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Locals Asked to 'Adopt' Striking Sprint Workers
CWA District 1 has established an Adopt-a-Striker Fund to assist 94 striking members at Sprint in Clinton, N.J., members of Local 1101. Bargaining is on hold for Sprint New Jersey and has not yet begun for Sprint Virginia. Both units are facing the same retrogressive demand to give up sickness and disability benefits that caused members in New Jersey to strike on April 26. Meanwhile, Sprint locals are gearing up to make a strong showing at this week's shareholder meeting in Overland Park, Kan.
District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino has written to the presidents of all locals in the district, asking them to commit at least $500 a month to adopt a striking Local 1101 worker and his or her family for the duration of the strike, and similar requests have gone out from Telecommunications Vice President Jimmy Gurganus, asking Sprint locals across the nation to also contribute.
"Your support now is critical to offer our fellow CWA members the resources they need to win a fair deal from Sprint," Mancino said. "Your local's support will supplement CWA's strike benefits and enable the strikers to hold out for as long as necessary."
Checks made out to the Local 1101 Adopt-a-Striker Fund should be sent to the fund c/o CWA District 1, 80 Pine St., 37th Floor, New York, NY 10005. Envelopes should be addressed to the attention of CWA Representative Ed Baxter. Further information is available from Baxter at (212) 344-7332.
CWA's Sprint New Jersey contract expired March 31. Sprint Virginia expires May 31.
Meanwhile, CWA members are preparing to attend Sprint's shareholder meeting May 13 to stand up for several shareholder proposals. "We're going for the purpose of bringing some sanity to CEO compensation and to restore investor confidence in the corporation," Gurganus said.
Sprint has been under public scrutiny for a number of ethical questions including the repricing of stock options to enhance executive compensation, using its "independent" auditor to provide personal tax advice to executives and providing lucrative buyouts for executives in connection with the failed Sprint-WorldCom merger.
CWA is proposing to cap executive compensation at 50 times the average compensation paid to employees in the previous year.
CWA also will join the AFL-CIO in opposing the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as independent auditor, and will support proposals by the IBEW to require shareholder approval for repricing stock options already granted, and by Amalgamated Bank to require shareholder approval for future "golden parachute" severance agreements that exceed twice an executive's salary plus bonus.
District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino has written to the presidents of all locals in the district, asking them to commit at least $500 a month to adopt a striking Local 1101 worker and his or her family for the duration of the strike, and similar requests have gone out from Telecommunications Vice President Jimmy Gurganus, asking Sprint locals across the nation to also contribute.
"Your support now is critical to offer our fellow CWA members the resources they need to win a fair deal from Sprint," Mancino said. "Your local's support will supplement CWA's strike benefits and enable the strikers to hold out for as long as necessary."
Checks made out to the Local 1101 Adopt-a-Striker Fund should be sent to the fund c/o CWA District 1, 80 Pine St., 37th Floor, New York, NY 10005. Envelopes should be addressed to the attention of CWA Representative Ed Baxter. Further information is available from Baxter at (212) 344-7332.
CWA's Sprint New Jersey contract expired March 31. Sprint Virginia expires May 31.
Meanwhile, CWA members are preparing to attend Sprint's shareholder meeting May 13 to stand up for several shareholder proposals. "We're going for the purpose of bringing some sanity to CEO compensation and to restore investor confidence in the corporation," Gurganus said.
Sprint has been under public scrutiny for a number of ethical questions including the repricing of stock options to enhance executive compensation, using its "independent" auditor to provide personal tax advice to executives and providing lucrative buyouts for executives in connection with the failed Sprint-WorldCom merger.
CWA is proposing to cap executive compensation at 50 times the average compensation paid to employees in the previous year.
CWA also will join the AFL-CIO in opposing the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as independent auditor, and will support proposals by the IBEW to require shareholder approval for repricing stock options already granted, and by Amalgamated Bank to require shareholder approval for future "golden parachute" severance agreements that exceed twice an executive's salary plus bonus.