CWA Newsletter, Thursday, August 15, 2013

7/27/2019 CWA Newsletter, Thursday, August 15, 2013

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August 15, 2013

Want to be in next week's CWA Newsletter? Send your stories and photos [email protected] or@CWANews. Follow the latest developments atwww.resistancegrowing.org.

Bargaining Update

New Online Courses for CWA Members

Thousands of Immigration Reform Advocates Descend on Rep.McCarthy's Office

Governor Signs Massive Voter Suppression Law in North Carolina

Mine Workers Reach Tentative Agreement with Patriot Coal, Fight forFairness for 23,000 Retirees Goes On

Bargaining Update

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Members of CWA Local 3902 in Birmingham, Ala., tell AT&T Internet, "Wewon't work for peanuts."
mailto:[email protected]://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=sJfkSumtTcdkge0DZ0Z%2B7%2FOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=sJfkSumtTcdkge0DZ0Z%2B7%2FOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=Y0vcybBwl%2FczMaqDC%2BAdYPOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=UTxuFTZNMd%2F1zCa8Vw5OJFcqtfU7ad4Uhttp://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=apkh07xIE%2B2RgFmmxMG%2B7%2FOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=MOphyLk6tm9zNlsCTKuB7POWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=sJfkSumtTcdkge0DZ0Z%2B7%2FOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=Y0vcybBwl%2FczMaqDC%2BAdYPOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=Y0vcybBwl%2FczMaqDC%2BAdYPOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=Y0vcybBwl%2FczMaqDC%2BAdYPOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=UTxuFTZNMd%2F1zCa8Vw5OJFcqtfU7ad4Uhttp://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=Y0vcybBwl%2FczMaqDC%2BAdYPOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=sJfkSumtTcdkge0DZ0Z%2B7%2FOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=88ssWTxYwy9q68boHLjNT%2FOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=MOphyLk6tm9zNlsCTKuB7POWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=apkh07xIE%2B2RgFmmxMG%2B7%2FOWedEEPNY1mailto:[email protected]


2/9

AT&T National Internet Contract

CWA reached a tentative agreement with AT&T Internet covering 3,500technicians and call center workers in 14 states. The bargaining team workedhard to gain a fair contract that made improvements in wage and related

issues. Details of the tentative contract are being provided to locals andmembers; the bargaining committee unanimously recommends ratification.

US Airways

The planned ratification vote for a tentative contract covering 6,500passenger service employees at US Airways has been put on hold, followingthe U.S. Department of J ustice's announcement that it is seeking to block themerger of US Airways and American Airlines. Agents are represented byCWA and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The tentativeagreement was an interim settlement while the merger moved forward. While

US Airways maintains that the merger will be completed, the time frame willbe longer and the unions concluded it would be better to evaluate all optionsbefore proceeding with the vote.

OFS

CWA's Telecommunications and Technologies bargaining team reached asecond tentative agreement with OFS, covering about 280 CWA members atplants in Sturbridge, Mass., and Atlanta, Ga. OFS workers manufacture highperformance fibers for video, voice and data transmission.

CenturyLink

The ratification date for the tentative CenturyLink agreement is Sept. 27,2013. Get more information here.

This tentative agreement covers 11,000 CWA legacy Qwest/CenturyLinkmembers in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington,Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, andIowa. CenturyLink workers in Montana are represented by the InternationalBrotherhood of Electrical Workers.

KQED

In a vote conducted by the NLRB, employees at KQED in San J ose, Calif.,voted 3-0 for NABET-CWA representation.

In KQED's main San Francisco office, NABET-CWA Local 59051 currentlyrepresents more than 100 employees in 11 different units. San Franciscocontract negotiations have been ongoing since the contract expired last
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October, and the union had proposed including the San J ose employees intothe KQED-NABET collective bargaining agreement to prevent the companyfrom moving production to San J ose for non-union work. The companyrejected NABET-CWA's proposal and told negotiators that they knew how toorganize San J ose workers if they wanted to represent them. So they did!

New Online Courses for CWA Members

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Check out CWA/NETT Academy's new website, http://www.cwanett.org/,which showcases an expanded platform of courses and program options.There are now more than 100 courses, covering everything from professionaldevelopment in computer technology, finance and administration to personal

development in creative arts, language programs and more. These newclasses are priced $99-$110 each and each has six weeks of instructor-led,online instruction.

Another CWA/NETT program, Lynda.com, offers instruction in the latestsoftware programs from webware to excel. Create your log-in today andcheck out the latest.

From telecom techs gaining Cisco certifications to broadcast technicians andeditors taking Final Cut Pro, thousands of CWAers have taken advantage ofthe top flight instructors and courses offered through CWA/NETT.
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4/9

Thousands of Immigration Reform Advocates Descend on Rep. McCarthy'sOffice

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5/9

CWA District 9 activists march to Rep. Kevin McCarthy's office.

Below: CWA members call on Congress to pass comprehensive immigrationreform.

It was the largest caravan in California history.

Thousands of workers and immigrant-rights advocates from dozens ofCalifornia cities traveled by bus, car and motorcycle to Bakersfield to call onGOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy to pass comprehensive immigration reform with apath to citizenship. McCarthy, the third-ranking Republican in the House,serves as majority whip and has a huge influence over whether immigration

reform will get a vote.

CWA locals 9003, 9423, 9408, 9416, 9415, 9505, 9509, 9412, 9511, 9586,9119, 59053 and 9510 joined other labor unions, faith organizations,students, LGBT groups, human rights leaders, elected officials and otherallies on "The Path to Citizenship Goes through Bakersfield." Activists endedtheir caravan in a city park before marching to McCarthy's office.

