October 18, 2007
CWA Political Activists Focus on Key '07 Elections
While the push is on to take back the White House in
2008, CWA and other unions are already building
momentum, mobilizing behind key races up for grabs this
November in Virginia, Kentucky and New Jersey.
Working closely with the state AFL-CIO and central
labor councils, CWA volunteers are precinct walking in
Virginia, hoping to gain four seats in the state House
and 11 in the Senate for a majority in both houses.
"It's important for our members to get somebody into
office who will actually work for us and for working
families," said Scott Wilson, a Local 2252 member. He is
working four days a week on the election.
A key race in Northern Virginia is Chap Petersen (D)
vs. incumbent Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis (R) for the
34th District Senate seat. Locals 2222, 2252 and AFA
Council 21 have participated in Labor-to-Neighbor walks
on Saturdays since Sept. 29, and are phone banking to
union members' homes Monday through Thursday.
CWA Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach went
door-to-door in the Norfolk area on Oct. 13, talking
with union members about the differences between Dr.
Ralph Northam (D) and state Senate incumbent Nick Rerrer
(R). Working full time on politics with the Greater
Tidewater Central Labor Council are CWA members Matt
Yeargin of Local 2205 and Bryon Taylor of Local 2202.
In southwestern Virginia where Adam Tomer (D) is
challenging state Rep. Danny Marshall (R), IUE-CWA Local
82161 member Cindi Arrington is working full-time
coordinating volunteers from CWA Local 2204 and IUE-CWA
Locals 82161, 82162 and 82167.
In Kentucky, Democrat Steve Beshear has a good chance
of unseating incumbent Ernie Fletcher (R) in the
governor's race. "I don't think CWA has a local in the
state that's not out beating the bushes to win this
one," said Beverly Hicks, assistant to District 3 Vice
President Noah Savant.
CWA President Larry Cohen was in Kentucky last week
meeting with hundreds of members and stressing the
importance of the election. Various polls last week
showed Beshear with leads ranging from 53 percent to 72
percent. "Still," said Hicks, "We're not taking any
chances."
CWA Representative Karen Murphy and Local 3372 member
Jan Garkovich are working fulltime to get out the vote.
"They had an AFL-CIO phone bank last weekend and we had
so many people, we had some in the hallways using cell
phones," Hicks said.
All across New Jersey, locals are working to put and
keep friends in the state House and Senate, with all 120
seats up for election, said CWA Representative Don Rice.
"This is all about pushing our legislative agenda,"
Rice said. "It's important because the decisions they
make in Trenton affect our members' lives, whether its
health care, pension bargaining rights, wage levels –
they're all impacted."
Some of the tightest races, he said, are Districts 1
and 2, Atlantic Cape May; District 8, Burlington County
in the south of the state; and District 12, mostly
Monmouth County; and District 14 in central New Jersey.
So. Cal. Interpreters End Strike, Continue Fight for
Fair Treatment
With strong backing from political leaders who have
promised to address their concerns, 400 CWA court
interpreters in Southern California ended their 6-week
strike on Wednesday.
The previous day, State Senate Majority Leader Gloria
Romero presided over a joint legislative hearing in Los
Angeles, packed by 300 interpreters and their
supporters, where lawmakers and court officials heard
dramatic testimony about the vital role the interpreters
play in helping non-English-speakers – about half the
population in L.A. – deal with the justice system.
Calling the system "in chaos," Senator Romero asked
the interpreters to return to work but promised to
continue with further hearings in Sacramento to remedy
problems exposed by the strike, which was largely
focused on calling attention to the years-long shortage
of court interpreters. Pay disparities between
interpreters and other court employees have contributed
to a one-third decline in the number qualified
Spanish-English interpreters, according to the
California Federation of Interpreters (CFI), part of CWA
Local 39521.
At the hearing, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo
testified to "a breakdown in the system," noting
extensive delays and potential loss of evidence from
lack of interpreter services. He cited cases such as
that of a convicted child molester whose hearing to
compel registration as a sex offender was delayed for
two months while he was free.
In ending the strike, CFI President Sylvia Barden
said it was only the beginning of the interpreters'
effort to win recognition and respect for their work and
a fair pay system. "This is a much bigger fight – we're
willing to take the long road on this," she told the
Lompoc Record.
One of the striking workers, Doris Vick, told the
paper that the strike accomplished one of the workers'
main objectives. "I just wanted others to see that we
were treated unfairly. And I think that was very clear
in the hearing."
The interpreters are continuing to press unfair labor
practice charges against the court for illegally
declaring impasse, said Local 39521 Executive Officer
Doug Cuthbertson, and he said part of the decision to go
back to work was based on Senator Romero's pledge to
continue to try to mediate a contract settlement.
CWA President Larry Cohen sent the interpreters a
letter urging them, "When you return to work, return
proudly, unified and more determined than ever that
justice will be ours. Your struggle is part of the
transformation of Southern California into a true
multi-cultural community. Our strike is part of that
community struggle."
Speed Matters Catches on as Presidential Campaign
Issue in Iowa
Access to high-speed Internet service isn't a major
campaign issue like the war in Iraq or health care --
but voters are beginning to hear from presidential
candidates why Speed Matters thanks to CWA activists who
are taking the union's campaign to the candidates. This
week, at a campaign stop in Iowa, Democratic
presidential candidate John Edwards said CWA's Speed
Matters' campaign is crucial to building a "strong
America" where "small towns. . . have the ability to
compete."
"All of us need to be out there pounding the bully
pulpit and make sure that America understands how
important it is to build out high speed Internet to
everywhere in America," Edwards told the crowd of 400
who jammed the high-school gym in Exira, population 810.
