New Flyer Workers Meet with Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su

CWA District 4, led by Vice President Linda L. Hinton, held its annual meeting last week in Detroit, Mich. Speakers included CWA President Claude Cummings Jr.; Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam; IUE-CWA Industrial Division President Carl Kennebrew; Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook; Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton; Central Region At-Large Executive Board Member Erika White; and special guest Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer (D).

President Cummings emphasized the importance of solidarity, saying, “We owe it to that teacher whose pay comes from local tax revenues. We owe it to that child who needs a safe, decent place to live and food on the table so they can do well in school and make their own future some day. We owe it to all of them to win in these contract negotiations so workers don’t just have good pay and benefits but always have a say in how they are treated. We can’t do any of that without unity first.”

Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam took a moment to recognize her mentor, Vice President Linda L. Hinton, saying, “She has been a person who doesn’t tell you what you want to hear but what you need to hear. Believe me, there’s a difference, so I appreciate her nurturing along the way. Thank you, my sister.” Salaam went on to enumerate the many changes she has made to the Secretary-Treasurer’s office and her plans, already underway, to make every dollar work for CWA members.

Members also took part in several workshops with titles such as “Human Trafficking – Hidden in Plain Sight, A Perspective” and “How Workers Can Shape the Future of A.I.” The gathering also featured reports from the CWA District 4 Retired Members Council, Next Gen, and the Human Rights Committee.

Above: CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. addressed the crowd at the CWA District 4 Annual Meeting, calling for greater unity and continued solidarity across the organization.

Below: Also at the CWA District 4 Annual Meeting, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (center) joined CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam (left) and CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton.

Last week, IUE-CWA members at the New Flyer bus manufacturing plant in Anniston, Ala., hosted Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su for a tour of the facility and a discussion of what their recent organizing victory and contract ratification mean for similar efforts across the South.

“Having the acting Labor Secretary visit New Flyer today was a shock, to say the least. I never would have imagined that our union would attract someone from the federal level. It goes to show that our contract is changing lives, one page at a time! It was a real treat to have someone recognize Anniston New Flyer in such an impactful way,” said IUE-CWA member and New Flyer worker Ryan Masters.

Over the past two years, more than 1,150 New Flyer employees have formed unions with IUE-CWA at facilities in Anniston, Ala.; Shepherdsville, Ky.; and Jamestown, N.Y. They join the 1,200 employees already represented by CWA at New Flyer’s St. Cloud and Crookston, Minn., assembly plants, and together make up the largest union in the public transit bus manufacturing sector in the United States.

“IUE-CWA is grateful for the continued support of acting Labor Secretary Su and the Biden Administration when it comes to creating good, union manufacturing jobs,” said Carl Kennebrew, President of IUE-CWA. “The New Flyer win in Alabama shows that the labor movement is strong in the South, and workers’ feel more empowered than ever to have a voice on the job and get their fair share. This victory also sheds light on the value and importance of commitments from management so that workers can organize without fear, and we hope this helps set the stage for more labor peace agreements in the future.”

Click here to learn more about the impact of the new contract on workers at New Flyer.

Last week, IUE-CWA members at the New Flyer bus manufacturing plant in Anniston, Ala., hosted Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su (pictured third from right) for a tour of the facility

Last week, members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) joined allies and supporters to picket at over 30 airports around the globe. Flight Attendants at several major airlines, including Alaska, Air Wisconsin, Omni, and United, are currently in contract negotiations, primarily to address issues of inadequate compensation and control of their schedules, among other key Flight Attendant priorities.

“Flight Attendants cannot afford to wait any longer for these agreements, and neither can the airlines,” said AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson. “We’re done with hollow platitudes about how much Flight Attendants are ‘appreciated.’ Airlines need to get serious and reach agreements with us immediately. If not, we’re ready for next steps under the Railway Labor Act.”

