Works Initiative News | Worker Wellness & Career Opportunities

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 29th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 29, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks into the ill-effects of ‘screen time’ on pre-teens—to how reducing your alcohol intake during ‘Dry January’ can improve your health—to a newly-released study on how head injuries may be linked to suicide.

This week I would like to encourage those of you who have access to an EAP (employee assistance program)—via your company’s or union’s health insurance plan (the latter is sometimes referred to as a MAP: members assistance program)—check to see that the resources they provide actually work. After all, this is a benefit that you pay for as part of your wage and benefit package! Too often, we tend to ignore these vital services until we are in the midst of an all out emergency. When people are stressed, most of us operate from the fight or flight part of our brain vs the problem-solving part. In other words, “We should not decide to buy a fire extinguisher when our house is already on fire.” Test these sources NOW so that you are prepared when the time comes.

Ramey exposes the trials and tribulations of a number of patients in the WSJ article linked below.[1] Having experienced this run-around myself in 2017, I can attest to the fact that EAPs, more often than not, supply their clients with outdated and/or inaccurate lists of providers. (Thanks to COVID and mental health parity laws, the marketplace moved to secure and private online treatment platforms. Where the issue of patient autonomy was once a matter of concern, it is much less so today due to advances in technology.) Nonetheless, it is no secret that EAPs are still woefully underutilized. In fact, some experts suggest that only ~7% of workers seek support from their EAPs. Why? Because when one finally reaches out for help, they expect to receive assistance NOT resistance. So, 100% pay in but 93% reap zero benefits. Something is seriously wrong with this equation! To be sure, in many cases, our H&W trust funds spend millions of dollars each year with these third-party EAP providers. Isn’t it time that WE collectively hold the EAP cartel’s feet to the fire?

In closing, 2025 has brought several of us a host of challenges at a variety of levels. Here’s to a bright and prosperous 2026!

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Source: [1] https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/health-insurance-lawsuit-network-provider-list-4ab84fbd?st=BhRKk7&reflink=article_gmail_share

MH: Ghosted by Insurance Co

Phones / Teens / Brains

AI / Teens / Suicides

AI / Teens / Predator

Families / MH / Addiction

Scromiting

Harms of Marijuana

Reducing Parkinson’s?

Reducing Dementia?

Why Dry January?

Church: Where Drugs are Legal

How Pets Heal

Chronic Pain & WP Benefits

Update: Fart Walks

Weight Loss & Marriage Issues

GLP-1 Pill

US Seniors: Overmedicated

Update: Toxic Plane Fumes

CAUTION: TMS & Sports

Brain Injuries Linked to Suicide

US Senate Restores NLRB

HI: K-P & ULP

ECHL Players’ Strike

Canada: Postal Agreement

S Korea: Rail Strike

Portugal: Airport Strike

Trump / Unions / Billionaires

Trump: More Inappropriate Pardons?

Trump: Unemployment Rate

Trump: Courts & Harassment

CBS Censorship: CECOT

Fixing “Boreout’

AI: College v Job Training

AI: Degrees in Decline

Why Community Colleges Matter

Giving Up on Home Ownership?

ATC Down Under

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Blood Drive (12/31)

Free Diapers

Free Food

Free Mental Health Consult

Free Narcan

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

December 29, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 15th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 15, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks into how ChatGPT and Instagram have damaged people’s lives—to how a farming community in MO is addressing their MH needs—to the negative impact of nepotism on employee morale.

This week I would like to follow up on a topic I discussed in last week’s blog. If you recall, I mentioned 2 people in the STL area who have had a positive impact on our region. The latter was Percy Menzies. Last night, along with some family and friends, I had the honor and pleasure of attending the world premiere of the film Antagonist at the STL County Library’s main branch. There were nearly 300 people in attendance. A brief panel discussion provided the segue into the nearly 2-hour movie. Ben Westhoff is the author and producer of the film. I met Ben pre-COVID at the launch of his book Fentanyl Inc. As an investigative reporter, Ben went undercover—in China—to examine the ‘where and how’ Fentanyl was making its way to the USA and killing so many of our citizens.

