CWA Reaches to Enlist 100,000 Supporters In Campaign for Employee Free Choice

Energized by labor's Million Member Mobilization for Employee Free Choice, union activists have moved CWA past its campaign goal of 82,000 card signers — 15 percent of the membership — and are on pace to reach 100,000 supporters within weeks.

When this issue went to press, 90,024 cards had been sent in from locals with piles of cards waiting to be tabulated, and more arriving in the mail or over www.FreeChoiceCWA.org daily. The enthusiasm that was generated from the start of the Million Member Mobilization campaign has not abated with members' intense interest in the upcoming presidential and congressional elections.

As names of Million Member Mobilization supporters flowed into CWA, interns were needed to keep up with data entry in a database now numbering over 90,000 names.

"The cards keep flowing in because our members understand exactly what's at stake in the upcoming elections," said CWA President Larry Cohen in congratulating CWA local leaders for their efforts. "Let's celebrate what we have achieved, but let's push towards gathering 100,000 cards," he said.

When the new Congress comes to Washington, the cards and member photos from CWA and other unions will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol to show the massive support for Employee Free Choice. The action was recommended earlier this year by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee and is the key sponsor and supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act. "Imagine in January 2009 that there are one million cards and photos at the U.S. Capitol. That's the kind of momentum we need to prevail," he said.

More than half of the more than 400 CWA locals that met their MMM goal — signing up 15 percent of their membership — have surpassed that by more than 200 percent. Here's a rundown by top districts and sectors. Districts 2, 3, 4, 6 and 13 all greatly exceeded their targets as did C&T, Telecom, IUE-CWA and NABET-CWA.

Here are all of the locals that have met or exceeded their goal as of Sept. 24:

District 1: 1013, 1020, 1031, 1040, 1051, 1060, 1062, 1077, 1080, 1082, 1083, 1101, 1102, 1103, 1106, 1108, 1109, 1114, 1117, 1118, 1122, 1123, 1128, 1133, 1150, 1152, 1168, 1170, 1300, 1301, 1302, 1365, 1395, 1701, 14199, 31003, 31026, 31027, 31247, 51011, 51016, 51017, 51024, 51025, 51026, 81045, 81106, 81134, 81154, 81204, 81206, 81212, 81214, 81215, 81232, 81244, 81246, 81248, 81250, 81255, 81266, 81274, 81284, 81288, 81298, 81301, 81304, 81310, 81313, 81320, 81323, 81336, 81347, 81353, 81359, 81380, 81384, 81386, 81388, 81408, 81440, 81441, 81455, 81467, 81475, 81495, 81496 and 81981.

District 2: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2055, 2101, 2106, 2107, 2108, 2201, 2202, 2205, 2206, 2272, 2275, 2336, 14201, 52027, 82075, 82109, 82130, 82160, 82161, 82162, 82167, 82173, 82174, 82472, 82627, 82647 and 82670.

District 3: 3102, 3104, 3105, 3106, 3108, 3109, 3113, 3114, 3115, 3121, 3122, 3150, 3176, 3178, 3179, 3180, 3181, 3201, 3250, 3290, 3309, 3310, 3315, 3371, 3372, 3403, 3406, 3407, 3411, 3412, 3414, 3511, 3601, 3607, 3616, 3682, 3683, 3685, 3704, 3706, 3708, 3719, 3802, 3865, 3903, 3904, 3907, 3911, 3950, 3990, 14348, 23086, 33091, 33225, 83105, 83190, 83698, 83701, 83706, 83709, 83711, 83718, 83740, 83761, 83766, 83767 and 83799.

District 4: 4004, 4008, 4025, 4032, 4034, 4070, 4100, 4107, 4108, 4123, 4216, 4217, 4250, 4252, 4260, 4300, 4302, 4309, 4310, 4318, 4319, 4320, 4321, 4322, 4326, 4370, 4371, 4373, 4377, 4378, 4379, 4385, 4390, 4473, 4474, 4475, 4501, 4603, 4611, 4640, 4703, 4780, 4818, 4998, 14430, 34086, 54041, 54042, 54044, 54048, 84001, 84060, 84078, 84101, 84161, 84302, 84705, 84707, 84715, 84716, 84717, 84725, 84727, 84734, 84737, 84742, 84745, 84749, 84750, 84755, 84765, 84773, 84800, 84802, 84807, 84808, 84811, 84840, 84845, 84846, 84848, 84855, 84859, 84863, 84865, 84888, 84901, 84903, 84924, 84950, 84963 and 84999.

District 6: 6001, 6007, 6009, 6086, 6110, 6113, 6127, 6137, 6139, 6150, 6151, 6171, 6200, 6201, 6206, 6210, 6215, 6222, 6228, 6290, 6310, 6311, 6316, 6320, 6327, 6350, 6355, 6374, 6391, 6401, 6402, 6409, 6410, 6411, 6450, 6733, 36047, 86000, 86004, 86017, 86023, 86029, 86116, 86122, 86129, 86782 and 86787.

District 7: 7001, 7019, 7050, 7055, 7102, 7109, 7206, 7212, 7219, 7250, 7290, 7301, 7505, 7603, 7610, 7621, 7704, 7705, 7707, 7750, 7777, 7810, 7990, 14752, 37123, 37194, 57045, 57052, 87020, 87140 and 87160.

District 9: 9333, 9400, 9410, 9413, 9415, 9423, 9477, 9509, 9510, 9573, 9575, 9586, 29043, 29098, 59051, 59054, 59057, 89177 and 89850.

District 13: 13000, 13100, 13301, 13500, 13552, 13572, 13573, 13591, 14838, 14845, 14888, 38010, 38187, 38218, 88064, 88120, 88315, 88389, 88607, 88612, 88623, 88628, 88648, 88651 and 88681.