Look out for the Communications Workers of America, District 1 newsletter every other week to see what CWA members have been up to.
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Read on the web:
- CWA Heads Up Massive Rallies in New York to Say: STOP THE CUTS!
- Huge Town Hall Call Held to Address Changes Coming from the Federal Government, Impact on Workers
- CWA Launches Campaign to Combat Skyrocketing Healthcare Costs in New Jersey
- Demanding Action in Response to Shooting Incident at Buffalo’s Mercy Hospital
- CWAers in New Jersey Help Host (and Pack the Room for) Governor Candidate Forum
- Graduate Workers Take Their Fight for a Fair Contract to the State Capitol
- Fighting for NJ’s Families
- NJ Department of Education Workers Stand Up & Fight Back!
- CWA Local 1088 Holds CWA Strong Steward Training to Empower Members
- Locals Working to Lift Up Our Communities
- Tens of Thousands of Healthcare Staffing Violations Submitted to the NY Department of Health; CWA Demands Action
- Ensure Accessibility for All – CWA Survey Action Needed
CWA Heads Up Massive Rallies in New York to Say: STOP THE CUTS!
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More than 10,000 people packed the streets of Lower Manhattan on March 15, representing unions, community groups, healthcare organizations, and more, coming together to tell Congress and the White House in a strong, unified voice: stop the cuts, and stop the attacks on workers!
Over the past several weeks we’ve been facing a growing attack on workers’ rights. Tens of thousands of workers have been laid off and Washington, at the direction of billionaires trying to enrich themselves, is moving forward with devastating proposals to cut $2 trillion in funding for services and programs that working families rely on. Unelected billionaires like Elon Musk have been given free rein to shut down services and force layoffs for their own gains.
But what do we do when we’re under attack? We band together, organize, mobilize, and stand up and fight back!
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CWA District 1 helped organize and lead the massive march that included a “Die-In” outside of the New York Stock Exchange to demonstrate the catastrophic impact of cuts to jobs, federal funding, and vital social services under consideration.
“We are living in a critical moment. Slashing funding for public services, laying off thousands of workers at previously unimaginable rates, threatening our healthcare and retirement, sweeping declarations nulling collective bargaining agreements—make no mistake: these are direct and wholesale attacks on America’s working people by a billionaire class and billionaire-funded politicians who want to hoard both wealth and power,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “And we will not stand by and watch it happen! The need to act has never been greater; the threat to our jobs, livelihoods, families, union movement has never been greater. But I’ve also never been prouder to be a part of this great labor movement and in this fight alongside our sisters, brothers, siblings throughout the country standing together.”
Also on March 15, CWA Local 1103 members and retirees joined a partner Stop the Cuts rally in Tarrytown, NY along with hundreds of other union members, workers, and community members. The rally’s message was directed at Rep. Mike Lawler, who recently voted to move forward with a government spending bill that would bring catastrophic cuts to vital social services that working families rely on to fund massive giveaways to billionaires and corporations. Both rallies got huge amounts of media coverage, including the Tarrytown rally featured on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.
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Huge Town Hall Call Held to Address Changes Coming from the Federal Government, Impact on Workers
Over 1,000 CWA members and retirees joined a Town Hall Call on February 27th led by CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor and Assistant to the VP Billy Gallagher to learn more about recent changes coming out of Washington and how they impact union members.
Topics included abrupt, potentially catastrophic changes at the National Labor Relations Board and how they could impact both current union members and workers seeking to unionize; how cuts to Medicaid could impact all Americans, not just those who rely on Medicaid; the impact of funding freezes on our members in higher education and public service; funding for broadband buildout in limbo; the paralyzation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which previously awarded CWA Local 1180 a multimillion dollar lawsuit victory; and more.
CWA leaders also discussed ways in which our union and others are fighting back against these drastic cuts and working to hold our elected leaders accountable to working families.
- Watch a recording of the Town Hall here
- Learn more about the attack on TSA workers and their union here
Over the past several weeks as attacks on federal workers have increased, CWA members have been supporting our union sisters and brothers and siblings, including joining weekly rallies and actions on Wednesdays demanding a stop to federal worker layoffs.
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CWA Local 1109 members rallied alongside AFGE and other union members in Northport, NY at the Northport VA to stand in solidarity with federal workers and veterans
CWA Launches Campaign to Combat Skyrocketing Healthcare Costs in New Jersey
Healthcare costs in New Jersey are out of control. More and more of our members’ paychecks are going to healthcare, at a time when most of us are already stretched thin. And it’s not because we’re using more services or getting better care. It’s because we’re paying to line the pockets of hospital and health insurance executives and enough is enough. We need the State to pass meaningful and comprehensive legislation to reign in healthcare costs and protect our members from skyrocketing premiums.
