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July 17, 2008
Board Urges 'August Blitz' for Million Member Mobilization
CWA's Executive Board this week called on locals to make August "Blitz Month" for signing up members in the Million Member Mobilization for Employee Free Choice. The Board set a deadline of August 29 for locals to reach their goal of at least 15 percent member participation – and receive recognition in the CWA Newsletter. By that date, CWA is looking to have reached a target of 65,000 support cards from members, or 80 percent of the union's total goal of 80,000 cards and photos to help show massive backing for our Employee Free Choice champions in Congress. CWA is planning additional, special honors for locals that have gone the extra mile to sign up at least 50 percent of members. The Board also is urging locals and activists to organize viewing parties when Senator Barack Obama gives his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention the evening of August 28, and to use that occasion to enlist additional members, family and friends to sign up for the Mobilization to complete the August push. Election of Obama as president and more pro-worker senators is necessary to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, igniting a resurgence in worker bargaining power and a new political movement, CWA President Larry Cohen stated in a letter to locals this week accompanying a video dramatizing the importance of the legislation. He urged locals to use the video at membership meetings and other events, along with other resources for the Employee Free Choice campaign, including the comic book "Tom Riley's Nightmare," that can be downloaded at www.freechoicecwa.org. "Nothing is more important to the future of CWA and the labor movement and to achieving our other key goals of universal health care, preserving and creating good jobs and insuring retirement security," Cohen noted. (Cohen's assessment is well understood by corporate America – see story below.) N.C. Chamber of Commerce to Rally against Employee Free ChoiceSpending tens of millions of dollars for attack ads spreading fear and lies about the Employee Free Choice Act has been the game plan so far for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But next month, a county chapter of the Chamber in North Carolina plans to further its anti-worker agenda with a rally featuring Sen. Elizabeth Dole. The Chamber brags that Dole will be joined by four of the state's Republican members of Congress – Reps. Patrick McHenry, Sue Myrick, Virginia Fox and Robin Hayes. In its news release, the chamber quotes Dole making the standard false claims that unions are trying to take away workers' right to a secret ballot. Business lobby campaigns against Employee Free Choice are running newspaper and TV ads around the country, particularly aimed at Senate candidates who support the bill. The groups go by such dubious names as Coalition for Democratic Workplace and the Employee Freedom Action Committee. In Minnesota, a full-page ad ran last Thursday in the Minneapolis Star Tribune attacking Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken. His opponent, incumbent Norm Coleman, was one of 48 Senators who refused last year to vote to end a filibuster that would have brought the Employee Free Choice Act to the floor. In an earlier bipartisan vote, the U.S. House approved the bill 241-185. Franken spokesman Andy Barr told Minnesota media that Franken, a member of four labor unions, is proud to support the Employee Free Choice Act, which would begin to restore workers' badly eroded organizing and bargaining rights. "The Employee Free Choice Act doesn't take away a worker's right to a secret ballot -- it prevents the corporations who bankroll Norm Coleman's campaign from intimidating workers," Barr said. CWA Minority Leadership Institute Set for Sept. 14-26The CWA Minority Leadership Institute (MLI) will celebrate its 25th year when the institute's annual program opens this September 14-26 at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md. Following two weeks of classroom training, participants in the program will take part in a week-long internship in politics or organizing in their home district or sector. Participants will be selected based on their commitment, energy and dedication to union work; interest in organizing and political internship; potential for future leadership and years of activism; the formation of a diverse MLI class. Special consideration will be given to next generation leaders. Members interested in attending should contact their local union for more information. Since the institute was established in 1983, some 200 CWA members have taken the training. Local 6171 Scores Victories at Century Tel, WindstreamCWA Local 6171 in Krum, Texas, used mobilization to achieve major contract protections for workers at Century Tel and also won a substantial settlement recently for workers who previously had been laid off by Windstream. Months of mobilization by Local 6171 members convinced Century Tel to back off its demands to eliminate seniority and negotiate a new contract. Workers overwhelmingly rejected an earlier tentative contract to replace the agreement that expired August 2007 because it gutted seniority and force adjustment language, said Local 6171 President Allen Whitaker. "The company didn't want to use seniority for anything – not job promotions or force adjustment," he said. The result: a new agreement covering 169 workers that was ratified by members in early July. The three-year contract restores seniority for force adjustment, improves job bidding procedures, provides a 6.5 percent general wage increase and is retroactive to August 2007. Century Tel workers were supported by other Local 6171 members who joined in rallies and other action to keep the pressure on the company. A separate Century Tel contract covering about 80 workers in northwest Arkansas also was ratified in June. At Windstream, formed by the merger of Valor Communications and Alltel's landline operations in 2006, management wanted to cut layoff benefits for former Valor workers who lost their jobs when the company closed two call centers in New Mexico and Texas. "A substantial amount of money was involved," Whitaker said. "It probably took a year to settle the grievance, but as a result, an award of $253,000 is being shared by 23 workers." Guild Files NLRB Charges Over Retaliatory Firings after DriveResponding to the retaliatory firings last week of 29 northern California newspaper workers who had just formed a new bargaining unit, The Newspaper Guild-CWA this week filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. The workers, including one of the chief union organizers and newly elected unit chair Sara Steffens, are among 230 members at nine East Bay area newspapers now represented by the Northern California Media Workers Guild. The papers are owned by Denver-based MediaNews. The workers voted for representation on June 13. "I think they wanted me out of the newsroom," said Steffens, a long-time, award-winning reporter for the Contra Costa Times. "They wanted to keep me from continuing to engage co-workers as we push for our first contract and they hoped this would send a message to scare people away from further union activity. But they made a big mistake -- so far it's only made our newsroom understand why it's important to have a contract to protect us." TNG-CWA Representative Carl Hall said the union plans to present evidence to the NLRB showing a "clear pattern of anti-union discrimination" against the bargaining unit. At least 20 of the 29 who were fired had been visibly supportive of the Guild organizing. No active opponents of the organizing effort were let go. IN BRIEF:
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