CWA Activists Press Their Senators On NLRB

CWA Legislative and Political Team Activists continued to Press their Senators on the need to Confirm all Five Presidential Nominations to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and to Change the Senate Rules, If Necessary, to Get It Done.  Indiana CWAers met with Senator Joe Donnelly on June 7th, and so far, the Team has Delivered 251 Signed Letters and about 20-to-30 New Letters come in Every Day. At Worksites, LPAT Activists are Handing Out Flyers and Urging Members to Make Phone Calls.  In Colorado, Activists had a Meeting with Senator Mark Udall and reported the Senator is On Board for the Need For a Fully-Functioning NLRB and Changing the Senate Rules to Make It Happen.  An Active CWA Retired Members' Council is Helping with Letters and Phone Calls.  Plans are in the works for a National Day of Action on July 2nd, with CWAers - especially in Critical States - Holding Rallies and Meetings outside their Senators' District Offices and Hitting as many Worksites as Possible to Help Members Make those Calls to Capitol Hill.  "We want to Generate Tens of Thousands of Telephone Calls to Senators and Remind Them that We Expect the Senate Democratic Majority to Change the Rules ‘If Necessary’ to get ‘all’ Five NLRB Presidential Nominations Confirmed," said CWA Chief of Staff Ron Collins.  The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Publicized its Support for a Fully-Functioning NLRB in an Ad in The Hill, a Capitol Hill Newspaper that Reaches Members of Congress and their Staffs.  "The National Labor Relations Board is the Agency that Enforces Federal Labor Law.  Fewer than Half the States Provide Any Sort of Anti-Discrimination Protections to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender Employees.  And because there is ‘No’ Federal Law that Bars Workplace Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, LGBT Workers who Suffer Workplace Discrimination have ‘No’ Remedy or Recourse.  We Call on the Senate Majority to Confirm all Five NLRB Members to Safeguard Workers' Rights On-The-Job so LGBT Workers, who may be Especially Vulnerable to the Whims of their Employers, May Have Their Rights Protected by a Fully-Functioning NLRB."

CWA's Ron Collins Gets Arrested For Mine Workers

CWA Members continue to be a Big Part of the Thousands of Activists Who Protest at Peabody/Patriot Coal Locations.  In St. Louis, CWA Chief of Staff Ron Collins Fired Up the Crowd, then was Arrested along with United Mine Workers Members.  Patriot Executives now say they are Willing to Resume Negotiations.  About a week ago, Patriot said it Wasn't Interested in Bargaining with the United Mine Workers Union.  A Bankruptcy Judge has Approved Patriot's Bid to Throw Out its Collective Bargaining Agreements and Slash Retiree Health Care.  The Judge said Cuts can Begin as early as July 1st.  Hundreds of CWA Activists have Participated in Rallies and Actions in St. Louis and Charleston, West Virginia to Protest Peabody's Move to Strip Retiree Health Care Benefits from 23,000 Miners and their Families.  Peabody created Patriot Coal in 2007 and gave that Company 11% of its Assets, 43% of its Retiree Liability and some Underwater Coal Contracts, the Mine Workers Union said.  Some 90% of Retirees whose Benefits will be Slashed Never Worked for Patriot.  Then, in 2008, Patriot bought Arch-spinoff Magnum Coal and Arch saddled that Company with 12% of its Assets and 96% of its Retiree Health-Care Liabilities.  "We all know the Resources Needed to ‘Really’ Solve these Problems are Piled Up in the Corporate Coffers of Peabody Energy and Arch Coal.  Those Two Companies made billions from the Sweat and Hard Work of our Members and if these Executives ‘Think’ We're Going to Sit Idle while they Abandon their Promises and put our Members at Risk - well, then ‘They Don't Really Know’ or ‘Understand’ the United Mine Workers of America," UMWA President Cecil Roberts said.  The Union is Working with Members of Congress from Both Parties to Pursue Legislative Remedies and has an On-Going Public Education Campaign with a Peabody Lied TV Ad currently running in St. Louis and Evansville, Illinois.

