September 17, 2009
Cohen to AFL-CIO: Organizing is Key to Playing Offense for
America's Workers
More workers with bargaining rights means a bigger, stronger
voice for all workers, which is why organizing even in the
toughest of times is labor's number-one job, CWA President Larry
Cohen told delegates to the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh.
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CWA Pres. Larry Cohen, chair of the AFL-CIO
Organizing Committee, gets delegates fired up. |
"Every leader in this room, every delegate, every shop steward,
this is our message: We don't flinch. We can't just play defense. We
can't just defend the contracts that we inherited," Cohen said.
Cohen recognized CWA members at Comcast in Pittsburgh who
struggled for years to join the union and flight attendants at Delta
who are fighting to be AFA-CWA members.
"These are the real heroes of our movement," Cohen said, asking
the CWA members to stand and recognizing members of other unions who
were invited to tell their organizing stories at the convention.
Cohen applauded President Obama's Labor Day speech in Cincinnati,
saying it lays the groundwork for a vote in Congress soon on the
Employee Free Choice Act.
"It's been decades since we heard something like this, the
president of the United States saying, 'Every American owes
something to America's labor movement, even if you're not a union
member,'" Cohen said.
"In our darkest moments, we need to take that to heart. We need
to tell our members that if the president of the United States can
say that, we can't forget it. That becomes the enthusiasm and the
groundswell that will now drive our movement forward."
Obama Vows Support for Labor's Goals, Delegates Endorse Labor
Unity
President Barack Obama promised AFL-CIO convention delegates that
he was dedicated to rebuilding America's middle class by giving
workers and unions the tools to rebuild a strong labor movement.
"When labor succeeds that's when the United States of America
succeeds," he said.
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At the AFL-CIO Convention, President Obama vowed
to build the middle class by fighting for labor's goals. |
The president said he will fight for labor's goals restoring
the economy, protecting and creating good jobs, fighting for quality
and affordable health care, and passing the Employee Free Choice
Act. "These are the reforms the American people need, and these are
the reforms I intend to sign into law," he said.
President Obama said he refused to go back to a business and
political culture that hurt the nation and economy. "We're not going
to go back to those days," he declared. "It would be bad for unions,
bad for the middle class...We're not turning back. We're moving
forward," he said.
Delegates pass Unity resolution. Submitted by
CWA, AFL-CIO delegates adopted a resolution on labor unity that
supports continuing the work of the National Labor Coordinating
Committee to reunify labor. The NLCC is made up of Change to Win,
the AFL-CIO, the 10 largest unions plus the National Education
Association which has never been affiliated with the AFL-CIO.
AFL-CIO leaders elected. Delegates elected
Richard Trumka, former AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, to head the
AFL-CIO. Liz Shuler, former executive assistant to the IBEW
president, was elected secretary-treasurer and Arlene Holt Baker was
re-elected executive vice president.
Delegates Pledge to take Comcast Workers' Fight Back to their
Communities
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Convention delegates pledged to take up Comcast
workers' fight for fairness. The cable workers hold up a banner
featuring Comcast worker and activist John Pezzana. |
Comcast workers' fight for fair contracts and a union voice was
taken on by 2,500 AFL-CIO convention delegates who signed a CWA
petition to educate elected officials, community leaders and
activists in their hometowns about Comcast's attack on workers'
rights.
Not so long ago, some 5,000 workers at Comcast had bargaining
rights. Far fewer do today, the result of Comcast's refusal to
bargain fairly and its continuing harassment and assault on workers
who try to organize. Convention delegates honored a strong group of
CWA members at Comcast in Pittsburgh who fought to keep their union
through four elections over five years and are pressing Comcast for
a fair contract.
Puerto Rico Fight: Stimulus Dollars Paying for Paper's Scab
Workers
Puerto Rico newspaper workers who were pushed out of their jobs
at El Vocero in July and replaced by non-union employees continue to
picket their building and offices of local politicians who are
channeling U.S. stimulus fund to the union-busting publisher.
"Local mayors and Puerto Rico's secretary of labor have been
giving stimulus money taxpayer dollars to publisher Miguel Roca
through sham companies that he set up to hire scabs to do our work,"
TNG-CWA President Bernie Lunzer said.
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Members of TNG-CWA 33225 (UPAGRA) in Puerto Rico
march in front of the El Vocero newspaper building in San Juan
to protest their replacement with scab workers. |
Nestor Soto, a CWA executive board at-large member and president
of TNG-CWA Local 33225 (UPAGRA), has uncovered a paper trail proving
that Roca has received at least $4.4 million in Workforce Investment
Fund money to pay his new non-union employees.
Those workers were hired after 107 employees in El Vocero's front
office, distribution and printing operations were locked out of
their jobs on July 5. Roca claims they were laid off.