Antagonist, the film, is a follow up to Ben’s aforementioned book. Herein, he describes how a participant at his 2019 book launch challenged his work…and what he ‘knew’ about addiction. That person (abrasively) pushing back was Percy Menzies. While it took some time for the 2 of these bright minds to finally connect, I, for one, am glad they did. Percy is a headstrong man on a mission…truly, pushing a boulder uphill. Why? Well, as Ben found out, Percy promotes the use of Naltrexone (aka Vivitrol) for the treatment of OUD (opioid use disorder) vs the so-called (age-old) ‘gold standards’ of methadone and suboxone. While, I cannot speak for Percy, I do know that the latter 2 are opioids-based and are considered agonists. Some purists in the addiction-science field believe that we should not be using an opioid to address opioid addiction. Vivitrol is the ONLY 1 of these 3 drugs that is not an opioid and is considered an antagonist. In simple terms, an agonist binds to and activates brain receptors producing a biological response; while an antagonist blocks those same receptors but does not activate them or produce a biological response.

As in most aspects of our lives, there are pros and cons to any matter. Accordingly, the 2 agonists are often disparaged for being inconvenient or addictive. And, it is no secret that a major drawback for the 1 antagonist is the (7-day) waiting period before use…which is a crucial time for people seeking their next ‘fix’. Nonetheless, self-serving (money) interests continue to promote methadone and suboxone while they sideline Vivitrol in spite of the fact that modern science has advanced it to a 1x per month shot. With a number of success stories in last night’s audience, it is difficult to ignore how one man’s mission has saved so many lives. Thanks to Ben for naming his new film after the rightful antagonist: Percy!

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Source: [1] https://www.firstalert4.com/2025/12/09/st-louis-author-spotlights-addiction-once-again-this-time-with-film/?outputType=amp

STL: New MH Hospital for Youth

Youth / MH / Schools Reopening

MH: STL Unions Join Forces

Vets / VA / Suicides

Supporting Women in Construction

Construction / MH / Retaining Talent

MH / ChatGPT / Murder

Instagram & Predators

Character AI / Children / Dangers

Firearms & Self Defense: Bystanders Die

Menopause’s Impact

Mistakes Matter

Holiday Boundaries

Young / Lonely / Isolated

Farming / MH / Community Action

Treating Depression @ Home?

Antagonist

ATC & Stress

Weaponized Incompetence

Micro-tech & Your Health

Israel / English / MH

Canadian Drug Kingpin?

Warning: Workers & Dust

How Vax Boost Health

Tips: Fall Asleep Faster

Your Brain & Adolescence

Construction: Recruiting Disabled Workers

Detecting Concussions

AFGE / TSA / CBA

AEA Backs Starbucks Workers

UT: Labor Law Repeal

PA’s Vote to Unionize

VW / UAW / Decert

Philly: SEPTA Workers’ Agreement

Montreal Transportation Strike

Italy Transportation Strike

Guinness Strike

Portugal’s General Strike

Bulgaria: Youth Protest

Special Ed in Peril

Walking Back a Lie

Trump’s 2 Primary Dwellings?

Trump Pardons Narco-Terrorist

Unraveling ‘Peace’ Deals

Kushner: Self-dealing Diplomat?

VA / Fed Cuts / Understaffing

Fed Govt: Overreach

Fed Govt: Reclassifying Pot?

Admiral Retires EARLY

Drift: Minorities & Trump

Buying Influence: Money & Politics

US Farmers & Socialism

MO: Losing Fed Food Assistance

Trump / Affordability / Hoax?

Worklife 2025—Multi-Gens

Retaining Talent

Autonomy / Burnout / Resilience

MO: Lowering Youth’s Minimum Wage?

Quiz: Office Behavior

Nepotism: Damaging Morale

RTO w/o MH = Failure

AI / College / Oral Exams

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Holiday Harmony (12/16)

AI & Public Health (12/18)

LT Impact of Gender-based Violence (1/22)

PTSD Care Navigator (1/23)

Concussions Seminar (2/5)

Suicide Trainings

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

December 15, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 8th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 8, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us an opportunity to attend a panel discussion on how an opioids medication with a history of success was sidelined—to how Mexico is sending drug kingpins to the US for prosecution—to how young athletes are being exploited by the ‘system’.

This week I would like to discuss the importance of honoring those people who do the right things for the right reasons. Below are 3 examples: 2 do’s and 1 don’t. I will begin and end with positive champions.

