March 1, 2007 

Landmark Employee Free Choice Act Passes U.S. House

In an historic victory for working families, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Employee Free Choice Act late Thursday night, making it clear to corporate America that workers — after years of exile by political opponents — can't and won't be ignored in Washington, D.C.

Democratic leaders kept a promise made before and after last fall's election that they would push the party's new majority to pass the landmark workers' rights legislation soon after taking office. The vote was 241-185, with 13 Republicans and all but two Democrats voting in favor.

"Congress today has recognized that collective bargaining is critical in this democracy as it is in every other democracy around the world," CWA President Larry Cohen said. "Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act by the House of Representative is a first step towards restoring the core of the preamble of the Act passed 70 years ago that commits our government to promote collective bargaining in the workplace, not an endless legal battle with management declaring war on their own employees."

CWA members and leaders joined thousands of other union activists for rallies, media events and other action last week to push for passage of the measure as members of Congress made trips to their home districts.

Members with personal stories of struggles against employers to organize and bargain were among the featured speakers at events. They include Comcast technician John Pezzano, vice president of his Pittsburgh unit of CWA Local 13000, and Local 2204 member Teresa Joyce, whose Virginia call center was only able to organize when union-friendly Cingular took over from AT&T.

Noting the high-paid lawyers and "union-avoidance" consultants fueling the corporate side of the debate, Pezzano drew a sharp line between what he called the "anti-union industry" and the workers speaking out on the other side.

"I do not get paid if people go union. I don't earn a living organizing. I don't earn any more money if other people are better paid," he said. "I do this because of what I had to go through, what I saw with my own eyes, the injustice being done."

The Employee Free Choice Act would allow workers to organize when a majority at a worksite signs cards seeking representation. The law calls for first-contract arbitration if parties can't come to agreement and strengthens penalties for employers who break labor laws.

At news conferences and in testimony on Capitol Hill, workers described a similar pattern of threats, intimidation and even firings to keep unions at bay, followed by stalling tactics – when workers voted to organize anyway – to drag out contract negotiations indefinitely.

Lawmakers Lean on Seidenberg for Recognition

Several members of the House and Senate have written to Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, asking that he accept a cardcheck majority and recognize the right of hundreds of workers at Verizon Business to union representation. CWA organizers report that more than half of VZB technicians have signed union authorization forms in several locations.

"These workers will soon be requesting that Verizon recognize CWA-IBEW based on a neutral third party's verification that a majority of the technicians have signed union authorization cards," Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote on behalf of those VZB workers in the Northeast.

In their Feb. 22 letter, they pointed out that they are among the original sponsors of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make cardcheck recognition the law of the land, and that the legislation "has now been endorsed by a majority of the members of our new Congress."

"It is our sincere hope that you will work with your valued employees and respect their decision to unionize and facilitate prompt negotiations on a first contract," they wrote.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) earlier wrote a similar letter.

On Feb. 23, New Jersey Reps. Steven Rothman, Donald Payne, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell Jr., Albio Sires and Rob Andrews also wrote Seidenberg, supporting the cardcheck campaign at VZB and the Employee Free Choice Act.

"We believe (recognition) is in the best interest of the company, its employees and the public," they wrote.

The congressional letters came in response to visits from VZB workers and CWA and IBEW activists. More than 3,000 shop stewards have signed a statement of support for the workers. CWA Districts 1 and 13 have strongly supported their campaign.

NABET-CWA: Job Security a Key Issue as ABC Bargaining Begins

Negotiations are underway between NABET-CWA and ABC-TV, with the union's bargaining team determined to improve members' job security by ensuring that they have access to jobs of the future at the network.

NABET-CWA President John Clark, in a letter to members, said that while NABET members already do much of the work involving emerging technologies at ABC, "our participation depends largely on the 'good will' of the company.

"Our aim in these negotiations is to convince ABC that — based on our talents, dedication, value and professionalism, and our long history in helping build this company into what it is today – our future must be built on a foundation more enduring than someone's good will," Clark said.

As for wages at ABC, where NABET represents about 2,500 workers nationwide, Clark said they've fallen behind pay rates at NBC and CBS and even many independent stations. Other key bargaining issues include preserving members' pension plan, improving retiree health care and preventing rollbacks in work rules.

In an opening statement when bargaining began Wednesday in the Washington, D.C. area, Clark reminded the company of its financial strength, and how workers contributed to it.

"It's our belief that, overall, your company has been doing very well of late," he said. "Under the strong, imaginative leadership of Robert Iger, the fortunes of The Walt Disney Company have revived significantly, and ABC has been enjoying a growing success.  Our members have contributed to that success and want to continue helping the company succeed far into the future."

He said NABET negotiators would like to reach agreement with the company before the current four-year contract expires March 31, and will hard toward that goal. However, he cautioned, "We are not prepared to roll over and capitulate to achieve it."

AFA-CWA Opposes Virgin America's Bid to Enter U.S. Market

Seeking to protect the nation's still recovering airline industry, AFA-CWA has asked the Department of Transportation to once again deny the foreign carrier Virgin America permission to fly U.S. domestic routes.

In December, the DOT rejected Virgin America's earlier bid to enter the U.S. market, ruling that the carrier is not owned and operated by U.S. citizens. Airlines with foreign-ownership exceeding 25 percent cannot operate in the United States as a domestic carrier.

The airline said that it has retooled its application to meet DOT approval but AFA-CWA rejected the airline's claimed changes as "cosmetic."

"We are hopeful that the DOT will see through this cosmetic attempt to cover the fact that the airline is still controlled by foreign interests, and once again reject the Virgin America application," said AFA-CWA President Patricia Friend. "If the airline is allowed to take flight, corporations will not stop until they successfully weaken our long-standing foreign investor laws." Friend warned that a weakening of the laws would place the safety and security of U.S. airlines in "severe jeopardy."

AFA-CWA members are conducting a letter-writing campaign to both local and federal officials, asking them to reject Virgin America's bid to compete in the domestic airline market against U.S.-owned carriers. Join in our campaign! Go to www.unionvoice.org/campaign/NoWayVA and tell the DOT to reject Virgin America's application.

IN BRIEF:

  • Spurred by CWA members, Arizona State Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill plans to have March 8 declared "Diane Bacon Day" in Arizona, where the late CWA activist served countless labor and progressive causes.

    Bacon, who was political director for the CWA Arizona State Council, died Dec. 8. On March 8, Bacon's birthday, Burton-Cahill plans to introduce a proclamation to name the day in Bacon's honor.

    Bacon's many years of service included being a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2000 and president of Arizona Jobs with Justice.

  • If you're planning to attend the CWA convention in Toronto in July, you'll need a valid passport. If you don't have one or need to renew yours, do so right away as changes in U.S. State Department travel rules are bringing in tens of thousands of new passport applications.

    The rules, which went into effect in January, require all air travelers 15 and older to have passports for travel between the United States and Canada. For more information about passports, see the State Department webpage: http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/CdaeqwE1-qjT/.