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.
Delegates Seek 'Collective Wisdom' to Chart Future
Recognizing that CWA's proven ability to adapt and grow is more important than ever in today's changing economy, a resolution adopted by delegates to the union's 67th annual convention sets out an ambitious plan to involve all locals and members in charting CWA's future.
The resolution, "CWA: Ready for the Future," was the first adopted at the Chicago convention. It calls for gathering the "collective wisdom" of all CWA members, leaders and staff through a series of meetings at every level that will "examine our union thoroughly and thoughtfully from top to bottom in order to best represent our members."
Meetings are to take place between now and March 31, 2006, with help from a discussion guide being prepared at national headquarters. A website will allow further discussion and be a place for locals to post their progress. The CWA Executive Board will draft a strategic plan based on the input by June 1, and will present it at the July 2006 convention in Las Vegas.
The resolution notes the transformation CWA has gone through in the past 20 years, changing from a union comprising mainly telephone workers to one representing workers from nearly every walk of life – public employees, newspaper staff, broadcasters, nurses, police, manufacturing workers, customer service representatives, flight attendants and others.
"Every industry in which our members work has been and will continue to be impacted by forces, many of which are beyond our control," retiring CWA President Morton Bahr said in his farewell address Monday. "They include deregulation, the global economy, an administration that believes sending our jobs all over the world is good for the economy, rapidly escalating technology and a nation that has moved to the far right as compared to the days of FDR."
Bahr said by creating a union-wide dialogue the resolution will help "position our union, the locals and the national to be able to successfully carry out our responsibilities on behalf of CWA families and the broader community."
The resolution urges "creative and visionary" discussions that could include such issues as the union structure, multi-district employers, the relationship of members and bargaining units to districts and sectors, roles and responsibilities of locals, the structure of union assets and resources, ways to engage members and other topics.
"No part of this union can or should be left out of the discussion, and every level of the union should be examined," the resolution states. "In this far-reaching review, there are no sacred cows."
The resolution, "CWA: Ready for the Future," was the first adopted at the Chicago convention. It calls for gathering the "collective wisdom" of all CWA members, leaders and staff through a series of meetings at every level that will "examine our union thoroughly and thoughtfully from top to bottom in order to best represent our members."
Meetings are to take place between now and March 31, 2006, with help from a discussion guide being prepared at national headquarters. A website will allow further discussion and be a place for locals to post their progress. The CWA Executive Board will draft a strategic plan based on the input by June 1, and will present it at the July 2006 convention in Las Vegas.
The resolution notes the transformation CWA has gone through in the past 20 years, changing from a union comprising mainly telephone workers to one representing workers from nearly every walk of life – public employees, newspaper staff, broadcasters, nurses, police, manufacturing workers, customer service representatives, flight attendants and others.
"Every industry in which our members work has been and will continue to be impacted by forces, many of which are beyond our control," retiring CWA President Morton Bahr said in his farewell address Monday. "They include deregulation, the global economy, an administration that believes sending our jobs all over the world is good for the economy, rapidly escalating technology and a nation that has moved to the far right as compared to the days of FDR."
Bahr said by creating a union-wide dialogue the resolution will help "position our union, the locals and the national to be able to successfully carry out our responsibilities on behalf of CWA families and the broader community."
The resolution urges "creative and visionary" discussions that could include such issues as the union structure, multi-district employers, the relationship of members and bargaining units to districts and sectors, roles and responsibilities of locals, the structure of union assets and resources, ways to engage members and other topics.
"No part of this union can or should be left out of the discussion, and every level of the union should be examined," the resolution states. "In this far-reaching review, there are no sacred cows."