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CWA Board: 'Keep Political Mobilization Going'
CWA's Executive Board called on union leaders and activists at all levels to keep up the momentum from the 2004 political mobilization. In a resolution, the board warned against letting grassroots political structures atrophy in the face of the "looming fight against the privatization of Social Security, the fight for good jobs, universal access to affordable health care, and the all-important fight to protect the freedom of workers to freely join a union…."
The full text of the resolution follows:
Keep the Momentum Going
CWA, along with the rest of the labor movement, engaged in the biggest political mobilization campaign in its history during the 2004 elections. Although our candidate did not win in the presidential contest, many other labor-endorsed candidates were elected at the federal, state and local levels.
Despite the great political work done by CWA leaders and volunteers, the power of the federal government remains in the hands of those opposed to workplace rights and collective bargaining. But we learned in 2004 that unity, commitment and leadership are CWA's greatest strengths. We must and we will continue to fight for our major belief ¯ belonging to a union is a human right.
A big mistake of the past, however, was organized labor allowing our political mobilization structures to weaken or even disappear between each election cycle, requiring us to restart our efforts every two years. CWA leaders and activists across our nation were energized and excited this year as never before. They are looking for positive direction to keep the momentum going.
So, we must strengthen CWA's political mobilization structures rather than allow them to atrophy. No longer can we only speak to our members during an election campaign. We must reach out to educate and inform them about the issues the year round.
Serious issues confront working families over the next two years. The looming fight against the privatization of Social Security, the fight for good jobs, universal access to affordable healthcare, and the all-important fight to protect the freedom of workers to freely join a union are among the core issues we face. We must build on our political mobilization successes and focus on these big threats facing working families in 2005. Our goal must be to build strong local union capacity and local union political activism, as well as deepen our local union volunteerism.
We will mobilize to win key state and local elections in 2005, enter the 2006 elections strong and prepare for the 2008 national elections. We will go on the offensive in so-called "Red" states and build power where we already have membership density. We will engage in a nationwide, coordinated strategy in every district and bargaining unit because CWA members are all equally affected by the outcome of these campaigns. We are in this together.
Reaching these goals will take money and commitment. All local unions in every state, district and bargaining unit must be prepared to build our CWA-COPE funds, conduct membership education and mobilization and continue the great work that was done in 2004. The CWA Executive Board does not just urge locals to participate in this strategy; we expect CWA local officers and stewards to show leadership because our local unions are at the heart of successful political activism.
How CWA responds to this challenge will define us as a union and directly affect the future of the labor movement. CWA has the resources, credibility, infrastructure and message to fight back against those who seek to break our movement. The CWA Executive Board calls on all local unions to provide the spark of inspired leadership for the entire labor movement in 2005 to "Keep the Momentum Going."
The full text of the resolution follows:
Keep the Momentum Going
CWA, along with the rest of the labor movement, engaged in the biggest political mobilization campaign in its history during the 2004 elections. Although our candidate did not win in the presidential contest, many other labor-endorsed candidates were elected at the federal, state and local levels.
Despite the great political work done by CWA leaders and volunteers, the power of the federal government remains in the hands of those opposed to workplace rights and collective bargaining. But we learned in 2004 that unity, commitment and leadership are CWA's greatest strengths. We must and we will continue to fight for our major belief ¯ belonging to a union is a human right.
A big mistake of the past, however, was organized labor allowing our political mobilization structures to weaken or even disappear between each election cycle, requiring us to restart our efforts every two years. CWA leaders and activists across our nation were energized and excited this year as never before. They are looking for positive direction to keep the momentum going.
So, we must strengthen CWA's political mobilization structures rather than allow them to atrophy. No longer can we only speak to our members during an election campaign. We must reach out to educate and inform them about the issues the year round.
Serious issues confront working families over the next two years. The looming fight against the privatization of Social Security, the fight for good jobs, universal access to affordable healthcare, and the all-important fight to protect the freedom of workers to freely join a union are among the core issues we face. We must build on our political mobilization successes and focus on these big threats facing working families in 2005. Our goal must be to build strong local union capacity and local union political activism, as well as deepen our local union volunteerism.
We will mobilize to win key state and local elections in 2005, enter the 2006 elections strong and prepare for the 2008 national elections. We will go on the offensive in so-called "Red" states and build power where we already have membership density. We will engage in a nationwide, coordinated strategy in every district and bargaining unit because CWA members are all equally affected by the outcome of these campaigns. We are in this together.
Reaching these goals will take money and commitment. All local unions in every state, district and bargaining unit must be prepared to build our CWA-COPE funds, conduct membership education and mobilization and continue the great work that was done in 2004. The CWA Executive Board does not just urge locals to participate in this strategy; we expect CWA local officers and stewards to show leadership because our local unions are at the heart of successful political activism.
How CWA responds to this challenge will define us as a union and directly affect the future of the labor movement. CWA has the resources, credibility, infrastructure and message to fight back against those who seek to break our movement. The CWA Executive Board calls on all local unions to provide the spark of inspired leadership for the entire labor movement in 2005 to "Keep the Momentum Going."