Tuesday, 07 September 2010 15:13

As a legislative and political activist within the Communication Workers of America (CWA), I’m rarely without an opinion or a busy schedule. It is a constant battle to both educate members and the public in general of how legislation will impact their lives.

It is almost never about Democrat or Republican, left or right, but it is always about what is right for working families and what is wrong.

The remainder or the 2010-2011 cycles will be no different. The CWA Legislative Department has laid out 4 different focus points; Jobs, Broadband and Net Neutrality, Ending Senate gridlock and fighting for Public Safety Officers right to Bargain.

Let’s look at those points individually:

1. Jobs – The Local Jobs for America Act (HR 4812 and Senate companion bill S 3500) would authorize $75 billion in temporary funds to communities over the next 2 years. The Act would allocate grants directly to eligible communities and nonprofit organizations to retain services and create new jobs.
2. High Speed Broadband and Net Neutrality – America has fallen to 15^th in broadband adoption and 28^th in speed, and currently more than 100 million American families do not have access at home. The CWA will continue to follow the FCC’s blueprint of building a 1 gigabyte high speed network to anchor institutions (schools, libraries, government offices or hospitals). That network could then be built upon to provide better high-speed service to the surrounding communities. The CWA also supports narrow, targeted legislation to clarify FCC authority to promote universal, affordable broadband and an open internet.
3. Senate Filibuster and Rules need changes to end Legislative Gridlock – This fight will be fun given the current political climate in our nation’s capitol. The “world’s greatest deliberative body” has become dysfunctional as the use of the filibuster has become commonplace. During the 110^th Congress there were 139 filibusters, 112 votes taken to end the filibuster and only 61 of those cloture votes succeeded. It is past time to end or limit this archaic rule.
4. The Nations Public Safety Officers deserve Collective Bargaining Rights – The late Sen. Ted Kennedy summed this one up nicely: “Strong partnerships between first responders and the cities and states they serve are vital to public safety. Studies show that cooperation between public safety employers and employees improves the quality of services communities receive and reduces worker fatalities…Every NYC firefighter EMT and police officer who responded to the disaster at the World Trade Center on 9/11 was a union member under a collective bargaining agreement, and those agreements strengthened their ability to respond in that time of crisis.” Enough said…

Over the next few weeks I’ll break several of these issues down and dissect them for everyone to see what makes them right for working families and America. In solidarity!

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 15:13

The opening day of the Communication Workers of America's 72nd Annual Convention kept the 1300 registered delegates busy with several Constitutional amendments.

The first big surprise came when the delegates voted affirmatively to merge the Communication & Technology sector with the Telecom sector, effectively eliminating one Vice President position. A second, hastily thrown together amendment that would have restored the Telecom VP office was soundly defeated by a roll call vote.

The second surprise came when the delegates voted to move to a biennial Convention and elect officers at the National level every four years instead of every three years.

These two amendments in particular will save both the locals and the International a considerable sum. The C&T/Telecom merger will streamline the operation and eliminate duplication of services to the locals.

The afternoon saw FCC chairman Julius Genachowski and one of the newest members of the National Labor Relations Board, Mark Pearce at the podium. Genachowski spoke about the FCC recommendations on broadband expansion (more on this subject in the near future), while Pearce cut to the heart of the Labor movement.

Calling on members to remember that the 40-hour work week, weekends, overtime pay, child labor laws and the National Labor Relations Act could not have come about without Unions, Pearce said that we “live in extraordinary times”. He also pledged to make the NLRB protect all workers, not just unionized employees.

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 15:13

Pre-Convention District and sector meetings highlighted the afternoon prior to the CWA 72^nd Annual Convention and Legislative Conference.

District 2 (Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and D.C) and District 13 (Pennsylvania) have reached an agreement to merge provided the entire membership approves. This is just one of several resolutions addressing the “Ready for the Future” vision the CWA has adopted. The proposed merger will save an approximate $500,000 a year that can be utilized in needed areas.

In the Telecom sector, the biggest news was the intended acquisition of Qwest by CenturyLink. Telecom V.P. Jimmy Gurganus told the crowd that if Qwest employees thought that CenturyLink was going to be a “kinder, gentler employer” they were mistaken. I would have to agree, they are one of the most anti-union companies in America. They consistently fail to abide by negotiated contracts and waste time and resources that could be used to focus on the customer. Let’s face it; the customer is the least important part of the equation. Profits rule.

The full convention begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. with the Legislative Conference and lobbying starting on Wednesday July 28 at 8 a.m.

I’ll post highlights from each day here, and hopefully will have the opportunity to call in to The Union Edge sometime this week with a live report from the floor!

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 15:13

“So easy, a caveman could do it!”

No, I’m not talking about changing car insurance. Instead, I want to send that message to the Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and their “Blue Dog” counterparts.

The time has come to put aside partisan politics and embrace a new direction in Washington. How hard can it be to adopt a platform which puts working families, job creation and our economy first? Being the party of “NO” has simply divided the country on a massive level, and given birth to such far right groups as the TEA Party.

Some decent legislation has made it to the President’s desk, Health Care Reform and soon the financial regulatory bill that just passed the Senate. Other good legislation has languished or has died a slow death in Congress.

America needs a Clean Energy bill, one that begins to free us from our foreign oil dependence, we need a Jobs bill that creates and protects jobs in America.

NO is not an answer, NO is not a solution and NO is simply not good enough any longer.