The STL labor community just lost one of those champions: Patti Green.[1] I have known her for years and watched her from afar. Just days before her death, I was invited to attend a MoWIT (Missouri Women in the Trades) meeting. (This blog recently addressed the rash of women tradespeople who were killed due to domestic or workplace violence.) Before, during, and after that meeting, Patti conducted herself in a professional manner but, more importantly, was kind and welcoming. She indeed set a great example for the younger attendees in the room that evening. In fact, she was the epitome of one of my most-often quotes: Leaders must model the behaviors their desire! To this end, Patti was not seeking glory. Her actions were not devised to shame others into submission; They truly were for the greater good!

To this end, FIFA recently announced their 2026 schedule for the men’s tournament across North America. In so doing, they politized the event by awarding Trump with a Peace Prize. Since then, many comments online probe the following: 1) When did FIFA get in the business of peace? 2) Why is FIFA pandering to a bully? Not to mention, what ‘peace’? Just wondering how many of the folks living in or near Gaza and/or Ukraine would support FIFA’s take on ‘peace’?

Finally, the STL community has another gem in their midst. His name is Percy Menzies. I became acquainted with him nearly a decade ago—thanks to Don Willey. His work in combatting the opioids crisis in the USA with the use of naltrexone (Vivitrol) was groundbreaking…but too often ignored influenced by big money interests. Percy is the founder of ARCA. His team has developed creative solutions to addressing the substance misuse needs within our communities.[3] Want to know more? Then consider attending the world premiere of ANTAGONIST next Saturday.[4]

It is time we begin honoring those who serve vs those who demand to be served!!!

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Sources: [1] https://constructforstl.org/mowit-loses-a-sister-and-friend-patti-green/

[2] https://www.wsj.com/sports/soccer/world-cup-fifa-trump-peace-prize-e250507c?mod=Searchresults&pos=1&page=1

[3] https://www.youtube.com/live/RKWyeUXfeio?t=11173s

[4] https://www.slcl.org/events/ben-westhoff

Tribute: Patti Green—Champion for Women Workers

Tribute: Children of School Shootings

DANGER: Tech / Teens / MH

Antagonist (Preview)

Captured: Mexican Drug Lords

Update: Mexican Fentanyl Kingpin

Update: M Perry & Ketamine

Holidays / Workers / Burnout

Work: Love or Hate?

Your Brain & Negative Thoughts

Sleep & Parkinson’s

Fertility: Employers v Employees

Wellness & Well-being Highlights December 1st

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of December 1, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at how fishing may be good for one’s Mental Health—to the negative link between your cell phone and your memory—to how another young athlete died from a game-related head injury.

This week I would like to discuss the importance of making adjustments to address a growing need across all US communities: Child Care. Many years ago, I wrote a master’s degree thesis that focused on the importance of bringing more diversity into the construction industry. Several barriers were identified back then, including but not limited to the following:

1) Transportation

2) Drug Testing

3) Math Scores

4) Child Care

In 2013, the BUD (Building Union Diversity) program began to take shape. Since then, it has expanded beyond the STL region into KC, Springfield, and the mid-Missouri area. While the program is now called Apprentice Ready Construction (ARC), more than 1 year ago MWI added manufacturing to its offerings and will soon expand into the healthcare sector. The point is that changes were made to suit the ongoing needs of society. To me, programs like BUD are great examples of how labor and management can jointly resolve vexing workforce development challenges and transition those lessons learned for the benefit of others well beyond the original intent.

In my opinion, within the confines of industry-specific programs like BUD, a lot of work has been done over the past decade+ to address the 4 barriers mentioned above. However, not enough is being done with respect to scaling up these accomplishments across all sectors and states! That is why I wish to highlight the universal child care program that New Mexico is undertaking. After all, depending on your source, child care can cost a family upwards of 20% of their income or around $2000/month. Torry and Frosch explain[1]

The program aims to get more people into the workforce and improve child development. The state, which has long struggled with high levels of poverty and poor educational rankings, also wants to attract and keep families with young children.

Not much gets done in today’s business world without money. To this end, it appears that NM has taken the first step in forging structural change with the potential of long term returns.

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Source: [1] https://www.wsj.com/us-news/in-a-u-s-first-new-mexico-opens-doors-to-free-child-care-for-all-2dfdea96?st=nkrpSj&reflink=article_gmail_share

Where Deaths Exceed Births

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 24th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 24, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at a brutal onsite death of a woman construction worker—to how athletes attend to their mental health—to how a lawyer’s passion influences High School students’ futures.

