Join 910KINA's Saturday Morning Show hosts Dave and Sam this Saturday from 9-11 a.m. on <a href="http://www.910kina.com">910AM 107.5 FM.</a>

Hear highlights about community events, public affairs, and all things happening in Salina. Their approach is friendly, informative, and entertaining. They're committed to making a difference in their community and keeping listeners up-to-date with updates from new and returning guests.

To listen to past 910KINA Saturday Morning Shows head on over to the KINA podcast homepage&nbsp;<a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KINA&amp;embedOpened=true&amp;embedOpenedApp=song&amp;embedOpenedSong=910683and6831076845683KINA&amp;embedOpenedArtist=&amp;embedOpenedAlbum=">here.</a>

9:05 a.m. Natasha Cundy with Saline County Emergency Management on Winter Weather preparedness

9:30 a.m. Casey Flinn, ISIS Shrine Recorder Festival of Trees

10:05 a.m. Rev. Shay Craig talks about Christ Cathedral's Kirkin o' the Tartan's event&nbsp;

10:30 a.m. Susan Hawksworth, Smoky Hill Museum executive director shares information about the upcoming holiday open house which will be held at the museum on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 1-3 p.m.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691172591916.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Join 910KINA's Saturday Morning Show hosts Dave and Sam this Saturday from 9-11 a.m. on <a href="http://www.910kina.com">910AM 107.5 FM.</a>Hear highlights about community events, public affairs, and all things happening in Salina. Their approach is friendly, informative, and entertaining. They're committed to making a difference in their community and keeping listeners up-to-date with updates from new and returning guests.To listen to past 910KINA Saturday Morning Shows head on over to the KINA podcast homepage&nbsp;<a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KINA&amp;embedOpened=true&amp;embedOpenedApp=song&amp;embedOpenedSong=910683and6831076845683KINA&amp;embedOpenedArtist=&amp;embedOpenedAlbum=">here.</a>9:05 a.m. Natasha Cundy with Saline County Emergency Management on Winter Weather preparedness9:30 a.m. Casey Flinn, ISIS Shrine Recorder Festival of Trees10:05 a.m. Rev. Shay Craig talks about Christ Cathedral's Kirkin o' the Tartan's event&nbsp;10:30 a.m. Susan Hawksworth, Smoky Hill Museum executive director shares information about the upcoming holiday open house which will be held at the museum on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 1-3 p.m.

910 KINA Saturday Morning Show lineup

Mathew A. Ell November 4, 1945 ~ November 16, 2023

Mathew Alfred Ell, 78, of Glasco, Kansas, passed away on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at North Central Kansas Medical Center in Concordia, Kansas, after a life spent making others laugh and feel loved.&nbsp;

Mathew was born November 4, 1945, to Jacob and Mary (Mathern) Ell in Linton, ND. He graduated from St. Mary’s Central High School in Bismarck, North Dakota. &nbsp;After graduation he attended the University of Mary, served in the North Dakota Army Reserves and the Montana Air National Guard.

Mathew never met a stranger and was a born salesman. &nbsp;At age seven, he was selling flower seeds, and as soon as he could ride a bike in grammar school, he single-handedly increased the circulation of the Grit magazine. &nbsp;Mathew proceeded to sell everything from real estate to automobiles, going on to head a sales force selling waterless cookware and fine china and working as a Petroleum Landman until retirement. His careers included something he loved and enjoyed all of his life - traveling. &nbsp;There were few roads Mathew did not travel. &nbsp;From North Dakota to Oregon, Georgia to Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas and every state in between, he traveled more miles than most people might in three lifetimes.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Pauline Ward and brother Leo Ell. &nbsp;He is survived by his wife Pam Hyde, his sisters Helen Jacob and Rose (Del) Jose, his children Jarame Ell, Jami (Scott) Cureton, and Suzanna (Forrest) Smith, their mother Sharilee Payne, his grandchildren Gabe (Violet) Cureton, Archer Cureton, Caleb Ell, Jonah Ell, Zoe Smith, Orion Smith and many loved nephews, nieces, and cousins.

Mathew lived life fully, creating memories which he told with flair, often leaving the listener in tears from laughter. &nbsp;He truly loved, and was greatly loved in return.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Miltonvale, Kansas, at 10:00 a.m. on November 18th, 2023, with burial immediately following in Glasco Cemetery.&nbsp; Rosary recitation will be at 9:30 a.m., Saturday morning at the church prior to the funeral mass.

&nbsp;Memorials and donations can be given to Saint Anthony Parish or Saint Mary Parish and may be sent to Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, PO Box 606, Concordia, Kansas, 66901.

Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home assisted Mathew’s family with these arrangements, www.chaputbuoy.com.

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Mathew A. Ell, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/mathew-ell/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700233479026.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Mathew A. Ell November 4, 1945 ~ November 16, 2023Mathew Alfred Ell, 78, of Glasco, Kansas, passed away on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at North Central Kansas Medical Center in Concordia, Kansas, after a life spent making others laugh and feel loved.&nbsp;Mathew was born November 4, 1945, to Jacob and Mary (Mathern) Ell in Linton, ND. He graduated from St. Mary’s Central High School in Bismarck, North Dakota. &nbsp;After graduation he attended the University of Mary, served in the North Dakota Army Reserves and the Montana Air National Guard.Mathew never met a stranger and was a born salesman. &nbsp;At age seven, he was selling flower seeds, and as soon as he could ride a bike in grammar school, he single-handedly increased the circulation of the Grit magazine. &nbsp;Mathew proceeded to sell everything from real estate to automobiles, going on to head a sales force selling waterless cookware and fine china and working as a Petroleum Landman until retirement. His careers included something he loved and enjoyed all of his life - traveling. &nbsp;There were few roads Mathew did not travel. &nbsp;From North Dakota to Oregon, Georgia to Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas and every state in between, he traveled more miles than most people might in three lifetimes.He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Pauline Ward and brother Leo Ell. &nbsp;He is survived by his wife Pam Hyde, his sisters Helen Jacob and Rose (Del) Jose, his children Jarame Ell, Jami (Scott) Cureton, and Suzanna (Forrest) Smith, their mother Sharilee Payne, his grandchildren Gabe (Violet) Cureton, Archer Cureton, Caleb Ell, Jonah Ell, Zoe Smith, Orion Smith and many loved nephews, nieces, and cousins.Mathew lived life fully, creating memories which he told with flair, often leaving the listener in tears from laughter. &nbsp;He truly loved, and was greatly loved in return.Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Miltonvale, Kansas, at 10:00 a.m. on November 18th, 2023, with burial immediately following in Glasco Cemetery.&nbsp; Rosary recitation will be at 9:30 a.m., Saturday morning at the church prior to the funeral mass.&nbsp;Memorials and donations can be given to Saint Anthony Parish or Saint Mary Parish and may be sent to Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, PO Box 606, Concordia, Kansas, 66901.Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home assisted Mathew’s family with these arrangements, www.chaputbuoy.com.To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Mathew A. Ell, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/mathew-ell/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

Mathew A. Ell

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post

The Ell-Saline Cardinals have spent the whole season listening to people outside of Brookville underestimate them.

When the team finished 6-3 in their inaugural 8-Man campaign the word on the street was that while good, the Cardinals simply weren’t ready to hang with the big boys.

Those words seemed to find more weight when Ell-Saline dropped their season opener 32-6 at the hands of Moundridge, but the rest of this season has proven to everyone, what those inside the locker room already knew.

The Cardinals were built for this moment.

Ell-Saline proved themselves when they took down a pair of perennial powers in Little River and Clifton-Clyde during the regular season.

They proved it again when they decimated another powerhouse in 8-1 Meade 68-20 in the round of 16.

And last week, when many expected their playoff run to meet a familiar end at the hands of Hoxie, the Cardinals found a way to prevail, finishing their revenge tour and punching their ticket to the state semifinals.

“Our togetherness stood out to me in that game and our guys never panicked,” Ell-Saline head coach Joe Roche said. “They picked each other up and we played together for four quarters. Our program needed a win like that at home over an opponent of that caliber, you can’t ask for anything more.”

Going into this week’s contest with Leoti-Wichita, there are once again, a number of valid reasons to doubt Ell-Saline.

The defending state champs enter this semifinal as the #1 team in 8M-DI, still unbeaten, and riding a 24-game win streak that dates back to the start of last season.

The Indians average almost 62 points a night, and nearly ten yards per carry on offense while holding opponents to just eight points per game and pitching seven shutouts on defense.

There have always been reasons to count out the Cardinals, but those reasons have never penetrated the walls of the Ell-Saline locker room, and at a certain point, you make the decision to doubt this team at your own peril.

None of that is to say that this week’s semifinal will be easy.&nbsp;

On the contrary, it will take a masterclass of a game plan, flawless execution for four quarters, and perhaps, even a bit of luck, but if there’s one group that truthfully believes this Goliath can be slain, it might just be the ones sporting the crimson and white this Friday night.

“We look forward to each and every one of these games,” Roche said. “We haven’t always earned opportunities like these in the past but throughout the summer and throughout the season we worked for this and now we have to go out and compete.”

Priority one for Ell-Saline will lie in attempting to stop a Leoti rushing attack led by a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Wyatt Gardner and Khris Hermosillo.

“Their backs have great vision and if the point of attack isn’t available they’ll bounce it against the grain and find a seam,” he said. “You have to play gap sound and hope that you’re tenacious enough to get off their blocks because they’ve got real size in the trench.”

