September 11, 2014

Want to be in next week's CWA Newsletter? Send your stories and photos toblog@cwa-union.org or @CWANews. Follow the latest developments atwww.resistancegrowing.org.

Cablevision CEO Dolan Intimidates Workers in Sham Vote

BREAKING: Senate Republicans Block Final Vote onConstitutional Amendment

Senate Action This Week on Historic Amendment to Get MoneyOut of Politics

Democracy Initiative Members on Getting Big Money Out ofPolitics

Political Action Update

A Texan Rising

TPP UPDATE

Republican Senators Ambush NLRB Nominee at ConfirmationHearing

Risky Christie Investments Triggered Pension Shortfall

Bargaining Update

Organizing Update

Our Climate, Our Economy and Our Democracy

Movement Building Update

Next CWA Telephone Town Hall Call on Sept. 18

Cablevision CEO Dolan Intimidates Workers in Sham Vote

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CWA members have rejected as illegal and a sham a vote conducted by acontractor hired by Cablevision management in Brooklyn this week. Repletewith voting irregularities and intimidation, this phony vote is just the latest step

by CEO James Dolan to intimidate union members that has included illegalmass firings, bad-faith bargaining, and other actions intended to breakworkers' support for their union.

Apparently, this sham vote is intended to pressure techs, members of CWALocal 1109, into dropping their fight for a fair contract, but the workers remainunited.

CWA President Larry Cohen said, "In my decades of organizing I have neverseen such arrogant actions as those taken by billionaire CEO Jim Dolan.Dolan's Tuesday night captive audience meeting followed, within hours, bythe "Honest Ballot Association" vote is a new low in the behavior of Americanmanagement. It is up to the rest of us to stop him and use this case as anexample of what America has become."

CWA District One Vice President Chris Shelton issued this statement:

"The only election that matters happened almost three years ago whenCablevision workers voted 180-86 to join CWA in an election supervised bythe Federal government. In June of 2013, 174 workers reaffirmed theirsupport for the union in an advertisement printed in The Daily News. And justtwo months ago, despite the fear campaign, 189 Cablevision workers sentDolan individually-signed petitions stating 'we're sticking with the union' andthey continue to fight for parity in pay and treatment with workers outside ofBrooklyn."

BREAKING: Senate Republicans Block Final Vote on ConstitutionalAmendment

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The following is a statement by Larry Cohen, president of theCommunications Workers of America, on the failure of the Senate today tomove to a final vote on the "Democracy for All" amendment:

It is distressing to see the polarization of the U.S. Supreme Court, and nowthe Senate, on the critical issue of getting big money out of our politics. EveryDemocrat in the Senate has stood up for the ability of Congress to setreasonable limits on money in politics. Every Republican has voted for nolimits, even though many had previously supported reform, led by SenatorJohn McCain.

This vote is a huge marker as to what America is becoming. We are on ourway to control by the wealthy of nearly all aspects of public and economicpolicy. As workers, we see our rights trampled every day. This has onlyworsened over the past 40 years, as the Chamber of Commerce continues itsrelentless focus on wiping out any balance between the voice of workingAmericans and management.

Today's vote makes it clear that the Republican Senate is joined at the hipwith the billionaires who increasingly dominate our lives and prevent fairelections and real debate on the critical issues of the day. We will continue tobuild the Democracy Initiative and work as broadly as possible with millions ofAmericans to change this, not only by amendment, but by adopting fairdisclosure rules, public financing at the state level and many other measuresthat enable citizens to Stand Up and Fight Back.

Senate Action This Week on Historic Amendment to Get Money Out ofPolitics

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The historic fight to wrest control of American politics from the super richbegan this week in the U.S. Senate with a vote to allow debate of aConstitutional Amendment that seeks to invalidate recent Supreme Courtrulings that flooded our political system with money from corporations and the1 percent.

After several days of debate, Senate Republicans blocked a final vote on theamendment this afternoon.

"Money isn't speech and corporations aren't people," CWA President LarryCohen said, "but over the past few years, working and middle classAmericans have seen the billions of dollars spent by corporations and thewealthy result in special access, special tax breaks and special treatment.That's not what democracy looks like."