This week I would like to discuss the importance of self-care during the upcoming holidays. In order to be there for others, one must FIRST attend to her/his own needs! It is no secret that family gatherings can be more stressful than joyful at times. For some, mental health challenges will ebb and flow for the next month more so vs other times during the year. Now is the time to develop a strategy to prepare for these potential stressors. What can you do now? Breathe![1] Simply put, learning proper breathing techniques can move you out of the fight or flight part of your brain and into the problem-solving portion of your brain…in essence, allowing a reset. As the old saying goes. You cannot pour from an empty cup! Here’s some clear and concise advice from Arthur Ashe:

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

In addition, I urge you to PLEASE take a few minutes now to review the array of assistance available in the recently released STL Building Trades Wellness Coalition’s Resource link provided below.[2] In other words, be intentionally proactive so that when a need arises, you are prepared with an array of options. To this end, one can access help from obtaining food or diapers to mental health services to assistance with utilities and so on. Please share this information as you see fit. And, remember that 988 is available 24/7/365. Use it BEFORE the issues you are faced with become a crisis.

I wish you and yours a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Sources: [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEmt1Znux58&t=14s

[2] https://constructforstl.org/stl-building-trades-wellness-coalition-holiday-resource-guide/

Workplace Violence / Construction Worker / Death

Chicago Fights for DEI

Thanksgiving & Loss

Workers / Holidays / MH

Purdue’s Opioids Settlement

Athletes & MH

Prop Bets = Scandals

ADHD Meds & Kids

Addiction & Weight Loss Drug

Phones / Computers / Aging Brains

Cross-Stitch Benefits

Shifting the HC Narrative

Milan: Hockey Neck Guards

Animals & Tools

Parents / Concussions / Brain Health

Starbucks Strike Escalates

UFW & Trump

UMW & Trump

US-DOL / Cuts / Impact

Tariffs / Trump / Prices

MO / Legal Immigrants / Food Assistance

MTG & Trump

MTG Fallout

M Kelly / J Epstein / Teens

Trump & Media: Fear or Favor?

Political Scandals

Dismantling US-ED?

Cuts / Science / Regression

Promoting False Vax?

Mexico / Trump / Military

Tracking Down a Narco-Kingpin

Civics Lesson

Law / High School / Passion

Do Degrees Still Matter?

Growth of Apprenticeships

UK: Low Wages & Happy Workers

Baby Boomer Wealth

Layoff Blunders

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Lethal Means Safety: Vets (12/4)

Crisis Response Planning: Vets (12/10)

Cannabis Use Disorder (12/12)

Antagonist (12/13)

Hard Hat Courage Resources

SUD & Employers

MH Screening

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

November 24, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 17th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 17, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at the impact of a Military Vet’s incarceration—to how teens stepped in to fill the Mental Health needs of peers after DC’s cuts—to the concept of food as medicine.

This week I would like to discuss the impact of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) on our Vets. I approach this topic initially from a historical perspective via the first article. Wherein, Stahl takes a closer look at the ‘invisible’ scars left by WWII.[1] This made me reflect…as I recalled speaking to a 72 yo friend of mine a few years ago. He told me how it only recently dawned on him why the father of the family next door was so ‘tough’ on his kids. Why? Mostly because due to the returning service members from Vietnam, it was not until 1980 that PTSD was recognized as a diagnosis. Many of us—who had family members that served in WWII—may recall the term shell-shocked.

From a contemporary standpoint, women service members are quickly growing in numbers. However, being the minority, they are often overlooked or misunderstood. Due to gender-related discrimination, women are sometimes excluded from a variety of military roles which can negatively impact their sense of belonging and result in mental health challenges.[2] Furthermore, nearly 40% of women Vets (vs <4% for men) have experienced MST (Military Sexual Trauma). In a system where reporting seems futile, these survivors often feel a sense of institutional betrayal.

To me, as a +40-year construction professional, the latter story sounds all too familiar. In fact, this past Friday, I attended a funeral of a former pre-apprentice. A female trades-worker who was killed in an act of domestic violence. With 1 in 4 women being subjected to domestic violence, we must seek solutions to protect and prevent our mothers, sisters, and children from harm.[3] EACH one of us has a duty to become active bystanders who are willing to step in to assist those in need. I strongly urge labor and management training trustees to explore a couple of programs that come to mind:

Mentorship Matters: improves safety and relationships on the job https://mentorshipmatters.com

RISE Up: promotes a respectful work environment via the ‘bystander intervention’ model

https://riseup4equity.org/

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Sources: [1] https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/the-wounded-generation-bearing-the-invisible-scars-of-war/

