It will only take a minute to\nmake your voice heard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- If you’re a passenger service agent, click here to send a letter<\/a> to Congress telling them to extend the CARES Act<\/em> Payroll Support Program through March 2021 to protect hundreds of thousands of aviation jobs.<\/li>
- If you’re a Flight Attendant, click here to urge Congress<\/a> to act now.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nOn Monday, Join the Strike for Black Lives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, July 20th, CWA\nmembers will join with other union members at SEIU, the Teamsters, AFT, and\ncommunity-based organizations to hold a National Strike\/Day of Action for Black\nLives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Strike\/Day of\nAction is a worker-driven action to demand that bosses and elected officials\naddress the systemic racism that drives economic inequality in this country. We\nare demanding guaranteed sick pay, affordable health care, strengthened health\nand safety protections for essential workers, and stronger organizing rights\nfor all workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Day of Action, we are\nasking all members and locals to find ways to participate that work best for\nyou. Here\u2019s what we recommend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Hold a socially-distanced picket line at lunchtime or before or after work, with signs declaring “CWA Supports Black Lives” (available for download here<\/a>) or with your own similar message of support and solidarity. Check with your local union for the plan in your area.<\/li>
- If you can’t get to your local’s main events, stop work at some point during the day and take a selfie or a video holding a CWA sign to show your solidarity using the hashtag #CWAForBlackLives.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\n\nWear red as a sign of CWA solidarity with the\nNational Day of Action.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCWA Local 1102 Pushes for NY HERO Executive Order<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Workers like Hope Gilmore\nfrom CWA Local 1102 in Staten Island are pushing for legislators to act to\nprotect all workers during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We can’t leave it up to\neach individual employer to do it \u2013 they’re not going to,” Gilmore told NBC News at a rally this week<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the rally, Gilmore spoke\nout about the need for NY HERO, an Executive Order that Gov. Andrew Cuomo could\nissue that would create clear, enforceable standards to protect all workers\nthroughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including ensuring PPE, disinfection, and\ndeep cleaning of workplaces, along with a prohibition on retaliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read more about the executive order here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"CWA](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/data\/000\/426\/254\/original\/3_NY_HERO_Action_7-7-20_600.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nCWA members including Hope Gilmore from CWA Local 1102 in Staten Island are pushing for legislators to act to protect all workers during the pandemic. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nVirginia Issues Landmark Emergency Temporary Workplace Standard to Protect Workers from COVID-19<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When workers are protected,\ncommunities are protected! Thanks to the efforts of CWAers, Virginia has now\nbecome the first state in the nation to issue a comprehensive workplace\nstandard to protect all workers from COVID-19. The Virginia Safety and Health Codes\nBoard overwhelmingly voted on July 15 to pass an enforceable, emergency\ntemporary standard that will go into effect later this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This emergency standard will\nrequire employers to develop infectious disease preparedness and response plans\nspecific to their workplace, and to train workers about COVID-19 risks and\nprevention measures. The standard also gives workers a clear and enforceable\nprotection from retaliation for exercising their rights to demand a safe\nworkplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite these state efforts,\nthere is still no federal OSHA Infectious Disease Standard. Secretary of Labor\nEugene Scalia and the Trump Administration have rejected all attempts to pass a\nNational Emergency Temporary Standard and have abandoned millions of American\nworkers on the frontlines of the pandemic. CWA members will continue to fight\nfor strong COVID-19 standards at the state and federal level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nOrganizing Update<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
TDS Metrocom <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In June, a unit of nine\nemployees at TDS Metrocom in Schofield, Wis., voted overwhelmingly to join CWA\nin an NLRB election, despite facing many obstacles to win representation. The\ncompany held three captive audience meetings, with the first one lasting more\nthan four hours! The committee fought back during each meeting and let the\ncompany know they wanted to be represented by CWA and have a voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nU.S. Banks Earn Failing Grades on COVID-19 Response<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Committee for Better\nBanks (CBB), a CWA project, this week released a new analysis of the nation’s\n12 largest retail banks’ COVID-19 response, finding major shortcomings in how\nthe nation’s wealthiest industry has handled the pandemic. These 