(EDITOR’S NOTE: As the critical Nov. 5 election approaches, this new series will provide a stark contrast for readers to consider. We hope it will help in the decision-making process
of whom to support at all levels of government. Summarized from The Hartmann Report: Billionaire Dreams, Middle Class Nightmares.)
DEMOCRATS
• Democrats see holding public office as an opportunity to serve their communities and the nation. They disagree with the ruling by five Republicans on the Supreme Court that giving money to politicians in exchange for favorable legislation is merely “free speech,” and the
recent ruling by six Republicans on the Court that paying politicians for giving them lucrative government contracts is merely a form of “tipping” rather than bribery.
• They want to see Citizens United, which legalized political bribery by the morbidly rich and giant corporations, overturned.
REPUBLICANS
• Republicans defend Citizens United and are happy to exchange legislation and regulation for cam-
paign contributions, free vacations, and other gifts and benefits.
• Donald Trump has been explicit about this, recently telling a group of fossil fuel barons that if they’d pony up a billion dollars for his campaign he’d change the laws and federal subsidies to favor them.
• Clarence Thomas has taken over $4 million in naked bribes from billionaires and the Republicans in Congress defend him while his peers on the Court appear to also have their hands out.
Who do you think speaks for you on Nov. 5?
Insulator’s Gina Walsh honored with NABTU Tradeswomen Build Nations Lifetime Achievement Award
By SHERI GASSAWAY
Missouri Correspondent
Gina Walsh, deputy director of the International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators Union Labor Management and Cooperative Trust (LMCT), has been honored with a Tradeswomen Build Nations Lifetime Achievement Award from North America’s Building Trades Union (NABTU).
Walsh, a Heat & Frost Insulators Local 1 retiree who was the first woman to go through the St. Louis union’s apprenticeship program more than 40 years ago, was named the International’s deputy director in 2019. It’s the highest position ever held by a woman in the International Union.
To be considered for the award, a tradeswoman must have served at least 30 years in her union, be a trailblazer and exemplify women’s empowerment, solidarity and inspirational mentorship in her career. The award was a huge surprise. Walsh, who was also the first woman to lead the Missouri Building & Construction Trades Council, was on stage preparing to be the keynote speaker at the Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference in New Orleans last month when NABTU President Sean McGarvey stepped up and announced the award.
‘PURPOSE, COMPASSION’
“In every role she has held, Gina
See WALSH page 8
Fixing Illinois’ unfair Tier 2 pension system focus of town hall
By ELIZABETH DONALD Illinois Correspondent
Fairview Heights, IL – Ashley
Mims teaches at a Belleville school only two classrooms away from her husband.
They both work for the same school and pay the same amount into their pensions. But Mims’ husband will retire seven years earlier with a much bigger pension, because Mims is in Tier 2 of Illinois’ pension system.
Tier 2 participants in the Teachers’ Retirement System, State Universities Retirement System or Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund have a higher retirement age at 67, become eligible only after 10 years of service, and do not receive the three percent cost-of-living adjust-
ment that Tier 1 employees receive. It also caps the maximum salary and changed the formula through which pensions are calculated.
Mims, of Illinois Federation of Teachers, told her story to the standing-room-only crowd that filled the Teachers’ hall in Fairview Heights, as Illinois AFL-CIO president Tim
Drea detailed the issues with Tier 2 and why Illinois Labor leaders believe now is the time to fix the pension system for state workers.
TIER 2
In 2010, the Illinois state legislature and then-Gov. Pat Quinn approved a law that forced state
leaders to deal with decades of underfunding by changing the way state retirement benefits and calculated. It affected employees who began their jobs after Jan. 1, 2011 – the Tier 2 employees.
The changes removed the annual cost-of-living adjustment, raised the age of retirement from 62 to 67 and changed eligibility from five years of service to 10 years.
The plan was strongly opposed at the time by AFSCME and other unions. Tier 2 employees pay in the same amount as Tier 1, but must work seven years longer and see a six percent lower benefit in the first year and, over 20 years, as much as 20 percent less retirement income than Tier 1, according to AFSCME 31.
See PENSION page 8
of the following unions and councils see page 5 for changes in your notices
GINA WALSH, deputy director of the International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators Union Labor Management and Cooperative Trust (LMCT), has been honored with a Tradeswomen Build Nations Lifetime Achievement Award from North America’s Building Trades Union (NABTU). NABTU President Sean McGarvey (right) presented Walsh with the surprise award at last month’s Tradeswomen Build Nations conference in New Orleans.
– NABTU screenshot
To secure worker rights, we must fix our democracy
Gerrymandering and the filibuster are holding back wage increases, the right to unionize, and other benefits for workers
By PAUL SONN
New waves of workers are standing up and demanding fair treatment on the job — from the fast food workers of the Fight for $15 to the workers at companies like Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, and Volkswagen that are fighting for a union and a fair contract.
But as these workers have made significant gains, they’ve simultaneously run into huge barriers: our broken democratic systems. That’s why one of the most important priorities for advancing worker power is democracy reform.
In particular, that means reforming the anti-democratic filibuster in the U.S. Senate and ending partisan and racial gerrymandering, which have made state legislatures unresponsive to worker needs.
MINIMUM WAGE
Take the Fight for $15. Over the last decade, the brave workers driving this inspiring campaign have won wage increases in half the states and scores of cities. As a result, about half of our workforce will soon be covered by a $15 minimum wage — one of the highest among industrialized countries. But the other half languishes with one of the lowest minimum wages in the developed world. The federal minimum wage remains frozen at a paltry $7.25. Despite the fact that more than 80 percent of Democratic, independent, and Republican voters want to raise the minimum wage, no Republican-led legislature has passed a genuine increase in decades. Many have not only blocked state wage increases, but also passed punitive “preemption” laws to prevent cities from stepping in to ensure fair wages. Not coincidentally, many of these are among the most gerrymandered.
At the federal level, there’s a similar dynamic: Republicans in the Senate have used the anti-democratic filibuster for years to block increases in the federal minimum wage despite strong voter support.
ORGANIZING
Workers fighting to form a union face similar roadblocks. Employees who de-
mand a fair shake routinely face retaliation from their employers — and those who defy the odds and win a union election often endure years of stonewalling as corporations refuse to negotiate a contract. Others, such as app-based workers at Uber and Doordash, have been denied the right to unionize at all.
The PRO Act would remove these roadblocks and modernize our broken labor laws to give workers a real opportunity to join a union and negotiate with their employers over fair pay and benefits, protection against extreme heat, how AI is deployed in their workplaces, and more.
But while 70 percent of voters, including a majority of Republicans, back the PRO Act, the threat of a Republican filibuster in the Senate prevents it from advancing.
FREEDOM TO VOTE
Fortunately, there’s new and long overdue momentum for addressing these antidemocratic roadblocks.
Senator Chuck Schumer announced recently that if they win this year, Democrats plan to prioritize key democracy reforms, including reforming the filibuster to empower a simple majority of the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act. These crucial voting rights bills include new limits on racial and partisan gerrymandering — the practices that have made many state legislatures so unresponsive to worker needs.
