CWA Local 9510's News Blog

Making the Most of Every Minute Between Now and Election Day

With so much at stake for working families on Nov. 2, CWAers aren’t wasting a minute in the final days leading to Election 2010.

Here’s some of what’s happening around the country:

* In Texas, CWA members are leafleting, making phone calls and knocking on doors to support pro-worker congressional candidates and working to send extreme anti-worker Gov. Rick Perry packing after 10 years. His opponent Bill White is a pro-labor businessman and the popular former mayor of Houston. “I think we’ve got a good chance, we’re getting really good feedback,” said Jake Taffola, CWA’s political coordinator in Texas. Among the key congressional races, San Antonio members are working hard to re-elect Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, and five CWAers are among the workers who appear in one of his campaign commercials.

* In Pennsylvania, CWA activists have leafleted at 138 worksites since September. They’ve circulated more than 17,500 flyers so far, with another big push and 5,000 more set for Monday. Phone banks are up and running in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and volunteers are turning out statewide for labor walks. Members have also turned out in force for rallies and events around the state to support Senate candidate Joe Sestak and Dan Onorato, candidate for governor.

* In Missouri, members are working the phones and leafleting worksites to elect Robin Carnahan to the U.S. Senate and re-elect her brother, Russ Carnahan, to Congress, among other key races. CWA Local 6300 and others will continue phone banking right up until the polls close Nov. 2.

* In New Mexico, members have been leafleting at worksites around the state every week and are rallying, phoning and knocking on doors for Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who is running for governor. Thursdays are phone bank nights for CWAers, who also join regular labor walks on Saturdays.

Check your local’s bulletin board or website or ask your steward how you can help Get Out the Vote this weekend and through Election Day.

Members of CWA Local 6215 were out in force in Dallas as early voting opened. CWA District 13 Vice President Ed Mooney and President Larry Cohen, with Dan Onorato, Democratic candidate for governor in Pennsylvania.

Members of CWA Local 9510 walked precincts for Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), center. CWA members in New Mexico rally behind Lt. Governor Diane Denish, Democratic candidate for governor.
At AT&T headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., Local 6300 Vice President Sonja Gholston-Byrd, right, and Chief Steward Dawn Jennewein leaflet to get out the vote on Nov. 2.

To: Bargained-for Employees Covered by the Success Sharing Plan (SSP)
Subject: 2010 SSP

Bargained-for Employee Covered by the SSP:

As a bargained-for employee with a Success Sharing Plan (SSP), you may be eligible for the 2010 SSP payout. Specific details about your eligibility for the 2010 SSP payout can be found in your contract.

The 2010 SSP payout is based on the appreciation of AT&T stock. The SSP payout, valued at $298.50, will either be paid in cash or credited to an HRA account, depending on the provisions of the SSP agreement in your contract.
The cash payouts will be made on the November 24, 2010 paycheck for the A1 payroll cycle and the December 3, 2010 paycheck for the B1 payroll cycle.
Employees receiving an HRA credit will receive a letter with details about your HRA account in mid-December.

If you have any questions, please contact your supervisor or HROneStop on 1-888-722-1STP (1787).

CWA members' solidarity during 18 long months of bargaining paid off Wednesday night in Connecticut when Local 1298 reached a tentative agreement with AT&T that includes job protection language the company had refused to include earlier.

"We hung tough, the membership hung tough, we had the support of national, and AT&T knew it and finally realized that 'we're not going to get these guys to move,'" Local 1298 President Bill Henderson said.

The two tentative contracts, one for nearly 3,400 core employees and the other for 176 yellow page workers, are the last in the round of bargaining that CWA and AT&T began at tables nationwide in 2009. Ratification ballots will be sent to members on Monday and must be returned by Sept. 7.

Both of the 1298 agreements require AT&T to keep at least 84 percent of the represented jobs in Connecticut. "It's not everything we wanted, but it's big for us and we can build on it in the future," Henderson said.

CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton praised the negotiating team. "The bargaining committee stayed focused and devoted themselves to getting a just contract for the members and I thank them, my assistant Dennis Trainor and Staff Representative Pat Telesco for their work and dedication," he said.

AT&T recently said it supports the Google-Verizon net neutrality plan that would prevent wireless networks from being subject to neutrality regulations.

Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility, recently called the plan a "reasonable framework." Later, Joan Marsh, AT&T's Vice President of Federal Regulatory, wrote about the proposal and the need for unregulated wireless networks on the company's public policy blog. "Wireless carriers must to [sic] be able to dynamically manage traffic and operate their networks in an environment free from burdensome, arbitrary and unnecessary regulations," Marsh said.

The Google-Verizon plan, which has drawn critics as well, calls for making the Internet we know today completely neutral for lawful content. This means carriers could not discriminate against or restrict different types of (lawful) data from running through its broadband network. However, the plan would leave wireless networks out of the debate, and allow broadband providers to offer non-neutral specialized broadband services such as medical health monitoring and entertainment content.

AT&T has long been an opponent of net neutrality, arguing there is little evidence that broadband providers needs to be regulated. The company has considered using filtering tools to detect pirated material on its network. AT&T has also urged employees to send personal letters to the Federal Communications Commission arguing against net neutrality.

Despite previous actions, it isn't that surprising the company would approve of the Google-Verizon framework. That's because by the end of 2009, AT&T changed its position on net neutrality. In fact, it had adopted at least one view similar to those found in the Google-Verizon proposal.

In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, AT&T said, "preserving the open character of the Internet is critically important." However, unlike Google and Verizon, AT&T wanted the FCC to address complaints of anticompetitive or discriminatory behavior on a case-by-case basis instead of applying a "strict nondiscrimination standard." Broad net neutrality rules, AT&T argued, could "ban voluntary commercial agreements for...certain value-added broadband services." You can read the entire letter here (PDF)

AT&T's reference to "value-added broadband services" is similar to Google and Verizon's call to have a non-neutral broadband network for "additional, differentiated online services." As mentioned earlier, such services could include health care monitoring, educational tools, gaming, and other forms of entertainment content.That means they could charge you more for accessing the net for those functions.

Considering AT&T's previous calls against regulating private broadband services (not to mention it's clear interest in having an unregulated wireless network) it's no surprise that AT&T likes what the Google-Verizon plan offers. But the company hasn't signed on entirely; its support is preliminary, not a Verizon-Google-AT&T net neutrality proposal.

Ian Paul, PC World

Aug 16, 2010 9:09 am

The proposed merger between cable TV giant Comcast and NBC-Universal (NBCU) would lead to job cuts, reduce competition in the cable industry and restrict consumer access to online video content, a senior leader of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) told lawmakers.

On top of all that, Comcast has a long record of violating workers’ rights, CWA Vice President James Weitkamp told a field hearing of the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month. After its last big merger, with AT&T Broadband in 2002, Comcast immediately set about crushing AT&T’s unions, he said. Comcast also pays its workers about a third less in wages and benefits than unionized telecom companies.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE!