May 22, 2008

Alliance Unions Put Political Program in Place
 
As part of the new four-union Alliance CWAers join United Steel Workers members in Pittsburgh for grassroots training.

The strategic alliance established by CWA, the United Auto Workers, the United Steel Workers and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers already is showing results from the unions’ joint political actions with more plans underway to carry out a successful strategy for Election 2008.

Members and activists of the Alliance unions in seven states -- Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania – will work together this election year to elect senators and more members of Congress who support our key issues of Employee Free Choice, health care reform, retirement security and fair trade.

In a May 22 conference call, the union presidents plus political staff from all four unions rolled out the program.

"We all know what we have to do," said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. "There’s a lot of hard work needed to get this job done. The most effective action comes from the field, and our unions are determined to put together a program that’s strong and successful," he said.

IFPTE President Greg Junemann outlined the key races in the states, noting that the unions have a real opportunity in Virginia, Mississippi and Minnesota to elect Democratic senators, and can make a real difference in all seven states.

"Our unions have made a huge commitment to getting more done than ever before," said USW President Leo Gerard. "The efforts will be coordinated at the state level, with each union’s state, legislative and political staff playing a key role. We’ll look at congressional districts and U.S. Senate races where we can make a real difference, as well as be very involved in the presidential race," he said.

CWA President Larry Cohen recounted the Alliance’s successes so far in the special House election wins in Mississippi and Louisiana, where Alliance unions were particularly active. "We did joint worksite leafleting and joint phone banking, contacting 10,000 union households. Neighborhood walks, "robo calls" and phone banking in conjunction with the USW helped reinforce our four key issues for members," he said.

The program will be coordinated at the state level by the political staff of all four unions, who will hold weekly conference calls and conversations. There will be joint mailings and materials, as well as block walks so activists can meet face-to-face with their co-workers and neighbors, plus other activities. The first meeting will be held the end of May.

Together, the four unions of the Alliance represent more than 3 million active and retired members.

Workers at FairPoint, Translators, Day-Care Workers Join CWA
 
Solidarity by workers at Books & Rattles day-care centers in Queens, N.Y., overcame management's brutal anti-union tactics.

More than 300 workers gained CWA representation last week during separate organizing victories in New England, New York and California.

In the rural Maine communities of South China and Winthrop, 72 workers at two FairPoint call centers extended CWA representation to formerly nonunion workers at the small telecom that purchased Verizon's New England landline business. This is the first group of FairPoint workers to organize since the deal was approved, according to District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton.

They organized through the neutrality and card check provision CWA negotiated in its recently-approved contract extension for the 3,000 former Verizon employees at the company. CWA Local 1400 shop stewards Jonathan Putnam and Jeanne Picardi assisted the workers along with local President Cheryl Ahearn.

At five locations in Queens, New York, 90 workers at Books & Rattles day-care centers withstood a brutal, anti-union campaign to prevail and gain representation with CWA Local 1180. The vote was 60-27 in an NLRB election where management engaged in blatant violations of the law to frighten union supporters. The company conducted captive-audience meetings the day of the election, a clear violation of the law, disciplined three workers for their protected union activity, and posted supervisors outside the voting area to intimate workers.

Chief concerns are low pay, health care, pensions, and job security. The workers, assisted by Local 1180 organizer Erin Mahoney, refused to buckle under. More than 20 workers made up a vocal inside committee who publicly sported pro-union buttons.

In a 14-month long campaign, 162 workers at Metropolitan Translators, a firm contracted to translate wiretaps for the Drug Enforcement Administration, gained representation with CWA Local 9400, Los Angeles. The vote in the NLRB election was 67-41.  The workers overcame an anti-union campaign and geographical obstacles – they are scattered throughout Southern California.  They were assisted by Local organizers Jeff Finley and Marco Ramirez.

By Huge Margin, House Votes to Make Flight Attendants FMLA Eligible
 
Intense lobbying by AFA-CWA flight attendants, pictured with supporters Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), secured near unanimous House approval for legislation to extend FMLA leave coverage for flight crews.