The keys to slowing the Indian advance on defense, and pushing them back on offense are the same, but as anyone who’s played Leoti will tell you, it’s easier said than done.

“We have to be more violent than they are and we have to try to dictate what they do offensively,” Roche said. “You can’t trick a team this good, the only way to have success is to beat them to the point of attack and match their physicality.”

Fortunately for the Cardinals, their sling on offense is far from empty, and for as good as the Leoti defense has been, they could have their hands full on Friday against a high-powered Ell-Saline offense.

“We have to spread the ball around the way we usually do and force them to defend the whole field both vertically and horizontally,” Roche said. “We’ll also need to be patient with our running game and stay with our blocks until the final whistle.”

It has been said that Ell-Saline football is put together with baling wire and hard work, and come kickoff at 6:00 this Friday night in Leoti, the strength of that wire will be tested the every sense of the word.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Ell-Saline Cardinals have spent the whole season listening to people outside of Brookville underestimate them.When the team finished 6-3 in their inaugural 8-Man campaign the word on the street was that while good, the Cardinals simply weren’t ready to hang with the big boys.Those words seemed to find more weight when Ell-Saline dropped their season opener 32-6 at the hands of Moundridge, but the rest of this season has proven to everyone, what those inside the locker room already knew.The Cardinals were built for this moment.Ell-Saline proved themselves when they took down a pair of perennial powers in Little River and Clifton-Clyde during the regular season.They proved it again when they decimated another powerhouse in 8-1 Meade 68-20 in the round of 16.And last week, when many expected their playoff run to meet a familiar end at the hands of Hoxie, the Cardinals found a way to prevail, finishing their revenge tour and punching their ticket to the state semifinals.“Our togetherness stood out to me in that game and our guys never panicked,” Ell-Saline head coach Joe Roche said. “They picked each other up and we played together for four quarters. Our program needed a win like that at home over an opponent of that caliber, you can’t ask for anything more.”Going into this week’s contest with Leoti-Wichita, there are once again, a number of valid reasons to doubt Ell-Saline.The defending state champs enter this semifinal as the #1 team in 8M-DI, still unbeaten, and riding a 24-game win streak that dates back to the start of last season.The Indians average almost 62 points a night, and nearly ten yards per carry on offense while holding opponents to just eight points per game and pitching seven shutouts on defense.There have always been reasons to count out the Cardinals, but those reasons have never penetrated the walls of the Ell-Saline locker room, and at a certain point, you make the decision to doubt this team at your own peril.None of that is to say that this week’s semifinal will be easy.&nbsp;On the contrary, it will take a masterclass of a game plan, flawless execution for four quarters, and perhaps, even a bit of luck, but if there’s one group that truthfully believes this Goliath can be slain, it might just be the ones sporting the crimson and white this Friday night.“We look forward to each and every one of these games,” Roche said. “We haven’t always earned opportunities like these in the past but throughout the summer and throughout the season we worked for this and now we have to go out and compete.”Priority one for Ell-Saline will lie in attempting to stop a Leoti rushing attack led by a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Wyatt Gardner and Khris Hermosillo.“Their backs have great vision and if the point of attack isn’t available they’ll bounce it against the grain and find a seam,” he said. “You have to play gap sound and hope that you’re tenacious enough to get off their blocks because they’ve got real size in the trench.”The keys to slowing the Indian advance on defense, and pushing them back on offense are the same, but as anyone who’s played Leoti will tell you, it’s easier said than done.“We have to be more violent than they are and we have to try to dictate what they do offensively,” Roche said. “You can’t trick a team this good, the only way to have success is to beat them to the point of attack and match their physicality.”Fortunately for the Cardinals, their sling on offense is far from empty, and for as good as the Leoti defense has been, they could have their hands full on Friday against a high-powered Ell-Saline offense.“We have to spread the ball around the way we usually do and force them to defend the whole field both vertically and horizontally,” Roche said. “We’ll also need to be patient with our running game and stay with our blocks until the final whistle.”It has been said that Ell-Saline football is put together with baling wire and hard work, and come kickoff at 6:00 this Friday night in Leoti, the strength of that wire will be tested the every sense of the word.

Ell-Saline Travels to Leoti Looking to Slay Goliath in State Semis

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Really no injuries to talk about, everybody is going to practice today, so we’re good there. Look forward to the challenge of playing the Eagles, good football team, best record in the NFL I believe right now, well deserved. (Eagles Head) Coach (Nick) Sirianni’s done a good job, good players, their offense is tough. (Eagles Offensive Coordinator) Brian (Johnson) does a heck of a job coordinating that thing and (Defensive Coordinator) Sean (Desai) does a great job with that defense. They’re playing good football right now, look forward to coming here to GEHA Field at Arrowhead and playing the game, should be electric. I know our fans will welcome them in. Anyways, with that, time’s yours.”

Q: What’s it like going up against an organization you know so well?

REID:&nbsp;“It’s a well-run organization. (Eagles Executive Vice President/General Manager) Howie Roseman has done a nice job. I’m so close with a lot of people there. They do a nice job, (Eagles Chairman and Chief Executive Officer) Jeffery Lurie, it starts with him. You know you’re familiar with it, but once the game gets on, then it’s the game. You’re not worried about all that stuff.”

Q: What has been a focal point this week coming out of the bye week?

REID: “There were smaller things. I’m not going to get into all of that, but we worked on a few things, so we have plenty of room to improve. I’ve talked about that. The penalties, we’ve got to continue to work on those and eliminate those, that’s important.”

Q: The back end of your defense has been playing well, what has contributed to that?

REID: “It starts up front. You have a couple no names up there, that don’t get a lot of credit, with (Mike) Danna being one of them. He’s playing really good football right now. George (Karlaftis) is a year improved and playing really good football. (Derrick) Nnadi gets no credit. I don’t think he wants the credit, but he doesn’t get any credit, but he’s a stellar player inside. Then you add Charles (Omenihu). You know Charles is coming on, so he hasn’t been here the whole time but that’s a nice addition to that mix.”

Q: What differences do you see when scouting the Eagles now compared to the Super Bowl?

REID: “I wouldn’t say there’s much difference. Those receivers are still plenty good, and their quarterback is a good football player as is the running backs. I know they had an injury to the tight ends, so that would be a little different but they’ve got good players in those spots. Defensively, it’s really basically the same unit.&nbsp; A couple of those guys are older, but you can’t tell. 91 (Eagles DT Fletcher Cox) and 55 (Eagles DE Brandon Graham) were there when I was there and they seem to get better with age.”

Q: Did Chris lose his cool in the Dolphins game?

REID: “You’re going to ask him that, but I don’t sense that. He knows that they slide the line to him, and so when I mention these other guys and they chip him and then all that. When I mention the other guys, they’re getting the benefit of him getting doubled or chipped, and they’re taking advantage of that. Chris will get his, he does so much for us, attitude wise and play wise.”

Q: L’Jarius Sneed has received more penalties as of lately. Would you say that he is a marked guy right now?

REID: “I can’t really answer that. I wouldn’t say he’s marked. I’ll leave it at that.”

Q:&nbsp;What characteristics does it take for a team to win close games, what makes the Eagles good at that?

REID:&nbsp;“They’re good. They’re just good. They’re well coached, they’ve got good players. They have a culture there that dictates that. A good football team.”

Q:&nbsp;What have you learned about the receivers during the bye week self-scout?

REID:&nbsp;“They’re getting better as we go. I know it’s hard to see, but they’re getting better. We’ll just see how it goes going forward. Anything I say isn’t going to mean anything unless they can continue to improve. We’re seeing improvement, we just have to keep it going.”

Q:&nbsp;Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was effective in the run game during the Super Bowl, how do you defend that?

REID:&nbsp;“He threw the ball well too; you’ve got to look at all of that. I mean he’s a strong kid and that helps him in running. He’s fast and strong and hard to bring down, strong in the pocket, and he’s got a big arm. He did well against us, good player.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you make of what Eagles C Jason Kelce and TE Travis Kelce have done for the growth of the game?

REID:&nbsp;“Ex-players have done a great job once they’ve gotten into the media, we know that. To have the guys still playing and doing it and still maintaining the support of their teams doing it, that means they are handling it the right way, they’re not putting coaches or players at risk, there’s not threat there. That’s when you get into trouble. I would tell you it’s a good example for guys – this will continue to grow with other teams. How you handle that I think is important, these guys have done a nice job with it. That part I think is the best example of it.”

Q:&nbsp;On his historic success off the bye week.

REID:&nbsp;“I get asked that because we’ve had success, but I don’t know the reason. We just go play, I’ve had good players. I’m fortunate that way.”

Q:&nbsp;On QB Patrick Mahomes ability to weigh risk and reward on big plays and win close games.

REID:&nbsp;“There is no better weekend than this one to look at how crazy this league is and how much parity there is in the league, the league has strived for that, give every city and opportunity to be successful. You saw it, this past weekend was wild. So, to have someone like (QB) Pat (Mahomes) is a big part of that. You start looking at the games that are determined by one score, it’s ridiculous, every year it increases by number there. To have somebody that can lead like Pat does and play the way he does, rally the guys around him, I think is important.”

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I got to spend some time in Texas with the family then obviously had my charity gala, which was really cool, then got to go to the Texas Tech game at KU. A lot of family time, got to look at a little bit of football as well. It’s always good to get the bye week, especially at that midpoint of the season to kind of refresh and restart for the next part of it.”

