CWA-COPE Raises Record $3.2 Million

CWA President Larry Cohen praised the hard work of districts, locals and retired members chapters that raised a record $3.2 million for CWA-COPE in 2004, through the union's political education committee financing what he called "the biggest and broadest membership political mobilization campaign in our history."

"Our goal for next year is clear. We must continue to build our COPE program, to raise the funds necessary to wage an all-out campaign in 2006 in the congressional elections and beyond," Cohen said. "We are today in a fight for our political survival. Working and fighting together, we will meet the challenge and build our union stronger and more powerful than ever."

CWA finished the year with 58,000 members contributing $1 or more per week through the CWA-COPE program, up 9,000 from two years ago.

"Because of your work and the funds you raised and the contributions you solicited, we were able to implement the most far-reaching grassroots political program ever undertaken by CWA, involving hundreds of locals and thousands of members," he said.

Cohen thanked hundreds of high-level donors who are members of several prestigious CWA-COPE clubs including 1,600 in the President's Club, contributing $10 a week, or $520 a year. He acknowledged the contributions of hundreds more through the CWA-COPE Quorum program: 7,000 Gold Quorum members giving $104 annually; 1,700 Platinum Quorum members, $260 annually; and 1,200 Triple Quorum members at $340 annually; and 24,000 COPE Club members giving $52 annually through payroll deduction.

He presented CWA-COPE awards to:

• District 1 and President Chris Shelton for most members contributing, 13,561, and most members giving $1 or more per week, 7,041;
  
• District 6 and President Andy Milburn for most CWA-COPE dollars raised, $641,448;
  
• District 7 and President Annie Hill for highest percentage of members giving $1 a week or more;
  
• Local 1101 and President Joe Connolly for most raised in 2004, $109,902; most members enrolled, 2,993, and most members contributing $1 per week or more, 1,754;
  
• Local 1301 and President George Alcott for highest percentage of members contributing $1 or more per week, 73 percent, and
  
• Local 7072 and President Stella Madrid for highest percentage of membership participating, 84 percent.

He acknowledged 189 locals that reached their 2004 CWA-COPE quotas.