CWA is supporting the UPAGRA members with funds set aside for
victims of collective bargaining strategies. Every week, the union
gets a permit to shut down the street in front of the El Vocero's
San Juan offices for a mass picket.
"We are very grateful to the executive board for recognizing what
an injustice this is and helping us support our members while they
fight back," Lunzer said.
The union is also trying to recover money from Roca that is
missing from workers' 401(k) funds and other accounts, and is
pursing legal strategies over his refusal since last year to make
required contributions to their TNG-CWA pension fund.
Conference Helps Empower CWA Women
"CWA Women Building for the Future" was the focus of the national
women's conference in St. Louis, and more than 150 CWAers joined in
activities and discussions designed to empower women as leaders,
unionists and political activists.
CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill outlined CWA's campaign
to help win real health care reform. CWA's priorities call for an
employer mandate, measures to protect retirees, a public option and
no taxes on workers' health benefits and plans. "Health care reform
is something we must do," she said.
Sessions focused on ways to establish effective women's
committees, bring more young workers into the labor movement, how
CWA women are leading in our union, and social networking and other
new tools to reach the next generation of women workers.
In a unique presentation, members of the National Women's
Committee dressed as famous and pioneering American women, including
Mother Jones and Harriet Tubman, to bring to life their efforts in
the fight for women's equality.
Participants also heard from CWA President Larry Cohen, District
6 Vice President Andy Milburn and Madelyn Elder, an at-large
executive board member.
Members of the National Womens Committee are Kathleen Hernandez,
chair, District 1, Local 1031; Claudia Cole, District 2, Local 2336;
Vonda Hardy, District 3, Local 3640; Angie Miller, District 4, Local
4108; Virginia Anderson-Dunbar, District 6, Local 6300; Shari
Wojtowicz, District 7, Local 7250; Gayle Crawley, District 9, Local
9410 and Mary Behling, District 13, Local 13301.
CWA and UAW Form New Legislative Alliance
CWA and the UAW have set up a new legislative alliance that will
work to advance the issues important to the unions' 2 million active
and retired workers and all working families: workers' bargaining
rights through the Employee Free Choice Act, real health care
reform, fair trade, retirement security and more.
CWA President Larry Cohen and UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said
the alliance will increase the effectiveness of legislative efforts
and also will continue the unions' joint work on telecommunications
and automotive issues.
The unions will make staff and other resources available to the
new alliance; other operations, including bargaining, international
affairs, political action, and others will remain separate.
AT&T Mobility Workers in Caribbean, Washington State Join CWA
Workers at AT&T Mobility continue to demonstrate that they want
union representation and are using majority sign-up to get their
union voice.
More than 170 AT&T workers from the U.S. Virgin Islands and
Washington State are the latest mobility workers to join CWA,
including 141 network technicians and engineers from Washington
state and 30 retail store workers in St. Thomas and St. Croix.
The workers in the Virgin Islands were assisted by District 3
Organizing Coordinator Liz Roberson. Washington state workers will
be members of WashTech CWA Local 37083; Local 37083 organizer
Malachy Sreenan, president Les French and vice presidents Anna
Bloomquist and James Burdick supported the campaign.
Labor's Allies Travel to DC to Fight for Employee Free Choice
More than 300 activists from around the country, representing
small business, veterans, farmers, civil rights and faith leaders
and other allies went to Capitol Hill to tell their members of
Congress that the Employee Free Choice Act is critical to rebuilding
America's economy.
CWAers escorted groups that visited with members of the Arkansas
Democratic delegation, including Senators Blanche Lincon and Mark
Pryor and Representatives Vic Synder and Mike Ross.
The activists said that they support Employee Free Choice for a
number of reasons, including these:
- We can best grow a new, clean energy economy with high-road
jobs and a skilled, union workforce.
- Our faiths teach us that workers have a fundamental right to
make their own decisions about bargaining with their employers,
and to have jobs with dignity, safe working conditions, and a
living wage.
- Unions improve the lives of working people regardless of race,
ethnicity, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity,
and union membership lifts wages significantly for women and
people of color.
- Respecting rights in the workplace leads to civic
participation at home and thus better public policies that serve
the needs of the entire community.
Obama College Rally for
Health Reform Draws CWAers, Thousands of Students
Members of CWA locals in Maryland and Washington, D.C., were
among thousands of people who turned out for President Obama's
health care rally at the University of Maryland in College Park.
"Our members got there at 6:30 this morning but still couldn't
get in," said Local 2336 President Michael Harris. Wearing CWA red
were members of Locals 2106, 2107, 2108 and 2336. After waiting many
hours, about 17,000 people finally got inside the university's
basketball arena to hear the President.
Obama stressed that far from a "government takeover," a public
option for health care is simply a way to give people a choice of
insurers and spur competition. He compared it to a public
university, like the one his audience attends. "Nobody says we are
taking over private colleges. What we're doing is giving students a
choice," Obama said. "You should have the choice the same way in
your health care." |