Q:&nbsp;What part of the football aspect did you focus on during the bye week?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I always go back to the fundamentals, try to get back to my fundamentals as best as I can during the bye week. Then I think watching the tape – seeing what we did well, what we can improve on and then try to use that into this next part of the season and try to be even better than we went into the bye.”

Q:&nbsp;Did anything surprise you when you went through and reviewed?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think what I’ve realized now is (that) it’s never as big as it seems, it’s always little things as far as fundamentals as far as games and stuff like that. It doesn't surprise me now – instead of trying to make these big, huge changes you just go back to the fundamentals and try to execute better.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you see that is different about the Eagles defense now from when you played them in the Super Bowl?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“They’re really good. At the end of the day, that’s the main thing. They have a lot of the same players; they’ve added some more talent. (Their) D-line is special, one of the best D-lines I think I’ve ever seen, just waves of guys that can come in and play, a mixture of veterans and young guys. The DB’s – two great DB’s at corner back position – adding (Eagles S Kevin) Byard and (Eagles S Reed) Blankenship at the safety position. Linebackers, guys that have played in the league for a little bit now. They have a good defense in general – a great team – but a good defense in general, all aspects. For us, it will be a great challenge.”

Q:&nbsp;How do you see your rapport with the receivers being able to grow in the second half?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I’ve always felt like throughout the season the chemistry gets better and better. Obviously, everybody wants the receivers to blow up and everything like that. I think guys have gotten better as the season has gone on. They’ll continue to get better. We’re making strides in the right direction, and I think we’ll keep doing that as the season goes and hopefully carry that into the playoffs.”

Q:&nbsp;How much do you take pride in making the players around you better?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“All you can do is go out there and try to be great every single day. That’s what I try to do in practice getting extra reps into the game and try to make those adjustments on the fly. I push guys to give everything they have every single day and luckily for me I have a lot of guys like that on the team. At the end of the day, you just have to go at it, stay with the process and at the end of the year, you’re satisfied with the results.”

Q:&nbsp;How much do you enjoy playing in games like this with two of the best teams and quarterbacks in the NFL?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, it’s going to be a great game. Like you said, you have great teams in general – obviously (Eagles QB) Jalen (Hurts) is a great quarterback, but I think just the entire team on both sides – you never know how the game is going to go – it could be high scoring, it could be low scoring. Two teams that usually find a way to get a win playing on Monday Night Football in front of the whole world, it’s going to be a great game, and I’m glad it’s at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.”

Q:&nbsp;How do you decide when it’s time to be more urgent and aggressive?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“We talk through it every single week. Every week I’ve been here from OTA’s through now we talk about situations – if we’re down two scores, if we’re down one score, what the situation is, what time we want to score before, all these situations and prepare (ourselves) as best as we possibly can for games. You watch other teams around the league, you take notes from that stuff as well. I just always feel prepared because we do that, and so I know I’m on the same page with (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, with (Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Nagy, everybody. We know what we’re trying to do in that situation, so if you need to press the issue, press the issue, if you want to take some time off the clock, take some time off the clock. You see in the NFL – you saw this week all the games are close, it’s who executes at the end of games the best and that’s who ends up winning.”

Q:&nbsp;As you look back to the start of your career do you have the feeling, ‘Wow, look what I am now’ or is there still more to learn?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think you have to find the right balance; I feel like I obviously know a lot more than I knew in that chair that day, but I think you always want to have the mentality that you’re going to make it happen. That’s what I had in that chair that day and I still feel like I have now, is even if you know what the right read is sometimes you want to make the big play happen whenever it’s needed, and I have to balance that line throughout my entire career.”

Q:&nbsp;With how good the defense is playing do you feel like you don’t have to do some of the things you’ve done in the past?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“There’s definitely an adjustment I think this early in the season. I’ve had a feel for that as seasons go on. You have a feel for how the whole team is playing, not just the defense, the offense, special teams, stuff like that. You have to adjust on the fly. It’s week in and week out, you have to make adjustments. If the defense is playing good and the offense maybe not playing to the level I want you run some time off the clock. Or if you feel like the offense needs to score, you speed it up. That’s just part of playing the quarterback position. It’s not always pretty, but if you get the win at the end of the day, that’s what you want.”

Q:&nbsp;We’ve talked about how defenses play back to try to slow you down. As you watch film, are you seeing that around the league?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Sometimes you see some similar stuff, but I would say that we still see a lot of unscouted stuff. Having a guy like (TE) Travis (Kelce) makes it a lot different because of the level he plays at, it takes so much attention for the defenses to go up against. They know we want to throw it deep, so they stay deep and make us be patient and drive the length of the field. I want to throw it deep as much as anybody, but they’re making me earn it and throw short and I think that’s why we’re having to drive the length of the field these last couple of years. We have to continue to prove that, have guys come up so we can hit the deep pass when it is there.”

Q:&nbsp;Can you talk about receiving the Black College Football Founder’s Award?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“That was actually a surprise to me. I knew (former NFL QB and BCFHOF Co-Founder) Doug (Williams) and (former NFL QB) Shack Harris were going to be there. But I didn’t know I was getting that award. It is an honor; those are the true greats of the game who put me in the position where I can be in the quarterback position today. For them to present an award like that to me, it’s a tremendous honor just to know they’ve recognized me for something when I know that everything I’ve done is because of them.”

Q:&nbsp;Whenever you go anywhere there are people that want to be around you, what’s your life like?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“It’s calmer than (TE) Travis’ (Kelce), I’ll say that. I think I’m doing alight; I’ll just keep playing football and having fun doing it.”

Q:&nbsp;On his superstition of wearing the same underwear on game day.

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“My underwear, I’ve worn them my entire career. (Former Chiefs QB) Chad (Henne) actually said something right before he retired. He said something about it, and it kind of went under the radar and I was like, ‘Thank goodness, man. No one picked that up.’ Then of course, I think it was (former NFL QB) Eli (Manning), had to say it on the broadcast, and I was like, ‘Of course, now it’s going to be a thing.’ They’ll still be worn as long as we’re winning, so I’ll make sure to clean them. I don’t wear them in the game, I just wear them to the game, so they’re not that bad. Hopefully we keep winning games, and I can wear them for 20+ years.”

Q:&nbsp;How old are the underwear?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“We’ll I’ve been starting for six years, so they are six years old.”

Q:&nbsp;So, you’ve only worn them for your professional career?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Only professional. (Patrick Mahomes wife) Brittany (Mahomes) got them before one of my first starts, and I wore them before that Chargers game and the rest is history.”

Q:&nbsp;How beneficial is it for you to have everyone healthy going into the second half and as a veteran how much say do you have on the bye week?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I would say it’s obviously great when you have healthy guys at this time of the year. We try to maintain that with (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Rick (Burkholder) and the training staff and the weight room as well. Just having those guys out there practicing you have that chemistry, and we’ve gotten work with the other guys as well. That’s always a plus, you want to maintain that. I think you get more and more (say) every year. I got to talk to (Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Nagy. I got to talk to (Quarterback Coach David) Girardi. I got to talk to (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid during the bye week. They gave me some of their inputs, stuff they wanted me to work on. I told them stuff that I liked, stuff I thought we could get better at, and we’re going to try to execute that this week. What a better challenge than playing the Eagles the first week out of the bye and seeing where we’re really at?”

Q:&nbsp;What do you need to do to contain Eagles QB Jalen Hurts?

JONES:&nbsp;“Eliminate the run game. If we’re able to limit how many yards he gets per carry than I think we’re doing something good. Force hands in his face and take him down in the passing game. Get around him, over crowd him. They have a such a good offensive line who have done really, really well so far this year, so we have to come up with schemes and everything to affect (Eagles QB) Jalen Hurts.”

Q:&nbsp;Do you think this is the most talented defense you’ve played with in Kansas City?

JONES:&nbsp;“Overall, I still think we can get so much better. So far so good – the best overall defense, it’s still halfway through the season, for me to say that now and we end up at dead last, it doesn't even matter. We take it one game at a time, continue to get better, ask me this question at the end of the year and I’ll have an answer for you.”

Q:&nbsp;Do you feel like the other guys along the defensive line are not getting the credit they deserve?

JONES:&nbsp;“When you think about it this is a selfless group. It’s not about names, it’s not about numbers either. I think people get caught up – I was listening to the broadcast talk about (Jets DL) Quinnen Williams and how special he is to the Jets defensive line, but he doesn’t have as many sacks as he did last year. The interesting point on that was he’s making everyone around him better. That’s the way I look at it, it’s not about stats to magnify how important these guys are. They are having a good year so far, but the importance to (what) they’ve been to the success of this defense, (goes) beyond the numbers.”

Q:&nbsp;How did you use your bye week?

JONES:&nbsp;“I did a little bit of it all. I watched film, I was able to sleep, play with my kids. Most importantly, I got a lot of sleep. I haven’t slept like that in a long time. I got to hang out with my kids, take them to school. Rewatched all of the games I played a part of, the good, the bad, what I can improve on, what I can eliminate, like costly penalties.”

