Telecom News: The CWA 'Stewards Army' - What Is It?

One of the key initiatives in CWA's Ready for the Future program is the creation of a volunteer "Stewards Army" of rank-and-file activists to mobilize for positive change, both within our industries and in American society.

The initial goal is to recruit 25,000 activists into the Stewards Army by July 2007, and then build our ranks to 50,000 by 2009. CWA is developing a special education and training program for members who sign up.

Those who join won't all be shop stewards in the traditional sense of handling grievances and enforcing contracts at the job site — a critically important job that is done by thousands of CWA stewards in countless locations.

The Stewards Army is really about "stewardship" in a broader sense: stewardship to strengthen workers' bargaining and organizing rights and advocate for our other major goals — jobs, health care, and retirement security.

The goal is to join CWA's 50,000 with another 500,000 or more activists from other major unions to create a powerful force to change the priorities of the country and refocus on an agenda for working families.

The Stewards Army will include both active union members and retirees. Its action program will sometimes be directed at a CWA employer or workplace, and other times will be more broadly focused on a CWA industry goal or even a national issue such as health care. Actions can range from sending an   e-mail message to participating in rallies, meeting with elected officials and mobilizing thousands for mass action.

We need to reorient America's priorities — and to do that we need to ignite a movement. Join us!