News

CWA New Jersey state workers were among 500 demonstrators who rallied Wednesday outside the Statehouse in Trenton to urge Gov. Jon Corzine and the Department of Environmental Protection not to close nine state parks as part of a budget-cutting move.

CWA members will be turning out in force for the Verizon, Idearc and IBM shareholder meetings next week, taking on issues that include out-of-control stock options, corporate governance and executive pay as well as anti-labor policies.

The nation's workplaces remain unsafe, and current safety laws and penalties are too weak to protect workers. That's the conclusion of the AFL-CIO's annual "Death on the Job" report, which provides grim statistics on how many workers were killed and injured on the job in the past year, as well as information on penalties assessed for serious violations and other data.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said this week's merger announcement by Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines moves Delta's flight attendants one step closer to getting union representation and a contract like Northwest's AFA-represented flight attendants. Delta's 13,400 flight attendants filed for union representation with AFA in February and begin voting next week (April 23) in a union election that runs until May 28.

CWA locals representing members at AT&T across the union kicked off the "one year to a new contract" mobilization with leafleting and workplace actions across the districts in advance of 2009 negotiations. AT&T Mobility members also joined in, to show support for a united CWA at AT&T and to gear up for the AT&T Mobility Orange negotiations; that contract expires in February 2009.