Local 1298 Reaches Tentative Agreement for AT&T Workers

Members of Local 1298 in Connecticut rallied, marched and stayed strong during 18 months of AT&T bargaining that finally led to a tentative contract this week.

CWA members' solidarity during 18 long months of bargaining paid off Wednesday night in Connecticut when Local 1298 reached a tentative agreement with AT&T that includes job protection language the company had refused to include earlier.

"We hung tough, the membership hung tough, we had the support of national, and AT&T knew it and finally realized that 'we're not going to get these guys to move,'" Local 1298 President Bill Henderson said.

The two tentative contracts, one for nearly 3,400 core employees and the other for 176 yellow page workers, are the last in the round of bargaining that CWA and AT&T began at tables nationwide in 2009. Ratification ballots will be sent to members on Monday and must be returned by Sept. 7.

Both of the 1298 agreements require AT&T to keep at least 84 percent of the represented jobs in Connecticut. "It's not everything we wanted, but it's big for us and we can build on it in the future," Henderson said.

CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton praised the negotiating team. "The bargaining committee stayed focused and devoted themselves to getting a just contract for the members and I thank them, my assistant Dennis Trainor and Staff Representative Pat Telesco for their work and dedication," he said.

CWAers to Build Broadband 'Anchor Network' in California

CWA Local 9400 will gain new jobs and new members thanks to a broadband grant awarded to a union company in California. Funded by the Obama administration's economic recovery program, the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program supports projects that build out high speed networks.

Local 9400 had organized workers at the California Broadband Cooperative; now another 1,000 new jobs are likely to come on line as a result of the broadband grant.

The company's "Digital 395 Middle Mile Project" will build a 10 gigabit fiber network that will provide a high speed link to 230 community anchor institutions in 36 communities, six Native American reservations and two military bases in eastern California.

Local 9400 and CWA District 9, partnering with the company, helped build support for the proposal by working with community groups, elected officials and others to get the project done.

AFA-CWA Election Cleared for Takeoff at Delta/Northwest

The National Mediation Board ruled this week that the Delta/Northwest merger created a single carrier, a decision that triggers a union election for 21,000 flight attendants at the newly combined airline.

"Finally our voice will be heard and respected under strong democratic procedures, the same way that other elections are decided in our country," AFA-CWA Toni Weinfurtner said. "We are excited for the opportunity to negotiate an industry-leading contract and continue to work alongside management in building a world class airline."

AFA-CWA represents about 8,000 former Northwest Airlines flight attendants and has been working with Delta flight attendants who want union representation, too. Past airline representation elections counted all non-voters as "no" votes, but in June, AFA-CWA won a long battle to use the same standard in airline elections as is used in virtually every other democratic election in the United States. Under the new rules, only actual votes are counted.

Over the next two weeks, AFA-CWA must show that there is enough interest among flight attendants at the airline to support an election. The NMB then will review the evidence and set a voting schedule.

Get on the CWA Bus for the Oct. 2 'One Nation' Rally

Don't miss your chance to join other CWAers and be part of a historic rally a quarter of a million strong on Oct. 2 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. There, workers and retirees, environmentalists, human rights activists and other voices from across the progressive movement will speak as "One Nation" to fight for good jobs, retirement security, bargaining rights and government that works for all of us.

CWA, one of nearly 200 organizations already signed up for the event, will sponsor buses to Washington, D.C., for members, family and friends from mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states. The One Nation March on Washington gets underway at noon on Oct. 2.

To reserve a seat on the bus, and to reserve seats for family members and friends, go to www.cwa-union.org/onenation. For more on the event, check out www.onenationworkingtogether.org.

CWA's Communications Dept. would like to hear from members planning to participate. Email us about why it's important to you to attend. Please include your full name, city, state and CWA Local number, and contact information. The e-mail address is news@cwa-union.org.

BGA's 'The Job's Not Done Tour' Calls for Senate Action Now

CWA and other union members will be taking turns riding the BlueGreen Alliance's bus for the national "The Job's Not Done Tour", which left from Los Angeles on Monday.

CWAers, members of the Sierra Club and other activists have signed on for the BlueGreen Alliance's "The Job's Not Done Tour," aimed at urging Senate action on critical legislation that will create and save millions of jobs. The three-week, 17-state, 30-city bus tour, left Los Angeles this week.

CWA President Larry Cohen, who spoke at a media teleconference before the tour got underway, said that obstructionist actions pursued by some Senators to block climate and energy legislation and other critical measures for working families must be stopped.

The build out of high speed broadband, especially to anchor institutions in smaller communities, is critical to building the quality jobs and sustainable communities our nation needs, Cohen said.

CWA members will be a big part of events in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Events also are scheduled for New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, with the final stop in Richmond, Va., on Sept. 3. The full schedule and more information is on the Alliance website at www.bluegreenalliance.org.