With unprecedented bipartisan support from Republicans and Democrats, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly, 402 to 9, to approve AFA-CWA-supported legislation that will enable flight attendants and pilots to be eligible for coverage under the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

AFA-CWA President Patricia Friend called the vote "a major victory for the tens of thousands of airline workers who have repeatedly been denied access to this vital law that has benefited working families for over a decade." Congress never intended to exclude airline workers, but flight attendants and pilots are regularly denied leave because of the way the airlines calculate their work schedules.  While working flights, flight attendants are away from their homes up to 20 days a month but this time is not counted toward FMLA coverage.

Because support was so strong for correcting this inequity, the House agreed to approve the measure in a special "suspension vote" which allows non-controversial legislation to be quickly brought to a vote without being subject to amendments or lengthy debate.

"We have been working for years to clarify FMLA language," Friend stated. "This victory is truly a testament to the spirit of involvement that is a trademark of AFA-CWA members. It was because of the tens of thousands of letters you sent, the phone calls you made, and your face-to-face visits with your representatives that we were able to garner the support that allows this legislation to literally sail through the House of Representatives," she said.

The legislation is expected to win approval in the Senate where companion legislation, S. 2059, has been introduced by Sen. Hillary Clinton along with 26 co-sponsors.

Guild Election Set for June for Bay Area Newspaper Workers
 
San Francisco Bay Area staffers working for MediaNews-owned papers chat after a Northern California Newspaper Guild mobilizers meeting at CWA offices. Workers will vote on TNG-CWA representation on June 13. (Photo by D. Ross Cameron)

Workers eager for a union at the San Francisco Bay Area's largest newspaper chain will cast ballots June 13 under an agreement reached with MediaNews Group management.

Earlier this month, a solid majority of 250 eligible workers at Bay Area papers in six communities signed cards seeking representation by TNG-CWA's Northern California Media Guild. Management refused to recognize the card-check vote but agreed to an election date after the union petitioned the National Labor Relations Board.

"So many of us have been working for months to get to this moment," said reporter and organizing campaign co-chair Sara Steffens. "We're eager for the opportunity to have a union that works productively with management like our colleagues at The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and news outlets across the Bay Area and across the country. We have a lot of practical, solution-oriented contributions to make during this challenging time for our profession."

The would-be Guild members have put on an energetic and positive campaign dubbed "One Big BANG: One Guild Universe," which is online at www.onebigbang.org. Their newspapers are operated by the Bay Area News Group-East Bay (BANG-EB), owned by Denver-based MediaNews.

Last summer, MediaNews merged newsroom operations at the Oakland Tribune and four smaller newspapers with the non-union Contra Costa Times. As a result, overall Guild membership in the new entity stood at less than half, which allowed MediaNews to withdraw recognition of the Guild units at the five unionized papers, dissolving a 20-year bargaining relationship.

The Guild saw an opportunity of its own, and began to organize the Contra Costa paper and re-organize the other papers. Throughout, they have tried to maintain a positive relationship with MediaNews.

"We're looking forward to continuing the productive working dynamic with management that allowed us to quickly nail down this election date and related issues," said another reporter and campaign co-chair,  Michael Manekin. "We're focused on working together to ensure our papers and Web sites are as efficient and high-quality as possible."

Newspaper Guild Banquet Honors the Best in Journalism

The Newspaper Guild-CWA celebrated the best in journalism Wednesday night at the annual Freedom Fund Award banquet, whose honorees included a BBC journalist who was held hostage in the Gaza Strip for four months and Washington Post reporters who exposed abusive conditions at Walter Reed Medical Center.

Alan Johnston, the former BBC Gaza correspondent, received the Herbert Block Freedom Award in recognition of his commitment to reporting in the face of grave personal danger.

The last Western reporter remaining in Gaza in March 2007, Johnston was abducted by Palestinian militants barely two weeks before he was supposed to leave. He spent 114 days in captivity, all of it taking a huge psychological and physical toll on him, and an emotional toll on his family. He was finally released on July 4, 2007.

