Monthly Archives: February 2011

Wherever Workers’ Rights Are Being Threatened, CWA Members Have Answered The Call

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CWA Members standing up for collective bargaining rights in Trenton, NJ on 2/25/2011
Click here or on the photo to view the photo gallery.
To see photos of the event from District 1 click here.

The fight for workers’ rights continues to rage all across the United States. Saturday 70,000 turned out in Madison and tens of thousands more across the USA.

District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton and CWA President Larry Cohen (right)

Friday, I joined with thousands of CWA activists and other unionists and allies who rallied in Trenton in the rain to stand in solidarity with workers in Wisconsin, and send a message to NJ Governor Chris Christie that his Wall Street cronies have created the financial mess and not the working families of NJ.

What began in Wisconsin and Ohio has spread like wildfire to every corner of the USA. In state after state, workers are standing up to disgraceful attempts to strip us of our fundamental collective bargaining and organizing rights.

This movement is building quickly, so on Wednesday CWA is holding another national Union Hall phone call for their members and activists throughout the country. Sign up and join here! www.CWA-Action.org

Last week, more than 5,000 participants joined the first-ever national Union Hall call. It featured local reports from CWA activists from Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, Florida, and Tennessee. They talked about the importance of bringing our fight back for collective bargaining into our workplaces.

We made it clear that this fight is happening all over the United States — and that wherever workers’ rights are being threatened, CWA members have answered the call.

In New York and North Carolina, in California and Colorado, in Iowa and Alaska and Washington State, thousands of our brothers and sisters have attended rallies in defense of our right to organize. View the  list of local rallies to find one near you.

On Friday, CWA members across the country wore Wisconsin red in solidarity with all workers whose rights are being attacked by conservative lawmakers and the Big Businesses that line their pockets.

We are mobilizing across the country like I’ve never seen before. As I said on last week’s call, “This is the dawn of a new movement. This is an awakening.”

I hope you’ll join us Wednesday and continue to be part of it.
In Unity,
Larry Cohen
President

Related Links:

Verizon Corporate Profit Share (CPS) Award for 2010

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The Company announced that the CPS award for full time employees is  $794.00.  The award will be pro-rated for part-time employees and those employees who participated for more than 3 months but less than 12 months in the plan year.

The award will be paid on March 3rd or 4th based on employees’ regular payroll distribution schedule.

Verizon Tape Update!

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To: Our Fellow CWA 1101 Members
From: Executive Vice President Angel Feliciano
Date: February 24, 2011
Transcript: Executive Vice President Angel Feliciano Speaking;

Executive Vice President Angel Feliciano

“Over 5,000 CWA Members participated in a unique nationwide conference call last night, which discussed many of the issues concerning the labor movement and indeed all working people.

Make no mistake about it, the attacks in Wisconsin are not isolated incidents – the right wing is attacking all workers rights, including the right to form and join unions, collective bargaining, defined pensions, wages, and so on. These attacks are going on in states throughout this great country of ours. A country built not by the barons, but on the backs of working people.

Together we can and will stop this assault on all working people, which could destroy 70 years of progress, and indeed, our very standard of living.

To those of you who participated last night, we want to say thank you. To those who missed the opportunity, you owe it to yourself to participate next Wednesday night at the same time.

In connection with this nationwide mobilization, we will have buses to the Trenton March this Friday leaving from 140 West Street, 275 Seventh Avenue, and 1541 Bronx River Avenue at 9:30 a.m. Friday. If you are interested in attending please contact your Chief Steward.

We also urge all Members to wear red this Friday, February 25th, to show solidarity.”

Get On The Bus!

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The media, the government and corporate America wants us to believe that working people are the reason for the state of the economy.

The bankers and the brokers are taking home million dollar bonuses.

After hundreds of billions of dollars in government bail out for the bankers and brokers, zero dollars for health care, zero dollars for education and zero dollars for infrastructure.

The failure of government has been put on the back of working people.

It’s time to stand up and join the fight.

CWA and the AFL-CIO will be having a Rally in Trenton on the steps of the Statehouse on Friday at 12 Noon. The rally will be in support of our Brothers and Sisters who are fighting for their lives and their Unions in Wisconsin. The rally will also be a demonstration to the Governor of New Jersey that his ongoing attack on Collective Bargaining for our members and all Public Sector Union Members will be met with the same vehemence as what’s going on in Wisconsin.

It is vitally important for the survival of the Labor Movement and the survival of the Middle Class that we all come together not only Unions but also every group that has a stake in saving the American Dream.

Make no mistake if they succeed in Wisconsin and New Jersey they will be coming for the private sector unions and the rest of the Middle Class next.

On Friday February 25, 2011 – Every Union member should wear RED and we should encourage everyone who supports the American Dream to wear RED in support of our Rally IN Trenton and the Fight in Wisconsin. 