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid QuotesNovember 16, 2023OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Really no injuries to talk about, everybody is going to practice today, so we’re good there. Look forward to the challenge of playing the Eagles, good football team, best record in the NFL I believe right now, well deserved. (Eagles Head) Coach (Nick) Sirianni’s done a good job, good players, their offense is tough. (Eagles Offensive Coordinator) Brian (Johnson) does a heck of a job coordinating that thing and (Defensive Coordinator) Sean (Desai) does a great job with that defense. They’re playing good football right now, look forward to coming here to GEHA Field at Arrowhead and playing the game, should be electric. I know our fans will welcome them in. Anyways, with that, time’s yours.”Q: What’s it like going up against an organization you know so well?REID:&nbsp;“It’s a well-run organization. (Eagles Executive Vice President/General Manager) Howie Roseman has done a nice job. I’m so close with a lot of people there. They do a nice job, (Eagles Chairman and Chief Executive Officer) Jeffery Lurie, it starts with him. You know you’re familiar with it, but once the game gets on, then it’s the game. You’re not worried about all that stuff.”Q: What has been a focal point this week coming out of the bye week?REID: “There were smaller things. I’m not going to get into all of that, but we worked on a few things, so we have plenty of room to improve. I’ve talked about that. The penalties, we’ve got to continue to work on those and eliminate those, that’s important.”Q: The back end of your defense has been playing well, what has contributed to that?REID: “It starts up front. You have a couple no names up there, that don’t get a lot of credit, with (Mike) Danna being one of them. He’s playing really good football right now. George (Karlaftis) is a year improved and playing really good football. (Derrick) Nnadi gets no credit. I don’t think he wants the credit, but he doesn’t get any credit, but he’s a stellar player inside. Then you add Charles (Omenihu). You know Charles is coming on, so he hasn’t been here the whole time but that’s a nice addition to that mix.”Q: What differences do you see when scouting the Eagles now compared to the Super Bowl?REID: “I wouldn’t say there’s much difference. Those receivers are still plenty good, and their quarterback is a good football player as is the running backs. I know they had an injury to the tight ends, so that would be a little different but they’ve got good players in those spots. Defensively, it’s really basically the same unit.&nbsp; A couple of those guys are older, but you can’t tell. 91 (Eagles DT Fletcher Cox) and 55 (Eagles DE Brandon Graham) were there when I was there and they seem to get better with age.”Q: Did Chris lose his cool in the Dolphins game?REID: “You’re going to ask him that, but I don’t sense that. He knows that they slide the line to him, and so when I mention these other guys and they chip him and then all that. When I mention the other guys, they’re getting the benefit of him getting doubled or chipped, and they’re taking advantage of that. Chris will get his, he does so much for us, attitude wise and play wise.”Q: L’Jarius Sneed has received more penalties as of lately. Would you say that he is a marked guy right now?REID: “I can’t really answer that. I wouldn’t say he’s marked. I’ll leave it at that.”Q:&nbsp;What characteristics does it take for a team to win close games, what makes the Eagles good at that?REID:&nbsp;“They’re good. They’re just good. They’re well coached, they’ve got good players. They have a culture there that dictates that. A good football team.”Q:&nbsp;What have you learned about the receivers during the bye week self-scout?REID:&nbsp;“They’re getting better as we go. I know it’s hard to see, but they’re getting better. We’ll just see how it goes going forward. Anything I say isn’t going to mean anything unless they can continue to improve. We’re seeing improvement, we just have to keep it going.”Q:&nbsp;Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was effective in the run game during the Super Bowl, how do you defend that?REID:&nbsp;“He threw the ball well too; you’ve got to look at all of that. I mean he’s a strong kid and that helps him in running. He’s fast and strong and hard to bring down, strong in the pocket, and he’s got a big arm. He did well against us, good player.”Q:&nbsp;What do you make of what Eagles C Jason Kelce and TE Travis Kelce have done for the growth of the game?REID:&nbsp;“Ex-players have done a great job once they’ve gotten into the media, we know that. To have the guys still playing and doing it and still maintaining the support of their teams doing it, that means they are handling it the right way, they’re not putting coaches or players at risk, there’s not threat there. That’s when you get into trouble. I would tell you it’s a good example for guys – this will continue to grow with other teams. How you handle that I think is important, these guys have done a nice job with it. That part I think is the best example of it.”Q:&nbsp;On his historic success off the bye week.REID:&nbsp;“I get asked that because we’ve had success, but I don’t know the reason. We just go play, I’ve had good players. I’m fortunate that way.”Q:&nbsp;On QB Patrick Mahomes ability to weigh risk and reward on big plays and win close games.REID:&nbsp;“There is no better weekend than this one to look at how crazy this league is and how much parity there is in the league, the league has strived for that, give every city and opportunity to be successful. You saw it, this past weekend was wild. So, to have someone like (QB) Pat (Mahomes) is a big part of that. You start looking at the games that are determined by one score, it’s ridiculous, every year it increases by number there. To have somebody that can lead like Pat does and play the way he does, rally the guys around him, I think is important.”Chiefs Player QuotesNovember 16, 2023QB PATRICK MAHOMESQ:&nbsp;How was the bye week?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I got to spend some time in Texas with the family then obviously had my charity gala, which was really cool, then got to go to the Texas Tech game at KU. A lot of family time, got to look at a little bit of football as well. It’s always good to get the bye week, especially at that midpoint of the season to kind of refresh and restart for the next part of it.”Q:&nbsp;What part of the football aspect did you focus on during the bye week?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I always go back to the fundamentals, try to get back to my fundamentals as best as I can during the bye week. Then I think watching the tape – seeing what we did well, what we can improve on and then try to use that into this next part of the season and try to be even better than we went into the bye.”Q:&nbsp;Did anything surprise you when you went through and reviewed?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think what I’ve realized now is (that) it’s never as big as it seems, it’s always little things as far as fundamentals as far as games and stuff like that. It doesn't surprise me now – instead of trying to make these big, huge changes you just go back to the fundamentals and try to execute better.”Q:&nbsp;What do you see that is different about the Eagles defense now from when you played them in the Super Bowl?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“They’re really good. At the end of the day, that’s the main thing. They have a lot of the same players; they’ve added some more talent. (Their) D-line is special, one of the best D-lines I think I’ve ever seen, just waves of guys that can come in and play, a mixture of veterans and young guys. The DB’s – two great DB’s at corner back position – adding (Eagles S Kevin) Byard and (Eagles S Reed) Blankenship at the safety position. Linebackers, guys that have played in the league for a little bit now. They have a good defense in general – a great team – but a good defense in general, all aspects. For us, it will be a great challenge.”Q:&nbsp;How do you see your rapport with the receivers being able to grow in the second half?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I’ve always felt like throughout the season the chemistry gets better and better. Obviously, everybody wants the receivers to blow up and everything like that. I think guys have gotten better as the season has gone on. They’ll continue to get better. We’re making strides in the right direction, and I think we’ll keep doing that as the season goes and hopefully carry that into the playoffs.”Q:&nbsp;How much do you take pride in making the players around you better?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“All you can do is go out there and try to be great every single day. That’s what I try to do in practice getting extra reps into the game and try to make those adjustments on the fly. I push guys to give everything they have every single day and luckily for me I have a lot of guys like that on the team. At the end of the day, you just have to go at it, stay with the process and at the end of the year, you’re satisfied with the results.”Q:&nbsp;How much do you enjoy playing in games like this with two of the best teams and quarterbacks in the NFL?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, it’s going to be a great game. Like you said, you have great teams in general – obviously (Eagles QB) Jalen (Hurts) is a great quarterback, but I think just the entire team on both sides – you never know how the game is going to go – it could be high scoring, it could be low scoring. Two teams that usually find a way to get a win playing on Monday Night Football in front of the whole world, it’s going to be a great game, and I’m glad it’s at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.”Q:&nbsp;How do you decide when it’s time to be more urgent and aggressive?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“We talk through it every single week. Every week I’ve been here from OTA’s through now we talk about situations – if we’re down two scores, if we’re down one score, what the situation is, what time we want to score before, all these situations and prepare (ourselves) as best as we possibly can for games. You watch other teams around the league, you take notes from that stuff as well. I just always feel prepared because we do that, and so I know I’m on the same page with (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, with (Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Nagy, everybody. We know what we’re trying to do in that situation, so if you need to press the issue, press the issue, if you want to take some time off the clock, take some time off the clock. You see in the NFL – you saw this week all the games are close, it’s who executes at the end of games the best and that’s who ends up winning.”Q:&nbsp;As you look back to the start of your career do you have the feeling, ‘Wow, look what I am now’ or is there still more to learn?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think you have to find the right balance; I feel like I obviously know a lot more than I knew in that chair that day, but I think you always want to have the mentality that you’re going to make it happen. That’s what I had in that chair that day and I still feel like I have now, is even if you know what the right read is sometimes you want to make the big play happen whenever it’s needed, and I have to balance that line throughout my entire career.”Q:&nbsp;With how good the defense is playing do you feel like you don’t have to do some of the things you’ve done in the past?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“There’s definitely an adjustment I think this early in the season. I’ve had a feel for that as seasons go on. You have a feel for how the whole team is playing, not just the defense, the offense, special teams, stuff like that. You have to adjust on the fly. It’s week in and week out, you have to make adjustments. If the defense is playing good and the offense maybe not playing to the level I want you run some time off the clock. Or if you feel like the offense needs to score, you speed it up. That’s just part of playing the quarterback position. It’s not always pretty, but if you get the win at the end of the day, that’s what you want.”Q:&nbsp;We’ve talked about how defenses play back to try to slow you down. As you watch film, are you seeing that around the league?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Sometimes you see some similar stuff, but I would say that we still see a lot of unscouted stuff. Having a guy like (TE) Travis (Kelce) makes it a lot different because of the level he plays at, it takes so much attention for the defenses to go up against. They know we want to throw it deep, so they stay deep and make us be patient and drive the length of the field. I want to throw it deep as much as anybody, but they’re making me earn it and throw short and I think that’s why we’re having to drive the length of the field these last couple of years. We have to continue to prove that, have guys come up so we can hit the deep pass when it is there.”Q:&nbsp;Can you talk about receiving the Black College Football Founder’s Award?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“That was actually a surprise to me. I knew (former NFL QB and BCFHOF Co-Founder) Doug (Williams) and (former NFL QB) Shack Harris were going to be there. But I didn’t know I was getting that award. It is an honor; those are the true greats of the game who put me in the position where I can be in the quarterback position today. For them to present an award like that to me, it’s a tremendous honor just to know they’ve recognized me for something when I know that everything I’ve done is because of them.”Q:&nbsp;Whenever you go anywhere there are people that want to be around you, what’s your life like?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“It’s calmer than (TE) Travis’ (Kelce), I’ll say that. I think I’m doing alight; I’ll just keep playing football and having fun doing it.”Q:&nbsp;On his superstition of wearing the same underwear on game day.MAHOMES:&nbsp;“My underwear, I’ve worn them my entire career. (Former Chiefs QB) Chad (Henne) actually said something right before he retired. He said something about it, and it kind of went under the radar and I was like, ‘Thank goodness, man. No one picked that up.’ Then of course, I think it was (former NFL QB) Eli (Manning), had to say it on the broadcast, and I was like, ‘Of course, now it’s going to be a thing.’ They’ll still be worn as long as we’re winning, so I’ll make sure to clean them. I don’t wear them in the game, I just wear them to the game, so they’re not that bad. Hopefully we keep winning games, and I can wear them for 20+ years.”Q:&nbsp;How old are the underwear?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“We’ll I’ve been starting for six years, so they are six years old.”Q:&nbsp;So, you’ve only worn them for your professional career?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Only professional. (Patrick Mahomes wife) Brittany (Mahomes) got them before one of my first starts, and I wore them before that Chargers game and the rest is history.”Q:&nbsp;How beneficial is it for you to have everyone healthy going into the second half and as a veteran how much say do you have on the bye week?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I would say it’s obviously great when you have healthy guys at this time of the year. We try to maintain that with (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Rick (Burkholder) and the training staff and the weight room as well. Just having those guys out there practicing you have that chemistry, and we’ve gotten work with the other guys as well. That’s always a plus, you want to maintain that. I think you get more and more (say) every year. I got to talk to (Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Nagy. I got to talk to (Quarterback Coach David) Girardi. I got to talk to (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid during the bye week. They gave me some of their inputs, stuff they wanted me to work on. I told them stuff that I liked, stuff I thought we could get better at, and we’re going to try to execute that this week. What a better challenge than playing the Eagles the first week out of the bye and seeing where we’re really at?”DT CHRIS JONESQ:&nbsp;What do you need to do to contain Eagles QB Jalen Hurts?JONES:&nbsp;“Eliminate the run game. If we’re able to limit how many yards he gets per carry than I think we’re doing something good. Force hands in his face and take him down in the passing game. Get around him, over crowd him. They have a such a good offensive line who have done really, really well so far this year, so we have to come up with schemes and everything to affect (Eagles QB) Jalen Hurts.”Q:&nbsp;Do you think this is the most talented defense you’ve played with in Kansas City?JONES:&nbsp;“Overall, I still think we can get so much better. So far so good – the best overall defense, it’s still halfway through the season, for me to say that now and we end up at dead last, it doesn't even matter. We take it one game at a time, continue to get better, ask me this question at the end of the year and I’ll have an answer for you.”Q:&nbsp;Do you feel like the other guys along the defensive line are not getting the credit they deserve?JONES:&nbsp;“When you think about it this is a selfless group. It’s not about names, it’s not about numbers either. I think people get caught up – I was listening to the broadcast talk about (Jets DL) Quinnen Williams and how special he is to the Jets defensive line, but he doesn’t have as many sacks as he did last year. The interesting point on that was he’s making everyone around him better. That’s the way I look at it, it’s not about stats to magnify how important these guys are. They are having a good year so far, but the importance to (what) they’ve been to the success of this defense, (goes) beyond the numbers.”Q:&nbsp;How did you use your bye week?JONES:&nbsp;“I did a little bit of it all. I watched film, I was able to sleep, play with my kids. Most importantly, I got a lot of sleep. I haven’t slept like that in a long time. I got to hang out with my kids, take them to school. Rewatched all of the games I played a part of, the good, the bad, what I can improve on, what I can eliminate, like costly penalties.”

