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April 8, 2010
After getting the public behind them and beating back the
worst of management demands, NABET-CWA members at National
Public Radio overwhelmingly approved a five-year contract that
raises wages, preserves job security and restores the union's
voice in a benefits task force.
Members of Local 52031 rallied, leafleted and created a
Facebook page encouraging listeners to e-mail NPR's CEO. The
campaign stressed that workers agreed to take a big financial
hit in 2009 to help the non-profit radio network overcome lost
donations and corporate sponsorships at the economy's lowest
point.
"Today, NPR is doing much, much better thanks to the
sacrifices our members made, and yet NPR still wanted more,"
NABET-CWA President Jim Joyce said. "But Local 52031's
solidarity and the very effective Facebook campaign, which NPR
knew could grow much larger, made all the difference."
Listeners' e-mails cautioned CEO Vivian Schiller that they
would reconsider their annual pledges if she didn't
treat workers fairly. Bargaining team members said they
were certain Schiller was reading the e-mails and believed that
she even responded to some.
The contract provides an annual 2.5 percent wage increase,
improves overtime pay, requires buyouts to be offered before
layoffs, and maintains seniority rights. The union regained a
seat at the table when an NPR task force meets to discuss health
care, retirement or other benefits. Local 52031 represents 65
workers, including audio technicians who are responsible for the
radio network's award-winning sound and audio editing.
Wake up early on Friday and log on to the live news
conference in Bonn, Germany, where CWA and ver.di are taking
their global campaign for fair treatment at T-Mobile USA to the
next stage.
The news conference begins at 5 am EDT. Click here to log on then or later in the day
to see the news conference.
CWA President Larry Cohen is joining Lothar Schroeder, an
executive board member of ver.di, the union representing German
workers at Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile, in calling on DT to
end its double standard in how it treats workers in the U.S.
compared to other countries. Also on hand: Professor John Logan
and Marcus Courtney, head of UNI Telecom.
Ver.di and CWA formed TU last year to help win bargaining
rights for workers at T-Mobile USA.
In an outrageous tactic, Windstream is suing dozens of
retirees who objected to the company's plans to cut back or
eliminate their promised health care benefits. CWA represents
more than 1,300 employees and 3,000 retirees at the company.
It was a set up. Windstream solicited retirees for comments
about the cutbacks in a survey it mailed or distributed to them.
Retirees were asked specifically whether they believed
Windstream had the right to change, reduce, or eliminate
promised benefits. Retirees who said "No" later were stunned to
learn that they were named as defendants in a class action
lawsuit that Windstream filed in U.S. District Court.
"This is one of the most ruthless actions I can ever recall a
company taking against retirees or employees," said
Telecommunications Vice President Jimmy Gurganus. "Imagine the
shock each retiree experienced after receiving a summons with a
warning that a lawsuit has been filed against them," he said.
CWA Local 6171, which represents more than 500 Windstream
workers in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, plus hundreds of
retirees, did not receive advance notification about the cuts
from Windstream. The local's contract with Windstream requires
prior notification of and negotiation over any proposed changes
to retiree health care.
"We first heard about it from retirees and they were
devastated," said Local 6171 President Allen Whitaker. "It was
adding insult to injury when they discovered they had been sued
for stating that they didn't think the company had the right to
back out of providing long-promised benefits," he said.
CWA District 6 received a notice about the cuts after the
company informed retirees represented by Local 6171. CWA also
represents Windstream employees who worked for the company in
Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Mississippi, Florida, and New York, but it is not known yet how
many of these retirees were contacted by the company.
Windstream has asked the court to uphold its right to change
retiree benefits. Incredibly, the company's class action also
asks the court to require retirees to pay for the cost of its
lawsuit.
A grievance filed by CWA Local 4401 has led to a big win for
four laid-off workers whose employer told them they were
eligible for just over $5,000 in severance. Instead, they're
being issued checks now for $19,000 to $20,000 each.
Convergys, a billing company spun off from Cincinnati Bell,
claimed that changes it unilaterally made to its severance
policy applied to union members as well as other workers.
Not so fast, said Local 4401 President Altha Hunter, who
insisted that the company honor contract language that provides
up to $20,000 per laid-off worker, based on years of
service.
The two women and two men laid off in February had worked for
the company between 21 and 32 years. The company said it based
the layoffs on "skill sets," a matter of dispute for the
long-term workers. However, as part of the larger severance
package, they agreed not to fight their termination.
Hunter was confident the local would prevail, but she feared
it would go to arbitration and be a year or more before her
members got the badly needed funds. Instead, the company backed
down after a few weeks.