Get on the Bus! We are sending buses to New Jersey to stand with our Sisters and Brothers against tyranny in Wisconsin and in New Jersey.

The local is providing three buses for the trip to Trenton, NJ.

The buses will be leaving from:

275 Seventh Ave., 9:30 am

140 West Street, 9:30 am

1541 Bronx River Ave., Bronx, 9:30 am

If you are interested in attending please contact your Chief Steward.

Verizon Tape Update!

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To: Our Fellow CWA 1101 Members
From: Executive Vice President Angel Feliciano
Date: Feb. 22, 2011
TRANSCRIPT: Executive Vice President Angel Feliciano Speaking;

“The working men and women of Wisconsin are under intense attack. In support of our brothers and sisters the entire labor movement is mobilizing in support.

There will be a Rally, this Friday at 12:00 noon, at the State House in New Jersey.

We will be providing buses from the Bronx, West Street and from Local Headquarters.

 If you are interested contact your Chief Steward. 

 Please stay in touch with this tape.”

 The Tape number is 212-633-6753, press 8 for Verizon.

CWA Members Sign Up For The Virtual Town Hall Today

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Across the country, Americans are standing up and fighting for their collective bargaining rights. Photos and videos from Wisconsin have been thrilling. More than 100,000 people have taken to the streets and filled the rotunda of the State Capitol.

CWA members are responding in every state where collective bargaining rights are under attack and we need your voice in this fight. 

On Wednesday, February 23 at 7:30 pm EST, please join CWA President Larry Cohen and the CWA National Executive Board for a virtual town hall and hear directly from local leaders in Wisconsin, Ohio and New Jersey.

During the call you will learn more about how we are responding and what you can do and have an opportunity to ask questions.

Click Here to Register.

Our movement is spreading. Sign up for the virtual town hall today with your preferred phone number and they will call you on Wednesday to connect you to the meeting. If you plan to participate using your mobile phone, you can also register by texting CWACALL to 69866.

It couldn’t be easier, or more critical, to participate.

From District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton

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Labor Unions and the Middle Class are being attacked. In Wisconsin, the right wing is trying to strip away the Collective Bargaining Rights of the public workers. Tens of thousands of people have been protesting all weekend in Wisconsin. This is not a Budget fight, this is about a Governor who wants to destroy Unions. Ohio, Indiana, and New Jersey to name a few states are also under attack. There will be rallies in State Capitals all over the country this week. We must all get off the sidelines and join in this fight.

CWA and the AFL-CIO will be having a Rally in Trenton on the steps of the Statehouse on Friday at 12 Noon. The rally will be in support of our Brothers and Sisters who are fighting for their lives and their Unions in Wisconsin. The rally will also be a demonstration to the Governor of New Jersey that his ongoing attack on Collective Bargaining for our members and all Public Sector Union Members will be met with the same vehemence as what’s going on in Wisconsin. It is vitally important for the survival of the Labor Movement and the survival of the Middle Class that we all come together not only Unions but also every group that has a stake in saving the American Dream.

Make no mistake if they succeed in Wisconsin and New Jersey they will be coming for the private sector unions and the rest of the Middle Class next.

On Friday February 25, 2011 – Every Union member should wear RED and we should encourage everyone who supports the American Dream to wear RED in support of our Rally IN Trenton and the Fight in Wisconsin. 

Tentatively scheduled to speak at the Rally are Richard Trumka President of the AFL-CIO, Larry Cohen President of CWA and even more importantly Workers from Wisconsin.

This is What Democracy Looks Like

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Wisconsin Workers Rally

Tens of thousands of workers from throughout Wisconsin converged on the state capitol this week to protest the governor's attempt to end collective bargaining rights for public workers.

 Wisconsin Crowds Grow as Fight Intensifies to Protect Workers’ Rights

A week of rapidly organized rallies and marches continued today in Wisconsin, drawing tens of thousands of residents to the state capitol to condemn Gov. Scott Walker’s attacks on collective bargaining rights for public workers.

Crowds estimated at 15,000 on Tuesday had swelled to 30,000 by Wednesday and even greater numbers were predicted today to fight Walker’s union-busting agenda. Click here for YouTube video of the rally.

“The energy that was going on in there, it was the biggest union boost I’ve had in my life,” said CWA Local 4630 President Terry Russell, who turned out Tuesday with about a dozen members of his AT&T local. “Absolutely every union was represented. It was a bonding like I’ve never seen before. I was proud to be part of it.”

CWA Local 4671 members came from across the state to Madison. “I think the energy that got ignited there is something the governor did not anticipate,” Local President Mike Oliver said, noting the roar from the crowd as firefighters and off-duty police officers marched around the capitol square.