12 banks have\ncombined total assets of $8.5 trillion and made more than $155 billion in\nprofits last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CBB scorecard ranks banks\nby their main street lending policies, consumer protections, worker\nprotections, and charitable contributions amid the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In 2008, taxpayers\nended up footing the bill for bailing out Wall Street and big banks for\nmalfeasance perpetrated on millions of homeowners, while working people lost\ntheir homes and were left struggling,” CBB Lead Organizer Nick Weiner\nsaid. “With 30 percent of Americans missing their housing payments in June\nand experts warning of a looming housing apocalypse, we cannot afford to make\nthat same mistake again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wells Fargo, US Bank, Chase,\nPNC, and Santander all received Fs on the scorecard. Learn more about the bank\nscorecards here: http:\/\/BankAccountability.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nMN Attorney General Keith Ellison Secures Settlement with Frontier Communications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This week, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced<\/a> that his\noffice has settled an investigation into possible deceptive billing and sales\npractices at Frontier Communications and will require the company to invest at\nleast $10 million over four years to improve its broadband network and pay\n$750,000 in restitution to Frontier customers. The company also agreed to fully\ndisclose its prices for internet service to new customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frontier provides telephone\nand internet service to about 90,000 customers in Minnesota, many of whom live\noutside the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and have limited options for high-speed\ninternet service. Ellison’s office began its investigation in 2018 after\nreceiving numerous complaints from Frontier customers. Based on its\ninvestigation, Ellison’s office alleged that Frontier used deceptive and\nmisleading practices to overcharge its customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“CWA members are\ngrateful to Attorney General Ellison for securing this settlement to ensure\nthat Frontier meets its commitment to providing improved broadband services to\ncustomers in Minnesota,” said CWA District 7 Vice President Brenda\nRoberts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nVICTORY! CWA Helps Get Harmful ICE Decision Rescinded<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In a victory for CWA members\nand all workers, the harmful decision by U.S. Immigration and Customs\nEnforcement (ICE) to revoke visas of degree-seeking international students if\ntheir institutions move to online instruction during COVID-19 was rescinded in\ncourt on Tuesday. The lawsuit that got the decision overturned was filed by\nHarvard and MIT and supported by CWA, AFT, and other labor unions with an amicus brief<\/a>. CWA members in higher education\nshared information, circulated petitions, and mobilized members to provide\ntestimonials for the brief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Serving no other purpose than\nto forward Trump’s radical isolationist agenda, the move created critical\nuncertainty for more than one million students who are living, working, and\nstudying in the U.S., including many CWA members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Playing political games\nwith international students’ visa statuses in a cynical attempt to force\ncampuses to reopen in person in the fall, despite clear evidence that indoor\nactivity and proximity is a leading cause of COVID-19 spread, is both dangerous\nand xenophobic \u2013 par for the Trump course,” said CWA Public, Healthcare,\nand Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the hearing,\nstudents will be able to follow guidance issued earlier this spring that allows\nthem to retain their visas, regardless of whether their campuses offer their\nprogram online or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCOVID-19 Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As the COVID-19 pandemic\ncontinues, all CWA members should practice appropriate protocols for avoiding\ninfection. If you are at high risk for exposure at work, your employer should\nbe providing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment. For more information,\nvisit the CWA COVID-19 resource page at cwa-union.org\/covid-19<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have concerns about\nCOVID-19 protocols in your workplace, contact your shop steward or a local\nofficer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have been exposed to\nCOVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms consistent with infection, contact your\nhealthcare provider immediately and follow reporting procedures established by\nyour employer. Also notify your CWA Local or District as soon as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Act Now: Save Aviation Jobs CWA members, including passenger service agents and Flight Attendants, are on the front lines of an unprecedented crisis for the airline industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. After airline and other front line workers mobilized … Continue reading
- If you can’t get to your local’s main events, stop work at some point during the day and take a selfie or a video holding a CWA sign to show your solidarity using the hashtag #CWAForBlackLives.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- If you’re a Flight Attendant, click here to urge Congress<\/a> to act now.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n