October 28, 2021

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Bargaining Update

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Catholic Health

In a new television ad released on Tuesday, CWA Local 1133 members who have been on strike since October 1 discuss the issues that they are facing and ask for support in their fight to protect patient care and safety.

“Nobody’s healthcare should suffer because their hospital refuses to hire enough staff, or won’t provide workers with enough supplies, but that’s exactly what Catholic Health has been doing for years,” Kim Hayward, an Environmental Service Worker at the hospital, says in the ad.

“We’re terrified for our patients because Catholic Health won’t give us the resources that we need to do our jobs, all while their top administrators make millions. Enough is enough,” they added.

The workers remain strong on the picket line, despite threats by Catholic Health CEO Mark Sullivan to take away their healthcare benefits.

“It’s disheartening to hear Catholic Health is considering taking away the healthcare benefits of its frontline workers who got Buffalo through the pandemic,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “But I want to remind our members that through CWA’s relief fund, anyone with chronic conditions in need of care or those facing health emergencies will be taken care of.”

Visit www.safestaffingbuffalo.org/support-strike for information on how you can support the striking workers.

Striking CWA Local 1133 members at Catholic Health have released a television ad to ask for the public’s support for their fight to protect patient care and safety.

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Piedmont Airlines

Last week, AFA-CWA Flight Attendants at Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike, with 100% in support of authorizing the strike.

The Flight Attendants have been engaged in contract negotiations for over three years. Negotiations stalled after management put forward an offer with minimal pay increases that are offset by higher health premiums.

Following the strike authorization, AFA-CWA could request that the National Mediation Board (NMB) declare that negotiations are deadlocked and release both parties into a 30-day "cooling off" period, which would then lead to a strike deadline.

AFA-CWA Piedmont Strike Vote
AFA-CWA Flight Attendants at Piedmont Airlines picketed outside of Philadelphia International Airport after voting to authorize a strike.

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Point Park University

Full-time faculty at Point Park University took their case for a fair contract to the streets on Tuesday, rallying on campus and calling for the university’s cooperation in negotiating a fair contract. Approximately 130 full-time faculty at the school are members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, TNG-CWA Local 38061.

Organizing Update

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ACLU of Virginia

Staffers at the ACLU of Virginia announced Wednesday that they are organizing to join the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, TNG-CWA Local 32035. The workers want to make room for all voices to be heard in the organization and to ensure that all policies are actively anti-racist, create sustainable conditions that empower workers to thrive, and increase transparency and collaboration between staff and management. They have asked management to voluntarily recognize their union.

TNG-CWA represents workers at ACLU chapters in North Carolina, Kansas, Missouri, and Minnesota. Affiliates in New York, Northern California, Southern California, Maryland, and Georgia also have union representation.

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Paizo

Last week workers at Paizo, the company behind the popular role-playing games Starfinder and Pathfinder, announced that they had won voluntary recognition to join CWA. They are the first game workers in North America to win collective bargaining rights.

“Now the real work begins,” the workers said in a statement on their website. “One of our goals is to increase wages to better match the cost of living, and that is likely to be the first topic we tackle.”

Worker Power Update

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Build Back Better

CWA activists have been visiting Congressional offices in person and making phone calls to build support for the Build Back Better Act. The Build Back Better Act will support working families and retirees by expanding Medicare to include hearing coverage, increasing the child tax credit, and limiting child care costs. It will ensure that corporations pay their fair share of taxes and stop rewarding them for shipping jobs overseas. The bill also includes parts of the PRO Act which would make it easier for workers to join unions to improve their wages and working conditions.

Get involved by joining our special Halloween themed phone bank tonight – the best costume wins a prize! Learn more and sign up at action.cwa.org/forms/join-us-for-build-back-better-act-phone-banks.

Congressman Scott Peters Petition Delivery
On October 15, members from CWA Locals 9509 and 9511 made a surprise visit to Congressman Scott Peters’ office in La Jolla, Calif. Members delivered hundreds of Build Back Better petition signatures and asked Congressman Peters to support the Build Back Better Act, which he said he would take into consideration.

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Rep. Henry Cuellar Petition Delivery
On October 21st, members from CWA Local 6143 visited Rep. Henry Cuellar's San Antonio office and delivered hundreds of Build Back Better Act petition signatures. CWA members urged Rep. Cuellar to do the right thing and support this historic piece of legislation.

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Electing Pro-Worker Candidates

Rep. Val Demings Event
On October 23, CWA leaders and retirees from Local 3108 (Orlando), Local 3122 (Miami), Local 3176 (Ocala), and 3102 (Daytona Beach) met with endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Val Demings. They presented her an award thanking her for her time championing our issues in Congress and discussed the status of Build Back Better and the importance of winning the race against anti-worker Sen. Marco Rubio so that working Floridians' voices are represented in the U.S. Senate.

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Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act

On Tuesday, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) reintroduced the bipartisan Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act in Congress. The bill, which establishes federal protections guaranteeing public service workers the right to join together and collectively bargain, is a key part of CWA’s Worker Power agenda.

CWA Veterans Organize to Win

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On Wednesday, eight military veterans from across CWA District 3 graduated from the Veterans Organizing Institute (VOI). They participated in the VOI as part of the CWA Veterans for Social Change program to develop and organize a broad base of CWA activists who are veterans or currently serving in the military.

The training was conducted virtually and covered the unique role of service members in the working class; people-powered social justice efforts; how to craft, deliver, and present resonant messages; grassroots organizing; lobbying; and more. The CWA District 3 veterans who went through this training will continue to apply their knowledge and skills from the training to various ongoing campaigns, including the fight to protect our voting rights, reform our democracy, and pass critical pro-worker legislation.

The training was conducted in partnership with Common Defense and the Veterans Organizing Institute.

D3 Veterans Committee
Military veterans from CWA District 3 participated in the Veterans Organizing Institute as part of the CWA Veterans for Social Change program.

CWA Awards Ceremony - Save the Date!

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Join us on November 4 for a virtual celebration of the accomplishments of our districts, locals and sectors and to honor outstanding achievements in organizing, political action, and more.

The event will start at 8 pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5 pm PT.

RSVP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/events/470948070896554 or plan to watch on YouTube at youtu.be/6bjXh3Exg10.

CWA Awards Ceremony

And More!

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Biden’s Nominees Will Champion the Concerns of Workers and Consumers at the FCC

Doug Parker Confirmed as OSHA Head

Correction: Last week's story on the CWA Convention mistakenly stated that the delegates adopted a proposal to appoint a trial coordinator to oversee the trial process when a charge of violating the CWA Policy on Mutual Respect is filed. We regret the error.