Kansas appoints AFL-CIO board member to state Supreme Court
From Sunshine Review
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September 22, 2009 Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson announced that he appointed the 4th Congressional District member to the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission and appointee Paul Babich has a history of high involvement with labor unions and other political connections.[1]
[edit] Appointed
The Wichita native Babich taught in his hometown’s public schools for three decades. Recently, Babich retired as the President of the United Teachers of Wichita, having served on the Kansas NEA Board of Directors. Babich received USD 259’s Distinguished Classroom Teacher Award and was a Fulbright Scholar to Israel.
The State Supreme Court Nominating Committee's duty is to recommend people for Kansas Supreme Court and the Kansas Court of Appeals appointments. Babich joins three public members serving on the board for a limit of two terms.
The Committee requires the Governor to appoint one public member per congressional district, amounting to four, and the members may not hold any other public elected or appointed position at the time they are appointed. The other members of the Committee are elected to their position by their local Bar Association, just as the Chair is elected into position.
The Supreme Court Nominating Commission are exempt from conflict of interest statements, so other information about these members is not readily available to the public.[1]
[edit] Political involvement
Babich now has a role in selecting Kansas Supreme Court judges and the governor did not provide extensive information about his political involvement in his press release.
[edit] Teachers unions
United Teachers of Wichita / American Federation of Teachers The Constitution and Bylaws of the United Teachers of Wichita explains the union is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, a taxpayer-funded lobbying organization. Its constitution also explains it is affiliated with the National Education Association, Kansas Association of Public Employees, the Kansas-National Education Association, the AFL-CIO, the Kansas AFL-CIO, and the Wichita/Hutchinson Labor Federation, all taxpayer-funded lobbying organizations.
Tthe United Teachers of Wichita is a non-profit under the name American Federation of Teachers Wichita, making it an affiliated international union of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
The 2008 IRS paperwork for the non-profit shows Paul Babich received an American Federation of Teachers (AFT) salary of $90,380 as president, and vice president Larry Landwehr received $84,949.
In 2008 AFT-Wichita reported $1.44 million in gross receipts, mostly from membership dues and assessments, and expenditures of $1.29 million. Their net assets at the end of the reporting period were $927,000.
AFT-Wichita reported $405,000 in functional expenses and $886,000 in supporting payments to:
| Organization supported | Amount, financial support |
|---|---|
| Kansas Assoc Public Education | $34,000 |
| National Education Association | $592,000 |
| Wichita Labor Federation | $14,000 |
| American Federation of Teachers | $246,000 |
The NEA’s IRS 8872 forms would explain what the union did with the huge $592,000 payment AFT-Wichita gave, but there is no evidence at this time that the funds returned to Kansas directly through payment to KNEA by NEA.
Babich served as the chair of their political action committee while president of United Teachers of Wichita. Kansas NEA provided the PAC, the United Teachers of Wichita Committee on Political Education, with the bulk of its funds. KNEA collects money statewide and sends rebates to its UniServ districts, such as the United Teachers of Wichita UniServ. This PAC was ranked #116 in Kansas out of 228 PACs in 2007.[1]
[edit] Labor unions
Babich was a director of Kansas Association of Public Employees (KAPE) and was its Executive Vice President as recently as 2007.
Babich is listed as an Executive Board member of Kansas State AFL-CIO on its website. He recently retired from the United Teachers of Wichita, but a Kansas AFL-CIO spokesperson in Topeka told Kansas Watchdog that Babich is still a board member and will be on the board until a meeting in November.
Babich's name was on the letterhead when the Kansas AFL-CIO took a stand on energy policy in Kansas.[1]
[edit] Political organizations
Babich has been on a list of contributors to the Sedgwick County Democrats since 2005.[1]
| Name | Office | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Cooper, D | House | 2008 | $100 |
| Judith Loganbill, D | House | 2004-08 | $350 |
| Terry L McLachlan, D | House | 2006-08 | $300 |
| Elizabeth Bishop, D | Senate | 2008 | $100 |
| David Clark Jr, D | Senate | 2004 | $150 |
| Henry Helgerson, D | Senate | 2000 | $75 |
| Douglas Johnston, D | Senate | 2000 | $50 |
| Jean Schodorf, R | Senate | 2003 | $50 |
| Daniel Thimesch, D | Senate | 2004 | $50 |
| Fran Lee, D | Sec. State | 1994 | $100 |
| Tom Sawyer, D | Governor | 1998 | $100 |
| Kathleen Sebelius, D | Governor | 2001-06 | $250 |
| Jim Slattery, D | Governor | 1994 | $50 |
| Don Betts, D | U.S. Congress | 2008 | $300 |
| Hillary Clinton, D | U.S. President | 2008 | $200 |
| NEA PAC | 2002, 2006 | $425 | |
| United Teachers of Wichita PAC | 2007 | $75 |
[edit] External links
- Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission website
- Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission members
- Kansas National Education Association website
- United Teachers of Wichita
- AFL-CIO website
- Kansas AFL-CIO website
[edit] References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Gov. Parkinson appoints state AFL-CIO board member to Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission" Kansas Watchdog, September 22, 2009
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