Read Cohen's Huffington Post column on the Amendment here.

S.J. Resolution 19, sponsored by Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM) and MichaelBennet (D-CO), is a Constitutional Amendment to enable Congress and thestates to set reasonable limits on political spending and get big money out ofpolitics. It would repair the damage to our democracy caused by the U.S.Supreme Court's Citizens United, McCutcheon and other rulings, which

determined that contributions by corporations and the richest Americans wereactually free speech and entitled to protections. Those decisions warped ourpolitical process, allowing virtually unlimited political spending and giving therichest one-tenth of 1 percent the ability to control our elections and drownout the voices of ordinary citizens.

Add the Supreme Court's 2013 Shelby decision on voting rights into the mix,and suddenly it's more difficult for ordinary Americans to vote but much easierfor the super-rich to influence elections.

Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), one of the co-sponsors of the amendment to getmoney out of politics, speaking at a rally before the Senate vote. In front ofhim were boxes containing 3.2 million petitions signed by ordinary Americanscalling on senators to do the right thing.

The desire to overturn these decisions and their harmful effects on thepolitical system has galvanized diverse groups of Americans.

CWA and other unions, Sierra Club, Public Citizen, Common Cause, Peoplefor the American Way and others began gathering petitions, making phonecalls and sending email messages to their Senators. This week, 3.2 millionpetitions from ordinary Americans calling on their Senators to pass theAmendment were delivered to the U.S. Senate.

Udall, speaking at a rally Monday afternoon before the vote and flanked byboxes containing the petitions, thanked allies and supporters for theirextraordinary efforts in collecting the signatures.

"We are here today to take back our democracy from billionaires whoexercise undue influence, from special interests and from large corporations,"Udall said as he was joined by demonstrators at the U.S. Capitol carryingsigns saying "Democracy is Not for Sale;" "3 Million Americans Calling to#GettheMoneyOut;" "Protect Our Democracy;" and "Restore the FirstAmendment."

"Our elections are not auctions up for the highest bidder. Now, recentSupreme Court rulings have taken us back a hundred years when robberbarons and large corporations had tremendous influence and control. We willnot let that happen again," Udall said.

Rallies continued through the week outside the U.S. Capitol and across thenation as Americans waited to see whether the Senate would actually vote onthe amendment.

CWA commends Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for cutting throughRepublican obstruction to get the amendment before the full Senate andSens. Udall and Bennet for their leadership in the fight to get big money outof politics.

Democracy Initiative Members on Getting Big Money Out of Politics

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Many Democracy Initiative partners are supporting the historic Democracy forAll constitutional amendment, being debated this week in the Senate. See allthe statements here.

From Miles Rapoport, Common Cause President:

"The amendment is crafted to restore the ability of Congress and our statelegislatures to put reasonable limits on political spending after the SupremeCourt opened the floodgates to unlimited election spending from corporationsand wealthy individuals in Citizens United. It stands for the proposition thatbig ideas, not big money, should rule in the public square. It preserves everyAmerican's right to speak and write as he or she pleases and protects againstefforts by a privileged few to drown out that speech with a flood of negativeadvertising. The access and influence that money buys corrodes the integrityof our democracy."

From Larry Cohen, Communications Workers of America (CWA) President:

"Money isn't speech and corporations aren't people. But over the past fewyears, working and middle class Americans have seen the billions of dollarsspent by corporations and the wealthy result in special access, special taxbreaks and special treatment. That's not what democracy looks like."

From Heather McGhee, Demos President:

"The promise of American democracy is that we are all afforded an equal sayover the policies that shape our lives. Instead, today's campaign financesystem allows wealthy donors and corporate interests to use million-dollarmegaphones to influence government, drowning out the voices of the 99percent of Americans who don't make large campaign donations. TheConstitution should not tolerate our public debates descending into proxyfights between billionaires and CEOs."

From Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch Executive Director:

"Today, the Senate begins debating an opportunity to reduce the influence ofmoney in our politics. By passing the Udall Amendment, the Senate will senda signal that Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United and McCutcheondon't represent the will of American citizens.

