| In
Historic Meeting, AT&T Units Strategize for Bargaining Voice,
data, video and wireless.
It's a far different
AT&T than in 1984, when a court-ordered divestiture broke up
the telephone system. Now AT&T is the largest unionized private
sector employer in the country.
In a historic, first-ever bargaining unit meeting 16 months in advance
of 2009 negotiations, some 350 CWA local leaders, staff and Retired
Members Council representatives met in St. Louis from Dec. 9-11
to discuss the challenges of the restructured industry and get a
jump on bargaining strategy.
"One of the most
positive steps we can take is to get health care off the bargaining
table," said CWA President Larry Cohen, "and we do that
by electing a president, representatives and senators who are committed
to affordable, quality health care for all Americans."
District 7 Vice President
Annie Hill outlined CWA's strategic health care campaign which also
will become the foundation of CWA's political action effort for
2008.
CWA Executive Vice President
Jeff Rechenbach, who head's CWA's telecom office, noted that, "For
the first time in a generation we are looking at the overall scope
of the work we have to do, trying to put ourselves in the position
of acting strategically instead of always reacting to what our employers
do, in this case, AT&T."
He reported on a recent
meeting of CWA vice presidents with telecom responsibilities and
outlined plans for a Strategic Industry Fund proposal to help build
a powerful stewards army within the AT&T ranks "that will
be ready to take advantage of the very best weapon we have in our
arsenal, the ability to do the unexpected."
Vice Presidents Chris
Shelton, District 1; Noah Savant, District 3; Seth Rosen, District
4; Andy Milburn, District 6; Tony Bixler, District 9; Ralph Maly,
C&T and Pete Catucci's Administrative Director Ron Collins,
District 2, also attended the St. Louis meeting.
In addition to discussing
local issues in bargaining unit sessions, CWA leaders got an overview
of the overall bargaining climate and AT&T's position in a changing
industry.
The AT&T Mobility
(formerly Cingular Wireless) contract in District 6 expires in February
2008. The agreements for AT&T Mobility "Orange Contract"
(Districts 1, 2, 4, 7, 9 and 13) expire in February 2009, Southern
New England Telephone, Midwest, Southwest, Pacific and Legacy "T"
expire in April 2009 and the (former) Bell South agreement expires
in August 2009
**ELECTION
DAY IS FEBRUARY 5TH!**
Tuesday, February 5th
is Election Day! We encourage all union members and supporters to
head out to the polls. To find your local polling place, visit www.smartvoter.org.
CWA
Supports Striking Writers Guild Members
Members
of CWA, TNG-CWA and NABET-CWA are actively supporting striking members
of the Writers Guild of America.
From joining picket lines
to a support ad in the trade paper Daily Variety, CWA members have
made it clear that the main issue that forced the strike –
a fair share of the revenue generated by writers' work, whether
in digital "new media" or traditional outlets –
is an issue shared by CWA members who work in journalism, broadcasting
and other creative fields. "It's not fair for media corporations
to reap billions in profits without reasonable pay for the creative
people doing the work," CWA said in its Variety ad.
In a letter to WGA members,
CWA President Larry Cohen, TNG-CWA President Linda Foley and NABET-CWA
President John Clark praised their "bold, brave action"
as necessary in a world that each day is more dominated by new media.
"Because of your
strike, many people outside our industries are grasping these critical
issues for the first time. The public understands that it is not
fair for media corporations to reap the profits of a new information
age at the expense of the creative people doing the actual work,"
they wrote.
New
Website Focuses on Legislation Affecting Middle Class
Its name conjures up
images of marching bands but, in fact, the Drum Major Institute
is a non-partisan group that's fighting for America's middle class.
And they've recently unveiled a website to further the cause.
At the easy-to-use site,
www.themiddleclass.org, visitors can learn about legislation affecting
working families and how their state's senators and representatives
voted. The site also provides video about featured bills, quotes
from experts and facts and figures from DMI's Injustice Index.
The website grew out
of annual reports on domestic legislation produced by DMI, which
is formally called the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, a
name derived from a Martin Luther King Jr. quote. "Once a year
just isn't enough," DMI says on its website. "We need
to understand what Congress is voting on as they are voting on it
if we truly want to hold them accountable."
DON'T
BE TRICKED INTO SIGNING A BAD BALLOT INITIATIVE PETITION!
Right-wing
forces are currently gathering signatures for two different ballot
initiatives that would negatively impact working families throughout
the state.