CWA District 1 is launching a campaign to address the healthcare affordability crisis in New Jersey, including developing legislation to address the crisis in three main ways:
- Require affordable premiums for local government workers
- Require cost-controls to help contain the rising prices of healthcare services and medications but protect against cost-shifting to our members, protecting all New Jerseyans
- Improve governance and transparency of how healthcare rates are calculated and implemented and improve the Union’s participation in decision-making when it comes to our plans and costs.
On February 26 we held a webinar with hundreds of CWAers in attendance to learn more about the campaign and our immediate action steps:
- Sign the petition telling Governor Murphy to support our proposal to control healthcare costs and make healthcare affordable
- Fill out this short form to sign up to join our fight
You can watch a recording of the webinar here.
Demanding Action in Response to Shooting Incident at Buffalo’s Mercy Hospital
At approximately 8am on March 10, CWA was informed by the employer that a patient shot himself late Sunday night in the Emergency Department of Mercy Hospital of Buffalo. No other patients, staff, or visitors were harmed. CWA District 1 and CWA Local 1133 are pressing for answers and for solutions to make our healthcare facilities safer for our members and the patients they care for.
“This incident highlights the growing crisis of violence in healthcare facilities—an issue that frontline healthcare workers have been raising for years,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “This shooting is the latest and most extreme example of how severe the problem has become.”
“We never want to see anybody harmed, especially when you go to work as a healthcare professional,” said CWA Local 1133 President Brian Magner. “You don’t expect to have to go into work fearing danger. There’s certain things you will have to worry about, but being threatened or assaulted by patients or visitors is not one of those things.”
CWAers in New Jersey Help Host (and Pack the Room for) Governor Candidate Forum
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We had a huge turnout on March 2 for the Build and Defend NJ Gubernatorial Forum, moderated by NJ Senator Andy Kim. CWA teamed up with several other labor and community organizations to put on the event with gubernatorial candidates Ras Baraka, Steve Fulop, Mickie Sherril, and Sean Spiller.
The next four years will be crucial in protecting the rights of all New Jerseyans, and working families deserve to know who will fight in their best interests as their next Governor. This forum was a great opportunity to hear from candidates on several of the most pressing issues that our members in NJ face, including:
- Protecting and funding vital services
- Lowering healthcare costs
- Expand voting rights and making our elections more fair
- Protecting public worker pensions
- Fighting against the rollback of workplace protections
You can view a recording of the forum here.
Graduate Workers Take Their Fight for a Fair Contract to the State Capitol
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HUGE action in Albany, NY on February 26 by CWA Local 1104 Graduate Student Employees Union (GSEU) members! Hundreds of members from State University of New York (SUNY) campuses throughout New York rallied in the Capitol Building to demand a fair contract and State legislation that would fully end mandatory fees that grad workers are forced to pay. The GSEU members then marched through the Capitol to deliver a petition to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office saying that workers are sick and tired of bad faith bargaining and demand a fair contract NOW!
Fighting for NJ’s Families
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NJ families deserve better! CWA Local 1037 rallied on February 25 at the State House Annex in Trenton, NJ to fight for a package of childcare bills (S2239/A3888 and S2241/A1920) before the NJ State Legislature that would extend childcare subsidies and be a huge boost for many working families and help make sure that childcare workers are fairly compensated.
NJ Department of Education Workers Stand Up & Fight Back!
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On March 13th, New Jersey Department of Education workers came together for a CWA Local 1033 Member’s Assembly to strategize, organize, and build power in the face of the challenges ahead. With federal cuts to education funding threatening our schools and healthcare costs on the rise, we know that the only way to protect our jobs and win strong contracts is through solidarity!
CWA Local 1088 Holds CWA Strong Steward Training to Empower Members
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Earlier this month, CWA Local 1088 conducted a CWA Strong Steward Training, equipping stewards with essential skills to better serve and advocate for members. The training focused on the CWA Triangle—Organizing, Representation, and Movement Building—which forms the foundation of effective union leadership.
Throughout the session, stewards honed their abilities in organizing conversations, learning how to engage and mobilize members around workplace issues. They also strengthened their knowledge of Weingarten rights, ensuring they can confidently represent members during investigations and defend their rights. Additionally, the training covered best practices for presenting grievances, emphasizing how to build strong cases and advocate for fair resolutions.
