Countdown to November 6

CWAers spread the word about No on Prop. 32.

In California, early voting is now underway, and CWAers are ready to spread the word about Propositions 30 and 32 across the state. Activists got materials and more info at the District 9 conference in Reno, then set out for several rounds of precinct walks, phone banks and worksite leafleting.

Prop. 32 is the deceptively named "Stop Special Interest Money Now Act." It really was written to make it illegal for workers to voluntarily make political contributions through payroll deductions. Corporate executives don't use payroll deduction to make their contributions — they just write big, fat checks. This is a definite no.

Prop. 30, deserves a yes vote. It asks everyone in California to pay a fair share of taxes to fund public education and public services for a temporary period of time, to restore $20 billion in cuts to education and public safety from over the past three years.

Read more at www.cwavotes.org.

###

CWA retirees in Georgia work on registering voters.

District 3 retirees have been working hard to contact unregistered voters who are CWA members. Over the past week, the RMC members have been calling CWAers to make sure they register, and to remind other retirees about giving to CWA's political action fund.

###

AT&T workers and Sen. Sherrod Brown call for bill to bring good call center jobs home.

In Ohio, CWAers and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown called for tough legislation that would keep good call center jobs in the U.S. and gives consumers the right to be transferred back to a U.S. agent.

At a news conference in Niles, Ohio, Senator Brown stood with Dan Harshbarger and Renee Rouser, AT&T call center workers from Boardman and members of Local 4320, and Ron Gay, vice president of Local 4300, to make the case for the U.S. Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act, sponsored by Brown and Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey.

"When companies send call center jobs overseas, they don't just frustrate consumers — they hurt our economy as well. With thousands of Ohioans looking for work, it just doesn't make sense to ship these jobs overseas. By requiring companies to disclose when their calls are being transferred abroad, businesses could be encouraged to keep their call centers jobs here in the United States," Brown said.

Brown is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate, against State Treasurer Josh Mandel. Check out their records at www.cwavotes.org.