CWA D1
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:
- From the Desk of the Vice President of CWA District 1
- Local 1133 and 1168 Members at Catholic Health Ratify New Contract, Averting a Strike
- HUGE Tentative Agreement by NewsGuild-CWA Members with the New York Daily News Following Three Years of Mobilization and “Too Tough to Die” City Council Resolution
- CWA Members, Legislators Forge Alliance on Healthcare Affordability in New Jersey
- Thousands of Union Members Turn Out to Say: No Kings and No Dictators in the U.S.!
- CWA Locals Step Up to Help Save Lives
From the Desk of the Vice President of CWA District 1
“Election Day” is no longer just one day. Voting in the 2025 Elections has been going on for several weeks, and CWAers have been hard at work volunteering, canvassing, phone banking, flying, rallying, and more to get out the vote for even longer, because the voices of union members matter now more than ever. Unions and working people built this country, and it’s up to us to elect leaders who will stand with us to strengthen our communities for all — not just those at the very top — and fight for laws and regulations that protect our jobs, our union rights, wages, and our futures. We have big races throughout the District, from Mayor of Buffalo to Mayor of New York City to Governor of New Jersey, to NYC City Council, and many more. Every race up and down the ballot will have an impact.
I’m so proud of the incredible canvassing, phonebanking, and outreach our members have done to talk to voters about the vital importance of this Election Day. You’ve shown what solidarity looks like in action.
Now, let’s finish strong. If you haven’t voted yet, make your plan — return your Vote By Mail Ballot or make your plan to get to the polls today (in most states, polls are open until at least 8pm; in New York, polls close at 9pm); remind your coworkers and neighbors, check in with family members to make sure they’ve cast their ballots as well, and let’s bring home victories for candidates who fight for working families every single day!
In Solidarity,
Dennis G. Trainor
Vice President, CWA District 1
Local 1133 and 1168 Members at Catholic Health Ratify New Contract, Averting a Strike
Earlier this month over 2,800 CWA members voted to ratify a contract with Catholic Health System, a healthcare provider serving predominantly Western New York State.
In a joint statement from CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor, CWA Area Director Debora Hayes, CWA Local 1133 President Brian Magner, and CWA 1168 President Cori Gambini, the group writes, “After months of tough negotiations, we are extraordinarily proud to have ratified a strong new contract with Catholic Health System. Our members, including frontline nurses, technical, service, and clerical workers at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Kenmore Mercy Hospital, and Sisters of Charity Hospital-St. Joseph Campus, devote their lives to the Buffalo community, and this contract is a testament to their dedication not just to improving their working conditions but also to improving patient care.”
Understaffing was a central issue for members, potentially impacting their ability to ensure high-quality patient care. The new contract addresses that concern with new staffing contract enforcement language as well as pay scale increases, a 3% raise for each year of the contract, and increases in bonuses provided to employees who work additional shifts.
The contract ratification comes after members at Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital voted to authorize a strike, harkening back to a historic 40-day strike in 2021. “We are both pleased and relieved,” reads the joint statement, “that the negotiations did not come to that eventuality. We salute the determination and fighting spirit of our members, whose strong mobilization, bargaining power, and commitment to this community have yielded a contract that will strengthen quality healthcare for patients, workers, and the Buffalo community.”
HUGE Tentative Agreement by NewsGuild-CWA Members with the New York Daily News Following Three Years of Mobilization and “Too Tough to Die” City Council Resolution
It’s been three years on the road to a first union contract for workers at New York City’s hometown paper, but the NewsGuild of NY-CWA members at the Daily News never once backed down — and their hard work and fortitude paid of this week as the NewsGuild came to a tentative agreement with Alden Global Capital, the company that owns the Daily News.
The first union contract includes new, life-changing salary minimums, wage increases, and new benefits for part-timers.
“I could not be prouder of everyone in the Daily News Union who made this possible,” said Michael Sheridan, unit chair of the Daily News Union. “Winning the first contract for the Daily News’ workers in more than 30 years was an uphill battle. From the historic walkout to distributing flyers and organizing rallies, it was a Herculean effort. But it never would have happened without the dedicated efforts of dozens of people, including those who have left the News for bigger and better things.”