Chiefs Quotes 11-16-23

DETROIT (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/united-auto-workers">United Auto Workers</a>&nbsp;union members have voted to approve a new contract with General Motors, making the company the first Detroit automaker to get a ratified deal that could end a contentious labor dispute and a series of crippling strikes.

A vote-tracking spreadsheet on the union’s website shows that with all local union offices reporting, the contract passed by just over 3,400 votes, with 54.7% in favor. A union spokesman on Thursday confirmed that the spreadsheet had the official GM totals.

The outcome was closer than expected after the UAW’s celebrations of victories last month on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auto-workers-strike-ford-agreement-2e3b61035a1180fdf69b23be8d602d6c">many key demands</a>&nbsp;that led to six weeks of targeted walkouts against GM, Ford and Stellantis, the maker of Jeep and Ram vehicles.

On Thursday the contract had a big lead in voting at Ford and Stellantis. Ratification was leading at Ford by more than 10,000 votes, with 66.7% of ballots in favor. At Stellantis, the lead was over 5,700, with 66.5% voting for the deal, according to the UAW website.

Voting continues at Ford through early Saturday with only two large factories in the Detroit area and some smaller facilities left to be counted. At Stellantis, three Detroit-area factories were the only large plants yet to vote, with tallies expected to be complete by Tuesday.

The three contracts, if approved by 146,000 union members, would dramatically raise pay for autoworkers, with increases and cost-of-living adjustments that would translate into a 33% wage gain. Top assembly plant workers would get immediate 11% raises and earn roughly $42 per hour when the contracts expire in April of 2028.

At GM, about 46,000 workers were eligible to vote on the deal, and about 36,000 cast ballots.

Of the four GM plants that went on strike, workers at only a large SUV factory in Arlington, Texas, approved the contract. Workers in Wentzville, Missouri; Lansing Delta Township, Michigan; and Spring Hill, Tennessee, voted it down. Workers said that longtime employees at GM were unhappy they didn’t get larger pay raises like newer workers, and they wanted a bigger pension increase.

“I'm not ungrateful, but I feel like it could have been better,” said Andrea Repasky, a body shop worker at GM's pickup truck factory in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who voted against the deal.

Repasky said she's happy that temporary workers will be hired faster and won't have to wait multiple years to reach the full assembly worker pay rate, now about $32 per hour. She's also glad that workers at parts warehouses and component factories will get the top wage.

But she says she'll get only $4 per hour more at ratification, and her pay will have gone up only $7 per hour since 2006 due to concessions made to help the company out of dire financial straits during the Great Recession. “I would have been happy if we would have gotten a bigger jump up front,” she said. “I just think in 17 years, $7 more is not too good of a deal.”

She also wanted to see larger pension increases as well as defined benefit pensions and health care in retirement for workers hired after 2007. With GM making healthy profits, she's worried that the union may have missed the chance to get more because the company may not be doing as well in 2028.

Many newer hires wanted defined benefit pension plans instead of defined contribution plans. But the companies agreed to contribute 10% per year into 401(k) plans instead.

Keith Crowell, the local union president at GM's Arlington plant, said the factory has a diverse group of workers from full- and part-time temporary hires to longtime assembly line employees. Full-time temporary workers liked the large raises they received and the chance to get top union pay, he said. But many longtime workers didn’t think immediate pay raises were enough to make up for concessions granted to GM in 2008, he said.

“There was something in there for everybody, but everybody couldn’t get everything they wanted,” Crowell said. “At least we’re making a step in the right direction to recover from 2008.”

Citing the automakers' strong profits, UAW President Shawn Fain has insisted it was well past time to make up for the 2008 concessions.

Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, said GM has more older workers than the other two companies, so he expected the vote to be closer there. About half of GM's factory workers were hired before 2007. “They may have felt they were not listened to enough,” Masters said of the workers.

He expects the contracts to be ratified at Ford and Stellantis and said only lopsided votes against the deals that run counter to the current trends could sink the agreements. “It certainly seems that they're on track to pass,” he said.

President Joe Biden has hailed the resolution of the strikes as an early victory for what he calls a worker-centered economy. But the success of the contracts will ultimately hinge on the ability of automakers to keep generating profits as they shift toward electric vehicles.

