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 Local 1123 President Chris Ryan Sworn in as New York State Senator
- The Athletic Workers Demand Voluntary Recognition with NewsGuild-CWA
- First Contract Win for Local 1031 Workers at East Brunswick Public Library
- CWA Local 1180 Members Fight for Reinstatement of Laid Off Workers
- CWA Local 1032 Flexes Their Power to Fight for Their Contract
- CWA Legislation to Protect NY Call Center Workers Signed Into Law
- N.J. Social Service Workers Show Their Force to Fight for Fair Contract
- Federation of Social Workers IUE-CWA 81381 President Christina Christman Recognized by the Union Leadership Institute
- CWA-Contributed Report Finds Severe Understaffing in Upstate New York Hospitals
- Two Upcoming Scholarship Deadlines for CWA Members, Retirees, and Family
CWA Local 1123 President Chris Ryan Sworn in as New York State Senator
CWA members throughout District 1 gave their all in 2024 to fight for legislative candidates who will fight for working families – and no election was more personal to us than the fight for New York State Senate District 50 (Syracuse), with one of our own in the race.
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CWA Local 1123 President Chris Ryan knocked on hundreds of doors, spoke with thousands of voters, and made sure that Syracuse knew who the labor candidate in the race was. CWA District 1 and locals throughout New York turned out to canvasses, phonebanks, and textbanks to support Chris and help him win this very tough, close race!
On January 8th, several CWA members, including members from Local 1104, had the pleasure of joining Chris in Albany to witness his being sworn in to the New York State Legislature.
“I couldn’t be more proud today to have one of our own take his place in the New York State Legislature,” said Dennis Trainor, CWA District 1 Vice President. “Chris Ryan waged a fierce, gutsy campaign last year to win this seat for working families – but that’s nothing new. As a Union president, Chris has gone toe-to-toe with corporate bosses and fought to build a stronger Syracuse that works for everyone – not just those at the top.
“If we want to have any hope of rebuilding the middle class and lifting up working people, protecting and strengthening our communities, we need labor champions in public office who walk the walk, who will fight for workers, and who will champion good jobs and better standards in the workplace. We need more legislators like Chris who come from labor, who know working families and our priorities, and who aren’t afraid to stand up for their constituents. That’s why CWA members went all out to help get Chris elected. I’m very proud to call Chris a lifelong CWA member and a friend, and we can’t wait to get to work with Chris this year to make New York even stronger for working families.”
The Athletic Workers Demand Voluntary Recognition with NewsGuild-CWA
On January 6th editorial staff at sports publication The Athletic sent a letter to New York Times Publisher AG Sulzberger and CEO Meredith Kopit Levien, requesting voluntary recognition of the workers as part of the Times Guild, NewsGuild-CWA Local 31003.
“We are proud of all that The Athletic and The New York Times as a whole has accomplished since our 2022 acquisition, and we know that our inclusion in the Times Guild will only further strengthen our work,” the letter said in part.
The New York Times acquired The Athletic in 2022 and despite management assertions that their operations would remain separate, they have been integrated into the Times’ newsroom. In September of 2023, Times management closed the New York Times Sports Desk and the work was shifted to Times staff assigned to The Athletic.
The Times Guild, which represents nearly 1,500 workers in the newsroom as well as business and support staff, also sent a statement to Times management expressing their full support for their coworkers at The Athletic, writing, “We urge the company to recognize what has been true since the company began publishing The Athletic’s work under the banner of The New York Times: We are one newsroom, and our colleagues at The Athletic are Times Guild members.”
“The Times must recognize these workers as part of the Times Guild.” said Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York. “We will not support a two-tier system that disenfranchises workers and undermines our members, nor will we accept management’s charade that The Athletic is a separate entity.”
Click here to read more about worker organizing at The Athletic.
First Contract Win for Local 1031 Workers at East Brunswick Public Library
After months of dedication and organizing, workers at the East Brunswick Public Library in East Brunswick, NJ ratified their first union contract in December!
The library workers, members of CWA Local 1031, stood united to secure a contract that reflects their value, enhances workplace protections, and ensures fairness for all, in a testament to their unwavering strength, determination, and solidarity.
CWA Local 1180 Members Fight for Reinstatement of Laid-Off Workers
StoryCorps, a nonprofit organization that records, preserves, and shares American stories, laid off five union workers in October without prior notice to the Union, including an active shop steward who has been an outspoken advocate for their coworkers.
The workers, members of CWA Local 1180, are not taking the unilateral dismissals lying down.
Despite being the most senior person in his department, having a stellar performance record, no disciplinary marks, and years of dedicated service and contributions to StoryCorps’ mission, StoryCorps management targeted the shop steward in what the members feel is a retaliatory move. Other laid-off employees had recently filed grievances concerning discrimination in the workplace and being denied a contractual cost of living increase.
On December 15th hundreds of StoryCorps workers, CWA Local 1180 members, and supporters from other CWA locals and New York City unions rallied in front of the StoryCorps office in Brooklyn, NY to demand reinstatement of the dismissed workers. The rally included a large TV screen on which remote workers based outside of New York were able to join over Zoom.
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CWA also filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in November over the layoffs, alleging retaliation and breach of contract.
“I knew from day one at StoryCorps that I had the best job in the world,” said Jey Born, a CWA shop steward and one of the workers who was laid off, to the rally crowd. “ I never thought I’d be standing here.”
You can help! Click here to send an email to StoryCorps leadership, and follow the workers’ efforts on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
CWA Local 1032 Flexes Their Power to Fight for Their Contract
On November 15th, hundreds of CWA Local 1032 members at the Mercer County Board of Social Services gathered to show their solidarity and continue to mobilize and escalate their contract fight, circulating a petition currently signed by over 90% of the members calling on management to settle a fair union contract.
