May 27, 2010

Check Out these New 'Ready for the Future' Proposals!

As a result of feedback and comments from CWA locals and members, we have made some changes to the most recent Ready for the Future proposals that will be considered by delegates at the 2010 CWA Convention.

The new proposals, approved by the Executive Board, are online at http://www.cwa-union.org/pages/future. Members are encouraged to check out the new proposals and voice comments and ideas by logging on at http://rff.cwaforum.com and entering this access code: CWARFF2010. Note that anonymous comments can't be accepted.

Changes to the proposals include:

• Four year terms for national officers, instead of two-year terms. In comments and postings, many locals indicated that holding elections at every convention might not be an effective way to carry out other convention business.  
• In non-convention years, appeals will be addressed at a Presidents meeting. 
• Clarification of language regarding the Communications and Technologies and Telecom sectors merger, to make it clear that bargaining responsibilities remain the same. This is a language change only.

This Ready for the Future effort is carrying out the 2005 CWA convention mandate to look at the "right sizing" of the CWA Executive Board by 2011 and to review the use of union resources to make sure our approach is effective and efficient. Any recommendations must be acted on by delegates at the 2010 convention to be implemented in 2011.

The Ready for the Future plan already has been a big success. Working together, we've accomplished a lot, including a hugely successful strategic industry fund (SIF) program that has financed bold campaigns, like Speed Matters, telecom fights and health care and bargaining rights. We have included local leader perspective through the at-large members on the Executive Board and built an active Stewards Army that has made a real difference.   

Fighting Cruel Budget Cuts, 35,000 Turn Out for Massive NJ Rally

In the largest rally in New Jersey history, thousands of CWA members and some 35,000 activists in all jammed the state capitol grounds in Trenton to denounce the Governor's budget that will devastate vital services but give millionaires more tax breaks.

Some 7,000 CWA members from more than 30 public and private sector locals were joined by 20 other unions and more than 100 organizations, community groups, environmental and anti-poverty activists, the faith community, and more.

In a speech that rocked the crowd, CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton said "we are experiencing the most severe, pervasive and sustained attack on public employees, public employee unions and public sector collective bargaining" since workers got the right to organize.

"We are saying loud and clear to those folks in the Statehouse, whether they are sitting in the governor's office or the Legislature, we are fed up, and we are not going to take it anymore.

Today marks "the beginning of a new political movement in this state, one that stands in opposition to the kinds of cruel and unnecessary cuts that are devastating New Jersey. One that says to all elected officials, if you want our support, you have to earn it."

Budget cuts and privatization schemes proposed by Republican Governor Chris Christie would devastate services for the disabled and elderly, and slash funding for education and local government. Yet just last week, Christie vetoed a bill that would have raised taxes on millionaires to offset some of the pain being felt by everyone else.

Outraged activists have put lawmakers on notice that they will share the blame if Christie's proposals aren't curtailed by the Legislature.

Watch a video of the rally here.

Health Benefits Restored for 140 Windstream Retirees, CWA Keeps up Fight

CWA has won a round in the fight to safeguard retiree health care at Windstream. Windstream is restoring health benefits to about 140 retirees who had worked at the company's former GTE properties in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The retirees, represented by CWA Local 6171, are among the 3,000 Windstream retirees affected by the company's plan to terminate retiree health care in July.

Using a Windstream Strategic Industry Fund campaign, CWA is pushing to maintain retiree health at the company.  Through legal research and discovery, CWA determined that an Asset Purchase Agreement between GTE properties in the three states, and Valor, one of the companies that merged to form Windstream, protects health care benefits for retirees who worked for GTE in those three states.  

"CWA will be requesting similar documents through the discovery process to try to restore health care to more Windstream retirees," said CWA Telecom Vice President Jimmy Gurganus. In an outrageous move, Windstream is suing dozens of retirees who responded to a survey that the company mailed to them about health care. Workers who answered the question as to whether Windstream had the right to change or terminate retiree benefits with "no," have been sued.

CWA is representing the retirees in this attack.

Union Election Certified at One Dish Network Unit in Texas

Three months after Dish Network workers voted 25-19 for CWA representation at the Farmers Branch, Tex., facility, the full National Labor Relations Board finally certified the election. The workers are represented by CWA Local 6171.

Three members of the newly-constituted NLRB voted unanimously to certify the election results. Two of those three votes came from Board members Craig Becker and Mark Pearce who were appointed by President Obama following a big mobilization effort by CWA members.  

The NLRB's action was needed, and fast. Dish Network has engaged in a campaign of retaliation against union supporters ever since the election was held in late February. The company fired workers, stepped up the use of contractors, and made drastic changes in working conditions.

Another unit of Dish Network workers in North Richland Hills, Tex., voted 33-16 for CWA at the same time, but is still waiting for election results to be certified by the NLRB. Since the election, a third of the technicians have been fired by management or have quit because they're not given work assignments.

