Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
CWA Newsmakers
A number of CWA staff have recently retired. Additional retirement notices will continue in the next CWA News.
Steve Olney, executive assistant to the CWA secretary-treasurer and a recipient of the President’s Annual Award for organizing, has retired. Olney, 56, began employment with California Water and Telephone in April 1964, working as an outside installer, PBX installer and sales representative. He joined Local 1008 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in the Palm Springs area in 1964 and became its chief steward in 1966. A year later General Telephone of California bought out his employer and CWA took over as bargaining representative. Olney, then 23, was elected president of the newly formed CWA Local 9585. In 1971, when Locals 9585 and 9572 merged, Olney was elected president of the resulting Local 9588. In 1975 he was hired as District 11 organizer, and in 1983, promoted to administrative assistant to the district vice president. In 1985 then-executive vice president Barbara Easterling tapped Olney to become her assistant. When Easterling was elected CWA secretary-treasurer in 1992, Olney became her executive assistant. In 1974, the last year that CWA’s founding President Joseph Anthony Beirne selected the recipient, Olney was presented the President’s Annual Award for his role as president in expanding the locals he served from 60 to 4,500 members.
Loretta Bowen, CWA’s political and legislative director and assistant to the secretary treasurer, has retired. A key advisor to the union leadership and a linchpin in its political fundraising efforts, Bowen in 1992 chaired the CWA headquarters and field staff task force that mobilized thousands of volunteers to elect Bill Clinton as President. Bowen came to CWA as headquarters staff for politics and CWA-COPE in 1973 after 14 years working on Capitol Hill — nine of those with the education and labor subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and Labor. In 1979 she rose to administrative assistant to the CWA president with responsibility for politics and CWA-COPE and, in 1980, became political director. She was named to her present position by CWA Sec.-Treas. Barbara Easterling in 1996. Bowen, 60, has served on several committees of the Democratic National Committee and is presently a member of the Gore Campaign 2000 National Finance Board. The recipient of numerous honors, in 1980 Bowen was selected by the National Federation of Democratic Women as one of its “Winning Women for All Decades.” In 1983 she received the Women’s Equity Action League’s Economic Equity Award for outstanding achievement in labor. Campaigns & Elections Magazine in 1993 named her among “74 Women Who Are Changing American Politics” and, in 1997, “one of America’s top political action leaders.”
Ronald E. Woods, assistant to District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino, has retired after nearly 40 years of union service. Woods, 62, started work in 1956 in Buffalo, N.Y., making telephone cable at Western Electric, now Lucent Technologies. After taking a four-year leave to serve in the U.S. Air Force, he returned to his job in 1961 and quickly became a steward in CWA Local 1162. He was elected its secretary in 1968 and president in 1970, serving for seven years. In 1974, he was a member of the National Bell Bargaining Council. He was hired as a CWA representative in Buffalo in late 1979 and was bargaining chair when 800 nurses at Buffalo General Hospital went on strike in 1983, winning a first contract. In 1985, Woods was promoted and transferred to New York City to serve as the downstate New York area director. In 1990, he was transferred to New Jersey to be the state’s private sector area director. He returned to New York City in 1997, when Mancino named him his assistant. Woods has served on the executive board of the Greater Buffalo AFL-CIO, the board of the New York State AFL-CIO Community Services Committee and the advisory board for the Botto House Labor Museum in New Jersey.
Jack Ivory, a CWA representative in District 7 who put together the first statewide CWA Council, has retired. Ivory, 59, began his career at Western Electric Co. in Minneapolis in 1959, working in the repair center. He became vice president of CWA Local 7295 in 1966 and was elected its president four years later. During 13 years in office, he was part of the national bargaining committee for contracts with Western Electric, which became part of AT&T in 1984. Ivory was hired by CWA in 1983, working first in Greensboro, N.C., then Somerset, N.J., representing AT&T members. He returned to Minnesota in 1990, representing locals there and in Montana. Ivory assembled the first statewide CWA Council, in Minnesota, which includes 16 locals and 6,500 members.
Ray Kramer, a CWA representative in District 6 for 16 years, has retired. Kramer, 61, started his career at Southwestern Bell in 1961 in Fort Worth, Texas, working his way through every outside craft job in the company. He served as a steward or chief steward in nearly every work group in Local 6201 and was elected its full-time executive vice president in 1978, serving for five years. He was appointed to the District 6 staff in Dallas in January 1984. For 14 years, he served on the Staff Union Executive Board, the last three years as vice president. Kramer organized new bargaining units and negotiated a number of start-up contracts during his career.
George E. Powell, a CWA representative in District 3 with 35 years of union service, has retired. Powell, 54, began work as a lineman and cable splicer at South Central Bell in Mississippi in 1965. Within six months he was vice president of Local 3503 and was elected president within a year, a post he held until moving to Local 3516 in 1972. He served as its president until hired by CWA in 1980 as state director in Jackson, Miss. He became a CWA representative in 1985, starting in Nashville, Tenn. After four years, he returned to Mississippi, staying until his retirement in March. He has served for 10 years as executive vice president of the state’s AFL-CIO, was recently re-elected to a third term as chairman of the Marshall County Democratic Party and was appointed this year by Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to the Local Workforce Investment Board.