But safeguarding fair elections is only the first step. The next step must be removing the filibuster — which has a long and ugly history of being used to deny people of color basic rights in our nation — as an obstacle to restoring protections for workers. In an echo of Jim Crow, senators today are using the threat of a filibuster to protect a broken labor law system that denies all workers, and especially workers of color, a fair chance to join a union and earn a decent minimum wage.
The rights of workers to earn a living wage and have a voice in their workplaces are fundamental for our democracy. The key next steps for making those rights real is to restore our democracy by ending both gerrymandering and the filibuster.
(Paul Sonn is the Director of National Employment Law Project (NELP) Action. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.)
Working families need an end to wage suppression more than new tax cuts
By JOSH BIVENS
Donald Trump seems to float a new tax cut every week he claims will help working families — most recently proposing to make tips, overtime earnings and Social Security benefits tax-exempt.
This new playbook is obviously a cynical ploy given that Trump as president specifically undermined tipped workers, overtime earners, and Social Security recipients.
But most importantly, these ideas do nothing to fix the biggest problem U.S. workers have faced in recent decades — that employers have managed to hijack policies across a range of issues areas to help them suppress wage growth.
Since 1979, this wage suppression has cost middle-income workers dearly: for somebody earning the median wage and working full time, year-round, their annual earnings would be $19,000 higher today if wages had risen in line with overall economic growth. This cost dwarfs other economic pressures in their lives: Even if we cut the taxes these workers pay to zero, their income would rise by less than a third of what wage suppression has taken from them.
One way to see this is that productivity — the amount of income generated in an average hour of work in the economy — has risen by 1.4 percent per year since 1979, but pay for the 80 percent of workers who are not managers in the economy has risen by just 0.6 percent per year. In other words, while ordinary workers got less than half of their fair share of the income generated by productivity growth over this period, highly paid workers and corporate shareholders made out like bandits.
TAXES
Have taxes added to this pressure on family incomes? Not even a little. In fact, between 1979 and 2019, the average federal tax rate for households with children in the middle-fifth of the income distribution fell significantly, from 17.6 percent to 12.3 percent. This fall happened during both Republican and Democratic administrations. If we cut federal taxes still owed by these middle-fifth families in 2019 all the way to zero, this would raise annual earnings of full-time, full-year wage earners by less than $6,000 — not even a third of what wage suppression took from them.
If policymakers want to provide transformative help to middle-income families, enacting policies to fight this wage suppression should be front and center. These policies exist and they work, but they do not get near the attention they deserve.
Key among these policies are: consistently maintaining very low rates of unemployment,
increasing legal protections for workers trying to organize unions and negotiate first contracts, raising the shamefully low federal minimum wage, and policing labor markets to spot and end employer attempts to short-circuit the value of competition for workers’ wages (the recent FTC ruling banning noncompete agreements — currently held up by the court system — is an excellent example).
Taxes can’t be zero for everybody — not even for most
And, of course, not everybody can pay zero taxes. Yes, we should ask significantly more from the richest households, but Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and public investments are extraordinarily valuable to middle-class households — and we need contributions from these households to help pay for them.
PART OF THE APPEAL
For candidates like Trump, the pressure that the “tax cuts for everybody” strategy will put on these programs is part of the appeal.
Take his proposal to cut taxes on tips. Workers in the bottom half of the income distribution (which includes most tipped workers) pay far more in payroll taxes (like those used to fund Social Security and parts of Medicare) than in income taxes. If he is only talking about exempting income taxes, then this will have incredibly limited reach—the average income tax rate for households with children in the middle-fifth of the income distribution is less than one percent. If he exempts payroll taxes too, this would broaden the reach, but because Social Security benefits are linked to lifetime contributions, this would cut their future Social Security benefits. Even the proposal to exempt Social Security benefits from taxation threatens the long-run viability of the program. There is already highly preferential tax treatment for Social Security benefits—about 60 percent of recipients do not pay taxes on them. For those who do pay taxes on Social Security benefits, this money is specifically earmarked to go into the Social Security Trust Fund (SSTF) and finance benefits. This is a non-trivial source of financing for the Social Security program, accounting for over $50 billion in income for the SSTF. It is just one of many ways that the Social Security program is progressive—providing universal benefits but which are greater for those in the most need.
Tax rates should depend on ability to pay — not loopholes and accountants
WORKING FAMILIES DESERVE MORE
Finally, all of these ad hoc tax cuts targeted to gain political favor are exactly what
SONN BIVENS
EWMC hosts 5th annual Coats for Kids Bourbon & Cigars Night
FLORISSANT – The Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) hosted its 5th Annual Coats for Kids Bourbon & Cigars Night Sept. 12 here at the Florissant Golf Club. Proceeds from the annual event benefit the EWMC Coats for Kids campaign. EWMC President Sylvester Taylor (left) shared on Facebook, “We are so appreciative of our community for their enthusiasm and presence at our Bourbon & Cigars Night, making it a fantastic gathering.” – EWMC photo
A St. Louis Company Since 1981
Operating Engineers Local 513 hosting hands-on Meet the Machines event Oct. 19
Get up close with massive machines, learn about their functions and even take a turn behind the controls in some exciting games at Operating Engineers Local 513’s Meet the Machines event on Saturday, Oct. 19,
The free, family-friendly event, which includes food, drinks and hayrides, will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Local 513 Training Center, located at 75 Hwy. F in Silex, Mo., which is about 25 minutes north of Wentzville.
Attendees can ride and operate real heavy equipment under expert supervision, test their skills by playing games with excavators and crawler cranes or take a thrilling ride on 550 hp tractors and articulated trucks. One of the event’s highlights will be watching a bulldozer crush a car – an unforgettable experience.
“Guests will be able to experience what it’s like to work with some of the most powerful machines in the industry,” said Local 513 Business Manager Brian Graffe. “The event will showcase the Local 513 apprenticeship program and prove that there are pathways to exciting
career opportunities in the building trades other than college.”
Whether you’re a heavy equipment enthusiast or simply curious about what operators do, this is a hands-on experience you won’t want to miss. It’s also a great chance to meet members of Local 513, learn about the apprentice program opportunities, the important work the union does and enjoy a day of fun with the whole family.
Local 513 represents heavy equip-
ment operators, mechanics, and technicians in 58 counties in the eastern half of Missouri. Its mission is to ensure safe, fair, and prosperous working conditions for its members while providing top-tier training and quality work across the construction industry.
For more information on the event, contact the Operating Engineers Local 513 Training Center at 573-485-2200 or email info@oelocal513training.com
MEET THE MACHINES – Operating Engineers Local 513 is hosting a Meet the Machines event Oct. 19 in which attendees can get up close with massive machines, learn about their functions and even take a turn behind the controls in some exciting games. – Operating Engineers Local 513 photo
Wellston, MO – Laborers Local 42’s Volunteer Organizing Committee and volunteers from IBEW Local 1 partnered with the Urban League to install Ring doorbell cameras and motion lights for homes in Wellston, Mo., on Sept. 28.
