A Message from Laura Unger, Assistant to the Vice President

A Message from Laura Unger, Assistant to the Vice President

When I announced at the T&T Conference that I would be retiring, I promised I would stay until AT&T Legacy T bargaining was completed.  Now that the Contract has been ratified, I want to let you know that my last day in the T&T office will be July 10^th.

I have very mixed feelings about leaving.  I treasure the years I have spent in the CWA since I was hired at AT&T in 1979.  I have learned so much from the members, Local officers and my fellow Staff over those years.  From fighting to make my Local better, the two strikes I participated in, being Local 1150 President for almost 20 years, co-chairing the Ad Hoc, bargaining AT&T Contracts since 1992, being brought onto Staff by Ralph Maly in the T&T office since 2007 and then becoming Assistant to Vice President Bill Bates I have seen more than my share of changes and losses.  But I have also seen how much better off our members (and many others) are because we have a Union and because the CWA has fought so hard.  The Companies we deal with never tire of looking for ways to get more profit off our members’ backs and we can never stop trying to stop them (or at least slow them down). 

Two things are very clear to me.  One is that we need the T&T office because we need to have a coordinated approach to fighting Companies that have a nationwide presence.  As they coordinate their attacks against us, we must also have a clear, unified approach to both go on the offense and fight back against the endless attacks.   The second thing is that there is no way in the world we will continue to be able to protect our members if we don’t join with others outside the Labor movement to force real change in America. Every single thing we have won can be too easily taken away with a new law, a bad executive order or court decision.  Every Local, every member and every retiree needs to be part of a movement for justice.

So, while I am looking forward to retirement I am saddened to no longer be with all of you as you wage the next set of battles.  I will be part of them when I can. With so many changes in our Union there are new challenges ahead and I know the CWA will survive and, hopefully, get stronger. 

          Step by step the longest march can be won, can be won.

          Many stones can form an arch -- singly none, singly none.

          And by Union what we will, can be accomplished still

          Drops of water turn the mill -- singly none, singly none.

          (from the preamble to the Constitution of the United Mineworkers of America)

In unity,

Laura Unger