AFA-CWA Flight Attendants and supporters picketed at over 30 airports worldwide, calling for better pay, safer working conditions, and respect. Pictured here, Flight Attendants picket at Alaska’s Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

On June 29, hundreds of CWA members and retirees from across the country will gather for the “Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C., and to the Polls.” CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. will address the crowd along with federal call center workers at Maximus who are organizing with CWA.

CWA and other unions will stand in solidarity with moral and religious leaders, civil rights advocates, and activists to demand that our elected leaders center the voices of working families and embrace an agenda that works for everyone, not just those at the top. We will uplift the necessity of transformative public policies that eliminate poverty, expand democracy, strengthen health care, raise the living wage, fund public education, protect women’s rights, and so much more.

Please join us! We will meet at CWA Headquarters (501 3rd St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001) on the morning of June 29 at 8:00 a.m. A continental breakfast will be provided. Members of the CWA Human Rights Committee will act as marshals and will escort CWA members to the rally location.

Last week, members of the Union of Professional and Technical Employees-CWA (UPTE-CWA Local 9119) across California kicked off bargaining with the University of California. UPTE-CWA represents 18,000 healthcare, research, and education workers across University of California campuses, labs, and medical centers, as well as community colleges and Department of Energy facilities.

Members across the state rallied to support their bargaining team, demanding the university reset its priorities and invest in life-saving patient care, breakthrough research, and world-class education that workers help provide. Specifically, workers are demanding safe staffing, job security, career progression opportunities, and fair pay. These demands were drafted after more than 9,000 members weighed in via a bargaining survey campaign, a crucial feature of the democratic decision-making process at UPTE-CWA.

Click here for more information and pictures from the kick-off.

Members of UPTE-CWA Local 9119 rallied last week to kick off bargaining across the University of California system.

NABET-CWA members kicked off the month of June with mobilizations in Denver, Colo., and Rochester, N.Y., to bring employer Nexstar to their respective bargaining tables. Nexstar has refused to recognize or enter contract negotiations with units in either city.

Workers at Nexstar’s Denver Master Control Hub and television station KDVR/KWGN (NABET-CWA Local 57052) won union representation in April. NABET-CWA members at sibling station KCNC joined the June 7 rally and demonstrated their solidarity, along with community allies.

Likewise, workers at television station WROC in Rochester, N.Y. (NABET-CWA Local 51022) rallied on June 11 to pressure Nexstar to engage them at the bargaining table. Nexstar has threatened to lay off workers due to planned automation.

Members in Rochester were joined by Assemblyman Demond Meeks (D-Rochester), Monroe County Clerk Jamie Romeo, NewsGuild-CWA members from the Democrat and Chronicle, International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 118 members from Rochester Television Station WHAM, and NABET-CWA workers from Rochester television station WHEC (NABET-CWA Local 51022).

Members of NABET-CWA Local 57052 in Denver rallied to pressure employer Nexstar to recognize their unions and enter into contract negotiations.

Active and retired members of CWA Local 4009 in the Detroit, Mich., area shared this photo from their successful food drive to help fight child hunger at Beech Elementary School. Many low-income children rely on school breakfasts and lunches and may go hungry during the summer months. Pictured (left to right) are: Senior Program Director of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit Keneisha Cannon, Hilbert and Beech Attendance Liaison Kellie Rakowski, Beech Elementary Principal Melissa Nickel, CWA Local 4009 Executive Vice President Shawn Banks, RMC Local 4009 President Gerri Dewberry, CWA Local 4009 Executive Vice President Faye Carey, and CWA Local 4009 President Jim Simons. Are members of your Local volunteering their time and energy? Click here to tell us about your Local’s community service efforts!

Celebrate Pride this month and every month with new CWA Pride items from the CWA Store!

Click here to order your hat or zip-up hoodie and check out the other items for sale.

We have recently updated the CWA History page on our website to match the redesigned CWA History booklet.

Learn about the origins of our union and important milestones along the way at cwa-union.org/about/cwa-history. CWA Locals can also order copies of the booklet through the CWA materials website.