The
"California Counts" initiative would steal our electoral
votes. The
"California Counts" campaign is a power-hungry effort
by radical conservatives to steal the state's electoral college
votes in 2008. The initiative would allocate electoral votes by
district, instead of the winner-take-all system we and 47 other
states have been using for generations, essentially stealing more
than 20 of California's electoral votes.
Even Governor
Schwarzenegger opposes the measure, saying "I feel like, if
you're all of a sudden in the middle of the game start changing
the rules, it's kind of odd... It almost feels like a loser's mentality,
saying, 'I cannot win with those rules. So let me change the rules.'"
It's no
secret that our electoral system needs a major overhaul, but it
needs to be comprehensive, nation-wide change. It isn't fair for
California, the largest, most influential state, to be singled out.
If someone
asks you to sign a petition to qualify this electoral college initiative
for the ballot, DO NOT SIGN! Instead email fraudbuster@cadem.org
or call (916) 442-5707.
The
"California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act"
would abolish rent control. The
California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act seeks to
abolish rent control and eliminate laws that require developers
to set aside a certain amount of affordable housing for working
families. It would also jeopardize laws requiring the fair return
of rental deposits, and eliminate regulations that require 30 or
60 day notices before landlords can displace renters.
The landlords
who are sponsoring this bill want voters to believe their measure
is about "eminent domain" reform, but it's a trick. This
bill contains hidden agendas that would eliminate essential renter's
rights.
If someone
asks you to sign a petition to qualify this eminent domain initiative
for the ballot, DO NOT SIGN!
CWA
Disaster Relief Fund Help for Affected Members and Retirees
As a result
of the recent devastation caused by the fires in Southern California,
CWA has enacted the disaster relief fund to assist our affected
members and retirees who have been displaced from their homes. Members
and retirees who are relocated and are in financial need due to
loss of essential items should fill out the form. Please fill out
the disaster relief claim form and forward to CWA Local President
Joseph Venegas @ jvenegas@cwa9510.org
Click
here for Disaster Relief Claim Form
Members
and retirees should be accessing resources provided by FEMA for
items such as home repair and temporary housing funds when possible.
FEMA help can be accessed online at http://www.fema.gov/about/process
and claims can be sent electronically or by phone.
The CWA
Disaster Relief Fund is a 501(c)(3) fund established to aid CWA
members, retirees and their immediate families (dependents) with
loss of essential items uncompensated or otherwise un-reimbursed
due to natural loss.
CWA
and Verizon Agree to Early Negotiations
Verizon
Communications has approached CWA with a request to begin early
bargaining for the Verizon “East” contract which expires
next August.
After consultation
with all Verizon locals, a consensus was reached to begin negotiations
in November, with a meeting and presentation by the company. A deadline
for the early talks will be set at a later time. CWA will have an
unrestricted agenda in these early negotiations and the discussions
will cover the ability of our members to have access to the jobs
of the future, in the growth areas of the company, among other critical
issues. The three CWA vice presidents representing Verizon members
in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic – Chris Shelton, District
1, Pete Catucci, District 2 and Jim Short, District 13 -- will lead
these negotiations for CWA. Once again, CWA will bargain jointly
with the IBEW.
The Verizon
“East” contract covers 55,000 CWA-represented workers.
Unity
Rallies for AT&T Internet and Video Services Members
CWA members
in four districts rallied, handbilled and made management see red
on Oct. 18 in support of bargaining on behalf of workers in AT&T's
Internet Services and Video Services divisions. The Internet DSL
tech support workers and Video field technicians have been without
a contract since late summer.
By far the
largest of several "Unity Rallies" took place in San Antonio,
Texas, where more than 700 members marched through downtown to demand
fair wages, benefits and employment security for the two units.
Members came by bus from Dallas-Fort Worth, Corpus Christi and Tyler,
Texas, and drove from Oklahoma and Missouri.
Chanting
"No contract, no peace," most in the crowd wore red shirts
as sign of solidarity, as did many at rallies elsewhere in Districts
3, 4, 6 and 9 and at company locations throughout the four districts.
"In
CWA, we stand together," proclaimed flyers members distributed.
"We're here to tell AT&T, you can't divide us. In this
family, an injury to one is an injury to all."
The Internet
Services bargaining unit includes 1,780 members and Video Services,
about 100.