"So long as corporations and a handful of very wealthy donors are allowed tobuy elections, it will be difficult to protect our most important resources. TheUdall Amendment will help level the playing field and allow citizens to regaintheir voice in our political system. Then, we can win more victories in thestruggle to ban fracking, label GMOs and protect our environment from badtrade deals."

From John Bonifaz, Co-Founder and President of Free Speech for People:

"The start of this Senate floor debate marks a huge milestone for the growinggrassroots movement for the 28th Amendment. Across the political spectrum,Americans want a constitutional amendment which will reclaim ourdemocracy. In just four years since the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling inCitizens United v. FEC, millions of citizens across the country have propelledthis movement to overturn the Supreme Court and to defend our Republic.Sixteen states have already gone on record calling for such an amendment,including the states of Montana and Colorado where 75% of the voters in the2012 election supported ballot initiatives demanding an amendment. Morethan 550 cities and towns are also already on record, as are more than 100Republican officials who have voted for legislative resolutions urging the U.S.Congress to pass an amendment bill and send it to the states for ratification.

"The pressing question before the nation today is whether it is 'we the people'or 'we the corporations and big money interests.' This not a Democratic issueor a Republican issue. This is a deeply American issue. Whatever ourpolitical differences may be, we all share the common vision of governmentof, by, and for the people."

From Greenpeace USA:

"The Koch brothers and other dirty energy advocates are polluting both ourenvironment and our politics, our air and our airwaves," said Annie Leonard,Executive Director of Greenpeace USA. "The Democracy for All Amendmentwill strengthen the chance for Americans to vote for candidates that careabout our communities and environment, rather than those whose voiceshave been bought by big business. This is an essential step to ensuring afuture free from catastrophic global warming."

"The Pentagon describes global warming as a top national security threat, yetthe Koch brothers and their billionaires club have spent a fortune to help denyits existence," said Charlie Cray, co-author of a new Greenpeace report, TheKingpins of Carbon and Their War on Democracy. "Greenpeace wants to seethe Democracy for All Amendment stop Koch Industries, Peabody,ExxonMobil and others from using their excessive profits to dominate ourelections."

From Hillary O. Shelton, NAACP Washington Bureau Director & Senior VicePresident for Policy and Advocacy:

"The corrupting role of money in politics is no secret and sadly it is everincreasing, informing who stands for office, who wins, and, most critically, theeventual public policy Congress enacts. The U.S. Supreme Court decisions in2010, Citizens United v. FEC, and 2014, McCutcheon vs. FEC, will onlyexacerbate these problems. Big money is the main reason Congress isincreasingly out of step with the interests of everyday Americans, particularlyon issues of economic insecurity, and particularly with racial and ethnicminorities and low-income Americans. It is becoming increasingly clear thatincome and wealth inequality is rooted in political inequality. Until we breakthis dependence on big money special interests in our campaign system, thepolicy agenda for everyday Americans will be thwarted – whether it beimproving Americans' economic security, fighting for workers' rights,improving stewardship of the environment, or improving our neighborhoods,you name it. The basic imperatives of a healthy democracy – the right to voteand the right to have your voice be heard – desperately need to bestrengthened for individuals' votes to mean something."

From Mary Kusler, National Education Association (NEA) Director ofGovernment Relations:

"Since the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC four yearsago, corporate money has flooded our political system, drowning out thevoices of ordinary Americans. In McCutcheon v. FEC, issued earlier this year,the Court lifted the cap on the total amount a single individual can contributeto candidates, political parties, and political committees, further tipping the

scales in favor of big money donors. In 2012 alone, "Super PACs" and501(c)4 entities spent hundreds of millions of dollars to influence the outcomeof elections.

"Congress and the states are helpless to prevent the resulting distortion ofour democracy. In effect, the Supreme Court decisions cited above aredenying regular people an equal say in determining the future of our country.The proposed constitutional amendment would allow Congress to turn downthe volume on corporate speech and big money donors, so individual citizenscould be heard as our nation's founders intended."

