In his latest newsletter, Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, wrote about negative advertising that has been directed at him lately due to his vote last year to uphold Gov. Jay Nixon;s veto of right-to-work legislation.
The advertising to which he was referring was a video (which accompanies this post) portraying Engler as a tool of the unions and noting that he had accepted more than $50,000 in contributions from unions.
Recently a fund setup primarily by a multi-millionaire from Joplin, David Humphreys, has been running attack ads on radio and the internet for voting the way the majority of my district wanted.
Mr. Humphreys owns Tamko Building Products and is extremely anti-union. So extreme that he has put up approximately $1 million of his own money to run negative ads against any representative who voted against the Right to Work legislation.
The accusations are endless and I invite anyone to check the Missouri Ethics website (www.moethics.mo.gov) on the fact that I do not take trips, gifts, meals or anything from lobbyists.
On occasion and for convenience a charge will show up on my ethics account but I in turn have always paid back the amount and the account reflects this payback. Also, the ads refer to money in my campaign account that will be used for my upcoming re-election campaign. I am proud of my work in the Missouri Legislature, both the House and the Senate, and I have nothing to hide. I have served with honesty and integrity and Mr. Humphreys is using politics and money to smear good people with good reputations who simply disagreed with him. Basically Mr. Humphreys is mad because he was on the losing side of “Let the Majority of the People Rule”.
Thank you for all that have called or emailed your support. I truly appreciate it. Throughout this session I will continue to represent the people of my district. I will not be bullied, pressured or threatened, and my vote cannot be bought or coerced by a rich guy from Joplin. No matter how much is spent against me I will not capitulate!
David Humphreys responded to Engler's column with the following comment:
Kevin, Kevin, Kevin. You have made it very clear that your vote is not for sale because you already sold out --- to union money.
It must be tough to have your campaign contributions exposed.
Very sorry to have hurt your feelings. Perhaps you'd be more comfortable with Hillary and the Democrats; or maybe even more so with Bernie and the Socialists.
Thanks for not using your wife again to email me and complain.
Enjoy the video.
More to come ...later
All the best,
David Humphreys
11 comments:
David, David, David. Don't expect people to believe that Right to Work laws are anything less than an assault on workers pay in Missouri. I agree that most Republicans prostitute their votes to corporations in exchange for donations, but Kevin chose to actually represent his constituents by voting as they requested. Unions are not the problem in America, corporations that move their HQ's overseas to avoid tax liability are however. I would like to see any conservative try to raise a family on minimum wage in Missouri. It can't be done. That is because business interests have refused to raise it by utilizing the soulless Republican politicians as hatchet men to kill every effort. You can have Trump, I'll take Bernie any day. More to come...later.
When is the EPA going to investigate the crap that comes out of the TAMKO facility. Tamko has been polluting Joplin air for decades.
If Tamko was a union shop, he would not be able to treat and work the people like dogs
Wow, I just lost a lot of respect for Mr. Humphries. By the way, Business' out spend unions by a large margin. The question is, why are corporations spending so much to silence 10% of the work force?
Starting pay at Tamko Joplin plant is over $22 per hour. That's $60-70 thousand per year with overtime. Humphreys pays his people very well. More than anyone else in the Joplin area.
The fact David, is that Kevin Engler voted the way the majority of his constituents wanted. That is how it is supposed to work. Everyone else will just have to shed their tears, wipe their eyes, pull on their big girl panties and get over it. You have a wonderful day.
@ 7:54
Your math is as flawed, working 5 days a week for 52 weeks in a year equals 2080 hours at $22 per hour would equal $45,760 per year, not $60-70k. An electrician takes home over $30 per hour with insurance and pension, which means you are wrong, he doesn't pay better than anyone else in Joplin. Humphreys sole intent with Right to Work being rammed down our throats with a failed attempt after another is to keep wages down. Wake up!
Now I am confused. Tamko is paying in excess of $20/hr? That is very commendable and that alone would keep the employees desire for a union at bay. So why is Tamko shelling out more money to fight unions? Good pay is the ultimate union buster.
505, the answer is never in SW MO. Only a Democrat would do such an evil act.
David doesn't know what goes on in his own plants he places full confidence in his general managers they hide stuff and move it around so he won't see it when he does his walk through if their was a place for unions its Tamko he would do better to focus on his business and products,employees than the economy he always preaches gloom and doom at his yearly employee dinners every time there is a dip in the economy he lays people off good employees never to be rehired
I am from Joplin and I feel compelled to defend David Humphreys. His company, TAMKO has been a blessing for this area for many years. The Humphreys family are wonderful employers and pay their workers extremely well. Thank God the unions haven't been able to defile this fine company. When unions move in, production and morale tanks, and you are forced to hire people based on quotas, not competence. I would close my business before being forced to go union. Union thugs are no better than Nazi Brownshirts and we don't need any more union nonsense in our small town America.
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