CWA Disaster Relief Aids Members Hit by Deadly Fires

By early reports, about a dozen CWA members lost their homes in the wildfires that ravaged more than half a million acres in southern California. Locals are canvassing their members to assess the extent of damage, overall they are reporting that "we have a lot of members helping members" through volunteer efforts, donations of food, blankets, water and dollars to the Red Cross, the San Diego AFL-CIO and other groups.

"We're asking our members with serious losses to contact their locals for help in applying for assistance from the CWA Disaster Relief Fund," said CWA Representative Cherie Brokaw, named by District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler to coordinate CWA's efforts in the district. Completed applications will be forwarded to CWA Human Rights Director Gwend Johnson for processing.

In addition, about 40 flight attendants have reported damage to their homes and about 100 were forced to evacuate, said Heather Healy, AFA-CWA director of Employee Assistance Programs. She said it appeared that fewer than 10 flight attendans have lost their homes. AFA-CWA members can contribute to the sector's Disaster Relief Fund; details are available at www.afanet.org.