Biden Administration Continues Unprecedented Push for Workers and other news

Supporting Pro-Worker Candidates

Texas

Last Thursday, CWA District 6 held a virtual Texas Primary Election Kick-off event to start getting out the vote and energize members for the 2022 primary elections. The event featured three CWA endorsed candidates: Rep. Alex Dominguez, candidate for State Senate District 27; Jessica Cisneros, candidate for Congressional District 28; and Councilman Greg Casar, candidate for Congressional District 35. After hearing from the candidates, members participated in a phone bank to ask fellow CWAers to support the endorsed candidates.

CWA District 6 members participated in a virtual Texas Primary Election Kick-off event.

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New Jersey

Last Friday, CWA District 1 announced endorsements for the 2022 congressional races in New Jersey. Endorsements include eight sitting Democratic Members of Congress: Bonnie Watson Coleman, Andy Kim, Donald Norcross, Tom Malinowski, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, Donald Payne, Jr., and Mikie Sherrill. Additionally, the union is endorsing Rob Menendez for Congress in the Democratic Primary for the 8th Congressional District.

“Each and every day, these members of Congress fight for working families and democracy down in Washington, D.C.,” said Dennis Trainor, Vice President for CWA District 1. “They have a strong record, and we’re proud to continue supporting them in these all-important midterm elections. We are also proud to support Rob Menendez to join their ranks.”

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CWA Endorsed Candidates

Click here to view all CWA endorsed candidates for upcoming elections around the country. The list will be updated periodically.

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Biden Administration Continues Unprecedented Push for Worker Organizing and Collective Bargaining

President Biden continues to fulfill his pledge to be the “most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history.”

This week, the Presidential Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris and co-chaired by Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, released a report that provides a roadmap for federal agencies to leverage the authority of the executive branch in order to build worker power. In preparation for the report, Vice President Harris and Secretary Walsh held listening sessions across the country, giving workers, including CWA members, an opportunity to provide input to help guide the recommendations.

CWA members and workers organizing with CWA will directly benefit from many of these recommendations, including supporting the creation of broadband jobs with strong labor standards, implementing President Biden’s “Made in America” Executive Order, strengthening compliance and enforcement of laws protecting federal contract employees, increasing opportunities for unions to receive grants for training and other services, ensuring that the voices of union members are included on federal advisory committees, and more.

Since the passage of the National Labor Relations Act, corporate America has been engaged in a relentless, successful, decades-long campaign to prevent workers from building power through union membership and collective bargaining. This campaign was abetted by, as the report puts it, a United States government that “failed to fully use its authority to promote collective bargaining, and failed to update labor law in the face of economic and technological change, which incentivized employment practices that disfavored workers.” The 70 recommendations in the Task Force report, when implemented, will serve as a historic course correction and provide a model for state and local governments, private sector employers, and others to follow.

Last week, call center workers at federal contractor Maximus won their campaign for lower health care costs. The sky-high deductible of $4,500 for Maximus’ core plan was cut almost in half, to $2,500, and premiums for several plans were decreased, leaving more money in workers’ paychecks.

This win follows a report released by CWA that clearly shows how the very workers who the federal government trusts to help millions of Americans access affordable healthcare are struggling to afford their own.

Maximus workers, who are organizing with the CWA to win better working conditions and a voice on the job, say there is more to be done. Workers are calling for Maximus to stop campaigning against their union, to end all anti-union portions of new-hire trainings, and to meet with their union organizing committee.