[2] https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/invisible-ranks-the-untold-battle-for-women-veterans-mental-health/?ekey=RUtJRDo0ODgyNTJFMC0yNkNBLTQzMEUtQkQxQS1DNTNEODcxREU3NDQ%3D&utm_campaign=emailname&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–RC9307VPXswM6V7yJVzP_gSTXPbiMvfFKdGnhzxLPLtqfjsDUQ_Q-sgDm0SSuqtSGLK5ltzTIqFLZcmwfR1LDjJ8l2Q&_hsmi=389602364&utm_source=hs

[3] https://lydiashouse.org/

Women Vets / MH / Domestic Violence

WWII / PTSD / Invisible Wounds

Vets & ‘Fraudsters’

Vet: Life After War

Teens / MH / Stepping Up

NY & Assisted Suicide

CIA & Afghan’s Opium

Business Safety for Colder Months

Fruits & Veggies as Medicine

Syncing Your Body’s Clock

15-minute Walk & Longevity

Grief & Walking

Dying before 65?

SCOTUS & Gay Marriage

Small Games & Big Bets

IAM & Boeing End Strike

PA Newspaper Strike

UMW on Coal

ATC / Trump / Pay

Trump / Science / Funding

Quieting Dissent

Author’s Advice

Epstein Files?

Labor Shortage vs Jobs Shortage

Impact of Grade Inflation

Denying Visas for Obesity…

Gardening / Slavery / Resilience

SNAP Whiplash

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Caregiving: Ups & Downs (11/18)

Vets: Talk Saves Lives (11/18)

AGC-MO Safety Forum (11/20)

Your Mind & Money (11/20)

Global Women’s Summit (11/20)

Suicide Loss Survivors Day (11/22)

Cannabis & Ethics (12/5)

Social Media / SUD / MH (12/10)

Antagonist – Premier (12/13)

Suicide Prevention for LQBTQ+

Upstream Suicide Prevention

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

November 17, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 10th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 10, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at how the decline in unionized workplaces can be linked to the rise in substance misuse in communities—to the importance of establishing a ‘code’ word for your family—to an uplifting story of a once troubled kid who now plays an instrumental role in helping cultivate Howard U’s next generation of scientists.

This week I would like to discuss the impact of finances on one’s health. The first article recognizes that more employees today are turning to their employers for assistance when it comes to managing their debt. In fact, Harris cites, “… employers are doing a better job at least recognizing that financial wellness is actually really important to retain really good talent or find really good talent.”[1] However, offering help is not enough. Employers need to work with their vendors that provide related assistance (i.e., EAP) in order to track the use of these services in a discrete manner and tweak their offerings to increase effectiveness.

The second article involved a poll of 9k adults. The findings indicate that financial well-being plays a big part regarding older Americans’ quality of life…which, in turn, can affect their physical health, social life and even cognitive skills. To this end, Najmabadi points out,

Low-income seniors are more likely to experience mental confusion, spend less time pursuing hobbies, and face difficulties with everyday tasks such as climbing stairs and grocery shopping, compared with their more affluent counterparts…[which] underscores how differently retirement can play out for people on opposite sides of the income scale, at a time when the youngest baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — are transitioning out of the workforce.[2[

Meanwhile, the third article addresses the need for spouses/partners to take more active roles in their household’s financial decision-making. Far too often, one partner takes the reigns and due to an unforeseen death, leaves the remaining partner managing finances during a period of profound grief. Dagher proclaims, “The problem disproportionately affects women, who on average live longer than men and might have been expected to leave investing to their partners.”[3] Hint: Take small steps…the first one being: Keep a shared list of their accounts and passwords in a secure place.

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Sources: [1] https://www.plansponsor.com/financial-wellness-increases-can-improve-physical-mental-health/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io&utm_campaign=newsletter

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/11/06/pew-survey-aging-income/

[3] https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/widow-financial-planning-36ce4608?st=R9jh1K&reflink=article_gmail_share

Declining Union Membership & SUD/OUD

Deadlier than Fentanyl

MO Prisons & Mentally Ill

AI Views: Therapy & Therapists

Broken: AI in Schools

SAD

Dr Grok

Chatbots / Friends / Socialization

Financial Wellness Improves Health

Income / Aging / Health

Spouses / Death / Finances

Reclaiming Your Voice

Your Family’s Code Word

Box Breathing

Fall Self-Care Tips

Sleep Supplements?

