July 30, 2009

Northwest and Delta Flight Attendants Call for Election

AFA-CWA called on the National Mediation Board (NMB) to declare Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines a single transportation carrier so flight attendants at the recently-merged airline can vote to make sure they have bargaining rights and begin the process of building a world class contract.

A union representation election for the airline's 20,000 combined flight attendant workforce will be triggered after the NMB determines that the merged airline is a single carrier. For the 7,000-plus AFA-CWA members at Northwest Airlines, 60 years of collective bargaining rights are at stake in what will be the largest, private sector union election in years. For Delta's 13,000 flight attendants - who have never had union representation - the election will be an opportunity to negotiate a world class contract.

Flight attendants at the airlines have been working together for union representation for more than a year. "Delta flight attendants have a long, proud tradition at the carrier and in order to preserve it we know we need a legal voice at the bargaining table," said Delta flight attendant Marianne Bicksler, an activist in the campaign. "Northwest flight attendants are eager to move forward and play an integral role in strengthening our world class airline," said Northwest flight attendant Rebecca Collier.

"Flight attendants at Delta and Northwest are determined to secure their futures and advance their profession," said AFA-CWA International President Patricia Friend. "With AFA-CWA representation, these flight attendants will work alongside management in negotiating what is best for their careers," she said.

Keep informed about the flight attendants' campaign at www.deltaafa.org.

One More Day to Make the Call for Health Care Reform

It's not too late to make that phone call and tell your representative in Congress to vote "YES" on America's Affordable Health Choices Act, H.R. 3200.

CWA members across the country, along with activists from other unions and allies, have been making calls all week. There's still time -- through Friday, July 31 -- to make your voice heard before the House of Representatives votes on the landmark legislation, which finally could provide all Americans with affordable, quality health care.

CWA's phone call blitz is one way of countering the powerful deep pockets in the insurance industry and Big Pharma that are fighting real reform. "We don't have the money these groups have, but we know that when we stand together we are every bit as powerful," CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill said.

Here's what you do: Call toll-free, (888) 580-0792 and follow the prompts for your name, local and zip code. You'll be automatically put through to your representative's office. Tell your member that you support H.R. 3200 because it's the right thing to do, and it meets CWA's priorities for health care reform:

  • All employers are required to contribute to their employees' coverage.
  • A public insurance plan option.
  • Protects retirees, including pre-Medicare retirees.
  • No taxes on employer-paid benefits for working and middle class families.

For more information on CWA's health care campaign, go to http://www.healthcarevoices.org/.

Standing Up for Health Care

IUE-CWA members stand up for health care for all at Boston rally.

Lots of CWA health care actions underway. At a great event in Boston, more than 300 union and community activists from across the state, including lots of members of IUE-CWA Local 81201 in Lynn, Mass., rallied outside the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.

"The health insurance industry is spending $1.2 million each day trying to defeat health care reform. We're here today to tell them we will not let them kill health care reform," said local vice president Alex Brown.


Turning Up the Heat at AT&T

CWAers from eight locals in District 9 remind the public that AT&T wants "to take the shirts of our backs." The clothesline of 100 t-shirts was strung outside AT&T's California headquarters. 
Mobilization rolls on at AT&T locations nationwide, as CWAers keep up the fight for fair contracts.  

EVP Rodney Jones from Decatur, Alabama, is spreading this word to District 3 members:

"Our bargaining team is working hard to win a fair and just contract but they cannot do it without support from everyone. Some of you may think someone else will do it, and you won't have to worry about it. You are that someone else. This bargaining is the most difficult bargaining that we've seen in years. So if you are not fired up yet, we urge you to shift gears and get FIRED UP!"

In District 9, members from eight locals – 9400, 9408, 9410, 9412, 9415, 9417 and 9432 – strung up a 900-foot-long clothesline of more than 100 t-shirts outside the company's California corporate headquarters and told AT&T: "Go ahead and take the shirts off our backs." CWAers are fighting for fair contracts at AT&T that "let us take care of our families."  

CWAers from Louisiana locals demonstrate for a fair AT&T contract outside the state capitol. Below, a  Local 3704 member reminds AT&T that "cutting health care is a sick idea."

Back in D3, Local 3704 members in Hanahan, S.C., held a health care action day to remind AT&T that "cutting health care is a sick idea." Retirees and supporters from Locals 3204, 3205, 3250 and 3950 picketed outside AT&T's Conyers, Georgia, location. In Duluth, Georgia, activists are planning a big turnout at an AT&T-sponsored "American Idol" concert.

Members from all nine Louisiana CWA locals, plus retirees and others, rallied outside the State Capitol in Baton Rouge for a fair contract.

Negotiations are continuing for contracts covering 100,000 CWA-represented workers. They include East and Yellow Pages, (District 1), Southeast and Advertising Solutions, (District 3), West (CWA District 9), Southwest (District 6) and Legacy T (CWA ComTech unit). CWA District 4 has reached a tentative agreement with AT&T Midwest, covering 20,000 workers.

Members Gear Up Mobilization at Verizon Southwest

As bargaining continues on a new contract covering 3,500 CWAers at Verizon Southwest, members of Local 6171 have stepped up mobilization actions to support their bargaining team as the contract deadline approaches, said bargaining chair and District 6 Staff Representative Jerrell Miller. The current agreement expires on Saturday night, August 15.

The agreement covering 5,500 workers at Verizon West expires March 13, 2010.

Alcatel-Lucent Contracts Out While Cutting Workers' Hours

When Alcatel-Lucent won a bid to upgrade equipment at two 911 centers in Nebraska and Iowa, CWAers at the company hoped it would mean more work. Since April, many of CWA's 1,400 Alcatel-Lucent installers have had to work a reduced, 32-hour, work week because of the economy.

But instead of helping its own workers, the company subcontracted the work to an out-of-state, non-union contractor. "It was hard to for us to see the work go somewhere else," said Paul Coffman, an installer who is president of Local 7290 which represents Alcatel-Lucent workers in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. "Losing 8 hours a week translates into a 20 percent cutback in pay," he said.

Management claims the project requires qualifications and a special certification that union members don't have, but Coffman says that many do the work regularly, which amounts to installing microwave antennas to Alcatel-Lucent routers. "They are making it look like it takes a rocket scientist, which is nonsense," he said.

To help draw attention to the company's action, local union members are conducting informational picketing at company locations in Nebraska and Iowa and are contacting elected officials.

CWA, Steelworkers Join Forces on Worker Health and Safety

A new partnership between CWA and the Steelworkers means members will be that much safer at work as the two unions run joint safety and health training programs and work together to identify and reduce hazards on the job.

For CWA, it means new and expanded resources for training and an opportunity to get a new generation of workers involved in safety and health issues, said CWA Safety and Health Director Dave LeGrande said.

Already, CWA members in manufacturing, telecom craft work, health care and the public sector are taking USW-sponsored train-the-trainer courses in chemical hazards. The multi-day courses, which can include reimbursement for lost wages and travel, are funded through a grant the USW received, and in the future the two unions will file joint safety and health grant proposals, LeGrande said.

Staff from each union will attend each other's safety and health conferences to begin coordinating efforts. CWA's conference takes place Oct. 2-5 in San Diego. CWA safety and health activists also will be able to use the Tony Mazzocchi Center for Health, Safety and Environmental Education, the USW's center for training and education. A copy of the agreement between CWA and the USW is online at www.cwasafetyandhealth.org.