CWA Strike Action

Join Picket at Verizon Wireless to Support 45,000 Workers on Strike!

On the east coast, 45,000 Verizon workers are on strike to stop Verizon’s Wisconsin-style attacks on the middle class, elimination of health benefits, and outsourcing of good jobs. These 45,000 Verizon workers are members of the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and they are fighting for all of us!

Join us to picket the Verizon Wireless Store in Burbank before our delegates meeting on Monday, August 15 to support our CWA and IBEW sisters and brothers on strike!

Following the picket, you are invited to join us for our annual BBQ at our delegates meeting in Burbank at IATSE Local 80.

WHEN: Monday, August, 15, 2011 4:30-5:30pm

WHERE: Verizon Wireless Store located at 1729 North Victory Place, Burbank, CA

More information: www.cwa-union.org/verizon
LA Locals are CWA 9000, 9400
Striking Local No.1 in New York

BUILDING TRADES BOYCOTT DEM CONVENTION

Union Building Trades Tell Democrats They'll Skip Convention in N. Carolina

-- Duke Energy CEO is the Chief Local Fundraiser & N.C. is Anti-Union State

Saturday 13 August 2011

by: Tim Funk and Kirsten Valle Pittman, McClatchy Newspapers | Report

Charlotte, N.C. - Casting North Carolina as an anti-Union bastion with "regressive policies aimed at diluting the power of workers," more than a dozen trade Unions affiliated with the national AFL-CIO have told the Democratic National Committee that they will sit out the 2012 convention in Charlotte, N.C.

Coming on the heels of some liberals' complaints that President Barack Obama is giving in to Republicans, the Unions' decision is another sign that key Democratic allies are unhappy with Obama and other Party leaders as they gear up for a difficult election season.It's also a signal that anything relating to Charlotte — from its besieged homewn Bank to its lack of unionized hotels — will face scrutiny as the city eases into the national spotlight.

Labor Unions have long played an integral role in Democratic conventions. And some big ones, including the National Education Association and the Service Employees International Union, still plan to be active participants when the Democrats come to Charlotte in 2012.

Local and state labor leaders also are still on board. The N.C. AFL-CIO helped lobby for Charlotte to be the convention site. On Friday, a leader of the Raleigh-based labor group called the national unions' decision understandable, but "shortsighted."

"I think the only way we're going to change things here is if people understand the struggles here. I'm encouraged that the Democratic Party wants to make investments here in the state," said MaryBe McMillian, secretary-treasurer of the N.C. AFL-CIO. "This convention is going to bring much-needed work for Union members and thousands of unemployed North Carolinians." With new Democratic convention rules barring donations from corporations, federal lobbyists and PACs — including those affiliated with labor Unions — the Charlotte gathering already was forecast to be less reliant than past conventions on big financial support from organized labor.

Still, the decision by the national Unions — representing 2.5 million workers in the building and construction trades — reflects disappointment from labor activists who Democrats count on to get Union members to the polls.

"There is broad frustration with the Party and all elected officials, broad frustration with the lack of a union agenda," Michael Monroe, chief of staff of the AFL-CIO's building trades division, told The Associated Press. "People are looking for outlets to express that frustration." The decision by the building trades came after a vote by leaders of the unit's 13 affiliate Unions, including the Laborers, Painters and Electrical Workers.

In a letter this week to Democratic Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Unions bemoaned the persistently high unemployment rate nationwide and the choice of Charlotte at a time when Union members "face assault after assault" in Washington and in some state capitals.

"We find it troubling that the Party so closely associated with basic human rights would choose a state with the lowest Unionization rate in the country," Mark Ayers, President of the building trades unit, wrote Rep. Wasserman, who is also a Congresswoman from Florida.

Those busy planning the Charlotte convention appeared unfazed — at least publicly — by the Unions' action.

"We were proud to have the support of local labor leaders when we chose Charlotte to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention, including the N.C. AFL-CIO," Democratic National Convention Committee CEO Steve Kerrigan said in a statement. "The DNCC will continue to work closely with local and national labor leaders as we prepare for the convention next September." That reaction was echoed by former Mecklenburg County Commissioner Dan Murrey, who now heads Charlotte's host committee.

"We've been having frequent discussions with the local labor Unions and the state representatives," he said. "They've been very helpful in the planning process and ... on getting the word out to people." Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, who led Charlotte's campaign to get the convention, had no comment, deferring to Party officials, said a spokesman.

There was also no comment from Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, who is leading the local fundraising campaign for the convention. "His work in this effort continues," said spokesman Tom Williams. "Any actual status on numbers will be via the election (fundraising) reports." Despite the strong language in the Unions' letter, at least one of the 13 says it is still considering whether to go.

"The Teamsters Union has not gone through our own internal decision process about the Democratic National Convention," said spokeswoman Leigh Strope.

Monroe of the AFL-CIO said the decision doesn't preclude individual members of the Unions from running as delegates, and some of the Unions apparently are still considering how to proceed.

But the angst could spread. The International Association of Machinists, which is not part of the building trades, said it also has decided to skip the convention after participating for decades.