Steve Olney, executive assistant to the CWA secretary-treasurer and a recipient of the President’s Annual Award for organizing, has retired. Olney, 56, began employment with California Water and Telephone in April 1964, working as an outside installer, PBX installer and sales representative. He joined Local 1008 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in the Palm Springs area in 1964 and became its chief steward in 1966. A year later General Telephone of California bought out his employer and CWA took over as bargaining representative. Olney, then 23, was elected president of the newly formed CWA Local 9585. In 1971, when Locals 9585 and 9572 merged, Olney was elected president of the resulting Local 9588. In 1975 he was hired as District 11 organizer, and in 1983, promoted to administrative assistant to the district vice president. In 1985 then-executive vice president Barbara Easterling tapped Olney to become her assistant. When Easterling was elected CWA secretary-treasurer in 1992, Olney became her executive assistant. In 1974, the last year that CWA’s founding President Joseph Anthony Beirne selected the recipient, Olney was presented the President’s Annual Award for his role as president in expanding the locals he served from 60 to 4,500 members.
Loretta Bowen, CWA’s political and legislative director and assistant to the secretary treasurer, has retired. A key advisor to the union leadership and a linchpin in its political fundraising efforts, Bowen in 1992 chaired the CWA headquarters and field staff task force that mobilized thousands of volunteers to elect Bill Clinton as President. Bowen came to CWA as headquarters staff for politics and CWA-COPE in 1973 after 14 years working on Capitol Hill — nine of those with the education and labor subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and Labor. In 1979 she rose to administrative assistant to the CWA president with responsibility for politics and CWA-COPE and, in 1980, became political director. She was named to her present position by CWA Sec.-Treas. Barbara Easterling in 1996. Bowen, 60, has served on several committees of the Democratic National Committee and is presently a member of the Gore Campaign 2000 National Finance Board. The recipient of numerous honors, in 1980 Bowen was selected by the National Federation of Democratic Women as one of its “Winning Women for All Decades.” In 1983 she received the Women’s Equity Action League’s Economic Equity Award for outstanding achievement in labor. Campaigns & Elections Magazine in 1993 named her among “74 Women Who Are Changing American Politics” and, in 1997, “one of America’s top political action leaders.”
Ronald E. Woods, assistant to District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino, has retired after nearly 40 years of union service. Woods, 62, started work in 1956 in Buffalo, N.Y., making telephone cable at Western Electric, now Lucent Technologies. After taking a four-year leave to serve in the U.S. Air Force, he returned to his job in 1961 and quickly became a steward in CWA Local 1162. He was elected its secretary in 1968 and president in 1970, serving for seven years. In 1974, he was a member of the National Bell Bargaining Council. He was hired as a CWA representative in Buffalo in late 1979 and was bargaining chair when 800 nurses at Buffalo General Hospital went on strike in 1983, winning a first contract. In 1985, Woods was promoted and transferred to New York City to serve as the downstate New York area director. In 1990, he was transferred to New Jersey to be the state’s private sector area director. He returned to New York City in 1997, when Mancino named him his assistant. Woods has served on the executive board of the Greater Buffalo AFL-CIO, the board of the New York State AFL-CIO Community Services Committee and the advisory board for the Botto House Labor Museum in New Jersey.
Jack Ivory, a CWA representative in District 7 who put together the first statewide CWA Council, has retired. Ivory, 59, began his career at Western Electric Co. in Minneapolis in 1959, working in the repair center. He became vice president of CWA Local 7295 in 1966 and was elected its president four years later. During 13 years in office, he was part of the national bargaining committee for contracts with Western Electric, which became part of AT&T in 1984. Ivory was hired by CWA in 1983, working first in Greensboro, N.C., then Somerset, N.J., representing AT&T members. He returned to Minnesota in 1990, representing locals there and in Montana. Ivory assembled the first statewide CWA Council, in Minnesota, which includes 16 locals and 6,500 members.
Ray Kramer, a CWA representative in District 6 for 16 years, has retired. Kramer, 61, started his career at Southwestern Bell in 1961 in Fort Worth, Texas, working his way through every outside craft job in the company. He served as a steward or chief steward in nearly every work group in Local 6201 and was elected its full-time executive vice president in 1978, serving for five years. He was appointed to the District 6 staff in Dallas in January 1984. For 14 years, he served on the Staff Union Executive Board, the last three years as vice president. Kramer organized new bargaining units and negotiated a number of start-up contracts during his career.
George E. Powell, a CWA representative in District 3 with 35 years of union service, has retired. Powell, 54, began work as a lineman and cable splicer at South Central Bell in Mississippi in 1965. Within six months he was vice president of Local 3503 and was elected president within a year, a post he held until moving to Local 3516 in 1972. He served as its president until hired by CWA in 1980 as state director in Jackson, Miss. He became a CWA representative in 1985, starting in Nashville, Tenn. After four years, he returned to Mississippi, staying until his retirement in March. He has served for 10 years as executive vice president of the state’s AFL-CIO, was recently re-elected to a third term as chairman of the Marshall County Democratic Party and was appointed this year by Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to the Local Workforce Investment Board.