"I got to call each member and tell them, and they were
really, really happy," Hunter said. "One woman, she'd already
signed for the $5,000 and thought that meant she couldn't get
any more. I told her, 'I have some good news.' She said, 'I
appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. I can not express how
grateful I am."
CWA District 4 Vice President Seth Rosen said, "this story is
a great example of how, even at a huge, mostly non-union
customer service company, CWA really makes a difference for our
members. Imagine what we could do if all of Convergys was
organized!"
In a worldwide "Day of Action" thousands of
United Airlines flight attendants, including pictured
demonstrators from Chicago and Hong Kong, said "No" to
concessions in April 6 demonstrations at 15 airports across the
U.S., Europe and Asia. 
In an April 6 demonstration at airports across the United
States, Europe and Asia, thousands of AFA-CWA flight attendants
at United called for a fair contract without concessions and
protested the airline's failure to negotiate a contract on
time.
At Chicago's O'Hare airport, some 400 flight attendants
marched for three hours, chanting "Hell No! No More
Concessions!" Thousands more demonstrated at 14 other airports
in the U.S., and in Frankfurt, Germany, London, Hong Kong, and
Tokyo.
April 6 marks one year since AFA-CWA began negotiations at
the airline. Over the past year, United has refused
to address the deep cuts flight attendants agreed to accept
in 2003 to help their airline stay afloat as it entered
bankruptcy. While in bankruptcy, United sought and made even
more cuts to pay, healthcare and work rules; pensions were
terminated.
The 16,000 United flight attendants are now working at 1994
pay levels but are working nearly 50 percent more compared to
their 2002 schedules.
United released a phony bargaining proposal to the media the
day before the demonstrations to try and sidetrack public
attention from AFA-CWA members' call for a fair contract.
United claimed it had offered flight attendants a new
compensation offer, but the union rejected that claim.
"The proposals are purely concessionary," said Greg
Davidowitch, president of AFA-CWA at United Airlines.
"They have refused to present us with a compensation proposal
and flight attendants are sick and tired of waiting for the
compensation and working conditions we are due. We will
not agree to the wholesale destruction of portions of our
contract to pay for any perceived improvements," he said.
NABET-CWA members have been stepping up
their fight for a fair contract at NBC. In Burbank, Calif,
actions have included a Local 59053 stewards' rally and a mobile
billboard that made the rounds outside the Golden Globe awards
show.
Marking one year since their contract expired, 2,500
NABET-CWA members at NBC are getting support from viewers and
pro-worker elected officials as they continue to fight the
company's scheme to shift their work to non-union jobs.
In Burbank, Calif., members of Local 59053 are getting a
great response to buttons and a mobile billboard with the "No
Longer Proud as a Peacock" message. The local also ran a
newspaper ad welcoming Jay Leno back to late-night TV and asking
him to stand with union members.
"People tell us they don't like what NBC did to Jay and
Conan," Local 59053 Secretary Louis Gabriele said. "They know
the same management responsible for that fiasco is trying to
hurt us, and they don't like it."
In Washington, D.C., members of Local 52031 are gathering
every Sunday outside NBC studios while "Meet the Press" guests
come and go. Recent guests DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and House
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) showed their support.
"Congressman Hoyer had security stop his car and he jumped
out to greet us," said Local Vice President Rich McDermott, a
member of the bargaining team. "He told us we have his support
and that he was very pleased with our support for the health
care bill. The Republican minority leader, Mr. Boehner, hid
behind his tinted limo windows."
Members from Local 51011 in New York continue to mobilize,
too, and many mornings have picketed outside the street-front
Today Show windows.
In addition to NBC's assault on union jobs, talks are
centered on seniority, wage and benefit issues. The latest round
of bargaining took place in mid-March; the previous contract
expired March 31, 2009.
TNG-CWA won a victory against corporate greed and
mismanagement with its successful court challenge blocking $20
million in executive bonuses that bankrupt Tribune Company
wanted to pay to some 23 executives.
Intervention by TNG-CWA Local 32035 before the bankruptcy
court forced Tribune to withdraw the bonus plan. The local
represents about 230 workers at the Baltimore Sun and was the
only union on the nine-member creditors committee.
Before it filed for bankruptcy, Tribune cut hundreds of jobs
at the union-represented Sun as well as at the Los Angeles
Times, Chicago Tribune and other operations. When the company
sought to pay the executive bonuses, the union intervened.
Tribune withdrew its bonus plans, though the judge said the
company could try again when it emerges from bankruptcy. TNG-CWA
President Bernie Lunzer said the Guild will be watching.
CWA's First Annual CWA 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 a winning photo.
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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