Fixing Pickleball Noise?

Sports & MH

Another NFL Suicide?

OH: Teacher Union’s Rally

Update: JBS v UFCW

MO: SMART Strike

MO: Coffee Workers Rally

Starbucks / Workers / Boycott

ATC / Lives / Nation’s Safety

Mid-term Voter Disapproval

DEMS: Woke & Weak?

Trump / Immigration / Construction

Trump / Xi / Fentanyl

US: Not at the G20 Table

China’s Control Beyond Rare Earths

Rich v Poor = Revolution?

Sandwich Assault?

US-DOL’s Misguided Media Campaign

From Prison to PhD

Data on Disappearing Jobs

College & Double Majors?

Decline of Special Ed

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Suicide Protection (11/13)

Noise, Hearing Loss / Dementia (11/13)

SUD/OUD & Recovery Friendly Employers (11/18)

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day (11/22)

Helping Struggling Students (12/9)

MO: Construction’s Hike for Hope (April 2026)

Suicide Postvention is Prevention

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

November 10, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Missouri Apprentice Ready Program, News, Success Stories

Serena’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Serena Green needed a fresh start after spending two years in prison and struggling with addiction. “I never had a working life before,” Green stated. She learned about the Missouri Works Initiative through her employment specialist and made a connection that changed her life. After speaking with Rudy Chavez, Construction Coordinator in Kansas City, and Jordan Baker who works with local contractor JE Dunn, Serena joined the Apprenticeship Ready in Construction Program for “a fresh start.”

Missouri Works Initiative is proud to provide students like Serena with work and safety gear, assistance with transportation, mentoring, and more. Serena brought a strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, and a can-do attitude towards coursework and training that carried her through graduation to employment. From the classroom to on-site visits at training centers and job sites, Serena and her class got hands-on experience with a variety of construction trades and skills. Serena took a special interest in grading, cement finishing, and electrical insulators. These are just a few of the skills her group had an opportunity to work on and learn about.

The Missouri Works Initiative program taught Serena more than hands-on skills; she spent time learning about soft skills like “time management for sure, eye contact, preparation,” as she stated in her interview. The interviews are an important part of the curriculum. Serena stated to “never go into an interview blind, do your research on (the job) you’re interviewing for and the company.” Part of the apprenticeship program is helping graduates find a career after completing the program, but it’s up to the students to research, prepare, and interview with a potential employer on their own and showcase the skills they have learned in their coursework.

After graduation, Serena secured a job as a union laborer with LiUNA Local 264 doing everything from cleaning up job sites to moving furniture with general contractor JE Dunn Construction, “great company by the way,” adds Serena. This job was life-changing for Serena, “I now have a car, looking for my own place, and I now have security knowing I’ve started my career as a (union) laborer.”

Serena wanted to thank Rudy Chavez, Jordan Baker, and the whole Missouri Works Initiative family for their help in getting her on her feet and into a rewarding career, “Thank you Missouri Works Initiative for giving me a fresh start in life…this program gave me a second chance and I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunity.”

Start your journey here.

November 6, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative

Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 3rd

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 3, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at the proliferation of dangerous products being sold to teen-agers at Gas Stations and Smoke Shops—to a recent study suggesting that modeling vulnerability can help address Mental Health issues in the construction industry—to what sleep doctors want us to know about the impact of time changes on our bodies and minds.

This week I would like to discuss the importance of what we say and how we say it. In the first article, Weil insists, “When someone is grieving, just say something.”[1] Her advice is based on the experience of losing a child. While she acknowledges that most of us do not know what to say in the midst of a tragic loss, there are some lessons she learned thereafter worth sharing and a few not so much.

The second article is mostly focused on reducing tensions during tense conversations but nevertheless offers tips applicable to the difficult situation mentioned above. A few are listed below:[2]

1) I hear you: When grief and trauma are involved, people do not need fixing…they need someone to listen. (Active listening requires one to step outside of their problem-solving mode and into a mode that many of us are not familiar/comfortable with. Hint: Remember the acronym WAIT: Why am I talking?)

2) Let’s find a way through this together: While most parents never get over the death of a child, they do find paths to ‘walk alongside’ their loss. In this time of need, they need support. (Helping with everyday tasks (i.e., grass cutting, grocery shopping, cooking meals, walking the dog, etc.) gives those in distress time and space. Hint: If you offer to do something…show up and do it!)