He said the very survival of small town America depends
on their residents – workers, health care providers, and
schools – having "access to the same technology" that is
available in the nation's cities and suburbs.
Edwards, who has made high-speed Internet a major
element of his program to revitalize the rural economy,
pledged to "find those places in America where access to
high-speed Internet is lacking, map them, and build out
high-speed internet in all those places." To view his
remarks go to
http://files.cwa-union.org/national/news/source/Johnedwards_sm.mpg.
In Iowa, a cadre of Speed Matters' activists made up
of active members and retirees from CWA Local 7108 have
blanketed this key presidential campaign state, meeting
with and educating the candidates and their staffs about
CWA's message. All of the candidates have pledged
support for Speed Matters, and recently, CWA activists
met with the staffs of Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen.
Joseph Biden to discuss the candidates' focus on the
issue at upcoming events in the state. View the
candidates at Speed Matters' events in Iowa at
http://cwa.smugmug.com/gallery/3670995.
In Iowa, CWA's message is reaching into the classroom
as well. A junior high school teacher in Strawberry
Point, Iowa, is using CWA's Speed Matters booklet as
part of a recent homework assignment where students have
been instructed to test the speed of their Internet
connections at home. "Our activism is paying off in
getting this issue out to the candidates and before the
voters," said CWA Executive Vice President Jeff
Rechenbach. "Voters in small towns are connecting with
Speed Matters because high-speed Internet is critical to
their remaining competitive," he said.
Concerns in New England Rising over Verizon-FairPoint
Deal
Public concerns over Verizon's pending sale of phone
lines to tiny FairPoint Communications are increasing in
Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire, where CWA and IBEW
have been urging regulators to reject the deal as bad
for consumers and workers.
In Maine, following the conclusion of public and
regulatory hearings on the proposed sale, the state's
Office of Public Advocate recommended that the deal not
be approved unless it met a list of 23 conditions
addressing many of the unions' concerns, including
service quality, pricing, and the build out and
availability of high-speed Internet. The state's public
advocate also recommended that the deal be renegotiated
to reduce FairPoint's debt, something that could cost
Verizon more than $600 million.
Regulatory hearings begin in New Hampshire next week,
and tough questioning is expected after a staff
consultant with the state's Public Utility Commission
also recommended against the deal unless the commission
imposed 16 conditions similar to those proposed in
Maine. Last week, the speaker of the house in New
Hampshire urged that the deal be opposed unless those
conditions were adopted.
This week, CWA urged that Vermont's Department of
Public Service reject the sale as the best way to serve
the public interest. The union recommended a series of
conditions that should be imposed on the parties, should
the state decide to go ahead and approve the deal.
CWA's message to regulators and the public is that
FairPoint, a small company that will take on $1.7
million in debt through this transaction, won't be able
to maintain quality phone service, let alone provide
high-speed Internet communications for northern New
England.
CWA has asked the Federal Communications Commission
to investigate the Verizon-FairPoint transaction, and
that study is still underway.
Reporters' Shield Law Passes Big in U.S. House but
Faces Uphill Battle
A federal shield law for reporters strongly supported
by The Newspaper Guild-CWA was passed overwhelmingly by
the U.S. House this week, though the bill now faces a
divided Senate and a Bush veto threat.
Even top Republican leaders broke with the Bush
administration to support the bill, which passed 398-21.
Supporters said today's reporters need more protection
against federal prosecutors and civil lawyers demanding
journalists reveal sources and other background
information.
"In the past few years, there have been too many
instances where the pendulum has swung against the free
flow of information and in favor of the government,"
House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said on the House
floor. "I was troubled by the instances I've seen where
reporters have been jailed or threatened with jail for
simply protecting their sources."
In a letter to House members last week, TNG-CWA
President Linda Foley said the bill, the Free Flow of
Information Act, "is a thoughtful, bipartisan and fair
piece of legislation" that balances the public's need
and right to know against the demands of national
security.
"Freedom of the press is a bedrock principle of our
democracy." Foley wrote. "Recently too many reporters
have been jailed and news services attacked through our
legal system in an effort to suppress this important
principle. The (bill) creates a national balancing test
standard which will aid state attorneys general in
deciding which cases are legitimate and which cases are
filed with the malicious intent of stifling the voices
of reporters who are simply doing their duty of
providing news to the public."
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a similar bill,
though with fewer protections, earlier this month. So
far, strong opposition from several Republican senators
has kept it from a floor vote. Should it pass, President
Bush has pledged to veto it, claiming national security
interests.
IN BRIEF:
- Attention: CWA communicators. Do you
need help with brushing up on writing skills, or
with getting news coverage for your local union
events? Then check out the "How-to" section of
CWA's communications resource website – www.cwa-union.org/source
– "The Source."
And let us know if you have suggestions for
other communications how-to's or specific questions
either by using the "Ask the Experts" form or by
sending us an e-mail at the "Contact Us" feature.
New stories and photos and artwork for downloading
are added to the site each week for the use of local
newsletter editors and webmasters.
- As the U.S. housing crisis worsens, a
"Save My Home" hotline has been set up by Union Plus
to help union families address their worries and
uncertainties about what to do when their
adjustable-rate mortgages reset and other concerns.
Union Plus, the AFL-CIO endorsed provider
of financial benefits for union members, says the
free, confidential hotline will be staffed 24 hours
a day by counselors from Money Management
International, a nonprofit, HUD-certified agency.
Face-to-face counseling is available at more than
100 offices in 22 states and Washington, D.C.
The Save My Home Hotline can advise homeowners who
are behind in their payments, already in foreclosure
or looking for ways to budget and restructure their
debt. The toll-free number is (866) 490-5361. More
information is available online at
www.unionplus.org.
|