Arizona Governor Signs Voter Suppression Bill

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has signed a Controversial Election Bill - HB 2305 - that will Suppress the Right to Vote, Restrict Citizens' Use of the Initiative Process and Limit Voter Choice by Making It More Difficult for Third Parties to Run Candidates for Office.  The Measure is an Extreme Overhaul of the State's Voting Law.  The Governor's Office said that Concerns that Voters will be Disenfranchised were "Overblown."  Among the Changes is the Purging of the State's Early Voting Rolls.  Any who Didn't Use an Early Voting Ballot in the November 2012 Elections Faces Being Dropped from the Early Voter List.  The Measure lowers the Number of Signatures Needed for Republicans and Democrats to Quality for Statewide and Legislative Races, but Dramatically Increases the Number Needed for Third Parties like the Green Party and others.  Republicans in Arizona and other States believe that Limiting the Votes received by Libertarian Party Candidates will Boost the Election of Republican Candidates.  The Bill Makes It a Crime for Volunteer Political Workers and Organizations to Collect Early Ballots from Voters and take them to Polling Places.  The Democratic Party and Voter Advocacy Groups have Provided this Service to Voters for many years, at Voters' Choice.  It also includes New, Stricter Requirements for Citizens' Initiatives.  The U.S. Supreme Court recently Threw Out an Arizona Requirement that Prospective Voters Document their U.S. Citizenship in Order to Use a Motor Voter Registration Form.

Newspaper Guild Forum Looks At Media Ownership With Emphasis On Koch Brothers

The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America (TNG-CWA) will Host a Forum on Wednesday (June 26th) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., with a Special Focus on the Bid by the Koch Brothers to buy the Tribune Newspapers.  The Koch Brothers, who are Right-Wing Billionaires and Big Supporters of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker who launched a Major Attack against Public Workers and their Unions, are Interested in Buying the Newspaper Group that includes The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Orlando Sentinel and others.  Activists have been Protesting outside The Los Angeles Times, Raising Concerns that the Koch's Right-Wing Agenda would Take Over News Coverage.  The Session is titled: Should the Koch Brothers Own the Tribune Newspapers? - but will go far beyond that Debate, TNG-CWA President Bernie Lunzer said. "The Koch Brothers are a Good Catalyst for this Discussion because their Interest in the Tribune Newspapers has Helped Renew and Expand the Debate about ‘Who Owns’ and ‘Who’ Should Own Our Newspapers, TV Stations and other Media, and How Much of that Media any ‘One’ Owner Should Control."

Immigration Amendment Gives Critical Support To U.S. STEM Workers, Students

The CWA is Commending a Bi-Partisan Group of Senators for their Work on an Amendment to Comprehensive Immigration Reform that will Safeguard Jobs and Opportunity for U.S. Workers and Students in STEM Fields – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  Amendment 1311 was introduced by Senators Sherrod Brown (Democrat-Ohio), Chuck Grassley (Republican-Iowa), Joe Manchin (Democrat-West Virginia) and Jeff Sessions (Republican-Alabama).   It requires Employers to Hire "Equally or Better Qualified" U.S. STEM Workers Before Looking to Hire H-1B Visa Holders.  This Amendment is an Important Fix to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. Today, recent U.S. Graduates in STEM Fields Face Unemployment Rates of 7.4% (Engineers) and nearly 6% (in Mathematics).  U.S. Students Studying for Occupations within the STEM Sectors Need to Know that Jobs and Opportunity will be Available to them as they continue their Studies.  It would be Ironic if the Increase in STEM Funds to Help Students Pay for Education, Created as Part of a Compromise over H-1B Visa Levels, leads to a Greater Number of U.S. Students who Can't Find Work in their STEM Profession, the CWA said.  High-Skill U.S. Workers also Need Assurances that they will Not Be Dumped by Employers Looking to Abuse the H-1B Program and Off-Shore Their Work.  The CWA is Urging the U.S. Senate to Debate, Vote on and Adopt this Amendment to Comprehensive Immigration Reform.