Solidarity Across the Seas: CWA Women Reach Out to Each Other, Global Sisters

Lifting their linked hands into the air to sing "Solidarity Forever," CWA women were pledging not just to stand by each other but to reach out to women and union activists around the world who are struggling for fairness, justice and the basic human right to be free of violence and fear.

The chain of grasped hands included four African women who came to the CWA National Women's Conference in Atlanta in April and told of unpunished, even sanctioned, violence against women, trafficking in children and rampant sexual harassment in the workplace.

"As the trade union movement and organ of civil society, we cannot stand aloof as this monster threatens to swallow our beautiful African nations," said Tembani Maheneza, one of six national stewards - the only woman - in the South African Communications Workers union. "Much as we are known to be at the forefront of the struggles for the total emancipation of the working class, we are also known to be the champions of a just, free and equitable society, a society that values its people regardless of sex."

Maheneza, a fellow South African and two women from Senegal, raised the spirits of conference participants with their gracious and heartfelt messages, expressing great thanks that they'd been invited to share their stories with such a welcoming American audience.

"We were all touched by their words and their presence, and we want to continue to support them in their struggle," said Gloria Johnson, CWA's coordinator for women's activities and community service. "While we have a critical fight on our hands in the United States against layoffs, against corporate abuses, against the push to curtail overtime and repeal other workers' rights that unions won over the past century, we recognize that many of our union sisters and brothers around the world are literally fighting a life-and-death battle."

The theme of the conference was "Here's to Good Union Women." CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling said it couldn't have been more appropriate.

"It speaks directly to our ability to make a difference," Easterling told the conference. "And I would submit to you that the need to stand up and make a difference has never been more important than it is today."

The War at Home
Conference participants left more aware than ever of the battle they must fight to preserve jobs, to limit tax breaks for millionaires that are forcing deep cuts in schools, social services, Medicare and other critical programs, and to stop the attack on workers' rights.

In a fiery speech about the damage the Bush administration and Republican leaders in Congress are inflicting on working families, Easterling quoted New York Times columnist Bob Herbert. He wrote that the White House is fighting two wars - "one against Iraq and one against the very idea of a humane and responsive government here at home."

"Under the cover of war, they want to make the largest budget cuts in history," Easterling said. "They want to slash health care assistance. They want to slash childcare and Head Start. They want to slash Food Stamps, child nutrition and school lunches.
They want to eliminate 46 education programs, proving once and for all that their rhetoric about leaving no child behind was a brazen lie. They even want to cut veterans' programs, yet another 'thank you' to our brave soldiers."

More than 250 women - and a few men - attended the conference, about 80 percent of them first-time participants. "We had a huge number of newcomers," said CWA Representative Janine Brown, who coordinated the conference with Johnson. "We think it's likely that means that in addition to the conference getting good word of mouth, we have more women than ever in local leadership positions in CWA."

Participants heard from morning speakers, including a welcome from Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and rousing speeches by Congressman John Lewis (D-Georgia) and the Rev. James Orange, an AFL-CIO field representative. The rest of the day was devoted to 10 workshops on such topics as balancing work, family and union activities, discrimination, domestic violence, women's health and political action.

The conference turned the spotlight on a critical issue that's been largely underreported: pending Federal Communications Commission rule changes allowing fewer owners to control more TV and radio stations and newspapers.

Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, explained how only six companies now control the majority of broadcast and cable TV, two companies control more than 1,340 radio stations nationwide and two chains control 79 percent of newspaper circulation in the country.

"From the founding of our country, American democracy has depended on a free and diverse press," Foley said. "Our media diversity is in real danger. The idea that there's all this information out there is a myth. It's concentrated in very few hands."

TNG-CWA has been one of the leaders in the fight to get the FCC to hold hearings on the pending changes, and Foley said the coalition of concerned unions, consumer groups and others will push for more hearings once the proposed new rules are announced in June. She urged all CWA families to join the e-activist campaign, which is sending letters of concern to FCC commissioners. To participate, go to ga.cwa-union.org and click on "Take Action to Preserve a Democratic Media" under the "What's Hot" column.

