Kansas Workers Win Budget Battle

June 02, 2010

KOSE members and community supporters form a “gauntlet” outside the House chamber during Lobby Day in February. (Photo credit: Brian Brunkow)

Members of the Kansas Organization of State Employees (KOSE) AFT/AFSCME Local 300 are savoring a hard-fought victory. They stopped a move by conservative legislators to pass a budget that would have cut 1,000 jobs and furloughed thousands of state workers.

But winning took dogged determination. KOSE members and community supporters made their presence felt and voices heard at the steps of the State Capitol during the 2010 legislative session. They mobilized more than 300 activists for a Lobby Day in February and formed “gauntlets” outside each chamber, urging wavering legislators to stand with them. They were relentless and creative – flooding House and Senate offices with hundreds of phone calls, faxes and e-mails, and utilizing social media to provide Twitter updates and action alerts. On Facebook pages, members sounded off on the heated debates, prompting more e-mail messages to targeted legislators.

The strategy worked. Shortly before the session ended, legislators passed an $18 billion budget preventing layoffs and furloughs. The measure, which restored some funds for corrections facilities and social service agencies that were chopped last year, also provided a market adjustment in pay to more than 600 state workers. Some workers will receive between 2 and 10 percent wage increases.

To avoid deeper spending cuts, legislators further approved a 1-cent sales tax increase as a way to preserve the state’s investments in public education and the social safety net for the most vulnerable citizens.

KOSE had called for a boost in revenue as a way to balance the budget without making severe cuts on vital public services. Joining the call were other unions, school organizations and family groups. They formed the Kansans for Quality Communities coalition.

“It would have been devastating to our community if state workers were furloughed,” says Pat Staab, a petroleum industry regulator and a member of KOSE. “The citizens of Kansas have demonstrated that they want nothing less than a functioning state government to meet their needs.”

KOSE represents 11,000 employees throughout the state.