January 28, 2010

CWAers Mobilize for Verizon West Talks

CWA members in California will show Verizon West they're ready for contract negotiations at a march and rally on Feb. 1 in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

The contract covering about 5,200 CWA members expires March 13. CWA District 9 Vice President Jim Weitkamp said CWAers are mobilizing and standing together for a fair contract. 

Cohen: How the Citizens United Decision Harms Our Democracy

CWA President Larry Cohen made a strong case that the Supreme Court's decision last week allowing corporations and unions to use unlimited treasury funds to make "independent expenditures was just wrong.

"A corporation isn't a person. But the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Citizens United decision, had no problem granting corporations the First Amendment rights that citizens enjoy. This decision will allow corporations to dominate the political process, just like they are able to dominate the workplace, undermining laws that are supposed to protect worker bargaining and organizing rights."  

Read the op-ed by Cohen and UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. Or look for it Feb. 2 in The Hill newspaper, www.thehill.com.

President Obama Promises to Fight for Health Care Reform

Watch the State of the Union address above or
read it here.

In his State of the Union message, President Obama pledged to keep up the fight for health care reform. The President said: "Here's what I ask Congress:  Don't walk away from reform.  Not now.  Not when we are so close.  Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people."

 

 

 



Update on Biden Task Force

Just ahead of the State of the Union message, President Obama and Vice President Biden announced some new programs for working and middle-class families, part of the work of the Task Force on the Middle Class that Biden heads.  

Biden said the new programs were put together following last year's series of meetings with workers and families who told the Vice President and administration officials about specific help they needed. They include:

  • Nearly doubling the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for middle-class families earning less than $85,000 a year and a $1.6 billion increase in child care funding for families struggling to enter the middle class.
  • Limiting a student's federal loan payments to 10 percent of income above a basic living allowance.
  • Creating a system of automatic workplace IRAs, requiring all employers to give the option for employees to enroll in a direct-deposit IRA. 
  • Expanding tax credits to match retirement savings and enacting new safeguards to protect retirement savings. 
  • Expanding support for families who must balance work with caring for elderly relatives.

AT&T Technician from Georgia Local Killed in Cable Winding Accident

CWA is investigating the accidental death of Local 3212 member William Britt Hunt, 39, an AT&T technician from Summerville, Ga., who was killed Jan. 13 when he became entangled in wires being rolled up by his truck's spindle.

"This is a truly tragic event," CWA Safety and Health Director Dave LeGrande said. "CWA is trying to determine exactly what happened and why, and we will present our findings and recommendations to AT&T and to union leaders and members."

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating, as is AT&T. As part of CWA's probe, LeGrande is asking telecom locals to provide information about what kind of training and follow-up members get with regard to cable winch equipment and cable trucks, and whether one or two technicians are typically assigned to cable-winding operations. Locals can email LeGrande at legrande@cwa-union.org.

CWA Joins Save the Children to Help Children, Families in Haiti

CWA is partnering with Save the Children to raise money for critical supplies for Haiti earthquake survivors, particularly children, many thousands of whom now are orphans.

"Any amount you can afford will help save lives," CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill said. "Our contributions will help Save the Children deliver food, water, shelter materials, medicines, hygiene kits, and other essentials during the first critical weeks of the post-disaster period.

Donations can made online here.

Or you can download a donation form and mail a check. Donors are asked to put CWA in the "Company/Organization Name" field online or on the printed form.

Hill said CWA chose Save the Children "because it has worked continuously in Haiti since 1978, and after last week's earthquake began an immediate large-scale relief and recovery effort." Once immediate needs are met, donations will continue to help Save the Children sustain long-term recovery programs that address the health, education and well-being of Haiti's children.