“This tentative agreement is the direct result of our Daily News Union members’ perseverance and determination to fight for the worth of their work covering this great city of ours,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “Winning this contract means our journalists will be able to continue to report on the news that New Yorkers need to stay aware, safe and informed. New York needs its Hometown Paper and its Hometown Journalists more than ever.”
The TA comes after three years of building mobilization that included multiple rallies, press conferences, and strong shows of solidarity by the members, as well as a New York City Council resolution passed last week. The “Too Tough to Die” resolution added needed pressure on management for the members fighting for fairer wages and reaffirmed the City Council’s support of journalist unionization.
“New York’s hometown newspaper has held us accountable, informed us, and told our stories. With the federal regime trying to silence our city, it’s now essential to protect this cornerstone of democracy. “The Daily News journalists are underpaid and face poor working conditions, with only 65 journalists covering 8.5 million residents,” said Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa. “Alden Global Capital is a union-busting firm threatening our paper. This City Council is with workers, and the Too Tough to Die Resolution reinforces our support of the Daily News Union’s unionized journalists in their fight for a fair contract.”
CWA Members, Legislators Forge Alliance on Healthcare Affordability in New Jersey
Over the past several weeks, CWA members and leaders representing multiple locals including Locals 1032, 1036, and 1037, have met with a dozen lawmakers and candidates for office at two Breakfast Forum events to discuss the ongoing healthcare affordability crisis hitting New Jersey — particularly CWA’s 40,000+ members who work in State and local government.
At each event, workers shared personal stories of how skyrocketing healthcare costs are affecting their families, their coworkers, and hurting public services.
“Premiums under the State Health Benefits Plan have gone up over 112% in just five years. I now pay over $600 a month—more than 10% of my salary before taxes,” said Bjana Swinson, social worker and a CWA Local 1036 Shop Steward. “Our hard-fought raises were nearly wiped out by these hikes. Many of my full-time colleagues qualify for the public assistance programs we administer because their take-home pay is so low after healthcare deductions.”
CWA has been making a strong push for solutions both at the bargaining table and through legislation, and while we’ve had strong success at mitigating the impacts of rising costs for State workers through bargaining for State workers, more work is needed to ease the burden on local government workers, and to put a stop to these catastrophic increases overall year after year.
Members at the forums conveyed to legislators the need for collaborative work on this issue, and the solution is a fundamental choice: continue “cost-shifting” onto employees through higher deductibles and co-pays, or pursue genuine “cost reduction” by addressing the root causes of high prices.
In particular, we’re advocating for bill A5903 to implement systemic reforms, including cost controls and increased price transparency to spur competition and hold carriers and providers accountable.
Legislators and legislative candidates who attended the forums offered some of their own personal stories of struggles with healthcare costs, and pledged to work with us to get to a solution.
“I stand firmly with [CWA] in this fight,” said Assemblymember Carol Murphy, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee. “No worker should see their hard-earned raises wiped out by skyrocketing premiums or have to worry about affording care for their families. That’s why I fully support legislation to bring greater transparency and cost controls to our healthcare system.”
Thousands of Union Members Turn Out to Say: No Kings and No Dictators in the U.S.!
On October 18th, thousands of CWA members and other union members across the country joined hundreds of thousands of others for the No Kings Day of Action, rallying and marching peacefully through the streets in hundreds of communities. The events were a powerful show of solidarity in the face of increased concerns about the state of the federal government, attempts at consolidating power by elected officials, the ongoing federal government shutdown, and attacks on our union rights. The day was a strong defense of America’s working families.
In New York City, thousands of union members marched from Duarte Square in Lower Manhattan, led by banners from CWA members along with teachers, transit workers, nurses, building trades locals, and more. Our message was clear: in this country, we don’t have kings, we won’t back down against chaos and corruption, and we demand an economy that serves people — not just the powerful few.
CWA Locals Step Up to Help Save Lives
Several NYC Locals turned out during the month of October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month – to raise money and awareness for cancer research.
On October 19th, Local 1084 joined the Breast Cancer Awareness walk in Camden County, NJ.
CWA Local 1101 turned out in force for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in the Bronx on October 27, while Local 1109 hit the boardwalk in Coney Island on October 26th.
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