3) I appreciate you bringing this up: Gratitude builds trusts and, in turn, long term relationships. (When someone in need shares intimate details, it is incumbent upon us to use that info in a helping or healing manner. Hint: The ONLY time one should break that trust is when the person in need is thinking about hurting her/himself and/or others.)

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Sources: [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/01/18/death-mourning-baby-grief-support/

[2] https://geediting.com/gen-10-phrases-that-instantly-lower-tension-in-difficult-conversations-according-to-psychology/

WARNING: Gas Station/Smoke Shop (7-OH) Kratom

Construction / MH / Vulnerability

Mourning & Greif: What to say?

Tension: Language Matters

Trump’s CDC Cuts Compromise Public Health & Safety

White House Demo & Asbestos Concerns

2025: Workers’ MH Decline

Women / Menopause / Silence

Cancer Avoidance?

Corn Belt: Rise of Cancer

Exercise: The Right Amount?

What Sleep Drs Wany You to Know

Full Moon & Sleep

Toilets / Tech / Science

Quiz: Microplastics

Negotiating: Monthly Bills

Boeing Workers Reject Latest Offer

Defense Workers’ Strikes & National Security

SOB: Employers do well when…

2028: Third Term?

Newsom & Prop 50…

DEI: No Scaling Back Now

US Surgeon General: Qualified?

China: Africa’s Mining Disaster

Good Employee Leave = Good Retention

More Applications = Less Quality?

Micro-shifting?

Lunch Guilt?

Undervaluing Employees?

Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 27th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 27, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at advances with Parkinson’s disease—to an examination of football player safety: NFL v High School—to how tariffs have caused shortages and raised the price of firetrucks in communities.

This week I would like to discuss—what I believe to be—our nation’s next Mental Health crisis: Sports Gambling Addiction. In fact, I will go as far as saying that this issue potentially has the makings of doing worse damage than our current decades-long Opioids crisis! So, unless you have not turned on a TV or radio or live streamed news in the past week, you have heard that the FBI made several arrests connecting former and current NBA players and Underworld figures with sports-related betting schemes.[1]

Let’s face it…this is NOT rocket science! We have been here before, and, yet, NOT learned from our mistakes. This is not merely an issue of unintended consequences. It is pure and simple GREED. History reveals that when you open the flood gates crime follows. Just consider how many college sports teams and/or games are supported via alcohol advertising by A-B, Miller, etc. Meanwhile telling its audiences to drink responsibly fully knowing that many of those viewers are underage!

One month ago, I addressed the dangers of this topic in our WW blog and, in fact, our industry recently held a seminar focusing on those threats. Just yesterday, Jason Gay’s (WSJ) brutally honest piece struck right at the heart of the Sports Gambling debacle briefly captured below[2]:

Shocking? Hardly. I couldn’t have been the only person watching that highly dramatic press conference, thinking of the gambling trade’s daily assault on our senses—ads, ads, and more ads—saying: Well, what did anyone expect?

And, just last night, as I was watching a college football game the NCAA ran an ad called “Draw the line.”[3] This campaign is directed towards gamblers who lose bets and then turn their anger towards college athletes. I found it necessary to share a quote from their website below:

Sports betting is everywhere – your friends, family and classmates are placing bets, ads are impossible to miss, and the prevalence of harassment from angry fans who lost a bet continues to increase.

Seriously? The NCAA opened Pandora’s Box by cutting deals with these Sports Betting firms, making a king’s ransom on the deals, and then blames the people they need to help fuel this dystopian machine. As with the alcohol ads of yesteryear, Sports Gambling smacks its viewers with never-ending promos. The incredible amounts of money changing hands throughout the ecosystem seems to blind good, ‘second-order consequences’ type of thinking. When it comes to GREED, Gay said it best, this is “The surest of sure things.”

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

Source [1] https://www.npr.org/2025/10/23/nx-s1-5583614/nba-gambling-arrests-terry-rozier-chauncey-billups

[2] https://www.wsj.com/sports/basketball/the-most-inevitable-scandal-in-sports-history-b9d2c5c7?st=Va72n8&reflink=article_gmail_share

[3] www.ncaa.org/drawtheline

AI & Teen Suicide

FBI / NBA / Arrests

NBA & Gambling: What could go wrong?

Parkinson’s Deep Brain Stim Surgery