News

With Piedmont agents' election only one week away, beginning Oct. 7, management has gone off the deep end in its efforts to try intimidate the union supporters. At a meeting a couple days ago in Charlotte, Piedmont supervisors went ballistic over - can you believe it - two cakes that a CWA supporter ordered for his co-workers to enjoy during a captive-audience meeting by management.

Progress and challenges were the twin focus of the 2010 CWA Civil Rights and Equity Conference, which drew more than 200 members and leaders to New Orleans last week. The National Civil Rights and Equity Committee spent months planning the conference. The members, one from each CWA district, are Local 1180 Secretary-Treasurer Gloria Middleton; Local 2222 Vice President William Steele; Local 3806 Area Rep (AT&T Mobility) Esther Pond; Local 4123 Secretary-Treasurer Gloria Lamas; Local 6016 Vice President (Avaya) Audry Brown; Local 7800 President Michael Lynch; Local 9413 Executive Vice President Elizabeth Sorenson; and Local 13100 Rep-At-Large Michael Biddle.

Despite their best efforts, Senate Republicans and three Democrats-in-name-only couldn't block new National Mediation Board rules that will finally bring democracy to union elections for flight attendants, passenger service agents and other airline and rail workers.

Ohio Senate candidate and Lt. Governor Lee Fisher joined CWA leaders Wednesday to condemn Senate Republicans for blocking a bill that would end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. "Job creation is not a political game," Fisher said, describing how Republicans have abused the Senate rules to derail legislation that would help American workers and their families. "What was once a well intentioned rule to protect the minority party has become a partisan weapon of mass destruction."

A health care bill for Ground Zero workers that House Republicans blocked in July was passed 268-160 on Wednesday, when 13 Republicans joined Democrats to support it. The 9/11 Health and Compensation Act would provide federal funds for medical monitoring and treatment for first responders, recovery crews and other workers exposed to Ground Zero toxins, including about 1,500 CWA members in telecom, the public sector, newspapers and broadcasting.