By sharpening these skills, Local 1088 stewards are better prepared to mobilize members to action, fostering a more united and powerful workforce. The training reinforced the importance of solidarity and proactive leadership, ensuring that Local 1088 remains strong and ready to face future challenges.
Locals Working to Lift Up Our Communities
CWA Local 1040
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CWA Local 1040 members at the Trenton Housing Authority Branch recently hosted a fundraiser to support breast cancer awareness. Members wore shades of pink and sold baked goods, tumblers, journals, and pens and accepted memorial donations for those who lost loved ones in their battle with breast cancer. A portion of the proceeds were donated to the Healing Stream Foundation, an organization in the Mercer County community that provides support and resources to people impacted by breast cancer. The Branch also provided several backpacks to CWA Local 1040 Men’s Committee and Trenton Housing Authority’s summer camp with school supplies along with a personal note of inspiration to kick off the new school year.
CWA Local 1170
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On March 14, CWA Local 1170 held its breakfast recognizing leadership givers and the Local’s fundraising achievements—once again the Local hit its annual goal, with members pledging over $62,000 to the United Way and its programs for the upcoming year.
Tens of Thousands of Healthcare Staffing Violations Submitted to the NY Department of Health; CWA Demands Action
On February 27 CWA District 1, along with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and United Food and Commercial Workers, submitted complaints detailing over 23,000 separate violations of hospitals’ clinical staffing plans to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) from hospitals across the state. The significant number of complaints demonstrates the continued statewide staffing crisis, and the spiral of understaffing that leads to worker burnout and workers leaving the profession, which then deepens the staffing crisis.
Violations reported to the DOH include:
- Out of the total number of complaints, approximately 10% occurred in Intensive Care Units, which care for the most critical and sickest patients. In one instance, RNs reported being assigned 4 patients each, which threatened patient care and meant the Charge RN had to take assignments and prevented any staff from taking their meal or rest breaks. The ratio required by the law and necessary for adequate and safe care is 1:2 for critical and intensive care patients.
- On a “step-down unit” which provides care for patients who need more monitoring and attention than a typical medical-surgical floor, the staffing plan indicated 1 RN for 3 patients. However, multiple shifts had 6 patients for each RN, more than double the safe assignment.
- On those same units, nursing assistants who each can be assigned up to 6 patients had 14 patients each, more than double, meaning delays in essential patient care tasks like changing, bathing, and cleaning.
- One Emergency Room, with the capacity to care for only 60 patients, had 97 patients. In order to meet the staffing plan, 25 RNs should have been present on the unit, but there were only 8, meaning an additional 17 RNs were needed for this number of patients. There were only 2 aides in the department, meaning they were responsible for 48 patients each.
For years, state leaders and hospital management have raised the alarm about the shortage of frontline healthcare workers, however, they have neglected to do enough to address the workforce’s main concerns including frequent inadequate staffing. Frontline healthcare workers are being required to care for too many patients at once at the expense of patient safety and worker morale. Research shows that understaffing is a main driver of turnover among healthcare staff and is heavily linked to poor patient outcomes.
“The violations submitted today make it clear: hospitals are failing to meet the staffing levels they committed to, and the Department of Health must act now.” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “Our frontline workers are being pushed to their limits, and patient care is suffering as a result. Without immediate enforcement of the Clinical Staffing Committee law, we risk driving even more healthcare professionals away from the bedside. CWA members are ready to fight for real accountability, and we won’t stop until our hospitals are fully and safely staffed.”
“Our dedicated members have put in tremendous effort to develop clinical staffing plans that prioritize the safety of both patients and healthcare workers. However, they are still facing extreme challenges in light of the ongoing staffing crisis in our hospitals,” said CWA Local 1168 President Cori Gambini. “The dangers of understaffing cannot be ignored. With such working conditions, we risk not only patient outcomes but also the retention of our valuable healthcare workers.”
“The number of complaints submitted today underscores what I hear from our members every day – the state of staffing at hospitals throughout the State is unsustainable and unsafe,” said CWA Local 1133 President Brian Magner. “Without enforcement from the Department of Health, healthcare workers will not be able to provide the quality of care they are capable of and that patients deserve.”
Ensure Accessibility for All – CWA Survey Action Needed
Delegates to the 2023 CWA Convention adopted a resolution to make future meetings as accessible as possible for members and retirees who have a mental or physical disability.
The CWA Accessibility Committee has developed a survey so that you can help shape the future of accessibility at CWA meetings and events. The committee will carefully review survey responses and use them to develop recommendations that will be presented at the 2025 CWA Convention and shared across CWA. Please take the survey here and share it with other CWA members and retirees.
Responses are due by Tuesday, March 25.