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Jim Short Sworn in as District 13 Vice President
Jim Short was formally installed as District 13's new vice president on April 4, succeeding Vince Maisano, who retired after nearly four decades of union service. On hand at the ceremony in Philadelphia to welcome Short as a new Executive Board officer were President Morton Bahr, who performed the swearing-in, and Executive Vice President Larry Cohen.
"A safe workplace, jobs with justice and dignity, and benefits so members can retire with dignity" is what Short wants to accomplish as vice president, whether at Verizon, AT&T, US Airways, Comcast and Adelphia or any other unit the district represents. "No question, we have some major challenges ahead of us, plus we have to organize the unorganized. That's got to be the number one goal."
Born in Philadelphia, Short, 53, went to work for Bell of Pennsylvania as a technician in 1969 and became a member of the independent Federation of Telephone Workers of Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the Marine Corp later that year and returned to the company upon completion of his enlistment in 1971.
He held numerous leadership positions in FTWP Local 12, including branch representative, unit secretary, unit vice president and unit president.
In 1984, he went to work for AT&T. That same year, the FTWP affiliated with CWA, leading to the establishment of District 13, covering Pennsylvania and Delaware. Short initiated a grievance and testified against AT&T in a case that in the 1980s brought a $6 million settlement with the company for using contract labor in violation of the CWA contract.
He joined the CWA staff in District 13 in March 1992, and in October 1994 was appointed by Vice President Maisano as his assistant. From 1995, he co-chaired Bell Atlantic and later, Verizon, bargaining for the mid-Atlantic region, helping protect retiree health care and improve health care for active members.
Alluding to staff and bargaining team colleagues from Districts 1 and 2 and the IBEW, "Whatever we achieved, the whole team achieved it," he said.
Maisano: Forging Unity at Bell
Vince Maisano, 62, has headed District 13 since his election as CWA vice president at the 1986 convention.
He served in the Army from October 1960 to October 1963. In May 1966 he went to work for Bell of Pennsylvania as a station installer, and later as a PBX installer and repair technician.
Maisano joined Local 13 of the FTWP his first day on the job, was elected branch representative in 1968, local president in 1970 and Philadelphia Division vice president in 1976.
In 1982, he was elected FTWP executive vice president and became the union's chief negotiator. He was instrumental in facilitating FTWP's merger into CWA in 1984, and that year he was elected president of his local, which became CWA Local 13000.
"At that time, the FTWP was the largest independent in the country," Maisano said. "The affiliation brought 14,000 members into CWA, and several other independents followed." These included the Pennsylvania Telephone Guild, United Telephone Workers of Delaware and Diamond State Telephone Commercial Union.
Long involved in the state labor movement and politics, Maisano is a vice president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and serves on numerous boards and committees. In 1988, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
He was the FTWP's chief negotiator with Bell Telephone in Pennsylvania in 1983 and was CWA's chief negotiator with Bell Atlantic (now Verizon South) in five rounds of bargaining. He will assist Short with legislative and organizing activities during the district's transition to new leadership and will serve on a task force of former officers that President Bahr is putting together to assist with organizing Verizon Wireless.
"District 13 is pretty well known as a district that can stick together when there are important issues facing us," Maisano said. "We've always been able to do that, and I hope I've led that effort."
"A safe workplace, jobs with justice and dignity, and benefits so members can retire with dignity" is what Short wants to accomplish as vice president, whether at Verizon, AT&T, US Airways, Comcast and Adelphia or any other unit the district represents. "No question, we have some major challenges ahead of us, plus we have to organize the unorganized. That's got to be the number one goal."
Born in Philadelphia, Short, 53, went to work for Bell of Pennsylvania as a technician in 1969 and became a member of the independent Federation of Telephone Workers of Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the Marine Corp later that year and returned to the company upon completion of his enlistment in 1971.
He held numerous leadership positions in FTWP Local 12, including branch representative, unit secretary, unit vice president and unit president.
In 1984, he went to work for AT&T. That same year, the FTWP affiliated with CWA, leading to the establishment of District 13, covering Pennsylvania and Delaware. Short initiated a grievance and testified against AT&T in a case that in the 1980s brought a $6 million settlement with the company for using contract labor in violation of the CWA contract.
He joined the CWA staff in District 13 in March 1992, and in October 1994 was appointed by Vice President Maisano as his assistant. From 1995, he co-chaired Bell Atlantic and later, Verizon, bargaining for the mid-Atlantic region, helping protect retiree health care and improve health care for active members.
Alluding to staff and bargaining team colleagues from Districts 1 and 2 and the IBEW, "Whatever we achieved, the whole team achieved it," he said.
Maisano: Forging Unity at Bell
Vince Maisano, 62, has headed District 13 since his election as CWA vice president at the 1986 convention.
He served in the Army from October 1960 to October 1963. In May 1966 he went to work for Bell of Pennsylvania as a station installer, and later as a PBX installer and repair technician.
Maisano joined Local 13 of the FTWP his first day on the job, was elected branch representative in 1968, local president in 1970 and Philadelphia Division vice president in 1976.
In 1982, he was elected FTWP executive vice president and became the union's chief negotiator. He was instrumental in facilitating FTWP's merger into CWA in 1984, and that year he was elected president of his local, which became CWA Local 13000.
"At that time, the FTWP was the largest independent in the country," Maisano said. "The affiliation brought 14,000 members into CWA, and several other independents followed." These included the Pennsylvania Telephone Guild, United Telephone Workers of Delaware and Diamond State Telephone Commercial Union.
Long involved in the state labor movement and politics, Maisano is a vice president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and serves on numerous boards and committees. In 1988, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
He was the FTWP's chief negotiator with Bell Telephone in Pennsylvania in 1983 and was CWA's chief negotiator with Bell Atlantic (now Verizon South) in five rounds of bargaining. He will assist Short with legislative and organizing activities during the district's transition to new leadership and will serve on a task force of former officers that President Bahr is putting together to assist with organizing Verizon Wireless.
"District 13 is pretty well known as a district that can stick together when there are important issues facing us," Maisano said. "We've always been able to do that, and I hope I've led that effort."