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April 1, 2010
CWA played a big role in the Obama administration's recess
appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. As the
congressional recess began on March 27, President Obama
appointed Mark Pearce and Craig Becker to seats on the
five-member board.
CWA activists contacted members of Congress and pressed them
to sign a letter to the President urging him to make the recess
appointments. In the end, 141 members of Congress signed onto
the "Dear Colleague" letter circulated by Rep. Lucille
Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) and a separate letter from the
Pennsylvania congressional delegation that urged President Obama
to act on the stalled nominations.
Senate Republicans used holds and filibusters to block the
confirmations and most recently launched a filibuster to block a
final Senate vote on Becker's nomination.
CWA President Larry Cohen commended President Obama for
naming Becker and Pearce to the Board. "These appointments are
critical for workers to get justice in the workplace," he said.
"For far too long, the five-member NLRB has consisted of only
two members. This has resulted in a growing caseload of
contentious issues left unresolved. Thousands of American
workers who seek resolution of their disputes have been put on
hold," members of Congress told the President.
Despite criticism, recess appointments have become a common
way for presidents to seat nominees in the absence of Senate
action, with former President George W. Bush making 171 such
appointments, and President Bill Clinton making 139.
There's some confusion out there regarding health care reform
and retiree prescription drug coverage. It's important to get
the facts, not the spin that some people are trying to sell.
A number of companies, including some big CWA employers like
AT&T, have taken charges on their financial reports for the
end of March. These employers were accounting for the change in
the subsidies they've received since 2003 to provide
prescription drug coverage. Employers still will receive the
subsidy, but now will pay taxes on it. It doesn't change our
retiree health care coverage.
There are a lot of good things for retirees in health care
reform. Read about those benefits here.
CWA activists across District 6 are leading a vigorous
campaign to organize new members in the region dominated by
Right-to-Work states.
Launched two months ago, the District's organizing
initiative, led by local union officers, organizing committee
members, activists, and district staff, depends on members
talking to co-workers. "To organize the numbers of new members
we need to maintain good contracts, we can't rely on the old
ways of organizing," says District 6 Vice President Andy
Milburn. "Sending out occasional mailings asking workers to join
just doesn't cut it," he said.
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| "I'm getting ready to retire, and I want to
see my pension go on. I watch young people come on and I want a
future for them, but I don't see a retirement for them without
organizing." | "Success
depends on members connecting with non-members where they work
and we're making progress by talking with co-workers about the
value of joining CWA," Milburn said. In internal organizing
efforts, a special focus is on signing up new members at
AT&T Mobility; nearly half of all Mobility workers are under
age 35.
District 6 is taking full advantage of technology, like handy
Flip cameras and social networking, to help get the message out.
Right now, CWAers in District 6 are circulating short videos of
members explaining why belonging to CWA is so important.
Click here to see members Carolyn Daily, Local 6300;
Richard von Glahn, Local 6355; and Linda Talley, Local 6171.
Each week, District staff check with locals for
progress reports, and once a month, local union organizing
chairs and CWA staff share ideas and strategies in
teleconferences.
CWA's First Annual Photography Contest is looking for quality
photos and photographers, so turn your creative eye to CWA
members on the job, on the picket line and in action, and submit
what could be winning photos.
Winning photographs will be displayed at the CWA convention
and may be published in the CWA News as well as in local
newsletters.
Be creative, be dramatic, be funny. Look for good candid
pictures and interesting ways to take group or other posed
shots. Digital or film photos will be accepted, but digital
photos must be high resolution.
Read more for categories, rules and requirements,
including how to make sure your photos will be high rez.
The deadline for submitting pictures is June 18, 2010.
Questions? Please contact Janelle Hartman in the CWA
Communications Department at Jhartman@cwa-union.org.
Please put "CWA Photo Contest" in the subject line.
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| CWAers and supporters rally outside
the FCC, above. Below, CWA Pres. Cohen, District 2 VP Ron
Collins and CWA members meet with Commissioner
Copps. |
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About 200 CWAers from West Virginia, plus supporters
from IBEW and the AFL-CIO, rallied outside the Federal
Communications Commission, letting regulators know that the
proposed Verizon-Frontier Communications deal is a disaster
waiting to happen.
Verizon Communications wants to sell landlines in West
Virginia and 13 other states to Frontier so it can take
advantage of a tax loophole. Similar deals by Verizon in
other states have ended in bankruptcy, lost jobs, the loss of
high speed broadband access and overall reduced service
quality.
"This deal will pad the pockets of Wall Street executives
while only deepening the digital divide," said CWA District 2
Vice President Ron Collins.
Following the rally, CWA President Larry Cohen, Collins and a
group of CWA members met with FCC Commissioner Michael
Copps. Collins and other CWAers also met with the
chief of staff for FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and other FCC
officials.
Inside the FCC, CWA presented Commissioner Copps with letters
from 71 West Virginia legislators who oppose the deal; letters
expressing concern or opposition from 18 county commissions, and
petitions from more than 5,000 West Virginia citizens calling on
the state Public Service Commission to reject the deal.
The FCC can block the deal if it determines that the sale
isn't in the public interest. In March, an Illinois
administrative law judge recommended that the state Commerce
Commission reject the deal; the West Virginia Public Service
Commission staff and the state's consumer advocate also strongly
oppose it.
CWA or IBEW have intervened in state regulatory proceedings
on the proposed sale in West Virginia, Illinois, Ohio, and
Washington. The FCC will take up the case after the states have
concluded their reviews.
For more information, go to www.verizonfrontierdeal.org.
What's more exciting than a trip to Las Vegas? How about a
chance to win a free trip to Las Vegas by signing up for COPE or
increasing your contribution by as little as $1 a week?
May 1 kicks off CWA's biggest COPE contest ever. Locals will
have a little over six months to sign up new COPE members and
urge those already participating to increase their
contributions.
COPE contributions are the way CWA members show their support
for elected officials and candidates that stand up for us. These
voluntary contributions help keep our union and our union
movement strong.
Winners of the Las Vegas trip, which includes airfare for two
and two nights in a hotel, will be determined by drawing and
will be announced on Election Day, Nov. 9. Up to eight trips
will be given away. Everyone eligible for the contest gets a CWA
T-shirt.
More information will be distributed in the coming weeks.
Workers Memorial Day on April 28 is a time for unions to
remind their members, employers and communities that workers
want "Good Jobs, Safe Jobs."
Two CWA members, an AT&T technician in Georgia and a
University of California lab worker, were among the thousands of
workers killed on the job over the past year. Millions more
suffer crippling injuries and illnesses because of their
jobs.
"With the election of President Obama, the American labor
movement has seen the rebirth of effective workplace and
environmental safety and health regulation. This progress has
occurred through the work of CWA and other unions. We must
continue to work hard to ensure employers are providing all
workers with safe and healthful working conditions, and
participating in Workers' Memorial Day will help sustain our
momentum," said CWA President Larry Cohen.
In past years, CWA locals have held WMD safety and health
fairs, passed out safety literature, asked members to wear
buttons or shirts in solidarity and gathered with other unions
for memorial services.
The AFL-CIO's WMD materials can be ordered online at
www.aflcio.org/shop or by
calling (202) 637-5024. Some materials and factsheets can be
downloaded at no cost at
www.aflcio.org/issues/safety/memorial/.
E-mail CWA's Safety and Health Director Dave LeGrande with
questions or notify him of your local's plans at legrande@cwa-union.org.
Locals are also urged to send post-event reports and photos.
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