The Herbert Block Award, which comes with a $5,000 check, is named for the famed Washington Post cartoonist – known as Herblock -- who died in 2001.  A Guild member for 67 years, Block left $50,000 to the international union. His gift funds the annual award for journalists who embody the true spirit of freedom of the press.

Dana Priest and Anne Hull of the Washington Post were awarded the 2007 Heywood Broun Award for their series on the abysmal conditions and bureaucratic failures that badly wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been forced to contend with at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The series also won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize.

The revelations about Walter Reed brought national outrage, spurred the resignation of the Secretary of the Army and senior hospital officials, and led to the creation of a bi-partisan commission to review the situation and improve it. The Broun award, named for the columnist who helped found the Guild, also comes with a $5,000 check.

The Broun judges – a six-member team of top American journalists who read 117 entries -- also gave awards of substantial distinction to print reporters Michael Riley of the Denver Post and Charles Duhigg of the New York Times. Riley uncovered massive failure by the federal judicial system to investigate and prosecute serious crime on U.S. Indian reservations and Duhigg reported on the financial exploitation of older Americans. Both received a $1,000 cash prize.

An honorable mention was awarded to Ray Ring of the High Country News for his investigation of the rising trend in accidents and deaths among oil and gas workers in six western states. Ring works in a one-person bureau 850 miles from his magazine's headquarters.

The banquet also honored some of the most promising young journalists, who received awards named for the late Guild attorney David S. Barr. High school student Sophie Cox of Atlanta won a $500 scholarship for her reporting on subsidized housing and the dire effects of cuts in federal funding. Titania Kumeh of San Francisco State University won a $1,500 scholarship for exposing the environmental crimes of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. A honorable mention went to Erin Rosa of Metro State College in Denver, whose three-part series on a federal prison probed labor issues, dangerous conditions and neglect.

Locals Representing 350,000 Sign Million Member Pledge So Far

So far, 327 CWA locals representing 350,000 members have signed on to recruit at least 15 percent of their members to sign cards and add their photos as part of the Million Member Mobilization to restore workers' rights in America.

CWA and the rest of the labor movement are working to deliver a million cards supporting the Employee Free Choice Act to the new president and congressional leaders early next year, and to plaster the House and Senate chambers with the faces of rank and file workers demanding passage of the bill.  CWA's goal is to get at least 85,000 signed cards with many thousands of photos.

To add your local to the pledge list, go to www.cwa-union.org/efca/pledgeyourlocal and sign up; you will be taken to a page to order cards for your members to sign. 

Locals that have enlisted in the Million Member Mobilization so far are as follows:

District 1:

1022, 1025, 1031, 1032, 1033, 1034, 1037, 1040, 1077, 1079, 1080, 1081, 1084, 1086, 1087, 1088, 1089, 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1108, 1109, 1113, 1115, 1117, 1118, 1122, 1126, 1133, 1152, 1168, 1170, 1177, 1180, 1182, 1298, 1301, 1365, 1400, 1701, 14148, 14156, 14164, 14169, 14177, 21005, 21027, 31003, 31034, 51011, 51014, 51016, 51017, 51021, 51025, 51026, 51211, 81076, 81106, 81134, 81201, 81298, 81319, 81381, 81384, 81408, 81427, 81440, 81455, 81475 and 81495

District 2:

2001, 2100, 2101, 2106, 2107, 2108, 2201, 2202, 2204, 2205, 2222, 2252, 2275, 2336, 32035, 52027, 52031, 82075, 82130, 82161 and82627

District 3:

3106, 3122, 3179, 3201, 3204, 3372, 3402, 3407, 3603, 23060, 23086, 23089, 83181, 83698, 83701, 83711, 83718, 83761 and 83799

District 4:

4004, 4008, 4034, 4040, 4050, 4100, 4108, 4123, 4202, 4217, 4300, 4302, 4309, 4319, 4320, 4322, 4326, 4340, 4371, 4400, 4401, 4501, 4502, 4603, 4611, 4620, 4621, 4622, 4630, 4671, 4818, 4900, 14408, 14430, 24046, 24051, 24094, 54041, 54042, 54044, 54046, 84101, 84415, 84555, 84705, 84707, 84717, 84719, 84725, 84727, 84742, 84745, 84755, 84798, 84800, 84808, 84809, 84911, 84913 and 84999

