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CWA Political Activists Win Prominence
Two CWAers have gained considerable political clout. Gov. Jim McGreevey (D-N.J.) has appointed Jeff Scott, political director and assistant to Local 1034 President Carla Katz, to become his deputy chief of staff. And Joyce Sheperd, a 31-year member of Local 3204, has won election to the Atlanta City Council.
"It's nice to know the McGreevey administration recognizes the potential of our people," said CWA District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino. "We anticipate a great relationship in the future."
"Scott's tremendous experience and expertise will assist in guiding my administration as we continue to fight for the principles important to New Jersey, including environmental protection and job creation," McGreevey said.
During the 23 years Scott worked for Local 1043, the local grew from 4,000 to 15,000 members. Scott is also a co-founder of the New Jersey Environmental Federation, the state's largest statewide grassroots environmental organization.
"Whether we're protecting our drinking water and fighting for cleaner air or establishing worker training programs and creating jobs, the skills and experience I've gained during my work with CWA will assist in moving the governor's agenda forward," Scott said.
Sheperd won election to the Atlanta council with strong support from active and retired CWAers, District 3 Vice President Jimmy Smith reported. Members of CWA's Metro Atlanta Retired Members Club worked phone banks on her behalf coordinated by Local 3204 steward and political chair Yolanda Williams out of the local's union hall. Williams is a graduate of CWA's Minority Leadership Institute.
"People said she couldn't win without a runoff," said local RMC President James Starrs. In the special election held to fill a vacant seat, "she beat two people with 76 percent of the vote."
Sheperd, who grew up in Atlanta, went to work for Southern Bell as a clerk in the early 1970s, then worked as a service technician, then as a PBX installer. She moved to AT&T after the 1984 divestiture and saw her division split off to first become Lucent Technologies and then Avaya. She took a leave of absence to work on her campaign and retired on July 31 after winning the election.
Sheperd is determined to make Atlanta's communities cleaner, safer and better through grassroots leadership and community empowerment but, she said, "The first thing I'm going to do is make sure I'm appointed to a committee in the retiree club."
"It's nice to know the McGreevey administration recognizes the potential of our people," said CWA District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino. "We anticipate a great relationship in the future."
"Scott's tremendous experience and expertise will assist in guiding my administration as we continue to fight for the principles important to New Jersey, including environmental protection and job creation," McGreevey said.
During the 23 years Scott worked for Local 1043, the local grew from 4,000 to 15,000 members. Scott is also a co-founder of the New Jersey Environmental Federation, the state's largest statewide grassroots environmental organization.
"Whether we're protecting our drinking water and fighting for cleaner air or establishing worker training programs and creating jobs, the skills and experience I've gained during my work with CWA will assist in moving the governor's agenda forward," Scott said.
Sheperd won election to the Atlanta council with strong support from active and retired CWAers, District 3 Vice President Jimmy Smith reported. Members of CWA's Metro Atlanta Retired Members Club worked phone banks on her behalf coordinated by Local 3204 steward and political chair Yolanda Williams out of the local's union hall. Williams is a graduate of CWA's Minority Leadership Institute.
"People said she couldn't win without a runoff," said local RMC President James Starrs. In the special election held to fill a vacant seat, "she beat two people with 76 percent of the vote."
Sheperd, who grew up in Atlanta, went to work for Southern Bell as a clerk in the early 1970s, then worked as a service technician, then as a PBX installer. She moved to AT&T after the 1984 divestiture and saw her division split off to first become Lucent Technologies and then Avaya. She took a leave of absence to work on her campaign and retired on July 31 after winning the election.
Sheperd is determined to make Atlanta's communities cleaner, safer and better through grassroots leadership and community empowerment but, she said, "The first thing I'm going to do is make sure I'm appointed to a committee in the retiree club."