Local 42 Vice President Brian Watson said volunteers installed about 40 cameras during the day of service.
IBEW Local 1 Field Representative Mike Newton said volunteers also completed installs and were going back to hardwire new lights for houses that are getting wheelchair ramps as part of the Wellston improvement effort.
LABORERS LOCAL 42 volunteers who turned out to install Ring doorbell cameras and motion detecting lights in Wellston, Mo., included (from left) Kenny Walker, Vice President Brian Watson, Terrel Ward, Sette Randle, Mike Haukap, Jake Bowen and Dale Watson. – Laborers Local 42 photo
IBEW LOCAL 1 volunteers who turned out to help install Ring doorbell cameras and motion detecting light in Wellston, Mo., included (from left) Josh Cheney, Tony Scarpace, Jon Griggs, Eddie Glover, Recording Secretary James Jones, Lance Bryant, Business Agent Paul Reinhiemer, Demarco Poole, Steve McCray and Will Allen. – Mike Newton/IBEW Local 1 photo
Labor History
OCTOBER 7
1879 – Joe Hill, Labor leader and songwriter, born in Gavle, Sweden.
1903 – The Structural Building Trades Alliance (SBTA) is founded, becomes the AFL’s Building Trades Dept. five years later. SBTA’s mission: to provide a forum to work out jurisdictional conflicts.
1946 – Hollywood’s “Battle of the Mirrors.” Picketing members of the Conference of Studio Unions disrupted an outdoor shoot by holding up large reflectors that filled camera lenses with blinding sunlight. Members of the competing IATSE union retaliated by using the reflectors to shoot sunlight back across the street. The battle went on all day, writes Tom Sito in Drawing the Line.
OCTOBER 8
1871 – Thirty of the city’s 185 fire fighters are injured battling the Great Chicago Fire, which burned for three days.
1982 – In Poland, the union Solidarity and all other Labor organizations are banned by the government.
OCTOBER 9
1997 – Retail stock brokerage
Smith Barney reaches a tentative sexual harassment settlement with a group of female employees. The suit charged, among other things, that branch managers asked female workers to remove their tops in exchange for money and one office featured a “boom room” where women workers were encouraged to “entertain clients.” The settlement was never finalized: a U.S. District Court judge refused to approve the deal because it failed to adequately redress the plaintiff’s grievances.
2003 – An estimated 3,300 sanitation workers working for private haulers in Chicago win a nine-day strike featuring a 28-percent wage increase over five years.
OCTOBER 10
1933 – Six days into a cotton field strike by 18,000 Mexican and Mexican-American workers in Pixley, Calif., four strikers are killed and six wounded; eight growers were indicted and charged with murder.
OCTOBER 11
1873 – The Miners’ National Association is formed in Youngstown, Ohio, with the goal of uniting all miners, regardless of skill or ethnic background.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL BODIES
Plumbers & Gasfitters
360
meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at the Knights of Columbus Council 1712, One Columbus Plaza, Collinsville, IL 62234.
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 101
Union Meetings will be held on the 4th Wednesday of the month except December, which will be held on the 3rd Wednesday. The meetings will be held at the Local 101 Hall located at 8 Premier Drive in Belleville, IL 62220 at 7:30 p.m.
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 160
Union meetings are on the second Friday of the month at 8 p.m. at the hall, 901 Mulberry Street, Murphysboro, Ill. 62966.
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 553 First Tuesday of each month September through May, 7 p.m., 967 East Airline Dr., East Alton, IL 62024.
Sheet Metal Workers Local 268
Caseyville Meetings: Fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Sheet Metal Workers’ Hall, 2701 N. 89th Street, Caseyville, Ill. 62232. Southern counties: Meetings will be held at 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at the training center, 13963 Route 37, Johnston City, Ill.
Steamfitters Local 439 Meets first Wednesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. in the Donald Bailey Building, 1220 Donald Bailey Dr., Caseyville, Ill. 62232-2061.
1948 – Nearly 1,500 plantation workers strike Olaa Sugar, on Hawaii’s Big Island.
OCTOBER 12
1898 – Company guards kill at least eight miners who are attempting to stop scabs in Virden, Ill. Six guards are also killed, and 30 persons wounded.
1933 – Some 2,000 workers demanding union recognition close down dress manufacturing in Los Angeles.
1976 – More than one million Canadian workers demonstrate against wage controls.
OCTOBER 13
1934 – American Federation of Labor votes to boycott all Germanmade products as a protest against Nazi antagonism to Organized Labor within Germany.
1985 – More than 1,100 office workers strike Columbia University in New York City. The mostly female and minority workers win union recognition and pay increases.
1998 – National Basketball Association cancels regular season
Iranians who hacked Trump say they did not find even a concept of a plan
plan.
“We spent days searching for a plan, and when we came up empty, we tried looking for a concept of one,” the chief Iranian hacker said. “All we found was bullsh*t.”
The Iranians also searched for the identity of the Taliban official named “Abdul” mentioned by Trump during the last debate, but to no avail.
“The closest we could find was a reference to Kareem AbdulJabbar, who Trump called ‘overrated,’” the hacker said. Further frustrating the Iranians, much of the material by Trump was in a language not identifiable as English.
games for the first time in its 51-year history, during a player lockout. Player salaries and pay caps are the primary issue. The lockout lasts 204 days. 2000 – Hundreds of San Jose
Friday of each Month at the IBEW, Local 1 Union Hall, 5850 Elizabeth Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110. The meeting begins promptly
Training Center, 2300 Hampton.
Local 4 5850 Elizabeth Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110 Insulators and Asbestos
president.
LOCAL UNIONS
Bricklayers Local 1 Meets at 5:30 p.m. the first Thursday at Bricklayers’ Local No. 1 Union Hall, 1670 Fenpark, Fenton, MO 63026. To register for a course, contact Dale Jennewein at the Bricklayers Local 1 MO JATC at 314-770-1066.
Cement Masons Local 527
3341 Hollenberg Dr, Bridgeton, MO 63044
Elevator Constructors Local 3 5916 Wilson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
Glaziers Local 513 5916 Wilson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
IBEW Local 1 Union Meetings will be held the First Wednesday and the Third
Mercury News newspaper carriers end four-day walkout with victory.
(Compiled by David Prosten, founder Union Communication Services)
Tehran — Iranian hackers who accessed Donald J. Trump’s computers revealed on Monday that they were unable to obtain even a concept of a
Cotton field strike by 18,000 in Pixley, California, 1933
Plantation workers strike Olaa Sugar, 1948
2,000 workers close down dress manufacturing, 1933
Conference of Studio Unions picket Hollywood, 1946
Great turnout at Laborers’ Local 110 Family Picnic
Eureka, MO – This year’s Laborers Local 110 Annual Family Picnic was a huge success with hundreds of members and their families attending the event, which was held here at Brookdale Farms. The Sept. 28 event included food and drinks, face painting, balloon animals, a petting zoo, a corn maze, inflatables, a band and a pumpkin patch.