From Marge Baker, People for the American Way Executive Vice President:

"Today more money than ever is flooding our democracy. But something elseis also happening: everyday Americans are fighting back. Americans are nolonger willing to settle for elections auctioned to the highest bidders."

From Amalgamated Transit Union President Larry Hanley:

"Right now, the political playing field looks like a long, steep hill with workingfamilies at the bottom and big business and the wealthy at the top. If we don'tlevel the playing field, corporations and the über rich will continue to ruleAmerica at the expense of everyone else."

From Nick Nyhart, Public Campaign President and CEO:

"In the simplest terms, this debate will let the American people know who ison the side of the many and who is on the side of the money. A successfulvote on the Democracy for All amendment would set us on a course forchange, permitting common sense limits on campaign spending and a way tostem the tide of special interest money in elections."

From Robert Weissman, Public Citizen President:

"Outside money – hundreds of millions in "dark money," from sourcesundisclosed – are determining the contours of elections across the country,often stealing control of campaign narratives from candidates themselves.Degrading and depressing negative ads fill the airwaves, heightening citizencynicism and frustration. Meanwhile, candidates scramble to raise themillions they can from the narrow band of wealthy people who fund mostcampaigns.

"We need a fundamental fix, which is why it is so vital to enact theDemocracy for All Amendment, which would overturn Citizens United andother decisions, and restore our democracy."

From Mike Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director:

"The fundamentally-flawed Citizens United decision opened up the floodgatesfor a tidal wave of toxic polluter money into our government, drowning out thevoices of those who are fighting for the health of our communities. Enough isenough. With the vote on this amendment, each Senator goes on the recordas to whether they want a government for the polluters or for the people."

From American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein:

"Since 2010, it's gotten harder for minorities, young people, senior citizensand working people to vote, but easier for the super-rich to buy elections.Corporate money is drowning out the voice of the people."

Political Action Update

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Primary Elections and Candidacies

CWA Local 1109 members staffing phone banks on primary day in New YorkState.

Pennsylvania Democratic candidate for Governor Tom Wolf meets with CWADistrict 2-13 Vice President Ed Mooney, LPAT activists and Local 13000leaders in Philadelphia.

A Texan Rising

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Texas Lieutenant Governor Candidate Leticia Van de Putte came toWashington this week for meetings, including with the Texas Congressionaldelegation, and CWA hosted a breakfast in her honor.

Van de Putte, herself a member of CWA Local 6186, the Texas StateEmployees Union, said workers all over the state, especially union memberslike CWAers, are putting her on the map in her race. She was joined on thetrip by key supporter Jim Hightower, a syndicated columnist-political activistand former Commissioner of the Texas Dept. of Agriculture.

Texas Lt. Governor Candidate Leticia Van de Putte at a CWA breakfast in herhonor with Texas activist Jim Hightower and CWA President Larry Cohen.

"Folks would say that Texas is a red state. We really aren't. We're just a non-voting state," she said.

Van de Putte said she senses this time is going to be different because of theturnouts she is seeing around the state, like the 250 people who showed upfor a cold, late spring campaign event in Amarillo. The difference this time,she added, is that she has been going to places and meeting people that forso long Texas Democrats have taken for granted. When she released hercampaign advertisement recently, for instance, she put it in heavy rotation inLatino markets and followed that up with visits.

And Van de Putte said she has been seeing the results in her travels toplaces like Wichita Falls, Midland, Tyler and Nacogdoches. There have beenoutpourings of support from small business owners, from women, people ofcolor, and, especially, union members.

"Everybody is really doing their part," she said. "Our problem is that we can'tfit any more people into the rooms. There is no union hall big enough in SanAntonio to hold all our supporters, people coming out to express support."

TPP UPDATE

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In a strongly worded letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) this week, a diversecoalition of more than 550 groups firmly rejected the fast-track model of trade

promotion authority and called for more public scrutiny of trade deals.

The coalition told Wyden, who is Senate Finance Committee Chairman, thatfast track is an outdated mechanism that would limit Congressional andpublic oversight over trade negotiations. It is "simply not appropriate" giventhe broad subjects covered by today's trade deals like the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and InvestmentPartnership (TTIP).