CWA Legislation to Protect NY Call Center Workers Signed Into Law
We had some good news out of Albany to finish up 2024 – on December 21, our bill to protect New York State-contracted call center workers was signed into law!
State and local governments often contract with private sector companies for call center services. But when a contract changes hands, an entire workforce can be laid off, despite years of training and expertise. The new law, drafted and fought for by CWA, protects State-contracted call center workers from losing their jobs if the contract changes hands.
The bill was passed earlier in 2024 thanks to the hard work of our Legislative Political Action Team members who held meeting after meeting with elected officials to advocate for the bill and share personal stories about jobs coming under threat.
N.J. Social Service Workers Show Their Force to Fight for Fair Contract
On December 12, members of CWA Local 1084 flooded a Camden County Board of Social Services meeting in Camden, NJ after flatly rejecting a 2.25% pay raise offered by the county. The Local released a public response to the lowball offer, saying, “We abruptly concluded the meeting because we were disgusted. This offer is unacceptable, and we cannot afford to let it stand!”
The members, with support from CWA Local 1014, packed the meeting with 50 people with another 300 joining via Zoom. Sam Ferraino, president of the Southern New Jersey Central Labor Council, also joined to speak in support of the workers.
CWA Local 1084 members administer public assistance programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and Medicaid benefits. Workers are demanding higher wages and lower healthcare costs in response to inflation and higher insurance premiums, as well as pay equity. Suppressed salaries are a major contributing factor to low morale and high attrition, making it difficult to maintain adequate staffing levels.
CWA Local 1084 President Stephen Johnson told NJ.com, “Newer employees are paid so little that they can’t afford to live independently. Most of them have second and third jobs. We have more and more workers who are paid so little that they qualify for the same programs that we distribute to our clients.”
The workers have been mobilizing for their new contract since January of 2024, and are prepared to fight for the pay and benefits they deserve. “We will not be intimidated nor fooled by management’s tactics. This low offer is a test—they want to see if we’ll cave. Let’s show them what we’re made of! Let’s show them the power of a united Union.”
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Their previous action was a massive worksite rally on November 26th members came out in force at a worksite rally to show management that they are united, and they are willing to up the ante in their negotiations to win a great contract.
Federation of Social Workers IUE-CWA 81381 President Christina Christman Recognized by the Union Leadership Institute
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In November, Christina Christman, President of IUE-CWA Local 81381 (the Federation of Social Workers) was highlighted by the Cornell School of Industrial Labor Relations (ILR) newsletter as the recipient of the 2024-25 NYS AFL-CIO Union L.E.A.D. Scholarship:
Christina joined the union when she began working for the Monroe County Department of Human Services in 2011, signing up after a training presentation. Initially, she was only minimally involved but became more engaged in 2019 as the Political Action Chair during a critical election, helping elect pro-labor candidates to the County Executive and Legislature, greatly influencing employee negotiations. Under the previous administration the County had gone without a contract under the prior administration for eight years. In 2020 and 2021, Christina participated in the IUE mentorship program and successfully ran for President of her local in November 2021.
For Christina, ULI has played a pivotal role in her leadership growth, offering insights that other leadership programs have not. Rather than concentrating on the daily tasks and challenges of union work, ULI encourages participants to explore their internal motivations, struggles, and sense of purpose. Christina values the lifelong connections she has forged with her instructors and classmates and enjoys the balance between hard work and fun throughout the program. Representing various industries and sectors, Christina finds hearing about her peers’ diverse challenges and triumphs fascinating. A few years ago, she never imagined labor would be her career path, but now she cannot envision anything more rewarding than advocating for workers’ rights. Being surrounded by fellow activists and leaders invigorates and inspires her.
On January 9th, Christina was also elected First Vice President of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation. Congrats Christina!
CWA-Contributed Report Finds Severe Understaffing in Upstate New York Hospitals
A report released in December by the Fiscal Policy Institute that CWA contributed to highlighted for the wider public what New York’s healthcare workers have known and been sounding the alarm on for years: New York’s healthcare centers are severely understaffed.
The report found that 90% of Upstate New York hospital shifts are understaffed, and would require an increase of 25,000 healthcare workers to reach adequate levels needed to adequately serve their communities. Study after study – including this latest one – has shown that chronic understaffing leads to increased risks for both staff and patients, including a 14% increase in mortality risk for patients on the worst 10% of hospital units.
The report also found that a large portion of the staffing gaps could be filled by many trained and certified RNs who are not currently working as nurses in New York – while many employers try to cite “lack of workers” as a reason for the understaffing crisis, in reality the issue is a lack of good jobs, workplace protections, and fair pay and benefits to recruit and retain staff.
Two Upcoming Scholarship Deadlines for CWA Members, Retirees, and Family
- Scholarship Amount: Between $500 and $4,000
- Eligibility: Current and retired members of participating unions (which includes CWA) as well as their spouses and their dependent children
- Details: Scholarships to begin or continue post-secondary education in the Fall of 2025
- Click here to apply
April 30 – Joe Beirne Scholarship
- Scholarship Amount: Sixteen partial college scholarships are offered of $4,000 each
- Eligibility:
- CWA members, their spouses, children and grandchildren (including dependents of laid-off, retired or deceased CWA members)
- Applicants must be high school graduates or at least high school students who will graduate during the year in which they apply. Undergraduate and graduate students returning to schooling may also apply. Prior winners may not reapply.
- Details: No specific field of study is required. Scholarship winners may pursue whatever courses they wish. Scholarships are for the 2025-2026 academic year