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February 14, 2008
CWA Rolls Out Campaign for Real Health Care ReformAn army of CWA health care activists is about to fan out across the country to build an even bigger movement of union members, local executive boards and congressional candidates in at least 121 targeted districts who will fight for guaranteed, affordable health care for all. About 140 local activists and staff members took part in four days of training this week in Maryland to better understand the nation's health care crisis and learn how to motivate others to join the battle.
"It's not just about being right about health care," CWA President Larry Cohen told the gathering. "We have to build a political movement to bring about real health care reform in this country." Cohen, speaking to the group at a conference center near Baltimore this week, stressed that the health care campaign and the fight for the Employee Free Choice Act go hand in hand and, "we're going to link these issues like never before." Declining collective bargaining density and union power in the United States is a primary reason for the growing number of employers who no longer provide health care and contribute to the mounting crisis. Both the health care and Employee Free Choice Act campaigns are among the union's Strategic Industry Fund projects. The CWA health care campaign is not focused on details of a specific plan, but rather it lays out a policy framework for universal coverage, with the goal of enacting health care legislation by 2010 and a new system to be in place by 2012. CWA District 7 Vice President Annie Hill and Research Director Louise Novotny explained that the union hasn't adopted a single approach other than to aggressively champion those ideas that will lead to health care for all. Part of the process, said Hill, will be to gather ideas and input from members and other unions and organizations as CWA develops a more specific recommendation for reform. Hill headed an Executive Board committee that began work about a year ago to craft the campaign and determine which 100 congressional districts should be targeted, a list that grew to 121. They took into account the House committees each representative belongs to, how many CWA members and retirees were in their districts and whether their states would be political battlegrounds, then got feedback on the list from CWA district and sector leaders. Participants in this week's training will be meeting with local executive boards and retired members' chapters to explain the campaign and help them enlist rank-and-file activists. Among other activities, CWA members will be asked to send postcards and signatures for the Employee Free Choice Act and health care reform to members of Congress. The CWA campaign will also join with other unions and organizations and work with willing employers. Hill stressed that the health care campaign will in no way affect the determination CWA brings to contract negotiations. "When we sit down at the bargaining table, we're going to do everything we can to maintain quality health care for our members," Hill said. "It's just getting harder and harder to do. We know ultimately that we need a national solution." U.S. Union Delegation Takes on Workers' Rights in ColombiaCWA President Larry Cohen and other members of a labor fact-finding delegation visiting Colombia this week deplored workers' rights abuses and continuing violence against unionists in the country in speaking to reporters in Bogota on Wednesday. They declared that the Bush administration's proposed trade deal with Colombia won't pass the U.S. Congress until it is rewritten to protect union activists – 1,165 of whom have been murdered over the past two decades. "We see no chance that the trade deal will pass in the United States, period," Cohen was quoted in a Reuters news report. The delegation blamed the continuing anti-labor policies of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, a Bush ally, for the decline of unionization. "This is not just about the death of union members. It's about the death of unions in Colombia," Cohen stated. "Colombia is the only country in this hemisphere with lower collective bargaining coverage than the U.S., with only 1 percent of workers in Colombia having bargaining rights," Cohen said. "This represents the nearly total destruction of a labor movement that had 15 percent coverage just 15 years ago. In Colombia, even in basic industries such as telecom, most workers have been reclassified so they have no employee status." The U.S.delegation met with Colombian union and labor federation leaders, participated in a vigil for slain union activists, and also met with President Uribe and other government officials, whom they pressed for labor law reforms and stronger action to investigate and curb the killings of unionists by right-wing paramilitary forces. Joining Cohen were Linda Chavez-Thompson, retired former executive vice president of the AFL-CIO, and representatives of the United Steelworkers. Delta Flight Attendants File for AFA-CWA RepresentationBacked by a solid majority of workers who want a voice and bargaining rights, Delta Air Lines flight attendants filed for AFA-CWA representation with the National Mediation Board on Feb. 14. The campaign began in late 2006, with a small, dedicated group of flight attendants who started collecting signatures to petition for a union representation election. As uncertainty builds among the more than 12,000 flight attendants over the impact of a widely-anticipated merger with Northwest Airlines, the workers are eager for an election. "Delta flight attendants have made it clear that they want a voice in their future and a legally binding contract they can count on," said AFA-CWA President Pat Friend. "They want the right to negotiate rather than simply having to accept what management decides," she said adding: "Their goals are our goals and we will work together to achieve them." Voting in airline union elections generally begins within 60 to 90 days of authorization cards being filed with the NMB. For years, there has been strong support for a union by Delta flight attendants. In August 2001, a majority petitioned for union representation with AFA, but management used scare tactics and the devastating impact of the 9/11 attacks to erode union support in the December 2001 election. Organizing Local Wins Overtime Pay for Agriculture WorkersThe efforts of United Campus Workers-CWA Local 3865 have brought about 100 employees of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture time-and-a-half pay if they work more than 40 hours a week. Classified as "agricultural production workers" under the Fair Labor Standards Act, they previously received overtime pay only if they worked more than 120 hours in a pay period. UCW-CWA President Tom Smith said the local first took up the agricultural workers' cause in 2006 and were told by the administration that a change in policy would be impossible. But UCW-CWA, an organizing local with about 600 members at the university, campaigned in 2006 to reelect state Rep. Harry Tindell (D), chair of the House Budget Committee, and have built a good relationship with state Sen. Tim Burchett, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Ways and Means Committee. The local's legislative work paid off when the Tindell and Burchett threw their support behind the local's effort. The Institute workers each received a letter in early January informing them of the new overtime policy. UCW-CWA Organizer Cameron Brooks said the new policy sent a clear message to thousands of workers across the campus that, "when people stand up and demand it, change can happen." Apply Now for Bahr Distance Learning ScholarshipsEmpire State College of the State University of New York is now accepting applications for the Morton Bahr Distance Learning Scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year. Two new scholarships will be awarded this year. The scholarship honors CWA President Emeritus Morton Bahr, an Empire State College alumnus, for his commitment to lifelong adult learning. Bahr scholars study online through Empire State College's Center for Distance Learning. Since its inception in 2001, the Bahr scholarship has helped 30 students continue their education. CWA members and other union workers, family members or domestic partners interested in working toward a degree are eligible. Scholarship students can work toward associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees through a combination of online meetings with faculty, online courses and work with small study groups. They also may earn college credits for life and work experience. Students will be eligible for scholarship funding as long as they maintain satisfactory academic progress and enroll for four to eight credits in at least two terms per year. Once enrolled as a Bahr scholar, students also must apply for other federal, state, corporate or union financial aid for which they may be eligible. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2008. Award decisions will be announced by the end of July for fall enrollment. Scholarship awards fully cover tuition, fees and special services. To apply online or download an application, visit www.esc.edu/bahr. To have an application mailed, send an e-mail to special.programs@esc.edu or call (800) 867-5941. The Bahr Scholarship program is funded in part by CWA locals and members. To contribute, send a check payable to Empire State College Foundation Bahr Scholarship to the attention of Yvette Herrera, CWA President's Office, 501 Third St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. IN BRIEF:
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