"By any name, the flawed 'fast track' approach still would enable negotiatorsto bypass Congress and put in place new and binding agreements that havereal consequences for all of us. We need 21st-century trade authority thatallows Congress to do its job and represent the interests of U.S. workers,consumers and communities." CWA President Larry Cohen said.

"A new model of trade authority is the only way to ensure that workers andcommunities have a voice in these trade decisions. We want to determinewhat kind of economy we have, not simply accept super-power status formultinational corporations and a snail's pace for the enforcement issuesraised by the rest of us," he added.

Wyden is drafting a new trade authority bill, and the coalition stressed that anew model of trade authority is necessary, one that includes a Congressionalrole in selecting trade partners, a set of mandatory negotiating objectives,enhanced transparency, Congressional certification that negotiatingobjectives have been met before trade negotiations can conclude, andothers.

The coalition includes CWA, the AFL-CIO and other unions, DemocracyInitiative partners Sierra Club, Greenpeace and NAACP, Public Citizen, andother community and advocacy groups.

Republican Senators Ambush NLRB Nominee at Confirmation Hearing

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At a hearing this week on the nomination of Sharon Block to the NationalLabor Relations Board, Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Laborand Pensions Committee pushed Block to justify many of the board'sdecisions during her term as a recess appointee.

Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) opened the hearing by praising Block's

qualifications and calling for her speedy confirmation. Block would replaceNancy Schiffer who leaves the board in December.

"A little over a year ago, for the first time in over a decade, we were able toconfirm a fully functional five-member NLRB," Harkin reminded hiscolleagues. "It is my hope that by promptly confirming Ms. Block's nominationto fill the looming vacancy, we can continue the progress that has been madeand begin a new era where orderly transitions are the norm, not theexception."

But the hearing was contentious, with Republican members of the committeeattacking Block.

Block served as a member of the Board from January 2012 until summer2013, as a recess appointment made by President Obama. The SupremeCourt's Noel Canning decision in June 2014 held that the president's recessappointments were invalid, despite the fact that they were necessary tocounter the Senate Republicans' refusal to move forward on any presidentialnominations.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who is the ranking member of the committeeand is in line to become chairman if Republicans take over the Senate in thefall elections, has announced that he and Senate Minority Leader MitchMcConnell (R-KY) plan to introduce legislation soon "to restore the NLRB toits original purpose," which is to "act as an umpire instead of an advocate."

Alexander said Block already had "demonstrated a willingness to tilt theplaying field in favor of organized labor" and questioned her ability to makeimpartial decisions, especially concerning cases from January 2012-June2013 that may be reconsidered.

Block said she would take any request to recuse herself seriously and alsoconsult with the agency's ethics department, but that didn't satisfy any of theRepublican members.

Already, labor laws rarely work in the U.S. because Republicans likeAlexander make crippling the NLRB their mission.

Risky Christie Investments Triggered Pension Shortfall

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It's no surprise, but Gov. Chris Christie isn't great with money.

A new report from the International Business Times illustrates how NewJersey officials "directed increasingly large slices of state pension money intoriskier investments," often funds run by Christie's cronies. And in the yearsfollowing, it underperformed the stock market, jeopardizing workers'retirements:

Since Gov. Chris Christie took office, he has nearly tripled the amountof retiree cash invested in alternative investment firms – many of whoseemployees have made financial contributions to political groups backingChristie's election campaigns. In that time, the gap between NewJersey's alternative portfolio and the broader market has rapidlyexpanded, costing taxpayers billions in unrealized returns andthreatening the financial stability of the $78 billion pension system. Thestate's pension funding shortfalls – which have been exacerbated byChristie's market-trailing investment strategy – were one of the factorscited by Fitch Ratings in its decision last week to downgrade the state'sbond rating for the second time.

The below-market results from the state's $20 billion alternative investmentportfolio belie repeated assurances from New Jersey officials who said theinvestments would overperform the stock market. Instead, the results buttressarguments by investors like Warren Buffett and some local lawmakers, whoassert that pension money should be invested in stock index funds ratherthan hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, real estate and otheralternative investments.