Thousands of UAW members joined picket lines in targeted strikes starting Sept. 15 before the tentative deals were reached late last month. Rather than striking at one company, the union targeted individual plants at all three automakers. At the peak of the strikes, about 46,000 workers a were walking picket lines.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700163619934.png" alt="Local UAW 31 at the Fairfax plant in Kansas approved the deal with GM this week- google image" />
 <figcaption>Local UAW 31 at the Fairfax plant in Kansas approved the deal with GM this week- google image</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/united-auto-workers">United Auto Workers</a>&nbsp;union members have voted to approve a new contract with General Motors, making the company the first Detroit automaker to get a ratified deal that could end a contentious labor dispute and a series of crippling strikes.A vote-tracking spreadsheet on the union’s website shows that with all local union offices reporting, the contract passed by just over 3,400 votes, with 54.7% in favor. A union spokesman on Thursday confirmed that the spreadsheet had the official GM totals.The outcome was closer than expected after the UAW’s celebrations of victories last month on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auto-workers-strike-ford-agreement-2e3b61035a1180fdf69b23be8d602d6c">many key demands</a>&nbsp;that led to six weeks of targeted walkouts against GM, Ford and Stellantis, the maker of Jeep and Ram vehicles.On Thursday the contract had a big lead in voting at Ford and Stellantis. Ratification was leading at Ford by more than 10,000 votes, with 66.7% of ballots in favor. At Stellantis, the lead was over 5,700, with 66.5% voting for the deal, according to the UAW website.Voting continues at Ford through early Saturday with only two large factories in the Detroit area and some smaller facilities left to be counted. At Stellantis, three Detroit-area factories were the only large plants yet to vote, with tallies expected to be complete by Tuesday.The three contracts, if approved by 146,000 union members, would dramatically raise pay for autoworkers, with increases and cost-of-living adjustments that would translate into a 33% wage gain. Top assembly plant workers would get immediate 11% raises and earn roughly $42 per hour when the contracts expire in April of 2028.At GM, about 46,000 workers were eligible to vote on the deal, and about 36,000 cast ballots.Of the four GM plants that went on strike, workers at only a large SUV factory in Arlington, Texas, approved the contract. Workers in Wentzville, Missouri; Lansing Delta Township, Michigan; and Spring Hill, Tennessee, voted it down. Workers said that longtime employees at GM were unhappy they didn’t get larger pay raises like newer workers, and they wanted a bigger pension increase.“I'm not ungrateful, but I feel like it could have been better,” said Andrea Repasky, a body shop worker at GM's pickup truck factory in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who voted against the deal.Repasky said she's happy that temporary workers will be hired faster and won't have to wait multiple years to reach the full assembly worker pay rate, now about $32 per hour. She's also glad that workers at parts warehouses and component factories will get the top wage.But she says she'll get only $4 per hour more at ratification, and her pay will have gone up only $7 per hour since 2006 due to concessions made to help the company out of dire financial straits during the Great Recession. “I would have been happy if we would have gotten a bigger jump up front,” she said. “I just think in 17 years, $7 more is not too good of a deal.”She also wanted to see larger pension increases as well as defined benefit pensions and health care in retirement for workers hired after 2007. With GM making healthy profits, she's worried that the union may have missed the chance to get more because the company may not be doing as well in 2028.Many newer hires wanted defined benefit pension plans instead of defined contribution plans. But the companies agreed to contribute 10% per year into 401(k) plans instead.Keith Crowell, the local union president at GM's Arlington plant, said the factory has a diverse group of workers from full- and part-time temporary hires to longtime assembly line employees. Full-time temporary workers liked the large raises they received and the chance to get top union pay, he said. But many longtime workers didn’t think immediate pay raises were enough to make up for concessions granted to GM in 2008, he said.“There was something in there for everybody, but everybody couldn’t get everything they wanted,” Crowell said. “At least we’re making a step in the right direction to recover from 2008.”Citing the automakers' strong profits, UAW President Shawn Fain has insisted it was well past time to make up for the 2008 concessions.Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, said GM has more older workers than the other two companies, so he expected the vote to be closer there. About half of GM's factory workers were hired before 2007. “They may have felt they were not listened to enough,” Masters said of the workers.He expects the contracts to be ratified at Ford and Stellantis and said only lopsided votes against the deals that run counter to the current trends could sink the agreements. “It certainly seems that they're on track to pass,” he said.President Joe Biden has hailed the resolution of the strikes as an early victory for what he calls a worker-centered economy. But the success of the contracts will ultimately hinge on the ability of automakers to keep generating profits as they shift toward electric vehicles.Thousands of UAW members joined picket lines in targeted strikes starting Sept. 15 before the tentative deals were reached late last month. Rather than striking at one company, the union targeted individual plants at all three automakers. At the peak of the strikes, about 46,000 workers a were walking picket lines.

GM seals deal with union workers in Kansas, nationwide

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a meeting a year in the making.

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-xi-apec-san-francisco-58d11e7e3902955302182c2bc41430e0" target="_blank">sat down together</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday just outside of San Francisco, where Asian leaders gathered for an annual summit. It was almost exactly one year since their last encounter in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of another global gathering.

In addition to a formal bilateral meeting, Biden and Xi shared a lunch with top advisers and strolled the verdant grounds of the luxury estate where their meeting took place.

(Click below to watch the news conference or <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/11/16/remarks-by-president-biden-in-a-press-conference-woodside-ca/">click here</a> to read the remarks

Biden said afterwards that the meeting included “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.” He added that they will “keep the lines of communication open” and Xi is “willing to pick up the phone” — no small thing in the world of high-risk, high-stakes diplomacy between Washington and Beijing.

In another potential sign of warmer feelings, Xi signaled later in the night that China would send new pandas to the United States after the three at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington were returned earlier this month. In a speech, Xi said he wanted to “deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples.” Xi also said he learned that Americans — particularly children — were “really reluctant” to say goodbye to the rare and popular animals.

Here’s a look at how the rest of the day panned out.

Biden left the meeting with commitments on key issues.

Xi agreed to help curb the production of the illicit fentanyl that is a deadly component of drugs sold in the United States. A senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, said the shift will be a setback for Latin American drug dealers.

“It’s going to save lives, and I appreciated President Xi’s commitment on this issue,” Biden said at a press conference after his meeting.

In addition, Biden and Xi reached an agreement to resume&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-china-military-relations-339980a0d494bcde92905411838808a4" target="_blank">military-to-military communications</a>. That means Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will speak with his Chinese counterpart once someone is named to the job, the official said. Similar engagements will take place up and down the military chain of command.

The official said Biden was “very clear” to Xi that such communications between U.S. and China should be institutionalized and that they are “not done as a gift or as a favor to either side.”

Biden said the U.S. and China would talk more about artificial intelligence as well.

“We’re going to get our experts together and discuss risk and safety issues,” he said.

The agreements helped fulfill the White House’s goal for the meeting — prove to voters that Biden’s dedication to personal diplomacy is paying off.

On Sunday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN that Biden wanted “practical ways” to show that meeting with Xi can help “defend American interests and also deliver progress on the priorities of the American people.”

Zoe Liu, a fellow for China studies at the Council for Foreign Relations, described the meeting between Biden and Xi as a positive step, albeit an incremental one.

“These agreements will not change the structural challenges in the bilateral relations, but it paves the way for more detailed working-level discussions, which is more important,” she said.

BIDEN PRESSES CHINA TO ACT LIKE A SUPERPOWER IN COOLING GLOBAL TENSIONS

Beijing has long sought to be treated as an equal by Washington, and Biden sought to leverage those ambitions with Xi to address two devastating wars.

In their private session, Biden appealed to Xi to use his influence to try to calm global tensions, particularly to try to pressure Iran not to widen the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

A U.S. official said Biden did most of the talking on the matter, and that Xi mostly listened, and that it was too soon to tell what sort of message China was sending to Tehran and how it was being received.

Biden has also pressed Xi to continue to withhold military support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A ‘CLEAR-HEADED’ EXCHANGE AND A WARNING ON TAIWAN

Biden and Xi held a “clear-headed” and “not heated” discussion on Taiwan — the most sensitive topic in the relationship with the greatest potential to spiral into wider conflict. Biden said he reaffirmed the United States’ “One China” policy and its belief that any resolution must be peaceful.

“I’m not going to change that,” Biden said. “That’s not going to change.”

He reiterated, though, that the U.S. would continue to arm Taiwan as a deterrent against any attempt by China to use force to reunify the self-governing island with the mainland. The U.S. had maintained strategic ambiguity about whether it would directly intervene to protect Taiwan in the event of an invasion by Beijing.

Xi, a U.S. official said, told Biden he had no plans to invade the island, though Biden chided him for China’s massive military build-up around Taiwan. Biden also called on China to avoid meddling in Taiwan’s elections next year.

Xi arrived in San Francisco at a time of economic challenges back in China, where an aging population and growing debt have hampered its recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Beijing’s description of the meeting, Xi pressed Biden to lift sanctions and change policies on export controls for sensitive equipment.

“Stifling China’s technological progress is nothing but a move to contain China’s high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development,” the readout said. “China’s development and growth, driven by its own inherent logic, will not be stopped by external forces.”

There’s no indication that Biden will agree to take such steps. But even the meeting itself could calm jittery nerves back in China, where there have been signs foreign investment is tapering off.

Zhang Lei, a Chinese businessman whose company, Cheche Group, is listed on NASDAQ, said high-level meetings such as the one between Biden and Xi can help assure companies that have been hesitant to invest in China.

“Confrontations don’t work,” he said. “You don’t make money with confrontations.”

Biden and Xi go back years, and Biden often repeats the story of their meetings when they were both vice presidents.

But on Wednesday, it was Xi’s turn to reference their previous encounters during brief public remarks, although he eschewed the embellishments that Biden usually adds to the tale.

“It was 12 years ago,” Xi said. “I still remember our interactions very vividly, and it always gives me a lot of thoughts.”

Biden also emphasized the length of their relationship and the value of their interactions.

“We haven’t always agreed, which was not a surprise to anyone, but our meetings have always been candid, straightforward and useful,” Biden said. He added that “it’s paramount that you and I understand each other clearly, leader to leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication.”