24th
Annual Southern Illinois Construction Industry Career Expo draws over 500 students; next one Oct. 22-24 in Belleville
DuQuoin, IL — More than 500 students from more than 40 school districts across Southern Illinois attended the 24th Annual Southern Illinois Construction Industry Career Expo Sept. 24-26 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, gaining handson experience and insight into the many career opportunities available in the construction trades.
Designed to showcase the wide variety of skilled trades, the expo provided students with interactive learning sessions led by industry professionals. Participants had the opportunity to engage with representatives from Boilermakers, Bricklayers, Carpenters, Cement Masons, Plasterers, Electricians, Iron Workers, Operating Engineers, Plumbers & Pipefitters, and Sheet Metal Workers unions.
DEMAND FOR SKILLED TRADESPEOPLE
Donna Richter, CEO of the Southern Illinois Builders Association (SIBA), emphasized the importance of the event in addressing the growing need for skilled workers in the construction industry.
“The demand for skilled tradespeople has never been greater,” said Richter. “By giving students a real-world look at these rewarding careers, we’re not only helping to shape the future workforce but also giving them an alternative to traditional education paths that can
lead to significant debt.”
BENEFITS OF APPRENTICESHIPS
One of the key messages at the expo was the availability of apprenticeship programs, which offer wages and benefits while students
learn a trade—providing a clear contrast to career paths that often involve costly post-secondary education. Union representatives highlighted the fact that apprenticeship programs allow young people to “earn while they learn,” gaining valuable skills and a sustainable in-
come without the burden of tuition expenses.
The expo continues to be a critical event for students considering a future in the skilled trades, with the hands-on experience helping them to visualize the practical and impactful nature of careers in
construction. SIBA is sponsoring the Metro East Career Expo which will take place Oct. 22-24 at the BelleClair Fairgrounds in Belleville, Ill.
For more information on apprenticeship programs and other opportunities in the construction industry, visit www.SIBA-AGC.org
A STUDENT tries his hand at operating a simulated backhoe during the Illinois Construction Industry Career Expo Sept. 24-26 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. – Southern Illinois Builders Association (SIBA) photo
MORE THAN 500 STUDENTS from more than 40 school districts across Southern Illinois attended the expo to learn about careers in the construction building trades. – SIBA photo
Walsh From page 1
has brought a sense of purpose, compassion and an unshakable belief in the power of collective action,” McGarvey said. “Her work leading the Missouri State Building and Construction Trades Council has left an indelible mark on our community, as she focused on creating opportunities for women and men to build careers in the trades, strengthening apprenticeship programs and ensuring that union workers were respected and protected.
“Her voice has been a steadfast one, always advocating for a future where unions are strong, workers are respected, and everyone has access to the opportunities they deserve. And while Gina’s formal
Pension
From page 1
roles change, her impact continues to ripple across our communities, inspiring future generations of workers, leaders, and advocates.”
Walsh has long served as an inspiration and mentor for women in the trades. In 2019, she received a Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT) Lifetime Achievement Award for being a pioneer in the St. Louis-area tradeswomen’s Labor Movement. In 2021, she received the NABTU Tradeswomen Hero of the Month award. And those are only two of many, many recognitions she has received for her leadership.
‘MEANS THE MOST’
“I’ve received many accolades
percent, regardless of whether they are in Tier 1 or Tier 2.
Mims said Tier 2 says the state does not value its teachers. “Why do Illinois lawmakers get to determine
and awards through the years and this award, like the MOWIT award, by far means the most because it comes from my peers and it means more than you’ll ever know,” Walsh told the Labor Tribune. “This award goes to all the sisters and brothers whose shoulders I have stood on and to all those who will come after me.”
Well-known for her leadership in the St. Louis Labor community, Walsh, a former state senator, is also highly regarded in Missouri political circles as a “champion for all workers.” She served two terms in the Missouri Senate’s 13th District after serving four terms in Missouri House District 69, which included Bellefontaine Neighbors, Glasgow Village, Jennings, Moline Acres and Riverview. Prior to that she served
that seven years of our lives are worth less?” she asked. “We are facing an education crisis, and it’s only been worse since the pandemic.”
FIRE FIGHTERS
Fire fighter Patrick Jackson of East St. Louis Fire Fighters Local
for 10 years as a director in the Riverview Fire Protection District.
‘PARTICIPATE IN OUR UNIONS, COMMUNITIES’
“After serving in elected office for more than 25 years, I now work for my International Union,” Walsh said in her speech after receiving the award. “I do not tell you these things to boast, but to express how important it is we, as women, participate in our unions and our communities.
When union members run for political office or for an office in their union they have one job, and that is to work for and protect working families and the protections a union card provides.
“With leadership comes great responsibility,” Walsh said in
23 said he was drawn to firefighting as a family tradition, with three generations serving. But he missed Tier 1 by two months, and now some fire fighters receive great benefits while others make less than Social Security. He said it has impacted how many people apply: at one point there were hundreds of applicants for a single position, and the last time there was an opening, only 15 people applied.
“This affects all of you,” Jackson
concluding her speech. “It is hard but fulfilling work. We all stand on someone’s shoulders. In my case, I stand on the shoulders of brothers in this industry that realized the potential and value that their sisters can bring to the building trades. Each one of you have the potential to be leaders and change makers. We do this by supporting each other and bringing a sister along on our journey.
‘VOTE’
“And one more thing, she added. “Remember to vote. Support those who support our union principles and working families. Thank you for your attendance at this conference now go and be the change makers that I know you are.”
said. Response times get longer and service is lesser when they are understaffed, he said. “This is not just about fairness to us who risk our lives every day… If nothing changes, the consequences will ripple beyond us.”
SERVICE WORKERS
Stacey Adams of the Murray Development Center in Centralia said their work is physically taxing, as are many public service workers who are being asked to work until age 67. Many of their beginning employees are 19, she said. “That’s a long time to work a physically taxing job.”
‘ABOUT
FAIRNESS’
Drea said this was not about pitting Tier 1 employees against Tier 2, but about fairness. He was joined by three legislators: State Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville), State Sen. Chris Belt (D-Centreville), and State Rep. Kevin Schmidt (R-Millstadt) Stuart herself is a Tier 1 employee as a former teacher who was represented by the Illinois Education Association. “I understand the sacrifice you make,” she said. “I knew that Tier 2 was BS. I know what it does to the morale in the building… We are not showing respect to the teachers in this state.”
Stuart said Tier 2 was one of the reasons she decided to run for office. “I’m disappointed that it’s taken this long,” she said.
Belt said the word “dignity” came to mind. “You do a job and someone down the hall makes more because they were there sooner,” he said to Jackson. “You fight the same fires they fight, but they leave at 50.”
Schmidt , who serves on the appropriations committee, said although he is a Republican, he agrees that the pension system needs fixing and he believes the state has the resources to make it happen, though he declined to say where he would get the money.
The room was filled with union members, many of them wearing green AFSCME shirts and holding signs that said “Fix Tier 2.” At one point Stuart took a room selfie with the entire crowd shouting the slogan. Drea encouraged them to get involved.
