| Look out for the Communications Workers of America, District 1 newsletter every other week to see what CWA members have been up to.Follow us on Instagram ►Like us on Facebook ► Read on the web:CWA Endorses Kamala Harris/Tim Walz Gets Ready to Go ALL IN to Win for Workers in This ElectionCWA 1180-Bird Union Members Vote to Authorize a STRIKEBargaining VictoriesCWA Local 1101 – Berlin Rosen (first contract!)CWA Local 1111 – Arnot Ogden Medical Center NJ Locals Help Fight Back Against Anti-Union Attacks in Florida, Helping Sign Up Hundreds of Workers as CWA MembersCWAers Come Together to Strengthen Their Communities WA 1180-Bird Union Members Vote to Authorize a STRIKE More than two years since the workers at the National Audubon Society voted to join CWA Local 1180, Audubon management continues to drag their feet and refuse to make real progress or compromise at the bargaining table, all while discriminating against the union members and passing over the unionized portions of the workforce for benefits given to the non-union staff. Last week, after yet another bargaining session with little-to-no movement by Audubon, the 1180-Bird Union members decided that enough is enough and held a three day strike authorization vote – the results were overwhelmingly in favor of striking.  CWA 1180-Bird Union members held a practice picket in Oakland last weekLast year the National Labor Relations Board determined that the National Audubon Society violated federal labor law, alleging that Audubon unlawfully made unilateral changes to benefits, refused to bargain over minimum salaries, and denied union members benefits that were given to non-union staff—including parental leave time for new parents (union staff at Audubon are currently eligible for only two weeks of paid parental leave to care for a newborn, while non-union staff have received enhanced parental leave benefits since the start of contract negotiations).With that in mind, 1180-Bird Union members are preparing for a possible Unfair Labor Practice strike later this month if Audubon does not come back to the table ready to bargain. With unionized staff based throughout the country, the strike would be a national effort, with picket lines from New York to California—and the members have already gotten started preparing, with practice pickets held earlier this month.“We formed our union with the goal of sitting down with management and working through persistent problems that have driven away dedicated workers, undermining our work,” said Shyamlee Patel, a Bird Union-CWA Local 1180 member. “But instead of bargaining in good faith, Audubon has made unlawful, unilateral changes to the benefits we rely on, even raising out-of-pocket healthcare costs for the lowest-paid staff by $2,000 per year. It’s outrageous, and why we’re ready to stand together to protect the people who protect the birds.”“Throughout negotiations, Audubon has shown a clear disregard for their workers’ rights,” said Gloria Middleton, President of CWA Local 1180. “Our members want to be on the job, protecting the birds, but they are prepared to stand together to protect the rights the NLRA affords them.”Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days!CWA Endorses Kamala Harris/Tim Walz Gets Ready to Go ALL IN to Win for Workers in This ElectionIn July, shortly after President Biden’s departure from the Presidential race, CWA’s National Executive Board endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President. Last week, the Board also endorsed MN Governor Tim Walz for Vice President.In a statement announcing the endorsement, the Executive Board said, “On one side is a candidate who has always taken the side of corporate interests and is advancing a policy agenda that would destroy our union and take away fundamental workers’ rights. On the other side is a candidate with a consistent record fighting to empower the working class and unions who has centered CWA’s members’ concerns in her policies. The choice is clear.”“We are enthusiastic and ready to elect Kamala Harris the next President of the United States,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. “She has visited our members on the job, listened to them at meetings of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, and made sure their concerns, and the concerns of our retirees, are addressed in the Administration’s policies. With Kamala Harris leading our country, we will continue to have a seat at the table to improve the lives of CWA members and retirees and strengthen our communities.”Visit our Election 2024 Hub to learn more about Kamala Harris’s pro-worker record and more:See if your member of Congress stands with workers using our Congressional ScorecardLearn more about Project 2025, the disastrous plan for a potential second Trump administrationCheck out who we’re endorsing in New Jersey and in New YorkWant to help us win a pro-worker White House and Congress? Sign up for upcoming phonebanks, labor walks, and other events! Bargaining VictoriesCWA Local 1101 – BerlinRosenFIRST CONTRACT! Newly organized workers at Public Relations firm BerlinRosen, who joined CWA Local 1101 in April, have ratified their first union contract. The contract includes:Raises each year over the life of the contractOne time ratification bonusLanguage codifying their healthcare and retirement benefitsExpanded short-term disability insurance and new long-term disability insuranceA new labor-management committee that will meet once every quarter to discuss significant issues facing the company and bargaining unitAnd more! CWA Local 1111 – Arnot Ogden Medical Center .png) Last week CWA Local 1111 members at Arnot Ogden Medical Center (AOMC) overwhelmingly ratified their new contract after a tough bargaining fight that spanned most of the year.The frontline healthcare workers at AOMC mobilized like never before, holding rallies, press conferences, signing petitions, and delivering hand-written postcards to management explaining the importance of better working conditions and staffing.Highlights of the new contract include:Raises each year over the life of the contractImproved language around mandatory overtime, including more protections for workers and increased pay for mandated workers, and agreement for continued joint labor/management discussion to improve mandatory overtime regulations even furtherIncreased hours for part-time workersStrengthened grievance and arbitration languageNJ Locals Help Fight Back Against Anti-Union Attacks in Florida, Helping Sign Up Hundreds of Workers as CWA MembersAfter a successful trip to Florida by Local 1033 and 1040 members in May, public sector CWA members from New Jersey made another trip to the Sunshine State this month to continue providing support to CWA District 3 members who are under intense attack by anti-union groups and legislators. .png) Members of CWA Locals 1032 and 1040 spent several days in Palm Beach County for a Solidarity Drive alongside Local 3181, helping over 200 Palm Beach County workers and 200 St. Lucie School District workers become members of CWA Local 3181 in just a few days.Throughout the country, public sector workers have the highest union density, making our members a prime target for anti-union groups and extreme rightwing legislators who want to weaken workers throughout the country. In Florida last year, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill designed to devastate public sector unions, including our own. The law in Florida now requires all unions to maintain 60% membership or be immediately de-certified. That, combined with constant underhanded attacks by anti-union groups like the so-called “Freedom Foundation” that pressure workers to drop their union membership, has created the perfect conditions to decimate Florida’s unions and roll back workers’ rights and protections. CWA District 3 is working hard to fight back against these attacks, which serve as a dangerous warning for what could happen in all of our states if conservative extremists get their way. CWAers Come Together to Strengthen Their Communities CWA Local 1040 .png) CWA Local 1040 members in New Jersey came out in force to collect items to put together “blessing boxes” for Josephine’s Place, a non-profit organization that supports local women in Elizabeth, NJ. Local 1040 Chapter 95 VP, Roz Moore, spearheaded the collection efforts.CWA Local 1126 .png) After tornadoes ripped through parts of Upstate New York last month, CWA Local 1126 members came together to raise money for supplies for Connected Community SchoolsCWA District 1 80 Pine Street, 37th Floor New York NY, 10005 cwad1.orgText CWAD1 to 49484 to Join Our Text List. You will receive CWA news & info. Recurring messages. Message & data rates may apply. Terms & Conditions: cwa.org/sms-terms. Privacy Policy: cwa.org/privacy. Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from CWA District 1, please click here. |