Local 7101 President Joie
Welsh presents Iowa 2nd District Congressman
Dave Loebsack with CWA COPE check.
Attending presentation
from left to right are Mike Welsh Local 7101
member, Joyce Hermanstorfer President of Eastern
Iowa Retiree Chapter 70901, Congressman Dave
Loebsack, President Joie Welsh Local 7101 and
Judy Fries District 7 Vice President to Retired
Members' Council Executive Board.
Northland
Poster Collective became the newest unit of the
Minnesota Guild/Typographical Union on May 6
when the parties signed an initial contract.
The two-year pact - retroactive to April
1, 2008, covers all four current Northland employees and
will extend to any workers who join or work that is obtained
by the Minnesota non-profit.
Attached are pictures from a
Rally against McCain's Health Plan in Des Moines
on May 8, 2008 at the Convention Center.
Betty Brim-Hunter, member Local 7102;
Mark
Rocha, President, Local 7102;
and
Midge Slater, CWA Representative.
Betty
Brim-Hunter, Mark Rocha,
President CWA Local 7102;
Midge Slater, CWA Representative;
and Representative Bruce Hunter.
Representative
Bruce Hunter and
State Senate Matt McCoy.
Jim Perkey, EVP
Local 7102;
Don Brown, member Local 7102;
Midge Slater, CWA Representative;
Betty Brim-Hunter, member Local 7102;
and Mark Rocha, President, Local 7102.
Senator
Matt McCoy out "running" for Health Care!
Also attached is Francis
Giunta, President, CWA Local 7170 on
trying to get elected for Iowa State House.
Back Row:
Pat Murphy, Senate Majority Leader; Jim Perkey,
EVP CWA Local 7102; and Mark Rocha, President,
CWA Local 7102.
Middle Row: Joann Giunta, wife of Francis Giunta;
Bonnie Winther, President, CWA Local 7170; and
Kevin Kelly, CWA member of Local 7172.
Front Row: Mike Welsh, husband of Joie Welsh;
Joie Welsh, President, CWA Local 7101; Midge
Slater, CWA Representative; Diane Knockel,
Secretary/Treasurer of Local 7110; and Ken
Mertes, President, CWA Local 7103.
Kneeling in Front is Francis Giunta, President,
CWA Local 7110 who is running for a Iowa State
House seat.
By Linda Hatfield, Local 7000 On April 28, Tucson unions of the AFL-CIO will observe Workers Memorial Day to
remember those who have suffered and died on the job, and to
renew the fight for safe workplaces.
The toll of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths is
enormous. Each year, thousands of workers are killed, and
millions more are injured because of their jobs.
More than three decades ago, Congress passed the
Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Mine Safety and
Health Act, promising every worker the right to a safe job.
Unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise
a reality, winning protections that have saved hundreds of
thousands of lives. Nonetheless, the toll of workplace
injuries, illnesses and deaths remains enormous.
Our fight for safe jobs has gotten harder, because for more
than seven years, the Bush administration has refused to
act. Instead, at the behest of corporate interests, the
administration has moved to roll back and weaken
protections. Voluntary compliance has been favored over
enforcement. Progress has ground to a halt and, in many
cases, been reversed. Many workers today have minimal
protection, with major hazards remaining unaddressed.
Catastrophes in coal mines and factories continue, with
little action to prevent them.
Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health
investigations from July 1, 2007, through December 31, 2007,
revealed these occupational fatalities:
An employee was crushed while
making repairs on a tractor. The hydraulics engaged,
closing a portion of the tractor on his upper torso.
An employee fell 9 feet
during the process of dismantling a scaffold.
An employee stood or walked
onto a floor joist that was not fully secured. The
joist broke free, and the employee fell to the
concrete, sustaining fatal head injuries.
An employee installing a
bracket for an HVAC system fell from an 8-foot
stepladder.
An employee cleaning a
mixing/blending machine was killed when he requested
that a co-worker turn on the machine so the rotating
shaft could also be cleaned.
During maintenance work on a
747 plane, the main landing gear collapsed, crushing
the mechanic in the wheel well.
Decades of struggles by workers and
their unions have resulted in significant improvements in
working conditions--but the fight to protect workers must
continue. We must demand strong enforcement of job-safety
laws, defend the gains we have won and push forward to
address problems that remain:
Millions of workers,
including public-sector workers and flight
attendants, have no protection under the
Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Companies that have
repeatedly broken job-safety laws--killing
workers--face only weak penalties.
