{"id":5493,"date":"2021-04-17T11:57:52","date_gmt":"2021-04-17T18:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/?p=5493"},"modified":"2021-04-17T11:57:55","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T18:57:55","slug":"the-key-to-universal-broadband-and-good-jobs-and-other-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/?p=5493","title":{"rendered":"The Key to Universal Broadband and Good Jobs, and other news"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CWA Launches State Broadband Oversight Initiatives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

CWA recently launched\ninitiatives in state legislatures across the country aimed at greater public\noversight of broadband providers. The goal is to ensure public safety and\nnetwork resilience while protecting consumers and closing the digital divide.\nCWA’s efforts complement the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan, which\nincludes $100 billion for expanding broadband coverage and creating good jobs\nin the industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“President Biden has made a powerful case<\/a> for recognizing that broadband is\na critical part of America’s 21st-century infrastructure and for considering\nits effect on the lives of working people,” said CWA President Chris\nShelton at an event marking the new initiative. “Working people need\nrobust telecommunications services that support good jobs and full access to\nhealth care resources, public services, and educational opportunities. Instead,\nwe have been left with deteriorating telephone networks and a failure to\ndeliver next generation services to rural and low income areas.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CWA District 7 Vice President\nBrenda Roberts added, “Telecom industry executives said deregulation was\nnecessary for competition and that competition would magically fix everything.\nIt hasn’t, and the public needs watch dogs we can work with to ensure this\nessential service is there for our communities today and into the future.\nWithout regulation, the goal of universal broadband service is just a nice\ndream.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has\nrevealed how critical broadband is to the nation’s health and education\nsystems, and how underserved many rural and urban communities are. CWA Local\n7777 Executive Board Member Sandra Parker Murray, who has been working with the\nColoradans for Better Internet Coalition, explained, “As school buildings\nclosed during the pandemic, students who didn’t have reliable broadband were\ncut off from their education entirely … Hot spots have helped some families\nget by, but they are not a sustainable solution.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural disasters have also\nalerted the public to the need for more oversight. CWA Local 9408 member Stan\nSantos, who serves as legislative chair of CWA’s Coastal Valley Council, said,\n“California’s wildfires have shown how the companies have cut corners\nleaving communications networks vulnerable when they are most needed\u2014when\ndisaster strikes.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out more information\nabout the initiative and CWA’s model legislation, known as the Broadband\nResiliency, Public Safety and Quality Act here.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

High Speed Internet Is Infrastructure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

