Help stop the merger!

Wall Street executives don't want you to read this. Hearings have begun on Capitol Hill over the proposed Comcast-NBC merger.

The merger would give Comcast unprecedented control of not just your television, but also all forms of online media.

What makes things worse? Comcast has a long history of trampling on the rights of workers. When Comcast merged with AT&T Broadband in 2002, it launched a deliberate campaign to purge itself of the existing unions.

The same can happen to NBC/Universal employees unless we speak out now.

Take a moment and sign this petition to the U.S. House and Senate Committees who will be hosting the hearings and tell them why this merger is a bad investment for America:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/comcastnbc/une7g3rr7dedk56

CWA used the FCC's last request for public comment before the release of the national broadband plan to issue a public notice laying out what they consider to be top priorities for the plan.

In the notice, CWA commends the Federal Communications Commission for moving forward on its national broadband plan and recommends several specific proposals, including but not limited to:

• Develop a transition plan that protects consumers and workers in the IP world.
• Launch an inquiry into employment in the communications industry and explore policy options to create and maintain good jobs.
• Close the digital divide by ensuring that most people in the United States have access and competitive choices for high-speed broadband.
• Bring U.S. networks to world-class standards by setting ambitious, but achievable goals, with an immediate goal of 10 megabits per second downstream and 1 megabit per second up; and 50 megabits down and 20 up to 80 percent of the population by 2015.
• Implement broadband truth-in-labeling that provides consumers with information about actual and advertised speeds, reliability, latency, price, fees, traffic management policies, service limits and guarantees, legal and privacy policies, and contract terms.
• The FCC and government agencies should include a speed test on websites for consumers and data collection on actual speeds.
• Reform the Universal Service Fund to support broadband in rural areas and subsidies to low-income households.
• Ensure E-Rate program of subsidies to schools, libraries, and rural health centers and support network upgrades to provide minimum speeds to these institutions.
• Establish a national Digital Ambassadors community-based digital outreach and literacy program.
• Promote no child offline with a national program of subsidized computer distribution to low-income families with children.
• Encourage and leverage public programs to promote broadband solutions to meet the nation's challenges in health care, education, job training, energy conservation, economic development, civic engagement, public safety and cyber security, among others.

The FCC's National Broadband Plan will be presented to Congress in March in accordance with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

•   Half payment of $75 is required before week 1. Deadline is Wed March 10, 2010
•   Full payment of $150 is required before week 26. Deadline is Wed Sept 1, 2010
   
  ·         2 parties with food and drink
•    Half way party will be an outdoor picnic in September 2010
•  Final party will be an indoor soiree in March 2011

•   52 weekly cash prizes of $100 will be determined by the Thursday evening NY Lottery daily number (therefore each number will have an additional 4 numbers associated with it. For example, 000,200,400,600,800 or 115,315,515,715,915 and so on.
•    Bonus drawings:

•    Grand Prize of $10,000 cash which will be given at the final party
•    Additional cash prizes will be given at the 2 parties

•    Members must abide by the payment schedule or they will be excluded from the club

•   Winners do not have to be present to collect.
•    Parties are free to 200Club members. All guests and others will have to pay a fee.
•    You may purchase up to 2 spots. 
•    Please keep payments to either 1 full payment of $150 or 2 payments of $75.
•    Don’t drop out!!!! The club runs on everyone’s commitment (money) to the club.  

CWA Reviews Health Care Amidst Uncertainty

Reps. Joe Courtney, D-CT, and Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, stood for us and fought the Senate proposal to tax our workers’ health care benefits. Courtney helped publicize a series of CWA reports on the excise tax and Schakowsky circulated a “Dear Member” letter to House members, warning of the tax’s discriminatory impact on women.

The election of Republican Scott Brown in yesterday's Massachusetts Senate special election to fill Ted Kennedy's seat has thrown final passage of any health care legislation into some doubt, as the election leaves Democrats one vote short of overcoming a Republican filibuster. Over the next several days, CWA will continue to work with our coalition partners, other labor unions, and our friends in the House of Representatives to determine the best path for moving forward on any legislation. CWA remains opposed to the Senate bill as it currently stands and will continue the work we have been engaged in over the past several weeks to ensure that any legislation addresses our members concerns. Until we determine the best course of action, our many grassroots programs around the issue have been put on hold. 

CWA President Larry Cohen and Executive Vice President Annie Hill are discussing the available strategic options with the Congressional leaders who have championed our issues. Any new proposal or strategy will be evaluated carefully to ensure our members' interests are best served.

Visit healthcarevoices.org for further updates.

R.S.V.P. with $$ by Monday January 25^th

We Did It! Improvements Negotiated to the Excise Tax

CWA leadership, locals and our members have led the opposition to the excise tax.  From the start, CWA leaders made it clear that a tax on workers' health care was the wrong way to finance health care reform.  We fought against this plan in the Senate and supported our friends in the House of Representatives who outlined better ways to finance health care reform.  We supported Connecticut House Representative Joe Courtney in obtaining 190 signatures on a letter opposing the excise tax.

Because of this work, organized labor has been "at the table" and President Cohen and other labor union leaders have spent many hours talking with President Obama and White House officials to work out ways to ease the negative impact of this tax on our members.  At the same time these discussions were taking place, you were keeping the pressure on:  first the House, then the Senate, and then back to the House. 

All of this work set the stage for several days of continuous tri party bargaining and through these negotiations we made significant strides, not only in protecting our members, but in protecting all middle-class families who have health insurance coverage. 