“In this country, working people have never gotten a thing without fighting for it,” Drea said. “This is a fight, so make the calls, go to Springfield on Nov. 13 (for the lame duck session) and chant, ‘Fix Tier 2!’”
Working families
led to our tax code being so complicated and unfair in maddening ways. One goal of tax policy should simply be that your tax rate should depend on your level of income — not the way you earned your income (or what your accountants tell you to call your income).
If, say, a plumber working as a W-2 employee for a company makes $60,000 a year in wages, they should not pay higher taxes than a plumber who classifies themselves as an independent contractor and makes $60,000 in business income.
But that’s exactly what our current tax code allows today (so long as the second plumber shells out money for a clever accountant—foregoing
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much of the potential gain to them of this tax avoidance). And if we introduce more tax preferences for tip and overtime income and so on, then our tax code will continue to get more complex and more arbitrary about who is rewarded and why.
In short, the proposals to exempt tip and overtime income and Social Security benefits from taxes are half-baked political opportunism. Today’s working families deserve more serious ideas that target the real pressure on their living standards—wage suppression that has been abetted by policymakers far too often in recent decades.
(Josh Bivens is the chief economist at the Economic Policy Institute)
UNIONS CREATE PROSPERITY IN OUR COMMUNITY
LOOK FOR THEM — THEY’RE EVERYWHERE
The Distinctive Consumer Emblems of Organized Labor have played leading roles in our economic society. Every success story has its supporters . . . the millions of union members and the general public have recognized the importance of these emblems by looking for them when purchasing products and services.
ELECTRICAL WORKERS
LOCAL UNION #309, AFL-CIO Collinsville, Illinois and Vicinity Office: 2000 Mall Street (Route 157) Collinsville, Ill. 62234
John Garrett, President
Tyler Mueth, Vice President
Collin Wasson, Recording Secretary
David Rhymer, Treasurer Chris Hankins, Business Manager
Dustin Grice, Organizer
Executive Board Members
Jacob Albers, Adam Biagi, Stephen Erspamer, Brian Hutson, Steve Lodes, Michael Meinhardt, Andrew Reibold, Ron Scott
Asst. Business Managers
Steve Duft, Mark Link, Carlos Perez
Examining Board Members
Jeremy Carron
Josh Jenkins
Josh Stewart Joe Varvera
Downstate Illinois
Laborers' District Council
Glyn Ramage, Business Manager
Greg Kipping, Sec’y./Treas.
618/234-2704 FAX: 618/234-2721
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ELECTRICAL WORKERS
Local #649, AFL-CIO
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3945 Humbert Road, Alton, Ill. 62002
By MIKE ROUX
My cast was accurate but not perfect. My retrieve would take me over a submerged brush pile about four feet beneath the surface in 11feet of water. I like to fish lures that stay in the strike zone for the longest possible time per cast. With a great October top-water bite in progress my choice of lures was an old reliable that I have thrown since my childhood. My Jitterbug bubbled enticingly over the structure.
As the surface blew-up under the lure I was taken back to my youth when my Father, Glen Roux, taught me to fish the Jitterbug early and late in the day for smallmouth bass and goggle-eye on Courtois Creek in Southeast Missouri. It was one of his favorite lures as far back as
Outdoor Guide
October Topwater Lures
he can remember and remains one my favorites to this day. And for good reason.
My Son-In-Law Zeke Cernea netted my bass and took some photos for me. He also asked if I had an extra Jitterbug since this six pounder was the 14th bass I had caught on the lure that morning. As I opened my tackle box to get one for him I gave him a quick lesson on the lure. I love topwater bass in October.
In 1930 young fishing enthusiast and lure designer Fred Arbogast founded The Fred Arbogast Company. What had started as his favorite hobby ultimately turned into the focus of a successful business.
There probably is not a bass fisherman alive that has not heard of or fished the famous Jitterbug.
The wobbling, bubbling action of this lure produces both feeding and agitation strikes. I said earlier that I like a lure that stays in the strike zone a long time. That describes the Jitterbug. Unlike a buzzbait, which must be retrieved rapidly to create its action, the Jitterbug produces a very similar action but with a much, much slower retrieve.
Introduced by Fred in 1938, the Jitterbug was an instant success. As soon as this lure hit the water letters came flooding in to Fred from fishermen throughout the country wanting to praise Fred for this bait and to share the news of the luck they were having with it.
Another innovation of Fred Arbogast was the development of a flexible rubber skirt. In 1936 Fred introduced the Hawaiian Wriggler which featured his new Hula Skirt. This skirt was attached at the rear and produced a tantalizing swimming action. His line of lures with this feature quickly acquired a great reputation and put his young company on the map.
Then, in 1941, the Fred Arbogast Company put the Hula Popper on the market and, along with the Jitterbug, it became an instant classic. This was the first top-water bait to feature such a skirt. Later on Fred even added the Hula Skirt to some of his Jitterbugs.
The Hula Popper is also a great top-water bait that you can keep in the strike zone for long periods of time. I like to use this bait when the bass are really feeding well. The chugging action can be done very slowly, giving hungry bass time to “sneak-up” on the prey and attack it.
Often actively feeding bass, in warm weather, will prefer not to chase a meal, like with the Jitterbug. That is when I fall-back to the Hula Popper to slow the presentation even more.
I fished the Hula Popper not long ago in just such a situation. The bass were feeding right on the bank just at sunrise. I need a top-water bait that would allow me to keep it close the bank for as long as possible. I had caught several bass and was
fishing in about five feet of water.
As I cast near a blow-down just off a point, I let the Hula Popper sit for just a second. Just as I was preparing for my first chug it got nailed. I set the hook and knew quickly that it was a good fish. I needed to get the bass away from the shore and out of the cover as soon as possible. I leaned back and wound the reel for all it was worth. She fought back and stripped line.
Once she cleared the cover I had her. I wrangled her to the boat where good buddy Bob Cowman netted her for me. It was another big
bass that Fred Arbogast helped me catch and photograph. She, like all the other bass I catch, was released unharmed.
I highly recommend you try or retry some of the old throw-back lures from the past. To find out all about Fred Arbogast lures go to www.lurenet.com. You will be happy that you did.
For regular and constant outdoor content Like and Follow Mike Roux Outdoor Enterprises on Facebook and to watch great hunting and fishing action subscribe to Mid-MO Reapers on YouTube.
THE JITTERBUG is a great lure and one of the author’s favorites. – Photo by Zeke Cerne
THE HULA POPPER is an old standby topwater killer. – Photo by Bob Cowman
By BRANDON BUTLER Driftwood Outdoors
October is arguably the best month of the year to be outdoors in the Midwest. Archery deer seasons are open across the region. Upland hunters are stretching their legs across the plains. And anglers have so much opportunity they don’t know what to do with themselves. This is the month to spend as much time outdoors as possible.
