January 22, 2009

• CWA Ready to Go on 2009 Legislative Agenda
• CWAers Play Big Part in Inaugural Parade
• AFA-CWA Flight Attendants Among Heroes of US Airway's 'Miracle on the Hudson'
• California Local Pushes AT&T on Safety as Street Crime Threatens Technicians
• AT&T Mobility Workers Mobilize for Start of Bargaining

CWA Ready to Go on 2009 Legislative Agenda

With the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the critical issues for CWA members and working families – the Employee Free Choice Act, health care reform, and jobs for the 21st century – have the best chance in years to finally move forward.

In the presidential reviewing stand during the inaugural parade, CWA President Larry Cohen talked with several new Cabinet members about how to make the Employee Free Choice Act and the other important issues on CWA's agenda a reality for workers.

CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill said the 2008 elections created a real opportunity and opened the door for CWA to achieve real gains for working families.

"Our union accomplished a tremendous amount in our political efforts and now we've seen President Obama sworn in and a new Congress getting to work. All our hard work around the election wasn't the end, but just the beginning of our effort to restore the middle class and a government that focuses on working families," she said.

"There's a lot of work to be done," Hill said.

As first priorities for the new Administration and Congress, CWA is calling for:

• Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.
• Health care reform.
• National Mediation Board appointees who will protect collective bargaining rights for airline workers.
• Legislation to create quality jobs and reform unfair trade agreements.
• Retirement security for workers through the Pension Protection Act.

As part of CWA's proposed national economic recovery plan, the buildout of high speed broadband networks and the creation of quality "green jobs" also are top priorities.

Other key issues that CWA will pursue on Capitol Hill include support for state and local government jobs and extended unemployment benefits; legislation to stop media consolidation; expansion of civil rights; improved job safety and health; and focus on work and family issues to improve members' lives.

CWAers Play Big Part in Inaugural Parade

More than 260 members of CWA and other unions marched in the presidential inaugural parade alongside labor's float.

As part of the celebration of the inauguration of President Barack Obama, nearly 300 members of CWA and other unions played an official role in the presidential inaugural parade. It was the first time in inaugural history that an all-union float and contingent of marchers was part of the parade, with union members carrying a banner proudly proclaiming, "America's Workers: United for Change."

Two dozen CWA and AFA-CWA members were part of the  "American Workers Contingent," one of 100 groups, and 13,000 marchers overall, who paraded from the U.S. Capitol to the White House. The float and flags carried by union members spoke to the issues most important to working Americans and their families: an "Economy That Works for All," "Health Care for All," "Good Jobs, Green Jobs," and "Great Public Schools."  

"Despite the cold and the crush of the crowd, the camaraderie was remarkable and everyone was on such a high," said CWA Local 2106 President Paula Vinciguerra. "It was something we will likely never experience again," she said. Vinciguerra was CWA's representative on labor's float along with members of 15 other unions.

Latasha Carpenter, a member of CWA Local 2108, said she was proud to be part of event that represented such a turnabout in how workers and unions would be honored by the President of the United States. Said Carpenter, "I am thrilled to be here today. The country is coming together in a way I've never seen in my life. I'm proud that we have a president who is embracing us all today as union brothers and sisters. It is so important we stand united and strong to ensure health care, good jobs, and the Employee Free Choice Act."

Fred Mason, president of the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO, who spearheaded the drive to include the workers' contingent in the parade, said nearly 1,500 groups applied to participate in the parade and only 100 were selected. "The fact that union members were in the parade is a testament to the importance of working people and their issues to the well-being of the country," Mason said.

AFA-CWA Flight Attendants Among Heroes
of US Airways's 'Miracle on the Hudson'

The flight crew heroes of US Airways Flight 1549 include three AFA-CWA flight attendants who helped get the plane's 150 passengers to safety in less than two minutes after the emergency landing in the icy cold Hudson River in New York City last week.

"While the investigation of Flight 1549 will take months to complete we do know this much - the skill and professionalism of the entire crew made all the difference," said Mike Flores, AFA-CWA US Airways president.

The three flight attendants are based in Charlotte, N.C. Along with the pilot and co-pilot, they were invited by President Barack Obama to his inauguration Tuesday.

AFA-CWA is participating in the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation.  "As the representative of more than 55,000 aviation safety and security professionals, AFA-CWA has played an important role in NTSB investigations for decades," said AFA-CWA President Patricia Friend. "We once again applaud the professionalism of our US Airways colleagues who demonstrated to the world the essential role flight attendants serve on the aircraft."

She and Flores said they hope the incident will again remind people of the most important role of flight attendants – passenger safety.

"Once the aircraft came to rest in the water, the years of experience and training of the flight attendants took over," Flores said. "All 150 passengers were safely evacuated and the crew was the last to exit the aircraft. That did not happen because of luck. The only way this happened was because flight attendants are first and foremost safety professionals, trained for such an event."

California Local Pushes AT&T on Safety as Street Crime Threatens Technicians

For AT&T technicians in Oakland and Richmond in northern California, work was getting dangerous. Gang members broke into their trucks while technicians worked just yards away. Some workers were assaulted. A year ago, a technician who witnessed a shooting was stalked and threatened by a gang.

That was when leaders of CWA Local 9415 went to AT&T management and pushed for a workplace safety agreement that would help protect their members from street violence.

Now, technicians who want to work with a partner must be given one. If workers have good reason for concern in a certain area of the cities, they can refuse an assignment there, without fear of retaliation or suspension. Except in emergencies, they won't work after dark.

"We know this isn't isolated to our area, but we wanted to set a standard for safety that we hope can be expanded around the state," said Randy Christensen, chair of Local 9415's safety committee.

As the economy has suffered, Christensen said technicians have seen crime and violence rise. "We'll be working on a neighborhood box and someone will come up and jump you," he said. "We'll be standing six feet away and they break into our trucks and steal the computers."

He said local leaders worked with AT&T management and used "street sense" to craft a policy to keep members safe. For instance, they are trying to make most calls in certain areas in the morning – a part of the day that police widely recognize as quiet because so many criminals who operate late into the night are sleeping.

"Local 9415 saw a problem, identified a solution and reached an agreement that helps safeguard our members and the community," said District 9 Vice President Jim Weitkamp. "We're proud of them and we hope other locals will follow suit."

Val Afanasiev, District 9 administrative director, said he's talked with members of the district's joint safety committee about Local 9415's agreement and it has been provided to all locals in the two states. Some locals may be able to negotiate agreements on their own with AT&T, but he said he hopes that eventually it will become a blanket policy.

Local 9417 in Stockton, has a similar type of agreement, he said. "In that case, it says that if our members go out to difficult areas in the evening or during the night, Stockton police can be contacted to come by and make sure everything is okay."

AT&T Mobility Workers Mobilize for Start of Bargaining

Bargaining begins today in Richmond, Va., for a new contract covering 20,000 CWA members at AT&T Mobility. The "Orange Contract" covers workers in Districts 1, 2, 4, 9 and 13.

Mobility workers already are mobilizing and are wearing red today to show their support for the CWA bargaining team.

Union members representing call centers and administrative, technical and retail sales employees make up the bargaining team, along with CWA representatives from each district. Bargaining goals were developed following a nationwide survey of Mobility members and wages, benefit plans, work schedules, time off and job security.