It was the latest action in a series of rallies, sit-ins and protests across thecountry, as Republican lawmakers visit their home districts during the Augustrecess.

Governor Signs Massive Voter Suppression Law in North Carolina

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North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) on Monday signed into law an extreme
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6/9

voter suppression bill that puts heavy restrictions on the state's voters. Itimmediately was challenged by the North Carolina NAACP, the AdvancementProject, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Coalition for SocialJ ustice, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause and the A. PhilipRandolph Institute.

Ever since the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder,invalidating a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, states like NorthCarolina have adopted extreme and restrictive voting changes, and otherRepublican-controlled legislatures are looking at similar restrictions.

"North Carolina has a long and sad history of official discrimination againstAfrican Americans, including official discrimination in voting that has touchedupon the right of African Americans and other people of color to register,vote, or otherwise participate in the democratic process," the SCSJ andACLU lawsuit pointed out. "Over the past 30 years in North Carolina, there

have been over thirty successful cases brought under Section 2 of the VotingRights Act and forty objections to discriminatory changes to voting lawslodged by the Department of J ustice under Section 5 of the Voting RightsAct...Based on concerns about intimidation at the polling place, the UnitedStates J ustice Department sent federal observers to North Carolina." Readmore here.

Here's what the new North Carolina law does:

Eliminates a week of early voting.

Ends same-day voter registration and requires that all changes to

address and other information be made at least 25 days in advance ofan election.

Requires voters to show a government-issued photo ID.

Allows "vigilantes" to challenge the rights of citizens to vote.

Eliminates a high school civics program that registers tens ofthousands of students to vote each year in advance of their 18thbirthday.

Weakens disclosure requirements for campaign ads.

McCrory said residents "overwhelmingly" support the "common sense" law.Except that they don't. A new poll by Public Policy Polling found that 50percent of North Carolina voters say they oppose the measure; 39 percentsay they support the bill.

Mine Workers Reach Tentative Agreement with Patriot Coal, Fight forFairness for 23,000 Retirees Goes On
http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=QtnyfzqhL4EhYaBtJr%2B8v%2FOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=QtnyfzqhL4EhYaBtJr%2B8v%2FOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=QtnyfzqhL4EhYaBtJr%2B8v%2FOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=QtnyfzqhL4EhYaBtJr%2B8v%2FOWedEEPNY1


7/9

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CWA activists support UMWA familes at a St. Louis rally.

Below: St. Louis Labor Council Vice President John Ebeling throws CWA'ssupport behind mine workers.

The United Mine Workers reached a tentative settlement with bankrupt

Patriot Coal on new terms and conditions of employment covering 1,800active or laid off miners in West Virginia and Kentucky. The settlement makesbig improvements over what federal Bankruptcy J udge Kathy Surratt-Statesordered on May 29, and what Patriot implemented on J uly 1, the UMWA said.

"After several weeks of nearly around-the-clock negotiations, I believe wehave reached something that can be taken to the membership for ratification,"UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts said. "We have been able to restore, or at
http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=vXkkPl3Zlid6STg7gJs5wX1J%2B8HBo6z9http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=b%2BhYHNyjGpERhY6KQFfATPOWedEEPNY1http://action.cwa-union.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=oPGuLQhIMXFlOcxDJZZ0rfOWedEEPNY1


8/9

least improve upon, many of the most drastic changes that the J udgeordered, including in the area of wages, health care benefits, paid time off,pensions, and more. In addition, we have negotiated a mechanism that willallow retiree health care benefits to continue."

Workers will vote on the tentative settlement on Aug. 16.

The campaign against Peabody Energy and Arch Coal continues, however.On Tuesday, UMWA families and allies rallied in front of Peabody Energy'scorporate headquarters in St. Louis. J ohn Ebeling, vice president of the St.Louis Central Labor Council and print and media sector vice president ofCWA Local 6300, said, "the fight will go on and on until there is victory."

"I salute every one of you for the sacrifices you make to keep this fight alive!"he told the crowd. "Peabody owes these brothers and sisters $1.3 billion.They have given out more than $1.3 billion in bonuses in the last few years."

Watch a clip from Ebeling's speech here.

In a classic example of corporate greed and despite its profitability, Peabodycreated Patriot Coal in 2007 and gave that company 11 percent of its assets,43 percent of its retiree liability and some underwater coal contracts, theUMWA said. The overwhelming majority, some 90 percent, of retirees whoseretiree health care will be slashed never worked for Patriot. Then, in 2008,Patriot bought Arch-spinoff Magnum Coal, and Arch saddled that companywith 12 percent of its assets and 96 percent of its retiree health-careliabilities.

CWA members have been a big part of the campaign, joining rallies in St.Louis, West Virginia and Kentucky to pressure Peabody Energy and ArchCoal to meet their responsibilities to retired miners and their families. CWAersin West Virginia have an especially strong partnership with UMWA minerswho are standing up with CWA members in their contract fight at FrontierCommunications.

"We're back at Peabody because that's where this problem started.Executives at Peabody Energy created Patriot, they failed to give it enoughassets to meet its obligations, and we're not going to sit idly by and let miners

and their families pay the price," Roberts said.

The bankruptcy ruling affected 23,000 retired miners and their families whoface the loss of their health care benefits.

CWA501 Third Street NWWashington, DC 20001
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9/9

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CWA Newsletter, Thursday, August 15, 2013

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