was glad Beshear helped keep driverless trucks out of the state. "They have a proven track record that they don't work. He also is only one of two governors in the country that supported UPS publicly and officially [in national contract negotiations with UPS] and said that we needed a better contract." 

Jason Devaldivielso, Louisville CWA Local 3310, said he volunteered to march to show "continuing support for a governor who continues to show his support for labor. So we're going to be here and have his back." 

"Gov. Beshear has been a stalwart supporter of the labor movement from vetoing the automatous vehicle bill to his support for public teachers' unions, to brining industry to the state and insisting that it's got to be unionized," said Chad Conley, USW District 8 Rapid Response coordinator. "It's been complete day and night from former Gov. Bevin to Gov. Beshear."    

Conley serves on the state AFL-CIO Executive Board with state AFL-CIO Vice President Ashley Snider, a member of IUE-CWA Local 83761 in Louisville and a trustee for the GLCLC. "Gov. Beshear is super important to the labor movement because he supports us," she said. "For so long, we've had people in office that didn't."

She recalled that, encouraged by Bevin, most Republicans in the GOP-majority state House and Senate passed a "right to work" law in 2017. "The Gov. Beshear supports us means he supports the middle class and that's what we have to build up to get people out of poverty and have better living conditions--and that's what unions do."

Prescott Motley, a member of Snider's local, backs Beshear "because he's pro-union and a lot of things he stands for, I also stand for."