CWA, TWU Form New Partnership
The Transport Workers (TWU) and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) have voted to work together in a new partnership. The two unions represent more than 120,000 airline workers and are joining forces to support bargaining and organizing at American Airlines and campaigns at other airlines.
In New York and Philadelphia, TWU members have been a big part of the fair contract fight by CWA and Electrical Workers (IBEW) members at Verizon and Verizon Wireless. In the Midwest, where TWU represents transit workers and CWA represents university and public workers, there’s a lot of common ground.
TWU President James C. Little says the two unions share “common values and principles that should intuitively benefit our members through working together.” CWA President Larry Cohen says partnerships like this “are the only way we will make progress for workers.”
Pledge Your Support for Workers at American Airlines
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Last week, American Airlines announced plans to eliminate the jobs of 13,000 workers and dump pension plans for nearly 90,000 workers pensions as part of its bankruptcy plan.
You can show you support for American Airlines employees by going to www.isupportamericanjobs.com and pledging to support the workers by telling public officials, the news media and community leaders that employees at American Airlines and regional carrier American Eagle and all workers dependent on these airlines must be treated fairly.
In the day since the pledge has been posted more than 10,000 people have signed. Click here add your name.
Transport Workers (TWU) President James Little—about 9,000 TWU members work at American—says the “plan is wrong for American and wrong for America.”
The same management team that took hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses while the airline was losing money now wants workers to pay a high price for their mistakes.
Read more from Little here.
Transport Workers Set to Protest ‘Job Cremator’ Romney
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Members of the Transport Workers (TWU), whose jobs are facing elimination by Bain & Co., will protest outside campaign offices of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the days leading up to the Florida primary election on Jan. 31. Calling Romney ”a job cremator, not a job creator,” TWU President James Little says Romney:
made a fortune snatching up companies, closing factories and laying off workers. Now, Bain & Company—which still lines Mitt Romney’s pockets with their profits—has been hired to axe workers at AMR Corporation.
Some of that fortune is on display today, as Romney’s tax returns show he amassed $45 million in the past two years alone.
Virgin America Flight Attendants Seek Voice with TWU
Flight attendants at Virgin America are looking for an upgrade of their own. This week, after an overwhelming number of the 650 flight attendants at the airline signed union authorization cards, they filed a petition with the National Mediation Board (NMB) for representation with the Transport Workers (TWU).
The low-coast airline is known for its high quality and innovative onboard service. Ramon Wood, a Virgin flight attendant based at New York’s JFK, says:
We’re very proud that Virgin America wins high marks from travelers, based on the service we provide. We believe we can make service better for passengers and elevate working conditions for in-flight team members by having a voice in our dealings with the company. Right now we’re seldom heard and our concerns are not addressed. Read the rest of this entry »
Unions, Occupy Wall Street Join Together in New York, Peoria, Around the Nation
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The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread from big cities to small towns, mobilizing a diverse group of people from young workers to grandmothers. Even “The New Yorker” has taken note, with a cover this week that portrays a group of “protesters” who have occupied Wall Street since its inception—and who would like to keep it that way. Take a look here.
Meanwhile unions and union members around the country are throwing their support to the movement that is demanding Wall Street be held accountable, that financial institutions invest some of the trillions in profits they are sitting on into job creation and that Congress act to create jobs.
Transport Workers (TWU) President James Little says in this video that the Occupy Wall Street protesters have been the spark that set off this growing rebellion against greed and the huge economic inequality that has enriched the top 1 percent and left the other 99 percent behind.
If these people don’t get together and try to change some of the inequity that’s out there, no one’s going to do it. It has to be done. It’s not being changed in Washington, not by legislators. They’ve got to wake up.
Union Members Join Biggest (Yet) Occupy Wall Street Action
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In the biggest demonstration since the Occupy Wall Street protest began Sept. 17, New York City union members, college students and other activists joined the protesters yesterday evening for a march and rally that was several thousand strong, according to news reports.
They marched from the Occupy Wall Street’s encampment at Zuccotti Park to City Hall. Addressing the crowd from the steps of City Hall, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Vice President Christopher Shelton said:
“Every one of us is here because of corporate greed. It’s time not to occupy Wall Street, but to take back Wall Street.” CWA is among dozens of unions backing the weeks-long protest. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said by video message that the union movement opens its “heart and arms” to those at the Wall Street protests.
George White, a retired union member from Brooklyn, told The New York Times:
Huge NYC Union March Set to Spotlight Occupy Wall Street Protest
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New York area union members will join an expected several thousand labor activists and supporters today in a Wall Street march and rally in support of the Occupy Wall Street protesters.
The grassroots-grown protest is now in its third week, with a diverse array of people from across the country camping out in the heart of the financial district to demand Wall Street is held accountable for the schemes and reckless games that led to the nation’s economic collapse.
The mostly young Occupy Wall Street protesters are “speaking for the vast majority of Americans who are frustrated by the bankers and brokers who have profited on the backs of hard working people,” says Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) President Larry Hanley.
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), says Occupy Wall Street “has brought into sharp focus a reality that cannot be denied.”
Transportation Workers on Capitol Hill to Press for Jobs
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Amaya Tune, AFL-CIO Media Outreach specialist, points out a great new video from the Transport Workers (TWU).
There’s lots of talk about infrastructure these days and last week, transportation workers from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C., to talk with members of the House and Senate and call on them to support transit funding for our nation’s buses, trains and rail cars.
Members of the Transport Workers (TWU) donned “Didn’t You Say” shirts, which highlighted Congress’ unfulfilled commitment to create jobs through investing in our nation’s transit system.
Perry Closing Gap on Scott in TWU’s Worst Governor Contest
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We haven’t checked the national polls lately to see how Texas Gov. Rick Perry is doing in his I’m-more-right-wing-conservative-than-thou race to capture the Republican presidential nomination. But it looks like he’s closing in on the lead in another important election—the Transport Workers’ (TWU‘s) Worst Governor Ever summer special election.
In a new video for this humorous look at some seriously bad governors when it comes to working families—such as Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, Ohio’s John Kasich, New Jersey’s Chris Christie and others—we find Florida’s Rick Scott basking in the glow of an early lead in the race for the title.
But wait—Perry just may pull ahead of Scott after touting his wildly unpopular voter ID bill and rampant teacher layoffs, as qualifications for the dubious crown.
Florida Gov. Pays Just $360/Year for Health Care
Not that we want to skew the Transport Workers (TWU) contest for worst governor, but here’s a doozy about one of the contest’s nominees.
Seems Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a government-bashing, tea party follower is paying just $30 a month for health care—state taxpayers are covering the rest. Yet Scott easily handed over $73 million of his own cash to get elected.
According to Mother Jones, Scott has:
laid off thousands of Sunshine State employees, slashed their benefits, turned down (most of) the federal government’s health care dollars, and put extra financial pressure on Florida retirees and Medicaid recipients. But Scott and his dependents pay one-fifth what a janitor in the state Capitol pays for health insurance…and less than 3 percent of what a retired state trooper pays for life-saving coverage.
Add Scott to the list of anti-government hypocrites who decry public service unless they benefit from it.