Some techs are working only one day a week, but all are being required to show up for work even though management sends many of them home immediately, claiming there is no work.

Workers Join CWA in Record Time and at Record Pace

Just a few weeks after 309 workers at AT&T Mobility in Indiana won CWA representation, more than two-thirds have signed up as members and nearly half have joined CWA-COPE.

"Mobility workers are excited to be part of CWA and understand the importance of supporting and participating in political action," said CWA Local 4900 President Tim Strong. After attending the local's first new member orientation, 232 joined CWA, and 154 signed up for COPE.

Strong said the workers, 19 network techs and 290 customer service reps, are looking forward to pay and benefit increases under CWA's "Orange" contract at AT&T Mobility.

"Having worked for Centennial Wireless, which was non-union before being bought by AT&T last year, Mobility workers looked forward to having a voice in the workplace. It was their key issue," Strong said.

CWA District 4 is working to bring CWA representation to several hundred retail workers in Indiana who also worked for Centennial.

Verizon West Members Overwhelmingly Approve New Contract

In a huge vote, CWA members at Verizon West ratified a three-year contract that increases wages by 8.25 percent and holds the line against health care cost-shifting for 5,500 workers in California.

CWA District 9 Vice President Jim Weitkamp said that a very high percentage of members returned ballots; members voted by a margin of 20-1 to approve the contract. He commended the bargaining team and mobilization by locals and members for their hard work that resulted in a quality contract.

The contract establishes a preferred provider health care option for employees, ensures that a sales incentive plan for customer service representatives will remain voluntary and includes an agreement by the company to meet with the union to discuss ways to reduce subcontracting.

NABET-CWA Warns Against Giant TV Broadcasting Alliances

At a field hearing on media ownership in Palo Alto, Calif., NABET-CWA President Jim Joyce urged the FCC to regulate the newest forms of consolidation of TV stations that are costing hundreds of TV station workers their jobs and result in fewer voices covering the news.

NABET-CWA and other unions have expressed concerns about continuing media consolidation since 2002. Using new arrangements like Shared Service Agreements and Local News Services, large broadcast companies including CBS, FOX, and NBC are combining their news coverage and together are deciding which stories to cover and which stories not to cover, Joyce said. This unregulated consolidation of news coverage means that in many major cities, like Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia, "there are fewer news crews on the streets, less dynamic independent news coverage, and fewer antagonistic voices available to inform the public and deepen coverage to feed our democracy."

As stations borrow each other's stories and run them as their own, these consolidations also mean fewer jobs. Joyce noted that hundreds of staff jobs have been lost and many newsroom journalists, technicians and other workers have seen a reduction in their work hours. 

Joyce called on the FCC to review these consolidations and require broadcasters to disclose to the public that they are running stories gathered by other stations. "We believe that these new forms of consolidation, without hearings, without discussion, largely without FCC review or approval, are bad for our industry, bad for the public, a bad use of the public airwaves and do not serve the public interest."

NABET-CWA represents about 9,000 workers at radio and television local and network stations around the country.

Campaign Demands Samsung Protect Korean Workers in Wake of Cancer Deaths

CWA and a network of activists have launched a public campaign and petition drive to pressure the company to protect its Korean workers from deadly toxins.

Eighteen young workers at the Onyang semiconductor factory in Korea have died of blood cancers and two dozen more have been diagnosed with some form of cancer. CWA members and other union and environmental activists leafleted outside Samsung plants.

in Austin, Texas, and San Jose, Calif., calling on Samsung to acknowledge its responsibility for the workers' deaths and the Korean government to enforce the law.

Support Samsung workers by signing the online petition here.

Korean workers commonly call semiconductor plants "cancer factories," where skin and breathing problems, as well as miscarriages, are widespread. A former Samsung engineer recently leaked an internal document confirming that toxins used at Onyang include six known carcinogens. Read more here. 

CWA Safety and Health Director Dave LeGrande said all electronics and computer chip manufacturing involves chemicals, but hazardous toxins can be replaced with safer ones. Employers also can minimize exposure with good ventilation and protective gloves, goggles and disposable clothing. "We're hopeful that this campaign will ensure that happens," he said.

CWA: Keep the Joint Strike Fighter Engine Program

CWA and IUE-CWA members are contacting their U.S. Representatives in Congress to keep the F-136 Alternative Engine Program for the Joint Strike Fighter.

As part of the reauthorization and appropriations bills for military spending, the House will likely vote this week on an amendment that would strip funding for this program from the bill. Thousands of IUE-CWA members work at General Electric and build this competitive engine. These jobs would be eliminated if the amendment passes.

It's not too late: contact your U.S. Representative and urge him or her to oppose efforts to cut the Alternative Engine Program.

Jeff Crosby, president of IUE-CWA Local 81201, has a video message that's being provided to every congressional office, to make sure Representatives know just how important this program is to working families. Watch it here.