April 11, 2011

Concerns Mount as Colombian Trade Agreement Advances

Earlier this week, the Obama Administration indicated it is prepared to begin moving the U.S.-Colombian Trade Agreement through Congress. This announcement came after the Administration negotiated an “action plan” that encourages Colombia to respect the human and labor rights of Colombian workers.

CWA, along with the AFL-CIO, continues to oppose the trade agreement. CWA and our congressional allies are seeking stipulations and benchmarks within the proposed agreement that would secure bargaining rights for Colombia's workers and would protect union leaders from repression and violence.

In a nation of 13 million people, only one million Colombians currently have bargaining rights. The action plan does not go far enough in laying out benchmarks for progress in the effort to curtail the violence against, and even murder of, trade unionists. Colombia remains the most deadly nation in the world in which to be a trade unionist. In the past 25 years, more than 2,850 trade unionists have been murdered in Colombia. Last year alone, 51 trade unionists were murdered, an increase over 2009.

There is no guarantee that the action plan will lead to a reduction in violence. Since the action plan is not part of the trade agreement itself, the U.S. would have no leverage whatsoever to enforce its provisions in the event that they are not implemented as agreed.

CWA Fights To Maintain Fair Elections in Aviation Industry

It’s a bedrock principle of democracy – elections are determined by which side gets the most votes.

Except in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Earlier this week, the House voted 220 to 206 against an amendment that would have stripped an unfair election provision from the FAA Reauthorization bill. The bipartisan amendment, introduced by Rep. Steven LaTourette of Ohio and Rep. Jerry Costello of Illinois, was defeated despite the fact that 16 Republicans crossed party lines to support us.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that Democrats in the U.S. Senate have pledged to remove the provision, and the Obama Administration has indicated it will veto the FAA measure if it remains in the bill.

Last year, the National Mediation Board (NMB), in a major and historic reform, updated the rules governing union elections in these two industries. Under the new rules, a majority of votes cast decides whether workers can organize. Previously, people not voting were counted as "no" votes - a violation of every democratic standard governing every other type of election. Under the old rules, management could easily manipulate elections against workers who favor collective bargaining.

To say that the vote taken by a majority of Republicans represents rank hypocrisy is an understatement. Prior to the vote, CWA released a report that shows if members of the House were required to participate in elections governed by the same standard they would apply to flight attendants, not a single member of Congress would win re-election.

CWA members should call their Senators and urge them to "Remove section 903 from the FAA bill." You can also send an email by going here: www.cwa-union.org/fairvote

CWA Turns Out for ‘We Are One’ Nationwide Events

In a huge mobilization of labor and our allies, more than 1,500 “We Are One” events were held across the country this past Monday. The events commemorated the day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated while standing up for the right of garbage collectors in Memphis to form a union. And it marked labor’s continued pushback in state after state against efforts to cut essential services and deny the rights of workers to organize and have a voice in the workplace.

CWA mobilized at more than 1,000 workplaces and organized more than 200 community events, including teach-ins, vigils, faith services and town-hall meetings.

Examples of our activities:

• In Washington, D.C., activists rallied outside the D.C. office of the Koch brothers, big financial backers of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and other extremists.
• Members of Local 1102 in Staten Island, N.Y., took a “ferry ride for freedom,” then marched to the “We Are One” rally outside city hall in NYC.
• In Newark, NJ, CWA and other union members, allies and civil rights activists rallied at the corner of Broad and Market Streets, then marched to Essex County College for music, speeches and other events, in memory of King’s commitment to workers’ rights.
• In Salt Lake City, Utah, members of Local 7704 leafleted outside offices and wore red to show support for workers' bargaining rights.
• Across the country, leafleting and other actions took place outside more than two dozen T-Mobile stores and call centers, where workers are excited about having a voice on the job.

Action Summary

• CWA members should call their Senators and urge them to “Remove section 903 from the FAA bill.” You can also send an email by going here: www.cwa-union.org/fairvote