Workplace standards are out
of date and inadequate.
Many long-recognized hazards
have not been addressed, and new workplace
Hazards that emerge get no
attention.
Ergonomic hazards still
cripple and injure more workers than any other
workplace hazard.
Latino and immigrant workers
are being killed on the job in record numbers.
Coal-mine catastrophes and
deaths continue, while needed new protections are
delayed.
This year, with the election, there is
an opportunity to change the direction of the country and
make workers' issues a priority.
On Workers Memorial Day, we will continue the fight. We will
fight to create good jobs in this country and to guarantee
health care for all. We will fight for the freedom of
workers to form unions and, through their unions, to speak
out and bargain for safe jobs, respect and a better future.
Linda Hatfield, chair of the Pima Area Labor Federation, is
the president of the Communications Workers of America Local
7000. She is also is the labor liaison to the
Pima County Democratic Party, a member of the state
Agricultural Employment Relations Board and a member of the
United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona board of
directors.
Out
of Session at
Crisis
Connection,
Tentative
Agreement
Reached
(Submitted by Al
Piker, CWA
Representative)
Almost two weeks
beyond the
previous
contract, CWA
Local 7200 and
the Crisis
Connection
located in
Edina, Minnesota
reached a
tentative
agreement late
in the evening
on June 11th.
The deal
included a 5 &
1/2 percent wage
increase over
two years and
annual v.s.
every other year
pay progressions
for those in
step. The new
agreement also
includes two
additional
personal days
beyond what was
in place during
the prior
contract as well
as some
additional
flexibility for
vacation
carry-over.
New verbiage
insures that
bargaining unit
seniority is a
factor for
filling job
vacancies. As
for healthcare,
members for the
first time will
be responsible
for paying a
share of share
of their
healthcare
premiums
beginning in
February of
2009. These
amounts are
capped at $30.00
per month for
2009, and $35.00
for 2010. Other
changes include
improved sick
leave and
on-call
payments, and
new language to
insure Union
representation
during
disciplinary
meetings.
The Crisis
Connection
employs
approximately 33
part and full
time crisis
intervention
phone counselors
who cover a wide
area within the
state of
Minnesota and
was one of the
first crisis
intervention
centers in the
country.
The members of
the Union's
bargaining
committee were
Stewards, John
Wallace and
Simone Reiss,
President Greg
Perez, Area Vice
President,
Michelle Ertl,
and Staff
Representative,
Al Piker.
A ratification
vote will be
held sometime
during the first
week of July.
CWA/Citizens
Nebraska
(Final
Bargaining
Report Submitted
by Jay Boyle,
CWA
Representative)
Wages:
7.6% over the 3
years. 2.5% in
2008, 2.5% in
2009 and 2.6% in
2010
Health Care:
An increase
of 3.5% over the
3 year period.
The increases in
Premium are 1.5%
in 2009 to
20.5%, 1% in
2010 up to
21.5%, and 1% in
2011 up to
22.5%. There is
also a change to
In-Hospital and
related services
to 90/10
co-insurance
with a Max Out
of pocket at
$2,500/$5,000
for the 3
years. With
this change the
co-pay and
deductible have
been eliminated
for these
services.
STD/LTD:
Improved
benefits in both
of these
categories.
Incentive
Bonus:
Bonus of 1% of
gross wages with
a minimum payout
of 75% and
Maximum of 125%
for the
remainder of
2008. In 2009
and each year
there after the
floor is 50% and
the ceiling is
150%.
Training,
Certification,
and Education:
We were able
to protect
training by
seniority.
Agreed to a
Certification
Incentive where
our members can
receive
increases in
their base wage
when the
employee
completes any of
the following:
A+ Certification
$.25 per hour
Network+ $.25
per hour
CCNA $.50 per
hour
Along with these
new incentives
we were able to
increase tuition
reimbursement
from $2,000 to
$3,000 per
year.
The Union
Bargaining
Committee was:
Clyde Langan,
President, Local
7471
Corey Wilson EVP,
Local 7471
Mike Nutzman
Secretary/Treasurer,
Local 7471
Jay Boyle CWA
Staff
Representative
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CWA WORKING TOGETHER FOR
WORKING FAMILIES
