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Organizing Roundup

Victories Elsewhere:


  • Islip Special Assembly Corp., Long Island, N.Y. Inside committee leaders Dave Prunty and Thomas Kugler showed up every night for a final-week blitz, phone banking employees of Islip Special Assembly Corp. Prumly took unpaid leave to visit and talk one-on-one with Islip installers assigned to Bell Atlantic central offices, explaining how CWA could help them win medical benefits, pensions and job security. Their efforts — and the hard work of many others — paid off. On June 8, the installers chose representation by Local 1108 by a vote of 29 for CWA, 15 for no union and 5 for Local 25 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, reported Ed Sabol, administrative assistant to CWA District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino. The campaign had plenty of support from Local 1108 President George Welker, who assigned full-time Business Agent/Organizers Bob Morrow and Frank Mancini as well as local stewards and part-time organizers Rick Nemschick and John Howe. The rerun election was a strong comeback for the Islip installers.

  • North Tonawanda News, Buffalo, N.Y. Low pay, long hours and safety concerns prompted a vote of 28-12 by mailers to bring their 52-member bargaining unit into CWA Local 14148 (Buffalo Typographical Local 9). The June 2 victory came only after one worker had been electrocuted by touching a bare wire. District 1 Organizing Coordinator Jeff Lacher said local President Harold Rehm and printing sector Representative Dan Wasser supported a strong inside organizing committee. Wasser explained that the local had represented three employees at Tonawanda prior to the merger about a year ago of four plants into one operated by Community Newspaper Holdings. “The National Labor Relations Board said we had to reorganize, so we did,” Wasser said. He asked that the names of inside committee leaders not be used because management has disputed the makeup of the bargaining unit. Bill Boarman, CWA printing sector vice president, welcomed the new members.

  • Fox Channel 8, Cleveland, Ohio. Enticed by the job security and respect enjoyed by the station’s camera operators and technicians, Fox Channel 8’s producers, directors and associate producers made inquiries about representation by NABET-CWA Local 42. Local President Bill Wachenschwanz, a member of the already-represented engineering unit, told them, “Just get cards signed, and we’ll have an election.” Wachenschwanz said the producers’ unit “basically organized itself,” but credited engineering unit member Ray Santiago for following up with workers, collecting representation cards and filing them with the National Labor Relations Board. Fox sent in its labor relations vice president to try to discourage workers from joining the union, gave them a big pat on the back for improved ratings and, “brought tons of food into the station,” Wachenschwanz said. Still, on May 26 the new unit voted 23-10, with one challenged ballot, to become NABET-CWA members. Seth Rosen, administrative assistant to CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach, noted this was the local’s second organizing victory in two months.

  • Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va. Tired of working full time while being treated like part-timers, mail room employees at the Register-Herald newspaper decided to take a stand, voting 21-16 on May 24 to be represented by TNG-CWA Local 2276 and CWA’s District 2 Newspaper Guild sector. Inside organizer Melanie Hinzman helped colleagues keep spirits high throughout a heavily contested drive that began in January while they put up with low wages, no benefits and long, erratic hours. When Thomson Newspapers announced it was selling the paper to Community Newspaper Holding Inc., the mail room workers redoubled their efforts to win a strong union voice. A separate election among editorial, circulation and production employees was not successful; the union has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board over the firing of one worker and harassment of another, said Eric Geist, director of field operations and administrative assistant to TNG-CWA President Linda Foley. Assisting on the campaign, along with Geist, were District 2 Organizing Coordinator Ron Collins; Kathy Mulvey, administrative assistant to Foley, and Local 2276 President Gene Leedy.