If you like catching largemouth bass, now is when they are feeding agressively. Same goes for for tooty predators like northern pike and muskie. Panfishing is hot across the region and anglers are staying busy filling freezers with bags of bluegill, crappie, and perch filets. With a little planning and calendar management, sportsmen can have it all in October. Now if only the month were a little longer. Here are a few suggestions for where you could enjoy the outdoors this month.
INDIANA – CAGLES MILL CRAPPIE
Cagles Mill, also known as Catarct Lake, is located in the west-central part of the state near Cloverdale. The 1,400-acre impoundment is well known for it’s crappie fishing. October is a top month for putting limits in the livewell. The reservoir is used for flood control, so conditions vary, but at normal pool wise anglers focus on fishing standing timber or sunken brush in depths of four to six feet deep near creek channels. Crappies are caught on jigs or under a bobber with a minnow. White crappie are usually found a little deeper than blacks. In October, crappie are are usually biting below Cataract Falls at Lieber SRA. Night fishing is also popular around boat docks with artificial lights.
MICHIGAN – ARCHERY DEER
As home to Fred Bear, Michigan is often regarded as the birthplace of modern archery hunting. Perhaps no desintation in the country has the potential to transport one back to the early days of archery deer hunting like the Upper Pennisula of Michigan. With a strong deer population spread out across millions of acres of public lands, hunters have the opportunity to hunt forests where they’ll likely not encounter other hunters. Camping is free on most federal lands, so traditional deer camps pop up all over during the season, which opened on Oct. 1. In the Central UP, Delta and Marquette Counties are known for record book bucks. In the western reaches, Ontonagon and Iron Counties produce
The best month to be outdoors
lots of big, old bucks. The Hiawatha National Forest and Ottawa National Forest offer more land than any group of hunters could need. Brook trout fishing and grouse hunting are solid add-ons to an October archery deer hunt in the UP.
MINNESOTA – DUCKS
From sitting on stools in small marshes to layout boats on Lake Superior, Minnesota has a lot to offer duck hunters. In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, there is more duck hunting opportunity than one could hope for. Lac qui Parle Wildlife Management Area located near Appleton offers 33,000 acres in Western Minnesotta. This is known to be a top-tier destination for duck hunting. The area is made up diverse habitats attracting a slew of duck species. On the opposite side of the state, the Mississippi River system is home to countless sloughs and backwaters that fill up with ducks as they migrate south for the winter.
MISSOURI
–
POMME DE TERRE MUSKIE
Pomme de Terre is a premiere muskie lake in a part of the country where muskie aren’t expected to be found. Located at the southern edge of our coutry’s musky zone, Pomme is well-regarded as the place to go in the Show-Me State to tangle with one of these toothy predators. When the water temperature drops into the 60s in October, the fish are feeding aggressively in the shallows. Focus on water less than 10 feet deep. With 8,000 acres of surface water, this big reservoir is clear with a rocky bottom. If you can find a distinct weedline along a dropoff back deep in finger, you’ll want to fish that with a large in-line spinner or big, shallow running stick bait. MDC first stocked muskies in Pomme de Terre in 1966. They have thrived there ever since. Quarry Point Public Use Area is a good starting point.
OHIO – FALL TURKEY
Fall turkey hunting is nowhere near as popular as spring turkey hunting. This is good news for those strong souls venturing out into the October turkey woods. For the hardcore turkey hunters out there, fall can be a great time to pursue these magnificent birds without much competition in the field. A top tactic in the fall is to locate a flock of turkeys and purposefully break them up, then work on calling them back together. Blue Rock State Forest and Fernwood State Forest are two public properties wehre you may be able to break up a large flock of turkeys and call one back to you.
THERE AREN’T ENOUGH DAYS in October for all the outdoor opportunities, but here are a few of the region’s best options.
SOUTH DAKOTA –LAKE OAHE
NORTHERN PIKE
Northern pike can be found throughout Lake Oahe. This is a pike fishing destination where anglers can target both numbers and size, and October is one of the best months of the year to fish for them. This time of year, as pike are gorging themselves ahead of the coming
winter, anglers focus on the mouths of the bays. Throwing spoons, spinners, and stickbaits on cloudy and chilly days over points is the top tactic, but floating large minnows under bobbers at varying depths is another favorite method of catching pike. Numerous guides and outfitters offer pike fishing excursions. South Whitlock Resort near Forest City boasts about your chances of boating
big fish over 40 inches. Their website media gallery backs up this claim. Lake Oahe is big water, and can be dangerous on windy days in small boats. Use caution when tackling this giant reservoir. See you down the trail… (For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.)
BECOME HUNTER EDUCATION CERTIFIED ONLINE TODAY!
Missouri adults 16 and older can complete hunter education training all online.
` Flexibility to learn at your own pace
` Access 24/7
` No in-person skills session required The all-online course includes engaging video and animation on hunter safety, firearm safety, ethics, regulations, and wildlife management.
There are many great duck hunting destinations in the United States, but Arkansas is special. From vast flooded crop fields to the deep, dark timber the Natural State is famous for, Arkansas draws in duck hunters from far and wide. Now, thanks to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s (AGFC) Conservation Incentive Program, there are 12,000 new acres open to public hunting.
“We have contracted with farmers to flood 10,961 acres of rice fields using surface water sources during a 90-day portion of the waterfowl wintering period, and none of those acres will be tilled, leaving as much waste grain as possible for ducks and geese,” said Randy Brents, assistant chief of the AGFC Private Lands Habitat Division. “Another
910 acres of native wetland plants will be flooded that can offer even more benefit to waterfowl and other migratory species.”
The Arkansas General Assembly designated special set-aside funds for the program, and AGFC staff worked with private landowners to offer $3.5 million in incentives to help improve wildlife habitat on their property.
Modeled off other cost-share conservation incentives provided through Farm Bill programs, the Conservation Incentive Program targets wildlife and fisheries needs in Arkansas specifically.
“Those are all acres that are above and beyond what normally would be contracted by other programs,” Brents said. “One of our requirements was that the land couldn’t be enrolled in another cost-share or incentive that paid for flooding.”
Public access programs for private lands provide hunting opportunities
GOOD FOR LANDOWNERS, GREAT FOR HUNTERS
Many landowners, me included, look for ways to make ownership more affordable.
Usually, this isn’t a one option answer. Growing crops on ag land in small acreages usually isn’t enough to cover the annual expense of owning said acres. If you don’t hunt yourself, perhaps opening your land to hunters through a controlled program such as the Conservation Incentive Program would help you cover more costs.
“We have another 4,000-plus acres in the Waterfowl Rice Incentive Conservation Enhancement Program this winter that promotes flooded rice fields with an additional caveat that landowners allow some limited public hunting through a permit-based draw system,” Brents said. “And this year, thanks to the
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federal Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative, an additional 29,946 acres are enrolled in federal programs to promote wetlands in the state for wildlife benefits. Our private lands biologists have been working hard with landowners to apply for these incentives as well.”
Public access to private lands is an important aspect of ensuring there are sufficient opportunities for hunters to have places to go. Many states have similar hunter access and walk-in programs. The AGFC will fund nearly 16,000 acres of wetlands on private land this season.
