News

CWA and unions abroad are turning up the heat on the proposed $115 billion merger of MCI WorldCom and Sprint, as the deal faces increasing scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission and the European Union.

The Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press and the company that runs the two newspapers are appealing a judge’s order to reinstate 50 workers illegally fired for strike-related activities in 1996, a delaying tactic expected by union officials.

A new bill reducing the amount that New Jersey’s public workers contribute to their pension plan will mean more take-home pay for 260,000 state and local government employees.

When Lucent Technologies reported that its fiscal year first quarter earnings would be lower than anticipated, it caused a major drop in the company’s stock value — nearly 29 percent — accompanied by analysts’ speculation that the company would need time to restore “credibility and confidence.”

Local union leaders representing CWA members at AT&T and Lucent Technologies met to sharpen skills and further develop strategies to stop the companies from shifting work away from quality union jobs.