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In My Opinion: The Issues that Drive Our Political Program
About one-fifth of our members are registered Republicans, and I often hear from CWAers who question why we always seem to be supporting Democrats.
Here's my answer as I talk to members around the country. We are issues-driven in our political efforts. Ideally, if we had a president and majorities in Congress - regardless of party - who supported workers' organizing and bargaining rights, and believed in laws and policies that make life better for working families, we'd be party-neutral. Our "party" would simply be the AFL-CIO, and the litmus test for our political endorsements would be, solely, support for our issues.
However, as Republican Congressman Peter King of New York told our legislative conference, archconservatives in the GOP have driven labor to line up with the Democrats by conducting an ideological purge of those in their ranks they consider "too moderate."
In fact, CWA does support a number of Republicans in the House and Senate and in state office. These moderates may be fiscally conservative, but like King and others, they care about working people and respect the role of unions in our society.
To our Republican CWA members, I say: Get active in your party. Support and help build the moderate faction in the GOP that stands with labor on key issues that we all care about.
Bipartisan support is important. For instance, we couldn't have won the recent House vote to block the administration's assault on overtime pay without 22 Republicans who had the courage to stand up to the corporate lobby and resist heavy pressure from the White House.
If you don't think the overtime issue affects us, since our contracts spell out overtime protection, think again. If the Bush administration prevails in ramming through its rules redefining overtime eligibility, we'll be facing concessionary demands on this issue from every employer at every table, as we do with health care.
Speaking of health care, that's another issue members may take for granted, since to date we've generally been successful in preserving paid benefits and minimizing cost-shifting. But CWA and other unions are reaching the end of the line in our ability to protect existing benefit standards.
In bargaining, there is really just one economic pie from which to negotiate wages, health care, leave time and other benefits. Unless something is done to contain costs, annual medical premiums are projected to leap from the current $9,000 up to $14,500 per worker in 2006. That's going to shrink the pie considerably, costing workers in the form of higher medical contributions, lower wage increases, or both.
President Bush has ignored the health care crisis, and even in this election year, his meager proposals would only extend coverage to 2.5 million people - meanwhile, the ranks of uninsured have shot from 41 million to 45 million under his presidency, and are headed to 51 million by 2006, according to the National Coalition on Health Care.
By contrast, John Kerry's plan would immediately insure an additional 27 million people and guarantee health coverage for every American child, including measures to contain costs and allow small businesses and families to buy into the same health plan enjoyed by members of Congress.
As described on pages 7 through 10 of this CWA News, it is on issues such as health care, job creation versus offshoring, bargaining and organizing rights, preserving the 40-hour week, saving Social Security, and funding education and public safety programs, that we have based our support for the John Kerry-John Edwards ticket.
And every CWA member who is concerned about fiscal responsibility, and the debt burden we are handing to our children and grandchildren, should contrast Bush's budget policies with Senator Kerry's plan.
The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that the Bush administration's policies will add $10 trillion - that's trillion with a "t" - to our national debt by 2014 if it succeeds in making permanent its tax cuts for the wealthy.
In terms of the annual deficit resulting from Bush's borrow-and-spend policies and the tax giveaway to the rich, the deficit jumped from $381 billion in 2002 to $536 billion last year, and is expected to hit $625 billion this year. (There had been a budget surplus when he took office.) According to Citizens for Tax Justice, "To cover up part of this year's huge deficit, the president will spend the entire surplus in the Social Security trust fund."
As president, John Kerry will push to eliminate the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy - while preserving the tax cuts for middle-class working families - and use these needed funds for tackling the health care crisis, stimulating job creation, and bringing the budget back into balance.
CWA convention delegates endorsed John Kerry for president, but we know that our members will make up their own minds how to vote. I merely urge you to compare the candidates on the issues that impact you and your family, now and into the future.
Here's my answer as I talk to members around the country. We are issues-driven in our political efforts. Ideally, if we had a president and majorities in Congress - regardless of party - who supported workers' organizing and bargaining rights, and believed in laws and policies that make life better for working families, we'd be party-neutral. Our "party" would simply be the AFL-CIO, and the litmus test for our political endorsements would be, solely, support for our issues.
However, as Republican Congressman Peter King of New York told our legislative conference, archconservatives in the GOP have driven labor to line up with the Democrats by conducting an ideological purge of those in their ranks they consider "too moderate."
In fact, CWA does support a number of Republicans in the House and Senate and in state office. These moderates may be fiscally conservative, but like King and others, they care about working people and respect the role of unions in our society.
To our Republican CWA members, I say: Get active in your party. Support and help build the moderate faction in the GOP that stands with labor on key issues that we all care about.
Bipartisan support is important. For instance, we couldn't have won the recent House vote to block the administration's assault on overtime pay without 22 Republicans who had the courage to stand up to the corporate lobby and resist heavy pressure from the White House.
If you don't think the overtime issue affects us, since our contracts spell out overtime protection, think again. If the Bush administration prevails in ramming through its rules redefining overtime eligibility, we'll be facing concessionary demands on this issue from every employer at every table, as we do with health care.
Speaking of health care, that's another issue members may take for granted, since to date we've generally been successful in preserving paid benefits and minimizing cost-shifting. But CWA and other unions are reaching the end of the line in our ability to protect existing benefit standards.
In bargaining, there is really just one economic pie from which to negotiate wages, health care, leave time and other benefits. Unless something is done to contain costs, annual medical premiums are projected to leap from the current $9,000 up to $14,500 per worker in 2006. That's going to shrink the pie considerably, costing workers in the form of higher medical contributions, lower wage increases, or both.
President Bush has ignored the health care crisis, and even in this election year, his meager proposals would only extend coverage to 2.5 million people - meanwhile, the ranks of uninsured have shot from 41 million to 45 million under his presidency, and are headed to 51 million by 2006, according to the National Coalition on Health Care.
By contrast, John Kerry's plan would immediately insure an additional 27 million people and guarantee health coverage for every American child, including measures to contain costs and allow small businesses and families to buy into the same health plan enjoyed by members of Congress.
As described on pages 7 through 10 of this CWA News, it is on issues such as health care, job creation versus offshoring, bargaining and organizing rights, preserving the 40-hour week, saving Social Security, and funding education and public safety programs, that we have based our support for the John Kerry-John Edwards ticket.
And every CWA member who is concerned about fiscal responsibility, and the debt burden we are handing to our children and grandchildren, should contrast Bush's budget policies with Senator Kerry's plan.
The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that the Bush administration's policies will add $10 trillion - that's trillion with a "t" - to our national debt by 2014 if it succeeds in making permanent its tax cuts for the wealthy.
In terms of the annual deficit resulting from Bush's borrow-and-spend policies and the tax giveaway to the rich, the deficit jumped from $381 billion in 2002 to $536 billion last year, and is expected to hit $625 billion this year. (There had been a budget surplus when he took office.) According to Citizens for Tax Justice, "To cover up part of this year's huge deficit, the president will spend the entire surplus in the Social Security trust fund."
As president, John Kerry will push to eliminate the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy - while preserving the tax cuts for middle-class working families - and use these needed funds for tackling the health care crisis, stimulating job creation, and bringing the budget back into balance.
CWA convention delegates endorsed John Kerry for president, but we know that our members will make up their own minds how to vote. I merely urge you to compare the candidates on the issues that impact you and your family, now and into the future.