'Save
My Home' Hotline Helping Union Families
October 18, 2007
As the U.S.
housing crisis worsens, a "Save My Home" hotline has been
set up by Union Plus to help union families address their worries
and uncertainties about what to do when their adjustable-rate mortgages
reset and other concerns.
Union Plus,
the AFL-CIO endorsed provider of financial benefits for union members,
says the free, confidential hotline will be staffed 24 hours a day
by counselors from Money Management International, a nonprofit,
HUD-certified agency. Face-to-face counseling is available at more
than 100 offices in 22 states and Washington, D.C.
The Save
My Home Hotline can advise homeowners who are behind in their payments,
already in foreclosure or looking for ways to budget and restructure
their debt. The toll-free number is (866) 490-5361. More information
is available online at www.unionplus.org.
Stop
the Offshoring of Good California Jobs
The current
"jobless" economic recovery has done little to help working
people in California. Nearly three million jobs in the U.S. have
disappeared over the past three years and unemployed workers are
out of work for longer than they have been in decades.
Retailers,
banks, airlines, hotels, hospitals, and government agencies are
all eliminating jobs in California and offshoring them to other
countries where workers earn lower wages under harsher working conditions.
A recent Los Angeles Times article uncovered the fact that our state
Food Stamp program hotline is staffed by workers in India and Mexico.
A UC Berkeley Haas Business School study estimates over 14 million
service sector jobs in the United States at risk of being offshored.
For more
information click here
Institutional
Investors Holding More than $790 million in Verizon Stock Call for
Implementation of Adopted 'Say on Pay' Proposal
Washington,
D.C. – A group of seven institutional investors holding more
that $790 million in Verizon Communications stock yesterday demanded
that Verizon implement the shareholder proposal that received a
majority vote at the 2007 annual meeting. On October 2, The Australian
Council of Superannuation Investors, an association of Australian
pension funds that manages more than $220 billion in assets, sent
a separate letter to the company urging them to implement the proposal.
"A
majority of Verizon shareholders has spoken and has demanded a voice
in setting executive compensation at Verizon," said CWA Executive
Vice President Jeff Rechenbach. "CWA urges Verizon to implement
this proposal to reassure shareholders and to demonstrate good corporate
governance."
CWA is
a significant shareholder at Verizon. Its Members' Relief Fund holds
nearly $1 million worth of Verizon shares. Its employees' pension
plan holds more than $1 million of Verizon shares. CWA's 60,000
Verizon members also hold an estimated $2 billion worth of shares
The "Say
on Pay" called on Verizon to allow shareholders to vote for
or against the compensation of its top executive officers at each
annual meeting. The vote would be non-binding but would give shareholders
a voice on executive compensation and encourage meaningful conversations
between the Board of Directors and institutional investors.
Shareholders
in the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, and Sweden have
the ability to weigh in on executive compensation in a non-binding
vote. The evidence from the U.K., in particular, is that "Say
on Pay" appears to moderate pay increases, enhances the ability
of compensation committees to stand up to insider pressure, and
adds legitimacy to the executive compensation process.
The Wall
Street Journal has reported that 76% of money managers and financial
analysts favor giving investors a non-binding vote on executive
compensation. Editorials in major newspapers, including the Financial
Times and The Economist, have called for companies to adopt say
on pay.
For more
information on corporate governance at Verizon, go to http://investor.cwa-union.org/verizon.
CWA
to Honor Vets, Armed Forces in D.C. Parade on November 10, 2007
October
11, 2007
To honor
the continuing sacrifice of members of the U.S. armed forces, CWA
will be sponsoring a float in a Nov. 10 Anniversary Parade in Washington,
DC. The parade, part of the weekend's Veterans' Day celebrations,
will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial
("The Wall"). Some 50,000 participants are expected at
the parade and day's events, hosted by the Vietnam Veterans of America
and the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund.
Hundreds
of CWA members and veterans from the area and neighboring states
are expected to attend the event and march with CWA's contingent
in the parade down Constitution Avenue. Districts 2, 3, 4, and 13
have volunteered to provide transportation to and from the event.
CWA Local 13000 has already reserved one bus. "It's something
we need to do to show our appreciation for their sacrifice,"
said Local EVP Tom Crawford, who chairs the local's veterans' committee.
"We have members, friends, and family serving in Iraq, Afghanistan,
and other hot spots, and many of us served in Vietnam." Locals
interested in participating are encouraged to contact Bill Bates
at CWA headquarters at bbates@cwa-union.org,
or by calling 202-434-1333.