PRIVATE LANDOWNERS
“You don’t manage wildlife in a bubble. Whether it’s private or public land, the success of wildlife habitat management depends on the land surrounding you, not just what you control. Even if we manage the public land absolutely perfect, we’re only affecting 10 percent of Arkansas’s land, the rest is up to private landowners, so we want to help with their efforts as well,” said Garrick Dugger, AGFC Private Lands Habitat Division chief. Citizens are the most critical conservationists. Most of the land in the
Midwest is in private control. Having strong Game & Fish agencies is only part of the equation. Landowner involvement is a must for the overall health of wildlife.
“We know that it takes wetland habitat on a landscape level to provide energy for migrating ducks and geese,” Dugger said. “Even if all of the public land in Arkansas is flooded and full of food, it’s only a fraction of the habitat needed to draw ducks to Arkansas and give them the nutrition they need during and after migration. Private land accounts for so much more of our state’s landmass, and it’s the actions of those landowners that play a pivotal role in wildlife management for us all. If rice fields aren’t wet, hunters everywhere notice it in empty skies and empty game straps.”
The Conservation Incentive Program is an undertaking by the AGFC’s Private Lands Habitat Division and is made possible by Greenway Equipment, an AGFC cultivating partner. Visit www.agfc.com/habitat for more information.
See you down the trail… (For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.)
MDC invites youth deer hunters to several mentored hunts in mid-Missouri this fall
By MADDIE FENNEWALD Missouri Department of Conservation
Columbia, MO – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites youth deer hunters to mentored hunts at Prairie Fork Conservation Area (CA) and Charles Green CA during the first weekend of early youth portion firearms deer season, Nov. 2 and 3. This free event will be for those ages 11-15 that qualify for the youth firearms season. Saturday morning, participants will start by visiting a local shooting range to do some target practice. After the shooting range, participants should plan to deer hunt the remainder of the day or until a deer is harvested. Hunters will hunt while accompanied by a guardian and an MDC mentor. It is important that hunters dress for the weather as this will be a long day outdoors; multiple layers are recommended based on the weather forecast. Participants are encouraged but not required to complete hunter education prior to the start of youth deer season. Each hunter will need to have purchased a youth hunting permit prior to the event. Permits
can be purchased at https://short. mdc.mo.gov/Z4g
To sign up for a mentored hunt, please fill out the application below based on location for the hunt you would like to apply for.
• Prairie Fork CA: Apply at http:// short.mdc.mo.gov/4Rg. Contact Conservation Educator Ethan Regan at ethan.regan@mdc.mo.gov or 573-815-7901 ext. 2866 with questions. Prairie Fork CA is located at 4200 State Road D in Callaway County.
• Charles Green CA: Apply for this hunt at http://short.mdc. mo.gov/4RY. Contact Conservation Educator Jenna Stiek at jenna. stiek@mdc.mo.gov or at 573-8157901 ext. 2886 with questions. Charles Green CA is located 5611 East Minor Hill Road in Boone County.
Fort D Bollinger Mill State Historic Site MapleTrailHollow
PUBLIC ACCESS TO PRIVATE LANDS programs incentivize landowners to offer hunting opportunities. – United States Fish and Wildlife Service photo
MDC and Tower Grove Park team up to host Fall Frolic event Oct. 20. Lots of fun for the whole family
St. Louis, Mo. —Nature can be found everywhere . . . even in the middle of a large city like St. Louis. For example, did you know that Tower Grove Park is considered a birding hotspot? Over 164 species of birds have been documented there. Take a stroll through the park and an unexpected animal might pass by at any time – on the ground, in a tree, or up in the sky. Tower Grove Park hosts a wide variety of urban wildlife within its 289 acres.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is teaming up with Tower Grove Park and River City Outdoors to help introduce people of all ages to the park’s wildlife at the Fall Frolic Sunday, Oct. 20 from 1 - 5 p.m. This family event is free and open to everyone with no registration required. Enjoy an autumn afternoon connecting to nature and discover the abundance of wild critters that call the city home.
“New this year, visitors will be able to take a short hayride through Tower Grove Park to find the hidden animals along the route,” said MDC Naturalist Rebecca Rodriguez.
INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES
The Fall Frolic event will feature interactive activity stations that will explore fun information about animals found in the city. Visitors should first stop by the information/passport table located at the Roman Pavilion to pick up a map and a passport to all the stations. The passport includes a survey about the event.
“When people turn in surveys, families and adults can enter to win one of three themed baskets of goodies: aquatic, garden, or outdoors,” explained Rodriguez. “Children can also pick up a special treat after visiting the activity stations and collecting stamps.”
ROCK CLIMBING WALL
Rodriguez also said that another new attraction for this year is a rock climbing wall set up by Upper Limits climbing gym. Kids will also enjoy a “no carve” pie pumpkin craft.
Again this year, MDC will host an aquatic animal macroinvertebrate display, owl pellet dissection, urban fishing activity, and an educational station all about mammals, using pelts and skulls. Missouri Stream Team will set up a stream table so visitors can witness the workings of a watershed on a macro scale.
Fall Frolic will also feature close encounters with live reptiles, amphibians and even bats. Other activities include “wildlife encounters” with interpreters dressed in animal costumes, as well as informational stations about MDC programs and opportunities.
PARTNERS
This year’s Fall Frolic event partners include the Saint Louis Zoo, the Butterfly House, St. Louis
Aquarium, Shaw Nature Reserve, EarthWays Center, Forest ReLeaf, St. Louis Area Geocachers Association, Great Rivers Greenway, St. Louis Public Library, World Bird Sanctuary, and St. Louis Wildlife Project, all of which will have a table with interactive displays and activities related to plants, pollinators, and animals in our region.
LIVE MUSIC, STORY TIME
There will be live music at 2:30 and a story time at 3:30 with the St. Louis Public Library. Visitors can
enjoy free s’mores at the firepits from 1 - 4:30 p.m., along with hot dogs, apple cider, and hot cocoa, while supplies last.
Learn about urban wildlife and catch some early fall colors at one of St. Louis’ most celebrated parks at the Fall Frolic. Tower Grove Park is in the heart of the City of St. Louis at 4257 Northeast Drive. It lies between Kingshighway and Grand boulevards. The event will take place at the Roman Pavilion, off Center Cross Drive.
For more information, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4Rw
“Introducing Bullseye Buzzin’ Loose® Buzzbait!”
What do we mean “Loose”? Buzzin’ Loose is - A Buzzbait frame separated from a Jighead. Connected by a 20# Ball Bearing Swivel. Why Buzzin’ Loose?
• It will cast farther and increase the hookup ratio.
• It extends the bite gap between the blade and the hook. No trailer hook required.
• The jig will dangle slightly lower than a typical buzz bait.
• Eliminates the leverage for a Bass to throw the hook and bent frames. Buzzin’ Loose is available as
• 3/8oz., 1/2oz. or 3/4oz. Jigheads with Nickel Plated, Mustad UltraPoint 4/0, 5/0 and 6/0 hooks respectively.
