![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/data\/000\/514\/870\/original\/20210311_Steffens_Our_Revolution-300.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCWA Secretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens spoke in support of the <\/em>PRO Act at\na rally hosted by Our Revolution in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n President Biden has said he\nwill sign the PRO Act <\/em>as\nsoon as it lands on his desk, making the fight in the U.S. Senate the key to\ngiving working people the tools they need to regain power in their workplaces.\nWhile the PRO Act<\/em>\nalso passed the House during the most recent Congress, CWA activists did not\ntake Tuesday’s vote for granted. They worked tirelessly to make sure CWA\nmembers contacted their members of Congress about the importance of the bill.\nTheir efforts paid off \u2013 not only did the bill pass, but three <\/strong>members of Congress\nwho voted against the bill in 2020 voted for it this time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “It’s not just the laws\nabout organizing a union that give too much power to management. It’s also the\nlaws that are supposed to protect workers when we bargain a contract or go on\nstrike,” said CWA Secretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens at a rally hosted by\nOur Revolution in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday in support of the bill.\n“The PRO Act<\/em>\nchanges that.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch\na replay of Tuesday’s rally here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PRO Act<\/em> is just part of\nCWA’s agenda to build worker power, which includes ending the filibuster in the\nSenate, securing stronger bargaining power for public sector workers through\nthe Public Service Freedom\nto Negotiate Act<\/em>, and expanding voting rights and loosening the\nhold corporate money has on our country with the For the People Act<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here<\/a> to tell your Senator to support the PRO Act!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bargaining Updates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NABET-CWA Members at ABC\nDisney<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ABC Network Negotiating\nCommittee has agreed to an additional extension of the 2017-2021 Master\nAgreement. All terms of the current ABC contract will continue, and a 2 percent\nbase pay raise will go into effect in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Committee cited the\nongoing COVID-19 pandemic as a concern for all parties, prompting the extension.\nThe Committee plans to return to the bargaining table in late August or early\nSeptember of this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ###<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CWA District 9 Members\nat Verizon Select Services<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n CWA’s bargaining team has\nreached a tentative four-year agreement with Verizon Select Services, Inc.,\ncovering 170 employees in California. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The agreement contains many\nimprovements including wage increases, enhancements to the dental and vision\nplans, improvements to vacation time, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ~~~<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizing Update<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Floyd County Productions<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n A majority of animators at\nFloyd County Productions (FCP), the largest animation studio in Georgia and\nbest known for the animated program Archer, have announced that they are\nforming a union with CWA. The animators have been organizing for more than a\nyear and are now calling for voluntary recognition from FCP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “We are excited to work\ntogether as a collective to continue building a workplace where everyone\nreceives their fair share and can thrive in a culture of mutual respect and\ntransparency,” said Margeaux McClelland, a 3D Texture Artist at the\nstudio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ###<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington State\nNewsGuild<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Journalists at\nMcClatchy-owned The Tacoma\nNews Tribune<\/em>, The\nOlympian<\/em>, The\nBellingham Herald<\/em>, and the Tri-City\nHerald<\/em> in Washington have organized to form the Washington State\nNewsGuild and their unit has been voluntarily recognized by the company. The\nNational Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had ruled that the journalists could be\nrecognized as one unit in February. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ###<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Voluntary Recognition\nfor ACLU MO United<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Staff at the American Civil\nLiberties Union (ACLU) of Missouri have joined United Media Guild Local 36047\nand their unit, ACLU MO United, has been voluntarily recognized by the\nemployer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “We are glad that ACLU\nMO’s leadership agrees forming a union is the right move for our organization,\nand beyond excited to start collective bargaining and fully join the labor\nmovement,” the workers tweeted<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ###<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n New York City Film and\nTelevision Production Parking Coordinators<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nineteen Parking Coordinators in New York City’s film and television industry have joined CWA, and will be covered by the Master Agreement that 600 Parking Production Assistants (PPAs) have negotiated as members of CWA Local 1101. Parking Coordinators and PPAs secure parking in the New York City area for film and television productions. Previously one of the few occupations in live-action television and film production not protected by a Collective Bargaining Agreement, Parking Coordinators now have just cause protections, overtime pay, pension and health contributions, standard grievance and arbitration procedure, and health and safety protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To loosen the hold corporate\nmoney has on our country, we must build worker power, and to do that, we need\nthe For the People Act<\/em>.