"Our ideals are under attack," Foley said. "We cannot afford to lose our voice in the media. We will be shut out if we don't stop this corporate grab."

She said it's important for unions to be involved, especially CWA, because through the Guild and the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA, it represents more workers in the media than any other union. "We see from the inside out what's happening," she said.

Woman Make the Difference
The men who spoke at the woman's conference weren't shy about giving credit where it's due.

"CWA is one of the few industrial unions which from its inception had a majority of women activists, leaders and members. Unlike UAW, Steel Workers, Mineworkers and others, CWA women were a major force in the union. Today I look out and see amazing union leaders here and a solidarity between you which strengthens our locals and the entire labor movement," CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said.

Jimmy Smith, vice president of CWA District 3, told the women, "You set the example for us men to follow, and you get the job done."

CWA President Morton Bahr talked about the union's mergers over the years and how they have made CWA stronger and more diverse. Noting that the 40,000-member Association of Flight Attendants had just voted to pursue a partnership with CWA, he told the women, "It is people like you who have made our union attractive to other unions."

But even in CWA, as everywhere, it was not always easy for women. Dina Beaumont, executive assistant to Bahr and one of CWA's pioneering women - the first to serve as a district vice president - said it took a lot of determined, thick-skinned women to shake up the male establishment.

"We take so much for granted what we're doing here today," Beaumont said, as the four-day conference came to a close April 6. "There are a lot of good union women who did a lot of work, put in a lot of effort, took a lot of ridicule, got laughed at in order to move our union and move the labor movement to open its arms and welcome both genders."

Today, such diversity is a source of pride for CWA, and one panel of speakers symbolized CWA's commitment to being an inclusive union. Representatives from AFL-CIO constituency groups encouraged locals to get involved in the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and Pride@Work.

Speakers noted that men are involved in CLUW, and activists don't need to be black, Asian, Hispanic or gay to join the various minority associations. "They're open to everyone," said Johnson, who is president of CLUW in addition to her CWA duties and a seat on the AFL-CIO Executive Council. "If you're motivated, you can join."

Lewis, who was at the forefront of the civil rights movement and is serving his ninth term in Congress, praised CWA's diversity and the strong values it represents.

"For many, many years, members of this union have moved mountains," Lewis said. "You fought to give workers a fair minimum wage. You fought for health care. You fought for people regardless of race, color, income or national origin."

Global Concerns
Expressing both hopes and fears, the African visitors won the hearts of CWA's women. An impromptu collection of funds to help with union campaigns and education in Senegal and South Africa yielded more than $600, and some participants said they planned to ask their locals to help further.

Speaking through a French interpreter, Ndeye Foune Niang of Senegal spoke of the horrors of genital mutilation of young women in some rural parts of her country and other African nations.

"It is seen as just a passage in a woman's life," Niang said. "Women are told at a young age that having a clitoris is sinful and will get in the way of giving birth later in life."

Woman who endure the ritual cutting are seen as more "civilized" and as coming from better families. Yet they suffer great pain and risk shock, ulcers and other life-threatening diseases, she said.

In the workplace, sexual harassment is pervasive, and witnesses fear losing their jobs if they come forward, said Mane Astou Kane, also of Senegal.

"Usually the woman will stand alone in accusing a man," Kane said. "Women are told they are 'dramatizing' the situation. Men say 'big deal.'"

The laws in Senegal against sexual harassment, genital mutilation and other violence against women are improving, but the speakers said there's still a long way to go.

In South Africa, at the urging of a coalition of trade unions, the government has started to take a harder line against violence toward women and children, including selling boys and girls into prostitution and slavery.

It is unions, and especially union women, pushing for change, and Maheneza urged her CWA audience to carry on the fight.
"The international trade union institution has the capacity, capability, skill and influence needed to turn the tide for the best of this world for our women and children - much as we have fought and won against apartheid and many other forms of prejudices and injustices," she said.