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CWA Newsmakers
CWA leaders in Oregon were key to an effort to reshape and revitalize the state’s labor movement at a May conference in Portland, where more than 200 delegates from 45 unions and labor councils approved an historic “New Alliance” for labor, the AFL-CIO reported. In urging a new structure with more member representation and decision-making for affiliated unions, CWA Representative Linda Rasmussen said: “The Oregon AFL-CIO needs to have people on the general board who look like the workers. Each union needs to train, encourage and mentor leaders of the future, women and people of color. We need to broaden our outreach to younger workers. Each constituency group and each of us needs to reach out to the community in which we live and work to strengthen and build coalitions.”
In a letter to CWA President Morton Bahr, Marilyn Sneiderman, director of field mobilization for the AFL-CIO, praised CWA in general and said Rasmussen’s “persistence to stay focused on critical issues was instrumental in moving the program forward.” At the convention’s organizing workshop, which set ambitious goals and laid out strategies for union growth statewide, CWA Local 7901 organizer Jeanne Carpenter: said, “Every year, 10,000 workers are fired for organizing in the workplace. Workers’ rights are routinely violated. We need to use the power we have to bargain for organizing.” She noted CWA’s success at bargaining for card check and neutrality agreements in the telecommunications industry.
Oregon labor leaders hope the lively conference will be the first step in rebuilding the state’s dwindling numbers of union members. “With the heart and soul in this room, we will get the job done, and the voice of those we represent will be heard,” Oregon AFL-CIO President Terry O’Sullivan said. “That, brothers and sisters, is what the New Alliance is all about.”
CWA headquarters staffer Angie Felix has been named Adult Teacher of the Year in Virginia, honoring her success teaching English as a Second Language at night for more than 10 years. Felix, who spends her days in CWA’s Printing, Publishing and Media Workers office, received the award in April from the Virginia Association for Adult and Continuing Education. In a nominating letter, the director of the Arlington, Va., program where Felix teaches, called her “an outstanding professional who both teaches and empowers her students and inspires her peers.”
Inaam Mansoor said further that Felix’s “learning-centered teaching philosophy always places the student at the center of her decision-making and classroom instruction. She goes out of her way to make teaching and learning come to life in the most meaningful and challenging ways. Her classes are both effective and enriching.” On top of both her jobs, Felix takes professional development seriously. Mansoor said she joins study groups and attends conferences, bringing ample energy and creativity to the gatherings. “She is a model for other teachers,” she said.
In a letter to CWA President Morton Bahr, Marilyn Sneiderman, director of field mobilization for the AFL-CIO, praised CWA in general and said Rasmussen’s “persistence to stay focused on critical issues was instrumental in moving the program forward.” At the convention’s organizing workshop, which set ambitious goals and laid out strategies for union growth statewide, CWA Local 7901 organizer Jeanne Carpenter: said, “Every year, 10,000 workers are fired for organizing in the workplace. Workers’ rights are routinely violated. We need to use the power we have to bargain for organizing.” She noted CWA’s success at bargaining for card check and neutrality agreements in the telecommunications industry.
Oregon labor leaders hope the lively conference will be the first step in rebuilding the state’s dwindling numbers of union members. “With the heart and soul in this room, we will get the job done, and the voice of those we represent will be heard,” Oregon AFL-CIO President Terry O’Sullivan said. “That, brothers and sisters, is what the New Alliance is all about.”
CWA headquarters staffer Angie Felix has been named Adult Teacher of the Year in Virginia, honoring her success teaching English as a Second Language at night for more than 10 years. Felix, who spends her days in CWA’s Printing, Publishing and Media Workers office, received the award in April from the Virginia Association for Adult and Continuing Education. In a nominating letter, the director of the Arlington, Va., program where Felix teaches, called her “an outstanding professional who both teaches and empowers her students and inspires her peers.”
Inaam Mansoor said further that Felix’s “learning-centered teaching philosophy always places the student at the center of her decision-making and classroom instruction. She goes out of her way to make teaching and learning come to life in the most meaningful and challenging ways. Her classes are both effective and enriching.” On top of both her jobs, Felix takes professional development seriously. Mansoor said she joins study groups and attends conferences, bringing ample energy and creativity to the gatherings. “She is a model for other teachers,” she said.