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December 4, 2008
Employee Free Choice in National Spotlight for Human Rights Day
CWA locals across the country will mark International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10 with a colorful reminder that human rights include workers' rights, starting with the right to form a union. At worksites across the country, CWA members will receive flyers showing flags of more than 70 countries from Bahrain to Mongolia, from Thailand to South Africa -- all nations where the law provides a fair way for workers to organize unions without facing campaigns of fear and intimidation by employers. The most notable country missing from the list? The United States. Which is why CWA is using International Human Rights Day to intensify the fight to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. To download the flyer, click here (1.4MB, pdf). "Two weeks ago, we won an historic election, replacing eight years of failed policies and disregard for the needs of working families with a once-in-a-generation leader," CWA President Larry Cohen said. "Now we have the ability to restore the middle class and put our country back on track for working families, but we won't succeed without hard work in the weeks and months to come." Other AFL-CIO unions, as well as Change to Win unions, are joining CWA for the day of leafleting Wednesday, one of many Employee Free Choice actions members can join in the near future. The flyers urge people to call their senators to ask them to support the bill, which would restore organizing and collective bargaining rights that employers, lawmakers and courts have eroded for years. "We need to keep the Employee Free Choice Act at the top of the agenda by generating thousands of calls to the U.S. Senate," Cohen said. The U.S. House passed the Employee Free Choice Act in 2007 and the bill is not expected to have any trouble in the 111th Congress. The showdown will be in the U.S. Senate, where Republicans used a filibuster earlier this year to keep the bill from coming to the floor for a vote. In the Nov. 4 elections, unions helped elected seven new pro-worker Senators, bringing potential support for Employee Free Choice closer to the 60 needed to break a filibuster, however much work needs to be done to win the bipartisan backing needed to assure passage. While the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other anti-union organizations are pouring tens of millions of dollars into campaigns to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act, Cohen reminded CWA members that unions have something better than money. "We have you," he said. "We have tens of thousands of members and their families who are ready to roll up their sleeves and put on their sneakers and get to work. On Nov. 4, we saw what millions of ordinary Americans coming together can accomplish. And as long as we carry that spirit and determination forward, it doesn't matter how deep the Chamber's pockets are." The following CWA locals have ordered flyers and indicated they plan to participate in the Dec. 10 activities: District 1: District 2: District 3: District 4: District 6: District 7: District 9: District 13: 13100, 13101, 13500, 13550, 13570, 13571, 13572, 13573 and 13590 CWA: Investment in Jobs is Best Economic Stimulus
At a policy forum on Capitol Hill, CWA President Larry Cohen called investment in the build-out of true high speed broadband networks critical to the nation's economic recovery. "Creating quality jobs is the real stimulus our economy needs. We've seen what happened when people received those $300 or so stimulus checks – not much. Creating jobs, and the multiplier effect that produces additional job growth, is what will help our communities and get our country out of this economic crisis," Cohen said. CWA was one of more than 50 organizations, including AT&T, Google and other companies, consumer and public interest groups, state and local governments and Internet providers and users, that have signed on to the call for action on a national broadband strategy. A $5 billion increase in broadband investment would create 100,000 new jobs in telecom and information technology in the year that the investment is made, Cohen said. In addition, a 7 percent increase in broadband penetration would create 2.4 million new jobs throughout the economy, he added. President-elect Barack Obama has recognized high speed broadband as a critical element of economic development for the United States, and supports the build-out of high-speed networks to fuel the nation's economic growth. CWA also called for full funding of the Broadband Data Improvement Act, which became law in October, to help support and encourage state initiatives and private-public partnerships, as well as to identify barriers to broadband adoption in the states. CWA's Speed Matters Strategic Industry Fund campaign was the prime mover behind this measure, which requires the Federal Communications Commission to conduct annual studies on broadband deployment and adds a question to the federal Census on dial-up and broadband Internet use. AT&T Announces Job ReductionAT&T announced a job surplus on Dec. 4 affecting 4,800 union-represented and 7,400 management positions nationwide. The company cited the declining economy and business outlook for 2009. AT&T says the reductions will begin later this month and continue into 2009. CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill said the union will continue to meet with AT&T to make certain that all job security provisions in our contracts are fully followed and that members' job rights are protected. Under CWA contracts, union members have rights and opportunity to transfer to other positions within AT&T. Some workers also have the option of taking early retirement. CWA and AT&T will begin contract negotiations on Feb. 24. Job security and job opportunity will be a major issue in these negotiations. Survey Shows Broad Member Support for Obama-Biden TeamA survey of Election 2008 issues conducted for CWA by an independent polling firm showed strong support among CWA members for the Obama-Biden team. CWA members voted for the Obama team by a 68-29 percent margin over the McCain ticket, with 4 percent voting for third party candidates. That was well above the national vote of 53-46 percent for President-elect Obama over John McCain. CWA members responded positively to printed materials sent to their homes, flyers and leaflets distributed in the workplace and member-to-member workplace contacts, the survey found. Overall, 74 percent of members surveyed found the information received from CWA about political issues and candidates to be useful; that ranked just below newspaper, television and radio coverage. CWA members also ranked their issue priorities for the new administration and Congress. These include: increasing quality jobs, 79 percent; increasing retirement security, 74 percent; and winning real health care reform, 71 percent. The survey was conducted among 1,100 CWA members in the 2008
battleground states of Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Virginia. 540 Hospital Workers in Reno Vote CWABy a four-to-one margin, 540 hospital workers voted for CWA representation at the St. Mary's Hospital in Reno, Nev., following a year-long campaign, reported District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler. The bargaining unit consists of service workers including Certified Nursing Assistants, EVS workers, monitor techs, phlebotomists, EMT's, intake reps, transport workers, orderlies, sterile techs and kitchen and laundry workers. They will be represented by Local 9413. Strong support came from CWA District 9 staff, including Mark Bixler, Ed Venegas, John Doran, Nancy Biagini, Janine Munson and organizers from Locals 9400, 9586, 9509, Marco Ramierez, Victor Serrano and Melinda Hawkins, who conducted an 8-day house calling blitz with local leaders. Critical bilingual language assistance was provided by two CWA members at AT&T – Sophia Guadron and Lili Vega – who took leave from their jobs to help in several key departments during the campaign's final months. Members of the California Nurses Association also provided help, letting organizers use their offices, and providing assistance when needed. IN BRIEF:
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