President Joe Biden has five\nwords for Republicans who say that his American Jobs Plan should be scaled back\nto focus on “traditional” infrastructure like roads and bridges:\n“High speed internet is infrastructure.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In remarks about his plan,\nPresident Biden said, “We need to start seeing infrastructure through its\neffect on the lives of working people in America. What is the foundation today\nthat they need to carve out their place in the middle class? … That’s what\ninfrastructure means in the 21st Century. It still depends on roads and\nbridges, ports and airports, rail and mass transit. But it also depends on\nhaving reliable high-speed internet in every home. Because today’s high speed\ninternet is infrastructure.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the plan, Biden\nspecifically calls on Congress to pass the PRO Act so workers who are helping\nrebuild our country are able join unions and bargain strong contracts. Projects\nfunded through the plan using taxpayer dollars will pay prevailing wages,\nrequire employer neutrality in union organizing, and follow strong labor\nstandards, ensuring that bottom-feeding contractors cannot undercut union\nworkers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch President Biden’s remarks here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Biden<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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CWA Next Generation Hosts Virtual Workshop on the PRO Act<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 11, CWA\nSecretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens joined NewsGuild-CWA activists and more than\n35 members of CWA Next Generation to talk about reforming U.S. labor law by\npassing the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) and the Public\nService Freedom to Negotiate Act (PSFNA). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secretary-Treasurer Steffens\nshared the pride and power she felt organizing with co-workers as a young\nreporter at the Contra\nCosta Times<\/em> in California and joining the NewsGuild-CWA. Only two\nweeks after the union vote she was fired for her leadership in the campaign,\nwhich only intensified her commitment to the labor movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leah Waters, a multiplatform\neditor for The Dallas\nMorning News<\/em> and Dallas NewsGuild unit chair, described relentless\none-on-one and captive audience meetings in which management claimed the\nnewspaper would go out of business if the workers voted in favor of the union.\nUltimately, those tactics backfired and strengthened support for the union,\nleading to an overwhelming 75% vote in favor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annie Shields, engagement\neditor at The Nation<\/em>\nmagazine is on the Executive Committee of the NewsGuild of New York, TNG-CWA\nLocal 31003. Shields organizes new members in the publishing industry, which\nhas seen a recent surge in union activity. She talked about challenges workers\nface as they bargain for their first contracts after battling hostile\nemployers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workshop organizers and CWA Next\nGen Lead Activists Amanda Bratcher (District 3), Carissa Hahn (District 7), and\nMaddie Pettine (PHEW) explained how the PRO Act and PSFNA would make it easier\nfor all workers to organize, to bargain, and to strike, and would create real,\nenforceable penalties for companies that violate labor law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secretary-Treasurer Steffens\nand CWA Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton, who\ndirects the CWA Next Generation program, encouraged everyone to get involved in\nthe fight to pass the PRO Act and the PSFNA. According to Hahn, “The fight\nto reform our broken labor law system is just gearing up.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For updates from CWA Next\nGeneration, including information about upcoming workshops and opportunities to\nget involved in the fight for labor law reform, click here.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"CWA<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Organizing Update<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New York Times Digital\nWorkers<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of more than 650\ndigital workers at the New\nYork Times<\/em> announced this week that they have formed a union with\nthe NewsGuild of New York, TNG-CWA Local 31003. New York Times<\/em> workers in the unit include\ndigital designers, software engineers, product managers, and technical support\nprofessionals. A majority of the workers have signed cards in support of\nforming a union and have requested voluntary recognition by The Times<\/em>. The\nNewsGuild-CWA currently represents over 1,000 members at the New York Times<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We work at The Times<\/em> because we\nbelieve deeply in the mission of the company,” the workers wrote in their mission statement<\/a>. “We believe that protecting the\nworking conditions of employees is critical to the continued success of the\nmission. Collective bargaining is our way to ensure that we will be able to\nbuild The Times<\/em>‘\nworld class digital products and platforms in a workplace that is more\nequitable, healthy, and just.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Violence Should Not Be Part of The Job<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This week, the Workplace\nViolence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1195<\/a>) is up for a vote on the House floor. The bill\naddresses workplace violence in the healthcare and social service sectors by\ndirecting OSHA to set safety standards and by requiring employers to implement\na workplace violence prevention plan to protect employees from violent\nincidents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill passed the House\nlast year and was introduced in the Senate, where Mitch McConnell, who was\nMajority Leader at the time, refused to take action on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>, health care and social service workers are five times as likely to experience injuries due to workplace violence than workers overall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Healthcare providers\nfrequently care for aggressive and combative patients,” said Sara Jungles,\na member of Denver Health Workers United, CWA Local 7799. “It is so common\nfor our patients to physically, verbally, and even sexually assault us that it\nbecomes expected. Through all this, we are expected to stay focused on keeping\nour patients safe even over our own safety at times. We make jokes about our\nexperiences to keep us disassociated and coming back to do it all over again\ntomorrow.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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District 7 Conference Spotlights Members’ Creativity and Dedication During Pandemic Year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On April 8th and 9th, more\nthan 175 CWA members gathered for the first ever virtual District 7 Conference.\nCWA District 7 Vice President Brenda Roberts welcomed all the attendees and\nspecial guests, including CWA President Chris Shelton, CWA Secretary-Treasurer\nSara Steffens, Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton,\nCWA Vice President of Public, Health Care and Education Workers Margaret Cook\nand Western Region At-Large Executive Board Member Dante Harris. Colorado’s\nU.S. Representative Jason Crow addressed the conference to talk about the\nAmerican Rescue Plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a highlight of the\ngathering, local leaders led a workshop on building an anti-racist union.\nPresident Shelton praised the district’s commitment to fighting racism in the\nunion, at work, and in communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vice President Roberts\nacknowledged the challenges all CWA members have faced during the COVID-19\npandemic, but reported that organizing had expanded despite those challenges.\n“In the past year, we’ve been organizing with Google workers, coders,\ngamers, athletes, newspaper staff, health care workers, campus workers, and\nnon-represented workers in the telecom industry,” she said. “We are\nbroadening our base at CWA by diversifying who we organize!” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Shelton recognized\nD7 activists who got creative in response to the unprecedented pandemic year,\norganizing workers in diverse industries, defeating anti-worker legislation,\nand electing pro-worker candidates up and down the ballot. He urged members to\nrally support for H.R. 1, the For the People Act, to protect voting rights for\nevery American. He also asked everyone in D7 to mobilize for the PRO Act\u2014a\n“game changer” that would truly protect the right of all workers to\njoin a union, to bargain, and to strike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We fought the pandemic\nand we are winning,” said Shelton. “We fought to elect a pro-union\npresident and we did. And I know you will keep on fighting until every job is a\nunion job and every worker is treated with respect and dignity.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"CWA<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Why Vice President Claude Cummings, Jr. Chose to Get Vaccinated<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As vaccine availability\nincreases across the country, thousands of CWA members and retirees are getting\nvaccinated, including CWA District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings, Jr. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Check out the video to find\nout why Vice President Cummings chose to get vaccinated, hear about his\nexperience getting the vaccine, and what he’s looking forward to doing once we\nhave beaten this pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch Claude’s video here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you haven’t taken our\nvaccine survey yet, you can do so at cwa.org\/vaccine-survey<\/a>. We want to know what you think\nabout COVID-19 vaccines, whether you have had a vaccination, plan on getting a\nvaccination, or do not want to get a vaccination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need more information about\ngetting vaccinated or staying safe during the pandemic? Visit cwa.org\/covid<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CWA Launches State Broadband Oversight Initiatives CWA recently launched initiatives in state legislatures across the country aimed at greater public oversight of broadband providers. The goal is to ensure public safety and network resilience while protecting consumers and closing the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-cwa-communications"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cwa9003.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}