"It's
so important that members of the armed forces know they are supported
back home," said CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling,
who is spearheading CWA's participation in and support for the event.
"No matter what we happen to feel about the war in Iraq, it's
our sons and daughters who are paying the ultimate sacrifice, and
they need to be honored. I encourage everyone to participate,"
she said.
CWA members
will be staging at CWA headquarters at 8:00 a.m. where box lunches
will be distributed. The parade begins at 11:00 a.m. following opening
ceremonies on the National Mall which are set to begin at 10 a.m.
Click here to print out an informational handout on the day's events.
A full program can be reviewed at http://vva.org/25thEvent/event_info.htm.
CWA has
a history of support for veterans and is supporting the efforts
of Vietnam veteran Jim Mayer, a double amputee, who, as the "Milkshake
Man," has been visiting injured troops at Walter Reed and other
veterans' hospitals on a almost daily basis for the past 16 years.
To support Mayer's efforts click
here.
Let’s
Get Ready!
The Countdown Begins: 312 Days to Expiration
 |
We’re
getting ready! August 2 began the one-year countdown to expiration
of the Verizon East contracts, which also have huge implications
for future Verizon West contracts. |
On
that day, IBEW and CWA members rallied at Verizon’s
New England headquarters in Boston, in Upland, CA, Richmond,
VA, Baltimore, MD and Morgantown, WV. Members also gathered
at garages and workplaces throughout Verizon’s footprint.
“Union
members are getting prepared now because the next collective
bargaining agreement offers us our best chance to refocus
management on making Verizon work for everyone: customers,
employees and investors alike,” said IBEW Local 2222
Business Manager Myles Calvey. |
UAW
Members Ratify GM Contract
by
James Parks, Oct
11, 2007
By a 2–1 margin,
UAW members ratified a new four-year
contract with General Motors Corp.
The workers reached
a tentative agreement with GM on Sept. 26, following a two-day
strike against the company. The new contract covers more than
73,000 GM workers and more than 269,000 GM retirees and 69,000 surviving
spouses. It expires Sept. 14, 2011.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger
says: We entered these negotiations with a clear mandate from our
membership. With their help and solidarity, we were able to achieve
our goals. We protected jobs, wages and benefits for both active
and retired General Motors workers—and we helped protect middle-class
manufacturing jobs in communities throughout the United States.
The new pact provides
unprecedented job security. GM agreed to invest in new products
for its existing U.S. facilities, as well as a moratorium on plant
closings and outsourcing of work over the life of the agreement.
UAW also gained a commitment by GM to hire 3,000 temporary workers
into full-time, traditional employment.
Also, under the contract,
GM will contribute more than $35 billion to secure long-term health
care for UAW retirees of GM. This includes a $24.1 billion contribution
to a new Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA), which
will establish an independent trust fund to pay retiree health benefits.
GM also will contribute up to another $1.6 billion if needed to
maintain the solvency of the trust fund. Finally, the automaker
will issue a $4.37 billion convertible note and contribute an estimated
$5.4 billion in direct payments for retiree health care through
Jan 1, 2010. The new VEBA will begin operations in 2010.
In addition, the new agreement:
- Provides a $3,000
signing bonus and two 3 percent lump sum payments and a 4 percent
lump sum.
- Maintains comprehensive
health care and prescription drug coverage for active workers.
- Increases basic pension
benefits for retirees and includes a lump-sum payment in the first
year of the agreement.
- Establishes the National
Institute for Health Care Reform, a joint labor-management effort
to improve the affordability, accessibility and accountability
of the U.S. health care system.
HELP
STOP THE GENOCIDE IN DARFUR!
Did you
know that 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes in
Darfur, Sudan? Each day, they face threats that are hard for us
to even imagine, including rape, disease, and starvation. These
people need our help to put an end to the genocide and they need
it NOW.
Please join
CWA in taking the first step to stopping the violence. It
takes just a minute of your time.
Visit the
link below to sign the Save Darfur Coalition's petition urging President
Bush and UN Secretary-General Ban to take immediate steps to stop
the killing.
http://ga6.org/campaign/savedarfurcoalition
Four
Electrocution Deaths Prompt Electrical Safety Agreement
Four Verizon technicians
and union brothers have been killed in electrocution accidents over
the last year and a half, and others have been seriously injured.
Because of a settlement pushed by CWA after the electrocution death
of a technician last year, Verizon in Maryland will train members
on a full array of electrical safety and health issues. Keep
reading.
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