Walker specifically exempted police and fire unions from his decree, but “they showed up to march with placards and banners,” Oliver said. “We formed lines as they came through the square and we shook their hands and thanked them for their support.”

As crowds grew outside, several thousand people waited in long lines and even slept overnight in the capitol atrium Tuesday to testify at a standing-room-only hearing of the state Joint Finance Committee, which continued meeting until the Republican majority walked out at 3 a.m. Wednesday. The committee passed the governor’s budget bill with its union-busting language by a 12-4 vote along party lines Wednesday night. The state Senate could vote on the bill this afternoon.

The public and private sector unions, and scores of non-union allies, are continuing to send a strong message to Walker that he’s overplayed his hand in a state with a proud labor history. Wisconsin was the first state to extend bargaining rights to public employees, who include about 150 CWA members.

Last Friday, Walker announced his intention to strip away those rights for everything but wage negotiations. If workers didn’t like it, he said the National Guard was prepared to respond.

His comments hit a new low in the barrage of political attacks on public workers nationwide, drawing condemnation from newspaper editorials, conservative workers who say they regret voting for him, and a former Wisconsin Guardsman and an Iraq war vet.

“The National Guard is not his own personal intimidation force to be mobilized to quash political dissent,” Guardsman Robin Eckstein said. “The Guard is to be used in case of true emergencies and disasters, to help the people of Wisconsin, not to bully political opponents. Considering many veterans and Guard members are union members, it’s even more inappropriate to use the Guard in this way. This is a very dangerous line the governor is about to cross.”

Police quoted in media reports this week said the demonstrations, including about a thousand people marching in front of Walker’s home, have been large but entirely peaceful.

In a show of solidarity, Democratic lawmakers did not appear for the Senate session on Feb. 17 and said they would stay away until there could be real discussion and debate of the Governor’s radical proposals. Those proposals, which would wipe out 70 years of collective bargaining for public workers, were introduced less than a week ago.

MSNBC’s Ed Schultz did his MSNBC show live from Madison last night and has been covering the events all week. Go to www.msnbc.com or click here for “The Ed Show” and scroll down for video segments.

Stay tuned!

Obama Backs Wisconsin Unions

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CWA Members gather at the State Capitol to Protest Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to eliminate collective bargaining rights for state workers.

Wisconsin public employees have recruited a star player to their team. President Obama took to the airwaves Thursday, voicing his disapproval of Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s “assault on unions” in an interview with a local Milwaukee station.

Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner voiced his disapproval of President Obama, chiding the president for “shouting down those in office who speak honestly about the challenges we face.” The president was protesting Wisconsin Gov. Walker’s proposed budget that would end public worker’s collective bargaining rights in an effort to trim the state’s $137 million budget deficit.

While Obama appeared on TV, his political operation, Organizing for America, rallied protesters via Twitter, e-mail, and Facebook to boost turnout at pro-union rallies across several states, reports the Washington Post.

Things came to a head Thursday, as Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate forestalled the budget vote by hightailing it out of the state.

Read original story in The Washington Post | Friday, Feb. 18, 2011

Economic Justice Means Rights For Workers, Sustainable Jobs

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CWA President Larry Cohen speaks Tuesday at the 2011 Good Jobs Green Jobs conference. Also pictured, from left, Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke, Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry and, at right, national talk show host Bill Press.

Creating good, sustainable jobs in the nation’s emerging green economy will require workers, community and political leaders to build coalitions that put pressure on employers, CWA President Larry Cohen told the “Good Jobs, Green Jobs” conference Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

Cohen was part of a panel discussion at the conference, which drew nearly 2,000 labor, environmental and community activists, including more than 80 CWA members. Most of them were IUE-CWA members working in jobs that are forming the foundation of a revitalized U.S. manufacturing sector.

“We have IUE-CWA members from our industrial division who are working hard to convert manufacturing jobs for the new economy,” Cohen said. “They are doing it by working with and often pushing their employers to create jobs that will be here for the next generation.”

Cohen’s panel, including SEIU President Mary Kay Henry and Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, discussed the challenges of today’s political climate and ways to build a grassroots movement at the state level for creating good, family-supporting jobs. Click here to hear the full discussion. Henry, whose members are working to “green up hospitals” and other health industry workplaces, said BlueGreen allies “need to use our organizing energy to move things on together.”

Beinecke’s National Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and other BlueGreen Alliance partners helped unions fight for the Employee Free Choice Act and continue to be strong allies for workers’ rights.

Cohen said allies share values even if their goals differ. “Labor and environmental groups need to demonstrate how the economic justice issues that we work on are related – for secure sustainable jobs, health care for all, retirement security, and bargaining and organizing rights.”

He said the key to overcoming political opposition is for allies to build support locally. Toward that end, future GJGJ conferences will be held at the state level to facilitate state- and community-level organizing.