Working Together: It's Go Time

Jeff Rechenbach CWA Secretary-Treasurer

CWAers are meeting for an historic convention and legislative-political conference at what is truly an historic time for working families. As we hear from Vice President Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and key congressional leaders, our senators and representatives will be taking up health care reform, Employee Free Choice and other measures that we know are critical to rebuilding the middle class and jump-starting our economy. 

Combining our convention and legislative-political conference means that 2,500 CWAers will be in Washington, D.C., at exactly the right time to raise our voices and make sure that members of Congress hear us.

This is it. This is our time. In fact, if we don't step up now and make our voices heard, we could lose this historic opportunity to restore workers' rights and gain real health care reform.

Wednesday, June 24, will be the biggest lobby day CWA has ever held in Washington. Imagine the impact of 2,500 CWA members, meeting with key senators and representatives and staff on Employee Free Choice, just as the bill is being moved to the Senate for debate.

Think about the powerful statement we'll make as we join with other unions and our coalition partners in the Health Care Action Network for a giant rally on the Mall with 10,000 other supporters of real health care reform on Thursday, June 25. Following the rally, we'll blanket Capitol Hill and meet with lawmakers and staff who are making the critical decisions about health care reform: Will there be a public plan? Will health care benefits be taxed? Will all employers be required to participate so we can put an end to healthcare freeloaders? We can't just hope that health care reform turns out the way we know it should, we have to put our full efforts into making sure that our key priorities are the heart of health care reform. (Beginning on page 4 is a summary of CWA's four key priorities and why they're important to reform.) 

The important work of contacting our representatives and senators doesn't only happen in Washington, D.C. In fact, it's what CWA members do in meeting with members of Congress and their staff in district offices, holding town hall meetings, organizing letter-writing campaigns and getting that word to elected officials that really make the difference.

Members of Congress hear regularly from the Big Business and Big Money interests. If those are the only voices that members of Congress hear, we shouldn't be surprised if we lose our window to restore workers' rights through Employee Free Choice and lose our chance at real health care reform.

We can't let that happen. It's more important than ever to write, call, visit and lobby our elected officials about the issues that are important to working families. This historic convention and legislative-political conference is step one. We need to build on that energy in our home districts and make sure that elected officials know that we're counting on them to stand with working families and do what's necessary to rebuild our middle class and our nation.