Bilateral meetings aren’t always conducive to a personal touch, and Biden and Xi were flanked by advisers on opposite sides of a long table. However, a senior administration official said they spoke about their wives, and Biden wished Xi’s wife a happy birthday.

The official, who requested anonymity to discuss a private conversation, said Xi was embarrassed, and he admitted that he had forgotten his wife’s upcoming birthday because he’s been working so hard.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700099093038.png" alt="Biden said afterwards that the meeting included “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.”-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden said afterwards that the meeting included “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.”-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a meeting a year in the making.President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-xi-apec-san-francisco-58d11e7e3902955302182c2bc41430e0" target="_blank">sat down together</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday just outside of San Francisco, where Asian leaders gathered for an annual summit. It was almost exactly one year since their last encounter in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of another global gathering.In addition to a formal bilateral meeting, Biden and Xi shared a lunch with top advisers and strolled the verdant grounds of the luxury estate where their meeting took place.(Click below to watch the news conference or <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/11/16/remarks-by-president-biden-in-a-press-conference-woodside-ca/">click here</a> to read the remarks<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-eyN56bHf9c?si=489IZb8GyKRGEJW1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Biden said afterwards that the meeting included “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.” He added that they will “keep the lines of communication open” and Xi is “willing to pick up the phone” — no small thing in the world of high-risk, high-stakes diplomacy between Washington and Beijing.In another potential sign of warmer feelings, Xi signaled later in the night that China would send new pandas to the United States after the three at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington were returned earlier this month. In a speech, Xi said he wanted to “deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples.” Xi also said he learned that Americans — particularly children — were “really reluctant” to say goodbye to the rare and popular animals.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Mr. President, we have known each other for a long time. We have not always agreed. But our meetings are always candid, straightforward, and useful. Yesterday was no different. Our nations may be in competition, but that doesn&#39;t mean we can&#39;t compete responsibly. <a href="https://t.co/550epPY91b">pic.twitter.com/550epPY91b</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1725188999688413443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Here’s a look at how the rest of the day panned out.<h2>NEW AGREEMENTS</h2>Biden left the meeting with commitments on key issues.Xi agreed to help curb the production of the illicit fentanyl that is a deadly component of drugs sold in the United States. A senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, said the shift will be a setback for Latin American drug dealers.“It’s going to save lives, and I appreciated President Xi’s commitment on this issue,” Biden said at a press conference after his meeting.In addition, Biden and Xi reached an agreement to resume&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-china-military-relations-339980a0d494bcde92905411838808a4" target="_blank">military-to-military communications</a>. That means Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will speak with his Chinese counterpart once someone is named to the job, the official said. Similar engagements will take place up and down the military chain of command.The official said Biden was “very clear” to Xi that such communications between U.S. and China should be institutionalized and that they are “not done as a gift or as a favor to either side.”Biden said the U.S. and China would talk more about artificial intelligence as well.“We’re going to get our experts together and discuss risk and safety issues,” he said.The agreements helped fulfill the White House’s goal for the meeting — prove to voters that Biden’s dedication to personal diplomacy is paying off.On Sunday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN that Biden wanted “practical ways” to show that meeting with Xi can help “defend American interests and also deliver progress on the priorities of the American people.”Zoe Liu, a fellow for China studies at the Council for Foreign Relations, described the meeting between Biden and Xi as a positive step, albeit an incremental one.“These agreements will not change the structural challenges in the bilateral relations, but it paves the way for more detailed working-level discussions, which is more important,” she said.<h2>BIDEN PRESSES CHINA TO ACT LIKE A SUPERPOWER IN COOLING GLOBAL TENSIONS</h2>Beijing has long sought to be treated as an equal by Washington, and Biden sought to leverage those ambitions with Xi to address two devastating wars.In their private session, Biden appealed to Xi to use his influence to try to calm global tensions, particularly to try to pressure Iran not to widen the conflict between Israel and Hamas.A U.S. official said Biden did most of the talking on the matter, and that Xi mostly listened, and that it was too soon to tell what sort of message China was sending to Tehran and how it was being received.Biden has also pressed Xi to continue to withhold military support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.<h2>A ‘CLEAR-HEADED’ EXCHANGE AND A WARNING ON TAIWAN</h2>Biden and Xi held a “clear-headed” and “not heated” discussion on Taiwan — the most sensitive topic in the relationship with the greatest potential to spiral into wider conflict. Biden said he reaffirmed the United States’ “One China” policy and its belief that any resolution must be peaceful.“I’m not going to change that,” Biden said. “That’s not going to change.”He reiterated, though, that the U.S. would continue to arm Taiwan as a deterrent against any attempt by China to use force to reunify the self-governing island with the mainland. The U.S. had maintained strategic ambiguity about whether it would directly intervene to protect Taiwan in the event of an invasion by Beijing.Xi, a U.S. official said, told Biden he had no plans to invade the island, though Biden chided him for China’s massive military build-up around Taiwan. Biden also called on China to avoid meddling in Taiwan’s elections next year.<h2>ECONOMIC CHALLENGES</h2>Xi arrived in San Francisco at a time of economic challenges back in China, where an aging population and growing debt have hampered its recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.According to Beijing’s description of the meeting, Xi pressed Biden to lift sanctions and change policies on export controls for sensitive equipment.“Stifling China’s technological progress is nothing but a move to contain China’s high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development,” the readout said. “China’s development and growth, driven by its own inherent logic, will not be stopped by external forces.”There’s no indication that Biden will agree to take such steps. But even the meeting itself could calm jittery nerves back in China, where there have been signs foreign investment is tapering off.Zhang Lei, a Chinese businessman whose company, Cheche Group, is listed on NASDAQ, said high-level meetings such as the one between Biden and Xi can help assure companies that have been hesitant to invest in China.“Confrontations don’t work,” he said. “You don’t make money with confrontations.”<h2>IT’S PERSONAL</h2>Biden and Xi go back years, and Biden often repeats the story of their meetings when they were both vice presidents.But on Wednesday, it was Xi’s turn to reference their previous encounters during brief public remarks, although he eschewed the embellishments that Biden usually adds to the tale.“It was 12 years ago,” Xi said. “I still remember our interactions very vividly, and it always gives me a lot of thoughts.”Biden also emphasized the length of their relationship and the value of their interactions.“We haven’t always agreed, which was not a surprise to anyone, but our meetings have always been candid, straightforward and useful,” Biden said. He added that “it’s paramount that you and I understand each other clearly, leader to leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication.”Bilateral meetings aren’t always conducive to a personal touch, and Biden and Xi were flanked by advisers on opposite sides of a long table. However, a senior administration official said they spoke about their wives, and Biden wished Xi’s wife a happy birthday.The official, who requested anonymity to discuss a private conversation, said Xi was embarrassed, and he admitted that he had forgotten his wife’s upcoming birthday because he’s been working so hard.<h2>___</h2>

🎥 Biden answers questions after visit with China's President

NEW YORK (AP) — Workers at more than 200 U.S. Starbucks walked off the job Thursday in what organizers said was the largest strike yet in the two-year-old effort to unionize the company’s stores.

The Workers United union chose Starbucks' annual Red Cup Day to stage the walkout since it’s usually one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks expects to give away thousands of reusable cups Thursday to customers who order holiday drinks.

The union said it was expecting more than 5,000 workers to take part in its “Red Cup Rebellion.” Workers were expected to picket for part of the day and visit non-union stores the rest of the day, the union said. Around 30 stores also staged walkouts on Wednesday.

Edwin Palmasolis, a Starbucks employee for more than two years, joined the picket line Thursday in front of his New York store. His store voted to unionize last year, but so far Starbucks and the union haven't started bargaining. A contract would help improve working conditions at his busy Manhattan store, Palmasolis said.

“It’s been more of a downgrade than an uphill for us. It’s been exhausting trying to deal with their retaliation and not much of a change has been made in the past year,” he said. “They’ve been silent on their part, they have not made anything to benefit us."

Thursday’s strike was the fifth major labor action by Starbucks workers since a store in Buffalo, New York, became the first to unionize in late 2021. Workers at 110 stores&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-walkout-red-cup-day-386896c728bc4a66d1aa51aa002fb1ba">walked out last year</a>&nbsp;on Red Cup Day; most recently, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-pride-456cd0e40bba4004ff70c777ac67446b">strike in June</a>&nbsp;protested reports that Starbucks had removed Pride displays from its stores.

But the strikes have had little impact on Starbucks’ sales. For its 2023 fiscal year, which ended Oct. 1,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-earnings-coffee-ffda43505dd24c2c07c9f37aeb762c7e">Starbucks reported</a>&nbsp;its revenue rose 12%,to a record $36.0 billion.

Starbucks said Thursday that many of the stores with striking workers remained open.

“We have nearly 10,000 stores open right now delighting our customers with the joy of Red Cup Day,” the company said.

At least 363 company-operated Starbucks stores in 41 states have voted to unionize since late 2021. The Starbucks effort was at the leading edge of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-unions-us-labor-organizing-15ad8061bcd21e0c1dcaa5f10b3f10ee">period of labor activism</a>&nbsp;that has also seen strikes by Amazon workers, auto workers and Hollywood writers and actors. At least 457,000 workers have participated in 315 strikes in the U.S. just this year, according to Johnnie Kallas, a Ph.D. candidate and the project director of Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker.

Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-corp-business-arizona-labor-unions-amazoncom-inc-5a24ff399e186a3f0da8dc8b7094e3d4">opposes the unionization effort</a>&nbsp;and has yet to reach a labor agreement with any of the stores that have voted to unionize. The process has been contentious; regional offices with the National Labor Relations Board have issued 111 complaints against Starbucks for unfair labor practices, including refusal to bargain. Starbucks says Workers United is refusing to schedule bargaining sessions.

Starbucks noted that it has started bargaining with the Teamsters union, which organized a Starbucks store outside of Pittsburgh in June 2022. But the two sides have not reached a labor agreement. The Teamsters didn’t say Wednesday whether workers at the unionized store would also be striking.

Relations between Starbucks and Workers United have grown increasingly tense. Last month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-workers-united-union-lawsuit-israel-palestinian-f212a994fef67f122854a4df7e5d13f5">Starbucks sued Workers United</a>, saying a pro-Palestinian post on a union account damaged its reputation and demanding that the union stop using the name Starbucks Workers United. Workers United responded with its own lawsuit, saying Starbucks defamed the union by suggesting it supports terrorism and violence.

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Thousands of workers at more than 200 U.S. Starbucks stores plan to walk off the job Thursday in what organizers say is the largest strike yet in the two-year-old effort to unionize the company’s stores. Stores in Kansas and Missouri are expected to join the walkout.&nbsp;

The union said it was expecting more than 5,000 workers to take part in its “Red Cup Rebellion.” Around 30 stores also staged walkouts on Wednesday.

Neha Cremin, a Starbucks barista in Oklahoma City, said she was striking to protest understaffing in stores, especially during promotions like Red Cup Day. Cremin said workers are already overwhelmed filling delivery orders, drive-thru orders, mobile orders and in-store orders; promotions add another layer of stress.

“Understaffing hurts workers and also creates an unpleasant experience for customers,” Cremin said. “Starbucks has made it clear that they won’t listen to workers, so we’re advocating for ourselves by going on strike.”

Starbucks downplayed any potential impact of the strike Wednesday, saying it would occur at a “small subset” of the company’s 9,600 company-owned U.S. stores.

“We remain committed to working with all partners, side-by-side, to elevate the everyday, and we hope that Workers United’s priorities will shift to include the shared success of our partners and negotiating contracts for those they represent,” Starbucks said in a statement.

NEW YORK (AP) — Workers at more than 200 U.S. Starbucks walked off the job Thursday in what organizers said was the largest strike yet in the two-year-old effort to unionize the company’s stores.The Workers United union chose Starbucks' annual Red Cup Day to stage the walkout since it’s usually one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks expects to give away thousands of reusable cups Thursday to customers who order holiday drinks.The union said it was expecting more than 5,000 workers to take part in its “Red Cup Rebellion.” Workers were expected to picket for part of the day and visit non-union stores the rest of the day, the union said. Around 30 stores also staged walkouts on Wednesday.Edwin Palmasolis, a Starbucks employee for more than two years, joined the picket line Thursday in front of his New York store. His store voted to unionize last year, but so far Starbucks and the union haven't started bargaining. A contract would help improve working conditions at his busy Manhattan store, Palmasolis said.“It’s been more of a downgrade than an uphill for us. It’s been exhausting trying to deal with their retaliation and not much of a change has been made in the past year,” he said. “They’ve been silent on their part, they have not made anything to benefit us."Thursday’s strike was the fifth major labor action by Starbucks workers since a store in Buffalo, New York, became the first to unionize in late 2021. Workers at 110 stores&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-walkout-red-cup-day-386896c728bc4a66d1aa51aa002fb1ba">walked out last year</a>&nbsp;on Red Cup Day; most recently, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-pride-456cd0e40bba4004ff70c777ac67446b">strike in June</a>&nbsp;protested reports that Starbucks had removed Pride displays from its stores.But the strikes have had little impact on Starbucks’ sales. For its 2023 fiscal year, which ended Oct. 1,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-earnings-coffee-ffda43505dd24c2c07c9f37aeb762c7e">Starbucks reported</a>&nbsp;its revenue rose 12%,to a record $36.0 billion.Starbucks said Thursday that many of the stores with striking workers remained open.“We have nearly 10,000 stores open right now delighting our customers with the joy of Red Cup Day,” the company said.At least 363 company-operated Starbucks stores in 41 states have voted to unionize since late 2021. The Starbucks effort was at the leading edge of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-unions-us-labor-organizing-15ad8061bcd21e0c1dcaa5f10b3f10ee">period of labor activism</a>&nbsp;that has also seen strikes by Amazon workers, auto workers and Hollywood writers and actors. At least 457,000 workers have participated in 315 strikes in the U.S. just this year, according to Johnnie Kallas, a Ph.D. candidate and the project director of Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker.Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-corp-business-arizona-labor-unions-amazoncom-inc-5a24ff399e186a3f0da8dc8b7094e3d4">opposes the unionization effort</a>&nbsp;and has yet to reach a labor agreement with any of the stores that have voted to unionize. The process has been contentious; regional offices with the National Labor Relations Board have issued 111 complaints against Starbucks for unfair labor practices, including refusal to bargain. Starbucks says Workers United is refusing to schedule bargaining sessions.Starbucks noted that it has started bargaining with the Teamsters union, which organized a Starbucks store outside of Pittsburgh in June 2022. But the two sides have not reached a labor agreement. The Teamsters didn’t say Wednesday whether workers at the unionized store would also be striking.Relations between Starbucks and Workers United have grown increasingly tense. Last month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-workers-united-union-lawsuit-israel-palestinian-f212a994fef67f122854a4df7e5d13f5">Starbucks sued Workers United</a>, saying a pro-Palestinian post on a union account damaged its reputation and demanding that the union stop using the name Starbucks Workers United. Workers United responded with its own lawsuit, saying Starbucks defamed the union by suggesting it supports terrorism and violence.------------------KANSAS CITY (AP) —Thousands of workers at more than 200 U.S. Starbucks stores plan to walk off the job Thursday in what organizers say is the largest strike yet in the two-year-old effort to unionize the company’s stores. Stores in Kansas and Missouri are expected to join the walkout.&nbsp;The Workers United union chose Starbucks' annual Red Cup Day to stage the walkout since it’s usually one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks expects to give away thousands of reusable cups Thursday to customers who order holiday drinks.The union said it was expecting more than 5,000 workers to take part in its “Red Cup Rebellion.” Around 30 stores also staged walkouts on Wednesday.Neha Cremin, a Starbucks barista in Oklahoma City, said she was striking to protest understaffing in stores, especially during promotions like Red Cup Day. Cremin said workers are already overwhelmed filling delivery orders, drive-thru orders, mobile orders and in-store orders; promotions add another layer of stress.“Understaffing hurts workers and also creates an unpleasant experience for customers,” Cremin said. “Starbucks has made it clear that they won’t listen to workers, so we’re advocating for ourselves by going on strike.”Thursday’s strike was the fifth major labor action by Starbucks workers since a store in Buffalo, New York, became the first to unionize in late 2021. Workers at 110 stores&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-walkout-red-cup-day-386896c728bc4a66d1aa51aa002fb1ba">walked out last year</a>&nbsp;on Red Cup Day; most recently, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-pride-456cd0e40bba4004ff70c777ac67446b">strike in June</a>&nbsp;protested reports that Starbucks had removed Pride displays from its stores.But the strikes have had little impact on Starbucks’ sales. For its 2023 fiscal year, which ended Oct. 1,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-earnings-coffee-ffda43505dd24c2c07c9f37aeb762c7e">Starbucks reported</a>&nbsp;its revenue rose 12%,to a record $36.0 billion.Starbucks downplayed any potential impact of the strike Wednesday, saying it would occur at a “small subset” of the company’s 9,600 company-owned U.S. stores.“We remain committed to working with all partners, side-by-side, to elevate the everyday, and we hope that Workers United’s priorities will shift to include the shared success of our partners and negotiating contracts for those they represent,” Starbucks said in a statement.At least 363 company-operated Starbucks stores in 41 states have voted to unionize since late 2021. The Starbucks effort was at the leading edge of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-unions-us-labor-organizing-15ad8061bcd21e0c1dcaa5f10b3f10ee">period of labor activism</a>&nbsp;that has also seen strikes by Amazon workers, auto workers and Hollywood writers and actors. At least 457,000 workers have participated in 315 strikes in the U.S. just this year, according to Johnnie Kallas, a Ph.D. candidate and the project director of Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker.Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-corp-business-arizona-labor-unions-amazoncom-inc-5a24ff399e186a3f0da8dc8b7094e3d4">opposes the unionization effort</a>&nbsp;and has yet to reach a labor agreement with any of the stores that have voted to unionize. The process has been contentious; regional offices with the National Labor Relations Board have issued 111 complaints against Starbucks for unfair labor practices, including refusal to bargain. Starbucks says Workers United is refusing to schedule bargaining sessions.Starbucks noted that it has started bargaining with the Teamsters union, which organized a Starbucks store outside of Pittsburgh in June 2022. But the two sides have not reached a labor agreement. The Teamsters didn’t say Wednesday whether workers at the unionized store would also be striking.Relations between Starbucks and Workers United have grown increasingly tense. Last month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-workers-united-union-lawsuit-israel-palestinian-f212a994fef67f122854a4df7e5d13f5">Starbucks sued Workers United</a>, saying a pro-Palestinian post on a union account damaged its reputation and demanding that the union stop using the name Starbucks Workers United. Workers United responded with its own lawsuit, saying Starbucks defamed the union by suggesting it supports terrorism and violence.