\nThe bipartisan bill, which has been given the designation H.R. 1 as a sign of\nits importance, passed the House of Representatives last week and has moved to\nthe Senate for consideration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We have been sharing\ninformation in the CWA eNewsletter about how the bill ensures that eligible\nvoters can participate in elections and reduces the role of large donations in\npolitical campaigns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past few weeks we\nhighlighted how the For\nthe People Act<\/em> will give people more choices about where and when they vote<\/a>,\nhow it will update the voter registration process<\/a>, and how it would protect voters<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The bill would also reduce\nthe ability of corporations and extremely wealthy donors to control campaigns\nand our political process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The For the People Act<\/em> would\nrestore voter power by leveling the playing field with a system of public\nfinancing that would match small donations of $200 or less at a rate of six to\none. Further, it would create more transparency in campaign finance by\nrequiring all organizations involved in political activity to disclose their\nlarge donors. These reforms would make political candidates less dependent on\nlarge donations by amplifying contributions from working people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Laws regulating voting, the\nrole of money in politics, and corporate lobbying have not kept up with changes\nin American politics. But corporate executives want to keep things the way they\nare so they can keep calling the shots. They’re doing whatever they can,\nincluding spreading misinformation about the bill, to hold on to their power. \n\nWe can’t let them get\naway with it. Tell your Senators that it is time to update our voting system to\ngive every eligible voter the chance to vote. Click here to send an email<\/a>.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CWA Joe Beirne Foundation\nwill award 16 partial college scholarships of $4,000 each for two years. CWA\nmembers, their spouses, children, and grandchildren are eligible for the\nscholarships, including the dependents of retired, laid-off, or deceased\nmembers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Applications are available\nonly online at the Foundation’s website<\/a>. The final deadline for\nthe 2021-2022 school year is 11:59 p.m., EDT, April 30, 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beirne scholarship\nprogram is made possible by funding from CWA locals. Read more about the program here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that several COVID-19\nvaccinations are approved and vaccination programs are underway, we are making\nreal progress toward reducing infections, illness, and death from the virus.\nBut the danger is not over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Visit cwa.org\/covid<\/a> for up-to-date information on protecting\nyourself from COVID-19 infection and answers to frequently asked questions\nabout vaccination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n CWA has established a memorial page<\/a> for members who have lost their lives to\nCOVID-19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This week we honor the memory of Monique Williams<\/strong>, a member of CWA Local 1101 who worked for Verizon; Ralph Rescigno<\/strong>, a member of CWA Local 1101 who worked for Verizon; Timothy James<\/strong>, a member of CWA Local 1183 who worked for the New York City Board of Elections; John Ore<\/strong>, a member of CWA Local 6360 who worked for AT&T; and Sharon Hicks<\/strong>, a member of CWA Local 4320 who worked for AT&T.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" House Passes PRO Act to Expand Worker Power On Tuesday, with bipartisan support, the U.S. House passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, one of CWA’s top priorities for building worker power. The PRO Act would be a … Continue reading
\n\n\n\nBargaining and Organizing Update<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/data\/000\/514\/855\/original\/20210311_MO_ACLU-300.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFor the People: Campaign Finance Reform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nReminder: Apply for the Beirne Foundation Scholarship for 2021-2022<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Beirne](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/data\/000\/514\/837\/original\/20210311_Beirne_Scholarship-400.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCOVID-19 Safety and Vaccination Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nIn Memoriam \u2013 March 11, 2021<\/h2>\n\n\n\n