Taking on the 1% in the States

Across the country, lawmakers and governors are pushing for legislation that guts workers’ collective bargaining rights, benefits and pensions. They’re attacking on voting rights, immigrants and a fair tax system. But CWA and activists allies are launching initiatives and building coalitions to fight back, working to restore economic and social justice and democracy.

New Jersey

In a fight with the most anti-union governor in the history of their contract, CWA New Jersey state workers successfully preserved the integrity and enforceability of decades of collective bargaining. During the year-long negotiations, CWA — representing about 60,000 public workers statewide — boldly withstood a barrage of attacks at the bargaining table and struck a deal, which CWA members ratified in June.

Wisconsin

In the Wisconsin recall election, Democrats gained control of the state senate for the first time since Republican Gov. Scott Walker took office. Though voters failed to recall the governor himself, a year after he stripped state workers of their collective bargaining rights, there’s now a firewall to block his divisive, anti-worker agenda.

Hundreds of CWAers from 11 states provided critical support, calling Wisconsin members so CWA’s state activists could focus on worksite and other turnout activity. CWA volunteers made 9,000 phone calls and 10,000 robocalls in the days leading up to the election.

Michigan

Determined to block anti-worker and anti-bargaining measures in their state, Michigan workers have launched a preemptive strike to cement collective bargaining as a right guaranteed to employees under the state constitution. Currently there are some 80 bills pending in the state legislature that attack workers’ rights. Protect Our Jobs — a coalition of labor and progressive groups organizing the effort — must collect 322,609 signatures by July 9 to get their constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

Ohio

In Ohio, a GOP governor and Republican majority state legislature pushed through a measure that stripped public workers of their bargaining rights. But the hard work of thousands of CWAers and progressive activists put the initiative on the 2011 ballot and made a citizens’ veto of this anti-work measure possible. The Stand Up for Ohio coalition, organized by CWA, led that fight.

Ohio activists also have been spotlighting measures that would suppress the vote and bar many eligible voters, especially seniors, students and people of color, from casting their ballots. Recently, GOP Gov. John Kasich signed a bill reversing a contentious voting law that would have drastically reduced early voting opportunities. This move pre-empted a threatened repeal referendum that Republicans feared would have seen a flood of voters who oppose voter suppression heading to the polls in the November presidential election.

Arizona

Arizona lawmakers weighed a number of bills targeting public sector workers in the most recent legislative session. One that would have essentially banned public sector unions has stalled, but a bill that would stop employees from automatically deducting union dues from their paychecks is still proceeding.

Minnesota

With Republicans in control of both houses of the Minnesota legislature for the first time in more than three decades, lawmakers worked to pass a “right to work” bill. CWA members and their allies hit back — dubbing it “right to work for less” — and after provoking crowds of union protesters, the bill died after one Senate hearing.

But GOP Minnesota lawmakers did help pass a constitutional amendment that would require voters to show a photo ID at the polls; Minnesotans will vote on the amendment in November.

Meanwhile, CWA Next Generation activists took the fight against Wells Fargo to Minneapolis, where 50 young workers taped dollar bills over their mouths, marched into a Wells Fargo lobby and laid down in front of the bank’s trademark stagecoach in protest. Jake Lake of CWA Local 1101 said the NextGen group was there to challenge the bank’s influence in politics, including its role in getting a voter ID amendment placed on the November ballot. “We demand that the top 1 percent of this country stop destroying our country,” he said.

New Mexico

In New Mexico, Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is continuing her campaign to try and strip away the basic rights of state workers. Negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement covering more than 12,000 state workers, including some 6,000 CWAers, could drag into the summer.

Working Families of New Mexico — a new progressive coalition of community organizations including CWA New Mexico, other labor unions and progressive activists — came together a few months ago. Active in the June primary, Working Families of New Mexico knocked on doors, made phone calls, and had one on one conversation with more than 11,000 voters. The coalition also produced radio ads and direct mail outreach, and is gearing up for more. Three of the coalition’s endorsed candidates won their primaries.

Florida

Florida’s attempt to purge voters from the rolls drew a sharp rebuke from the federal government in June, though Republican Gov. Rick Scott hasn’t stopped trying. The Justice Department has demanded that the state stop all voter verification efforts because the purging process in use violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which requires that voter roll maintenance cease 90 days before an election.

In May, a federal judge blocked portions of a controversial new election law, including some of the most onerous requirements that had prevented organizations like the League of Women Voters, the NAACP and Rock the Vote from helping citizens register to vote. One provision required groups registering voters to turn in completed forms within 48 hours; another required that the groups submit the names of all “registration agents,” including people who hand out fliers, to the state.

Texas

Texas is also implementing a voter purge policy that erroneously targets eligible voters, according to several media reports. The state’s voter registration rates are already among the lowest in the nation, and one out of every 10 Texas voters’ registration currently is suspended. Among voters under 30, suspension is about one in five.

During the 2011 legislative session, CWA-TSEU activists beat back the plans to cut health care and pensions, eliminate longevity pay and furlough workers. A proposal to privatize state hospitals was also scaled back. Activists have built a coalition that’s united state employees with civil rights, religious and advocacy leaders. On TSEU’s annual Lobby Day, the coalition turned out 5,000 people.

California

A “paycheck deception” measure will be on the November ballot. The bill was specifically written to limit the voice of union workers and create special exemptions for corporate interests. That would give the wealthy even more political power to write its own set of rules.

Supporters of the bill claim the measure would to apply to both unions and corporations equally, but it doesn’t. Unions and workers who want to pool their money to have a voice in politics would be barred from participating in the political process, but secretive Super PACs and corporate front groups are exempted and still would be able to raise unlimited amounts of money from corporate special interests and billionaires to support their candidates or defeat their enemies.

The mis-named Special Exemptions Act claims to be about “stopping special interests” but it’s all about giving special treatment to corporations and the wealthy.

Maryland

CWA’s Maryland Legislative-Political Action Team helped win new protections against the offshoring of jobs in the state. Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley recently signed a law that requires companies bidding on contracts of $2 million or more with the state of Maryland to disclose whether any of that work will be performed outside the United States. The law also prohibits public employers from contracting for specific services unless those services are to be provided in the United States, and requires that state contracts for architectural, construction and engineering services, as well as energy performance contract services, must be performed in the United States.