Read the full story here.

Bargaining Update

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T-Mobile MetroPCS

Members of CWA Local Local 1101 unanimously ratified a three-yearcontract with T-Mobile that improves job security, ensures fair treatment onwages and benefits and includes improvements in scheduling and otherworking conditions.

Workers at the retail store in Harlem, New York, voted for CWA

representation a year ago, organizing around their goal of improving theirwork environment. There are 10 workers at the store.

YP Holdings Bargaining in Texas

CWA Local 6300 members defy the rain as they rallied behind the CWA YPbargaining committee meeting with management.

Despite the rain, members of CWA 6300 rallied behind the CWA YPbargaining committee meeting with management in St. Louis. Outside thebargaining session, CWAers wearing red made sure that management gotthe message: we want a fair contract.

The contract covers YP Holdings (formerly Yellow Pages) workers throughoutD6. In August, CWA members did not ratify a tentative agreement;negotiations resumed this week.

FairPoint Communications

NY State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli wrote to the CEO of Angelo, Gordon& Co., which owns nearly 20 percent of FairPoint stock, alerting the investorto FairPoint's federal law violations in bargaining with workers represented byCWA and the IBEW.

He wrote: "We are concerned by publicly reported allegations that FairPointhas not acted in good faith and has violated federal law."

FairPoint imposed a contract on about 2,000 telecommunications workers innorthern New England.

Organizing Update

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CWAers, Allies Give T-Mobile CEO John Legere the Business in SanFrancisco

Members of CWA Locals 9410, 9415, 9412, 39521 and community alliesgreet T-Mobile US CEO John Legere during his promotional tour in SanFrancisco. SF is a union town!

Dozens of CWA members and allies confronted CEO John Legere at acompany advertising event in San Francisco this week. T-Mobile's parentcompany, Deutsche Telekom, fully recognizes workers' union and bargainingrights, but TMUS has spent millions fighting workers who want a union voice.

For more information on the union campaign go towww.TMobileWorkersUnited.org.

Our Climate, Our Economy and Our Democracy

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In a joint blog post on The Huffington Post, CWA President Larry Cohen andSierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune recognized the working

Americans who are on the front lines, responding to and solving the climatecrisis. They wrote:

We want to honor the first responders who stayed on the job for daysand nights through and after Superstorm Sandy, even while their ownhomes and families were devastated: The health care workers whoevacuated patients down darkened flights of stairs in hospitals that lostpower; the transit workers who restored flooded subway and bussystems in record time; the utility workers who risked their lives torestore power; the public workers who helped families and communitieshit hard by the storm.

We want to honor the 19 firefighters who lost their lives last summerbattling a savage and unpredictable wildfire near Prescott, Arizona.

And we want to honor the workers who are building the burgeoningclean economy that is leading us toward healthier communities and astable climate: The electricians and pipefitters who are building thesolar, wind, and geothermal power that is meeting more and more ofour energy needs; the laborers, insulators, and building service workerswho are making our buildings more energy efficient; the transit workerswho are moving us forward on public transport; the utility workers,pipefitters, and sheet metal workers who are repairing our aging powergrid and water and urban gas distribution networks.

Read the full story here.

And join us as CWA partners with more than 1,000 organizations for thelargest climate march in history.

What: People's Climate MarchWhen: Sunday, Sept. 21 at 11:30 a.m.Where: New York City

Movement Building Update

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CWAers Join Fast Food Workers

Activists and leaders from Local 3204 and D3 joined the fast food rally inAtlanta, supporting workers who engaged in civil disobedience to win a raiseand bargaining rights.

Next CWA Telephone Town Hall Call on Sept. 18

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Sign up now for the next CWA town hall call, on Thursday, Sept. 18, startingat 7:30 pm ET. The call will last half an hour.

Register at http://cwa-union.org/cwacall and pick up the phone when you getthe call.

We'll hear from amazing activists from the American Airlines/US Airwayscampaign, and more. Don't miss it.

CWA501 Third Street NWWashington, DC 20001www.cwa-union.org

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Text CWAACTION to 69866 to Join Our Rapid Response Text List

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