District 6:

6001, 6009, 6012, 6015, 6016, 6086, 6110, 6113, 6127, 6128, 6132, 6137, 6139, 6143, 6150, 6151, 6171, 6186, 6200, 6201, 6202, 6203, 6206, 6210, 6214, 6215, 6222, 6225, 6228, 6229, 6290, 6301, 6312, 6313, 6314, 6316, 6320, 6327, 6350, 6360, 6377, 6502, 6503, 6505, 6507, 6508, 6733, 86116, 86782 and 86821

District 7:

7011, 7019, 7026, 7032, 7037, 7050, 7055, 7070, 7076, 7101, 7102, 7103, 7110, 7170, 7171, 7200, 7201, 7203, 7212, 7219, 7250, 7272, 7301, 7303, 7304, 7400, 7401, 7470, 7500, 7505, 7603, 7610, 7621, 7704, 7705, 7708, 7716, 7717, 7743, 7750, 7777, 7790, 7800, 7803, 7804, 7810, 7812, 7816, 7817, 7818, 7901, 7906, 7908, 14705, 14708, 37083, 57052 and 57411

District 9:

9000, 9119, 9333, 9400, 9408, 9410, 9412, 9413, 9414, 9415, 9417, 9421, 9423, 9431, 9477, 9503, 9505, 9509, 9510, 9511, 9573, 9575, 9586, 9588, 14921, 29099, 59051, 59053 and 59057

District 13:

13000, 13101, 13301, 13500, 14827, 14830, 14842, 58213, 88329, 88502, 88612, 88623, 88643, 88648 and 88651

IN BRIEF:
  • CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara J. Easterling was honored recently by two major organizations for her support for community organizations and causes.

    In Baltimore, 2,000 United Way top leaders and staff attended as Easterling received the Joseph A. Beirne Award, recognition of her years of service to the labor movement and its longtime partnership with the United Way. Easterling had served on the United Way board for the past decade.

    That same week, the Faith & Politics Institute called Easterling "a model of working people's charitable commitment to human dignity in our communities and in the world" and honored her at the annual St. Joseph's Day breakfast for her efforts in the fight against Pediatric AIDS.

    CWA President Larry Cohen said "Barbara is probably the best link to community organizations in our labor movement.  At both events, it was stunning to hear one leader after another describe his or her personal relationship with Barbara and her support and work on behalf of a long list of community organizations.  The benefits of Barbara's work and relationships will continue into the future far past her retirement."

    Easterling is retiring as CWA secretary-treasurer at the convention next month.


  • CWA and its media sectors are cheering the U.S. Senate for dealing a bipartisan blow to Big Media last week, voting unanimously to reverse a 2007 FCC decision that lets one owner control both a newspaper and TV stations in the same market.

    CWA leaders and other opponents of what's known as cross-ownership said they will push the House to follow the Senate in blocking the tidal wave of media consolidation.

    Throughout the Bush administration, the media giants have continuously pressed for FCC rules to let them dominate media markets at the expense of the public's right to access to diverse news, opinion and entertainment options. Consolidation has also cost tens of thousands of jobs.

    Jonathan Adelstein, one of the two Democrats on the five-member FCC, called the Senate's bipartisan vote "a great victory of the people over the powerful."


  • Workers at all income levels enjoy better pay if they're represented by a union, but for low-wage workers being a union member means an even bigger boost in their earning power, according to a new study from the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

    Nationwide, CEPR said the typical union-represented worker earns 13.7 percent more than non-unionized workers. But for those in the bottom tenth of the wage scale, unions mean an extra 20.6 percent on average, or $1.57 an hour.

    "Unions give the biggest boost to low-wage workers because these are the workers that have the least bargaining power in the labor market," said John Schmitt, a CEPR senior economist and author of the study. "Unionization has a large and measurable impact on the bargaining power, and therefore the wages, of low-wage workers."

    The study, "The Union Advantage for Low-Wage Workers" is available online at www.cepr.net.