• The Stainless Steel Wire Frames are available in .040”, .045” and .051”.
• Multiple Blade/Head/Skirt color options available.
• Add, or use only, the soft plastic of your choice. Each bait is assembled in store and “juiced” to call in the Bass!
Outdoor Guide
October is the season for Witches’ Butter
By DAN ZARLENGA
Missouri Department of Conservation
October is the month to celebrate all things creepy, as darkness begins to manifest itself in the shortening of days and browning of many florae. The full moon is the 17th, and of course, Halloween finishes out the month. But what could possibly be creepier than a fungus with a sinister name that grows on tree corpses? It’s even a parasite of a parasite.
Autumn is a wonderful time to get out into the woods and marvel at nature’s color. But every so often, consider turning your gaze downward, toward dead logs and branches you may find laying on the forest floor. Do you see small, irregularly lobed, gelatinous masses clinging to the decaying wood? It might look like the lobes of a brain, the color of pale yellow or sulfur. You’ve just happened upon witches’ butter. Aptly named since
it only grows on wood that’s pretty much toast!
Tremella mesenterica is the scientific name for witches’ butter, a jelly fungus that tends to be found on deciduous wood, particularly dead oaks. The brain-like lobes are tough, greasy, and slimy when they are wet, and hard when dried out. Sometimes it’s even called brain fungus. What we’re seeing is the “fruiting” parts of the fungus, which create and disperse spores that float away on currents of air to churn out more witches’ butter.
Witches’ butter can appear in forests throughout Missouri, often in late summer and during the fall. Like a true sorceress, this fungus also has the power to defy nature, sometimes even emerging during warmer periods in the middle of winter.
A PARASITE OF A PARASITE
Not only is witches’ butter a parasite, it actually lives off an-
other parasite. This jelly fungus grows on the mycelium, the rootlike structure, of wood decay fungi. These are any species of fungi that digest moist wood, causing it to rot. Even as they extract nutrients from the decomposing wood, like casting an evil curse witches’ butter steals these vital, life-giving substances from the wood decaying fungi to nourish itself.
How did witches’ butter get its name? It turns out that this fungus also grows in Europe, and legends from that continent may reveal the origin of its moniker. They tell us that if this fungus appeared on the gate or door of a house, it meant that a witch had cast a spell on the family living there. The only way the spell could be broken was to pierce the fungus with straight pins to cause its inner juices to leak out, killing the fungus. The curse would then be lifted. In Sweden, people sometimes burned witches’ butter in an effort to ward off evil spirits.
But of course, these are all
Deer Season
merely superstitions, aren’t they?
In the true spirit of the spookiest month of the year, take a hike through a forest near you and go on a witch hunt for the parasite
of parasites. Witches’ butter is lurking in the woods, feasting on the corpses of trees. Just maybe through, it would be a good idea to get back home before dark
WITCHES’ BUTTER FUNGUS grows on dead wood in the October woods.
– Dan Zarlenga photo
GOREVILLE, IL – Southern Illinois’ Ferne Clyffe State Park has been known as an outstanding natural scenic spot for a century. An abundance of ferns, unique geological features and unusual plant communities create an atmosphere that enhances the many recreational facilities offered at the park. Trails wind through picturesque woods, allowing visitors to view
SEASONAL FUN IN Warrensburg
Looking for fall and winter fun close to home? Plan your trip to Warrensburg, MO! Whether you’re looking for vibrantly changing leaves or a snow-covered wonderland, the fall and winter scenery in Warrensburg can’t be beat. Bring the family to Buckeye Acres Produce and pick your own pumpkins, then visit the barn to pet some adorable animals or ride the giant tube slides. Knob Noster State Park is also a can’t-miss destination for visitors looking to connect with nature, toss out a fishing line, or hit the trails on foot or horseback. Line up your trip with Burg Fest, a family- and pet-friendly community street fair with live music, a classic car show, and a carnival. And save the date for UCM Homecoming, featuring the famous parade! Come back in winter for Warrensburg Main Street’s Dickens’ Christmas when downtown Warrensburg is transported to the 1840s for a day of old-time holiday fun. Plan your trip now and enjoy the seasonal fun Warrensburg has to offer!
It was Christmas Eve and the air was cold. Just after sunrise I caught movement 100 yards out in the cut corn. The doe’s trail would bring her to me at 20 yards, broadside. She had finished feeding and was headed to her bedding area over the Mississippi River levee 100 yards to my west. It does not happen nearly often enough, but this doe stopped in the exact spot that I wanted her to.
As I leveled the crosshairs of my scope on her chest, I exhaled and touched the trigger. There was no report and no recoil. Instead, I watched the brightly lighted nock disappear into her. She crashed at the foot of the levee.
Several years ago I was forced, by arthritis in my shoulder, to switch to a crossbow. At first I was upset by this. I began my archery deer hunting career using a Bear recurve bow. I loved that bow right up until the time I moved up to my first compound bow. Then I loved it. Since that first compound bow I
have field tested and hunted with dozens of compounds from many different manufacturers. All had their pros and cons. I am a proponent of accuracy over speed, so lighter, more easily handled bows are my preference.
When I got my medical justification to use a crossbow I began a tedious process to find a tool that both met my expectations and was durable. That process put over a dozen products to the test.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Just as with the compound bows, there were the good, the bad and even the ugly crossbows. I will let you know at the end which one I chose, but it’s the process of elimination that I think you really need to know.
The first thing I looked for were safety aspects of the bow. For years I had been reading horror stories about crossbow accidents and equipment failures. Many of these were obviously operator error, but
Should I switch to a crossbow?
if the equipment failed it is unacceptable. So track record of the crossbow is most important to me.
Next I looked at design. I was amazed at how many different and creative ways have been developed to build a crossbow. There are frontfacing limbs and rear-facing limbs. There are traditional cockers and self-cockers. There are standard stocks and expandable stocks. There are camouflaged bows and black bows. You can literally build a crossbow in your mind and someone is manufacturing it already.
The thing I looked for first in crossbow design was the width of the bow when cocked and loaded as opposed to its width after the shot. I hunt from tree stands and from ground blinds. I wanted to be sure that as the limbs relax with the shot that there would be as small a chance as possible that the bow’s limbs would hit anything as they expand.
The final element of my process centered around accuracy. As I began shooting my crossbow I did not intend to try to expand my maximum lethal range over my compound bow. I was, however, expecting improved accuracy at
that maximum range. I am happy to say that, with some practice, I achieved my desired accuracy at my maximum range.
Since my first year as a crossbow hunter I have harvested a dozen deer and one big spring gobbler with my Barnett Reverse Raptor. I highly recommend that if you are considering switching from a compound to a crossbow that you develop and follow a similar process to help you find the right tool for your job.
(For regular and constant outdoor content, like and follow Mike Roux Outdoor Enterprises on Facebook. And to see some great deer hunting action this fall, subscribe to Mid-MO Reapers on YouTube.)
YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE when comes to bows for deer hunting. – Mike Roux photo
