By Doug Cunningham

Workers at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant are trying to organize with the UAW’s help so they have a voice on the job. John Williams has worked for Toyota for 18 years.

[Williams]: "We're tryin' to organize so that we can have a say in the health and safety, so we can have representation in health and safety. And we're trying to make some changes. We're not being heard, we're not being respected."

This weekend a Workers Rights Board in Kentucky is hearing how Toyota dismisses injured workers and uses temporary, underpaid workers to drive down auto wages.

As Republicans in Congress continue to drag their feet in raising the national minimum wage, states continue to take up the issue. As Jesse Russell reports, Kentucky is the most recent minimum wage battleground.

Kentucky is one of more than 30 states that currently pay the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour. State Democrats are attempting to get a bill into the state legislature next session that would raise the minimum to $5.75 next year, $6.55 in 2008 and $7.25 in 2009. On Saturday supporters of an increase, including labor and political leaders, rallied in Louisville, Kentucky with a follow-up rally on Sunday in Lexington. The minimum wage issue is a hot one for Democrats nationwide, as the federal minimum has not been increased since 1997. Twenty-two states have lifted wages above the federal with six other states voting on wage increases during the November election. The state of Washington currently has the highest minimum wage at $7.63. Legislation ties the states wage to inflation. Santa Fe has the highest municipal minimum wage in the country at $9.50 per hour. Companies that do business with the city of Los Angeles must pay workers $9.08 per hour with benefits and $10.33 per hour without.

Jockeys who sued and won the right to wear their union patch during the Kentucky Derby filed in US District court this week to have the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority pay their attorney fees - totaling more than $93,000. In April of this year members of the Jockeys Guild threatened to defy state law prohibiting the display of promotional symbols during races. Kentucky Derby jockeys threatened to wear their union's patches anyway, saying the Racing Authority was violating their First Amendment rights. But the labor action wasn't necessary after a district judge ruled on May 1st that jockeys could wear their union logos.

The union representing UPS pilots has called on the company to make a "last, best and final" offer by Thursday. The International Pilots Association has suggested they may consider the option of a strike. In a press release the union says if the package delivery company does not meet their demand they will have members vote on the "highlights of UPS' final offer. UPS spokesperson Norman Black told the Louisville Courier Journal that the union's statement was just more rhetoric intended to mislead pilots.

Nine nurses were recently suspended for calling attention to nursing shortages at their hospitals. The nurses are employed at two hospitals in West Virginia and Kentucky, both owned by Appalachian Regional Healthcare. ARH suspended the nurses for one day without pay after they attended a rally addressing the staffing issues.

[Riggs1] "We found this to be incredible, that they would take action over their employees, their nurses, bringing information to the community about safe patient care."

Nearly 800 Autoworkers went on strike at midnight Sunday in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Represented by the United Autoworkers local 2383, the workers set up a picketline outside of ThyssenKrupp Budd, an automotive parts supplier that provides parts to two Ford Motor Company assembly plants nearby. The union and company have had more than 20 meetings, but have been unable to reach an agreement on wages and benefits. Officials with the UAW say the strike could go on for sometime.

Kentucky mine workers, still outraged over a recent court ruling that will cancel health benefits for thousands of miners and retirees, are planning another strike this week. A federal bankruptcy court granted Horizon Natural Resources request to void its contracts with the United Mine Workers. A two day-protest is planned to start today and continue until tomorrow outside of the courtroom where the judge is scheduled to confirm the sale of Horizon. The mine workers union plans to appeal the ruling.