"This is the Union that came up with the idea for Labor Day and this convention starts on Labor Day in a right-to-work state," said IAM spokesman Rick Sloan. "We see that as an affront to Working men and women across this country." Monroe said the Unions are being careful not to use the term "boycott" because they don't want to damage Obama's re-election prospects. He said money is also a major factor, when Unions are spending millions trying to beat back efforts by Republican lawmakers to diminish Union rights in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states.

"It would be disappointing to our members to see us doing business as usual, diverting resources that we know are scarce when we should be laser-like focused on getting elected officials focused on the Jobs agenda," Monroe said.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka warned earlier this year that Unions would focus more of their energy and money shoring up local affiliates and less on boosting a single political Party.

The choice of North Carolina earlier this year provoked immediate outrage among labor leaders, who said it was another indication that Democrats take Union support for granted. But Democrats defended the decision, saying it's part of the Party's push to win crucial swing states in the South, including a state that Obama carried in 2008.

Organized labor and Democrats had a similar squabble over the choice of Denver for the 2008 convention, where the gathering was held at the non-union Pepsi Center and the city had few Unionized hotels. At one point, Teamsters President James Hoffa threatened to "blow up" the convention with picketing and protests if Union issues were not worked out.

But the two sides ultimately struck a deal to staff the Pepsi Center with union employees.

http://www.truth-out.org/twelve-unions-tell-democrats-theyll-boycott-convention-n-carolina/1313252475

It's time to question labor's ties to Democrats by IBT Local 237 President

By GREGORY FLOYD

President, Teamsters Local 237

www.local237.org

Posted: 7/30/11

Organized labor has many enemies in this country. Unfortunately, we also need to start worrying about our friends.

Vocal conservatives continue to increase their influence and hijack the debate about restoring our economy, putting the focus on cutting deficits and not creating jobs. Their attempt to shrink government and hurt the middle class is unfortunate, but not surprising. While Tea Party Republicans have awakened a newfound passion for fiscal conservatism, the party has always been the cloak the powerful use to conceal their self-interest.

Sadly, however, this belief is finding a toehold in the Democratic Party, the once strong ally of labor unions. While Democrats and unions have stood together and fought valiantly in pockets of the country -- most notably in Wisconsin -- there are too many Democratic politicians embracing the supposed popular support of conservative policies.

To be a true ally means more than lending support when times are good. In fact, it means just the opposite. You must be able to stand with your allies during the worst of times. The strength that you gain from each other's support is essential to mutual survival.

The Democratic Party, however, has been less than a stalwart ally.

Around the country and in our nation's capital, we are seeing more Democrats willing to place the burden of fixing the country on the backs of public workers and the middle class in general. Even more alarming, we have seen a willingness to attack some of our most important institutions, including pensions, Medicare and Social Security.

One thing that can be said for Republicans: they stand by and fight fiercely for their allies. Those allies are corporate interests, oil companies and the super rich, but Republicans stand up for them unabashedly, killing tax increases of even one penny. They don't play fair; they fight dirty; and they refuse to concede any ground. They are on the wrong side, but they know how to play the game.

Where is that same passion from our Democratic supporters? Many are all too willing to abandon our partnership in the name of "reform" or "compromise," instead of standing and holding the line. Compromise has its place, but we cannot buckle too easily. We must not surrender to the Nixon-era passivity of a silent majority. The cries of debt and smaller government are coming from a minority of the extremely rich and misguided middle class conservatives. Democrats and unions have always gained their power from numbers, and regardless of what political polls may say, we still have the numbers on our side.

Democrats and labor unions have a long history together, rooted in their common values that government protects the common man from abuses by the rich and powerful. As America was built, Democratic and union leaders stood shoulder to shoulder and fought for the rights and reforms that created a strong middle class. In New York and nationally, unions are the biggest supporters, both financially and politically, of the Democratic Party. We cannot afford to put that shared respect and experience in jeopardy, especially when we are both at such risk.

In response to this trend of rising conservatism, I'm afraid to say that labor leaders must start to be more selective with our choice of friends and allies. Already, some unions have begun to withhold support from the National Democratic Party over unhappiness with their stances on some major issues. Many battles, such as the dismantling of collective bargaining rights and pensions, are mostly being waged at the state level. For example, New York pension funds have regained almost all their value since the economic collapse, and yet some Democratic leaders want to make pension cuts their main objectives for next year. To balance the budget, wages and benefits for state workers were cut, but taxes on the rich were abandoned. It appears New York state has never had a more Republican agenda.

It would be a great shame if the strong alliance between labor unions and Democrats was broken. We must do what we have to do to survive, and we will never give up our efforts to help middle class people make a decent living and have some peace of mind in retirement. Democrats need to recommit themselves to these values to show their union supporters they have not forgotten about them. Otherwise, labor unions should be asking: Is there still room in the Democratic Party for us? If not, should we start our own party and run for office ourselves?

http://www.amsterdamnews.com/union_matters/teamsters/article_3a2b7512-b88c-11e0-955d-001cc4c002e0.html

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