Month: February 2019

GM announces profit-sharing checks for employees

General Motors today announced its more than 46,500 hourly employees would receive profit-sharing payments.

The profit-sharing checks were attributed to a successful year. The employees will receive up to $10,750 in a paycheck later in February, according to a news release.

The profit-sharing program is based on a contractually negotiated formula between GM and the UAW. The company has a plant in Kansas City, Kansas.

“When GM delivers good business results, our eligible hourly employees in the U.S. share in the company’s success,” said Mary Barra, GM’s CEO and chairman, in the news release. “To build on our performance, we must continue working together to deliver strong safety, quality and productivity results.”

In 2018, GM North America earned EBIT-adjusted of $10.8 billion on increasing sales of GM’s newest crossovers; the launches of the all-new, full-size Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups; and disciplined cost control. The company expects strong financial results again in 2019, based on a full year of volume from GM’s new pickups, new crossover launches and growth of adjacent businesses, according to the news release.

To strengthen its U.S. manufacturing operations, General Motors has invested more than $22 billion in its plants since 2009, including more than $600 million in 2018.

Letter to the editor: Kansas child welfare is slavery

To the governor of Kansas, the Kansas state legislators and the Kansas citizens, I must say to you with all due respect, Kansas child welfare is slavery. After many years of going to community meetings, legislative hearings and work sessions, I have concluded that the child welfare laws, policies and procedures are broken. The system is in urgent need of a complete overhaul.

In 2019, it is my hope that we start now to make immediate changes. The citizens should require that our children are loved, healthy, educated, protected and safe, especially if they are under the government control.

If the government can’t perform these five responsibilities, then they should get out of the business of children. Right now, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) has children dying, children missing, children being drugged, millions returned to the federal government due to forms not being filed timely, children in agencies’ offices due to a lack of enough emergency foster homes, fingerprinting children, the hotline number is not responsive, caseworkers do not return calls, and there’s not a phone number to call to complain against agencies or to get help.

We should do better, for the children’s sake. Rest assured, if I had a meeting tomorrow concerning child welfare, I would have more complaints, such as grandparents having difficulties getting their grandchildren, and why is Kansas the only state in the United States to take children away from their parents for neglect?

I know the complaints and conditions of the child welfare system are complex. The bottom line in Kansas is the privatized child welfare system. It is just plain wrong and a cruel system. Children are being treated as commodities, yes, commodities, exploited to make profit for agencies. Children are at risk when making profits before their best interest. I do not see the foster care parents getting rich, but I do see large buildings owned and operated by KVC and St. Francis across the state. That would not be possible if the agencies are not making profits off of children in foster care.

Please, Gov. Kelly, I know you changed the secretary of DCF and stopped the grants temporarily. We need you to be bold again and have the courage to end privatization. The system strips children of their rights, the right to be raised by their parents or a family member. What about before separation of children from their parents, the psychological damage that occurs? Kansas is putting children on the auction block for sale, all in the name of child welfare. Due process has been denied the children. The more children in foster care, the more money for agencies. Children are property. Privatized children in foster care is not moral, it is unjust. Please consider the consequences of this law. It is bad for Kansas, it is bad for DCF, and it is bad for our children. We can do better, and should. End privatized foster care now. If it were your child or family member, what would you do?

Mary Martin (Certified Colorado court-appointed special advocate for children)
Kansas City, Kansas

KCKCC’s Collier named Jayhawk player of week for fourth time in 12 weeks

Nija Collier (KCKCC photo)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

For the fourth time this season, Kansas City Kansas Community College sophomore Nija Collier is the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Player of the Week.

In addition, the 6-0 power forward from Detroit has twice been NJCAA National Player of the Week.

Collier earned the KJCCC Player of the Week award for Week 12 after averaging 20 points and 9.5 rebounds and shooting 71.4 percent from the field in two Blue Devil wins.

Collier scored a point a minute in KCKCC’s 78-72 win over No. 3 ranked Highland, finishing with 21 points in 21 minutes while hauling down 12 rebounds.

She was 7-of-10 from the field after netting 8-of-11 while scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds in an 82-41 win over Fort Scott. Her double-double against Highland was her 17th in 24 games.

“She’s earned it,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said. “It’s testimony to the consistency she brings every night. The teams that we are playing now have film on her so they should be taking things away from her and yet she continues to produce night after night.”

Collier leads the Jayhawk Conference in scoring (17.7), is second in rebounding (10.6) and field goal percentage (.626) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (.424), the only player to rank in all four statistical categories.

Nationally, Collier ranks fifth in offensive rebounds, seventh in field goal percentage and 10th in total rebounds.

This is the fifth time a Blue Devil has been named Player of the Week. Sophomore Lillie Moore earned the award the previous week.

“I think that’s a real testament to the teammates they have on this team,” said McKinstry, whose team ranks third nationally in assists per game. “They are not only unselfish and work really well together, their talents and abilities also demand attention from other teams so they can’t double and triple team players like Nija and Lillie.”