CWA members will be protected through 2017.  That gives us at least one and in some cases more than one round of bargaining to address the impact on our members' plans from the changes.

This is not the plan we would have written if we were the sole author, but just like contract negotiations there is another side at the table.  And, in this case there are three other sides:  the House, the Senate and the White House.  We are proud that the improvements we negotiated protect both union members and members of the public.   Labor unions have a long history of protecting all workers and this is another great example.

Following is the list of improvements we made:

1. Delays Effect of Tax Until 2018:  Provides a five year transition window for all plans negotiated through collective bargaining and for state and local employee plans before they are potentially subject to the tax.  This is what is typically done under federal laws to allow parties to collective bargaining agreements time to renegotiate the plans.
2. Raises Thresholds for Active Workers:  Raises the threshold at which family plans are taxed from $23,000 to $24,000 in 2013 for all working families and from $8,500 to $8,900 for singles.  Annual increases are tied to the Consumer Price Index plus one percentage point. 
3. Increases Thresholds for Excessive Inflation:  Raises the thresholds higher if health care costs grow faster than expected from 2010-2013. 
4. Exempts Dental and Vision Plans from Threshold Calculations:  This will begin in 2015, which could raise the thresholds as much as $1,500 for families. 
5. Adds Demographic Factors to Determine Plan Thresholds:  Thresholds for plans that have a higher average of older workers and female workers will be modified to reflect the higher plan costs for those workers. 
6. Maintains Protections for Pre Medicare Retirees and for High risk Workers:  Preserves the original Senate proposal that would raise the thresholds for plans covering pre Medicare retirees and for plans that include workers in high risk professions (affecting more than nine million workers).  The thresholds are $26,000/family and $9,850/single. 
7. Blending of Pre Medicare and Medicare Premiums is Maintained:  This averaging significantly reduces the affect of the tax on plans. 
8. Maintains Thresholds for High cost States:  Preserves the original Senate proposal that would raise the threshold for high cost states, affecting more than 38 million workers. 
9. Health Plans Get Access to the Insurance Exchange:  Allows any collective bargaining unit into the health insurance exchange in 2017, subject to collective bargaining. 
10. Significantly Reduces Taxes on the Middle Class:  These changes are estimated to reduce the amount of revenue raised by $60 billion, decreasing the hit from the excise tax to $90 billion, from the original $150 billion over 10 years.

In addition, in the final bill there will be many other protections for our sons and daughters who do not have insurance today.  For instance, pre?existing conditions cannot be used to exclude coverage.

President Cohen and CWA have been leading the fight against the proposed excise tax on health care plans, working with Members of Congress, employers, organizations, coalitions, and other groups that understand that the proposed tax would increase costs and cut benefits for working and middle income Americans. 

More than any other union, CWA's leadership has really pushed this issue in the mainstream and online media, on Capitol Hill, and in building coalitions. Tens of thousands of phone calls and personal letters from CWA members, plus visits with their Members of Congress and staff in both Washington, D.C., and District Offices have made our message heard loud and clear.  This work was made possible through the Health Care Strategic Industry Fund, which enabled CWA to train field activists who carried out our critical mobilization program. This week alone, more than 2,000 calls were made to Members of Congress by CWA members urging them to stand strong for fair health care reform.

As tough as these negotiations were, this was just one of the many tough issues the House, Senate and  White House leadership are working to resolve.  So, while this has the support of the leadership, it now has to be sold to both the House and the Senate and all of the other differences have to be resolved.

Once the leadership has worked through their differences, we expect they will submit a package to the Congressional Budget Office for scoring.  That will likely take 10 days to two weeks.  Then a bill will be provided to the House where a majority of 218 votes are needed to pass it and to the Senate where a supermajority of 60 votes will be necessary. 

So, let us savor the success of these efforts, but recognize we still have work to do in the fight to protect our members' interests in this historic debate.  With our unity and solidarity, we will turn the debate into a reality.

        Steward Runoff Election Results 

Splicing

Brian Croyle  15     

Joseph Krische   20

Winners are in RED 

As this year comes to a close, we need to make sure that our representatives in Congress have one item at the top of their list of resolutions – to pass a health care reform bill that makes health care more affordable and accessible while at the same time ensures that all employers pay their fair share.

The House of Representatives and the Senate have each passed a health care bill.  The two bills are very different.  The House bill includes important features that will assure affordability and coverage for all, including making sure that employers contribute to coverage for their workers.  The Senate bill, on the other hand, will place a tax on health care plans that will eventually force employers to cut benefits and pass on the cost of care to workers and their families.

Now the House and the Senate need to agree on a single bill.  Make sure your member of Congress sticks by the House bill.  Write your letter today.

A recent column in the New York Times by Bob Herbert explains exactly how this so-called Cadillac tax will result in benefit cuts and tax increases for middle-class Americans.  Herbert also exposes the flawed thinking behind the tax:

The rest of the $150 billion, more than 82 percent of it, will come from the income taxes paid by workers who have been given pay raises by employers who will have voluntarily handed over the money they saved by offering their employees less valuable health insurance plans.

Really?  Herbert doesn't buy it, and neither does CWA President Larry Cohen.  "In the real world, companies cut costs and they pocket the money. Executives tell the shareholders: 'Hey, higher profits without any revenue growth. Great!' "

President Cohen has been working tirelessly to get the truth out about this tax.  Please back him up by writing your member of Congress today.

In Unity,

Beth Allen
Online Mobilization Coordinator
CWA e-Activist Network