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Bargaining Update University of California UPTE-CWA Local 9119 Healthcare, Research, and Technical members went on a one-day Unfair Labor Practice strike last week in response to UC's moves to secretly outsource UPTE-CWA members' work while they are working without a contract, which is illegal. UC plans to eliminate nearly 40 jobs at a new rehab center in Davis by contracting out work to a "joint venture" with for-profit Kindred Healthcare. UPTE-CWA has also recently learned of UC's plans to outsource $56 million in IT services across all five UC Medical Centers, including UPTE-CWA members' work, as well as a plan authorizing the outsourcing of more than $150 million of clinical, non-clinical, and IT jobs at the Medical Centers. In February, UC presented UPTE-CWA with their so-called "last, best, and final offer" for Research and Technical members, which contains unnecessary and unacceptable cuts including eliminating step increases for pay, no daily overtime or protections for full-time work, putting pension benefits in jeopardy by pushing new hires to choose a risky 401(k), and more. The offer would also limit the right to file a grievance in cases of sexual harassment and sexual violence. UC executives recently announced that they would be forcing their proposals on 10,000 Research and Technical workers immediately, with some terms taking effect June 1. However, this imposition is not the end. UPTE-CWA members will continue to fight for a fair contract at UC. UPTE-CWA Local 9119 Healthcare, Research, and Technical members went on a one-day Unfair Labor Practice strike in response to UC's moves to secretly outsource UPTE-CWA members' work while they are working without a contract. ### Envoy Air The CWA Envoy Air bargaining team met with a federal mediator this week in Dallas on Monday and Tuesday. During the opening session, the team shared 2,000 signatures from agents at more than 40 stations on a petition demanding higher wages and a fair contract to show the company and the mediator that agents across the system are united. Although the CWA bargaining team brought a complete package of proposals to Envoy in April, the company did not have a complete package of proposals or responses, leading to the cancellation of the third day of mediation. This lack of respect for the bargaining process and Envoy's dedicated employees is simply unacceptable. The mediator made it clear that he expects both parties to come to future meetings fully prepared and ready to make progress and negotiate. Mediation will resume in Pittsburgh from June 18-20. As the mediation process began, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), gave a boost to Envoy workers' efforts by sending a letter to American Airlines CEO Doug Parker urging the company to provide increased wages and improved benefits for Envoy Passenger Service Agents. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) has been directly urging the company to bargain a fair contact. Read the letter here. — May 23
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Organizing Update The NewsGuild-CWA had a huge week in organizing, with workers at four different digital publications joining the union! Employees of Ars Technica, Pitchfork, Quartz, and Fortune are the most recent wave of journalists who have united to improve their workplaces. Quartz is a business news publication owned by the Japanese media company Uzabase. Sixty of its more than 230 employees (on five continents) will be represented by the NewsGuild of New York-CWA Local 31003. Ars Technica, which covers technology and science, and Pitchfork, which covers music criticism and news, are Condé Nast publications. The digital employees at Fortune magazine are joining the 41 percent of print staff at the magazine who already had union representation with the NewsGuild-CWA. "These journalists are standing up and fighting for the future of their profession," said NewsGuild President Bernie Lunzer. "We're thrilled to have them join our ranks." Employees of Ars Technica, Pitchfork, Quartz, and Fortune (pictured) are the latest to join the wave of journalists who have been rapidly forming unions in their workplaces. — May 23
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Alden Suffers Stinging Defeat in Effort to Take Over Gannett Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known as "the destroyer of newspapers," suffered a stinging defeat on Thursday when newspaper publisher Gannett's shareholders rejected the company's hostile takeover bid. Alden owns a chain of nearly 200 publications, formerly known as DFM and now known as MediaNews Group or MNG. Gannett owns the largest newspaper chain in the U.S. The NewsGuild-CWA had called on Gannett shareholders to reject Alden's takeover efforts. Speaking at Gannett's shareholders meeting, NewsGuild-CWA President Bernie Lunzer said the union supported Gannett's candidates for the company's board of directors – despite differences on other issues – because of the need for sustainable journalism, which Alden undermines at every turn. "It is a victory for workers at Gannett papers and for the readers they serve," Lunzer said. In an April 11 letter to Gannett shareholders, the NewsGuild-CWA and the Teamsters together wrote, "We believe that hedge funds in general and Alden in particular have had a destructive impact on the news industry. They have slashed staff and sold real estate to extract cash from the news organizations without regard to the role news organizations play in communities." — May 23
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TSEU-CWA Members Hold Massive Organizing Blitz! More than 100 members of the Texas State Employees Union-CWA Local 6186 carried out a multi-faceted organizing blitz for three weeks in May. With help from organizers, activists, stewards, and campaign leads from across the country, they signed up 318 new members at state agencies and universities across Texas! As part of the blitz, TSEU-CWA members ramped up the final push on their pay raise campaign by hand delivering postcards to key legislators in the final days of the legislative session. The last time state workers saw an across-the-board raise, in the 2015 legislative session, it was completely wiped out by an increase in state employees' contributions to the pension fund and big cost increases in dependent health care coverage. With turnover rates at state agencies higher than they've been since 1990, TSEU-CWA members are calling for legislators to give all state agency and university workers a long-overdue $6,000 raise. TSEU-CWA members also turned out hundreds of votes for TSEU-CWA member Cora Bennett, who is running for the pension fund Board of Trustees. More than 100 members of the Texas State Employees Union-CWA Local 6186 carried out a multi-faceted organizing blitz for three weeks in May. With help from organizers, activists, stewards, and campaign leads from across the country, they signed up 318 new members at state agencies and universities across Texas. — May 23
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CWA Local 1298 Helps Win Minimum Wage Increase for Connecticut Workers Big news in Connecticut: after years of organizing and campaigning by workers, unions, and community groups, the Connecticut legislature voted this month to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour! CWA Local 1298 members have been making regular trips to Hartford to make sure our elected officials understand that fair, livable wages for all workers benefit not just the workers themselves, but the entire community. The Connecticut State House voted on May 9th to pass the bill, led by bill sponsor and friend to CWA, Representative Robyn Porter. The current $10.10 minimum wage will increase to $15 by June 2023, and will be indexed to the rate of inflation, meaning workers won't have to continuously fight for minimum wage increases going forward. CWA Local 1298 members have been making regular trips to Hartford to make sure our elected officials understand that fair, livable wages for all workers benefit not just the workers themselves, but the entire community. — May 23