CWA Local 1400

JIM WHITE EARNS COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA, LOCAL 1400 ENDORSEMENT IN BID FORSTATE REPRESENTATIVE

Athol, MA - The executive board of the Communications Workers of America Local 1400 voted unanimously at their March meeting to endorse former Athol Selectman Jim White as candidate for Massachusetts State Representative in the 2^nd Franklin District. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is the largest telecommunications union in the world, and CWA Local 1400 represents telecommunications workers throughout Massachusetts and all of New England. CWA 1400 is a member of the AFL-CIO.

“Our board voted unanimously to support Jim White in his bid for State Representative, because Jim is committed to the needs of working people, and the 99 percent,” said CWA Local 1400 president Don Trementozzi. “We believe in the importance of electing a State Representative we can count on to stand up for the middle class and has the ability promote and support good jobs.”

White’s campaign has focused on the economic issues faced by working Bay State Residents. “I feel so strongly about the importance of fighting for working families that I chose the United Steel Workers Local 4-0594 office in Phillipston, where I have lived for 10 years, as the location to announce my run for State Representative,” he said. White announced his candidacy for State Representative last year on the picket line, months before incumbent Denise Andrews announced that she would seek reelection. After Andrews’s announcement, White reaffirmed his candidacy. “I’m running now for the same reasons as before - to be a voice for working families in this very depressed region where the current representative has utterly failed.” he said. Last week, after collecting many hundreds of signatures, White delivered nomination petitions to the Secretary of State’s office to qualify for the September primary ballot.

Jim White was twice elected Selectman in Athol and once to it’s Housing Authority. He was twice elected Selectboard Chair during very difficult times in which he worked tirelessly to meet the needs of the local community. As Selectman, Jim led the Selectboard in many proactive measures. Under his watch the Board had defective bridges over the Millers River replaced. They personally went to Boston and forced a fast tracking of Route 2 upgrades after 10 deaths in one year, and started that fast track of the Main Street Bridge over the Miller River. The Board took Verizon to task with the Public Utilities Commission over aging equipment hampering local business and job growth in order to bring high speed internet and larger telecommunications capability to the area region Verizon had ignored. White personally wrote an Executive Office of Environmental affairs grant to purchase the 100+ acres for the New England Equestrian Center in Athol which remains an actual boost to local property values in an otherwise depressed area. White helped develop a South Athol Rd enterprise zone enabling job creation at such manufacturing facilities as Whipp’s.

We feel Jim White is the right person during these tough times because he will actually work at the job. He does not promote a welfare state, and he has demonstrated a willingness to fight for what is right for the middle class. Jim White will represent the region and workers throughout the Commonwealth.

The bargaining team is finding out that NJ NY NE calls have slowed down and no OT anywhere. We found out that VZ has a commitment of calls to the vendor. So they are offering VT to us and sending calls to the Vendor and that's a direct violation of the marketing agreement. Our Members should NOT take VT in the call centers! It would be different if the calls slowed down and no calls were going to the vendor. This is not the case! We are hearing VZ gets a penalty if they don't send a certain amount of calls to the vendor! Thanks.

I pledge to stay on the job to protect my work from vendors and contractors. I will not take VT and allow my work to go somewhere else. Verizon should make a commitment to me in the form of a contract. They should not be violating our marketing agreement and favoring vendors and their call volumes. Bring my work back and let me do my job.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120322/BIZ/203220385/-1/NEWSMAP

CWA workers to protest against Verizon Wireless

March 22, 2012 2:00 AM

PORTSMOUTH - Communications Workers of America members will stand in support of Verizon workers from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Verizon Wireless' Portsmouth store at 1840 Woodbury Ave. and in Manchester as part of a "national day of action" against the telecommunications company.

CWA workers and supporters say they will ask consumers not to patronize Verizon Wireless until it stops downgrading the middle-class jobs of its work force and approves a fair contract with CWA.

"Good middle-class jobs fuel the New Hampshire advantage. We cannot afford for multinational companies such as Verizon Wireless to reset the standards for workers even in trying economic times," said Felicia Augevich, district vice president of CWA Local 1400.

After talks broke down last summer, about 45,000 Verizon workers who are members of the CWA and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers walked off the job and took part in a 13-day strike. They returned to work under terms of the old contract.

Matt is a Senior at Assumption College in Worcester, MA. His father, Jeff Lasko works for Fairpoint in the Burlington CSSC.

2/21/12 - Press Release: CWA Seeks Conditions on VZ Bid For Spectrum Deal

Washington DC, National Legislative and Political Meeting 2012 (L to R: Don Trementozzi, Mike O'Day, Felicia Augevich)

Steve Early, the CWA District 1 Organizer and Rep who assisted our local from 1980 to 2007, has written another book about the importance of having democratic, member-run unions. In Chapter 3 of Steve's new book, he examines the experience of other labor organizations that have tried to provide representation to workers via call centers rather than a network of active, informed, and well-trained stewards. In the book excerpt below, Steve describes some of our local history and particularly efforts by Officers, Board members, and Stewards to make Local 1400 stronger in the workplaces where our members are employed by Verizon, AT&T, and Fairpoint.
For more information on Steve's new book or to order a copy, go to: http://civilwarsinlabor.org

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