You know Verizon has been making billions of dollars, awarding outrageous pay to top executives while trying to cut workers benefits and outsourcing jobs. But did you also know they’ve been getting government benefits?
Verizon has exploited loopholes to pay ZERO in federal corporate income taxes for the past 3 years. But worse—they’ve actually gotten TAX REBATES of nearly $1 BILLION from the U.S. Treasury.
Who funds those rebates? Ordinary, hard-working Americans—like Verizon workers.
While Verizon tries to kill our middle-class jobs, they’re getting richer and richer…on our dime.
We need every member to commit 4 hours per week to our mobilization efforts. Contact your steward or local if they haven’t already contacted you.
(MOBILIZATION) x (ALL MEMBERS) = OUR PATH TO A FAIR CONTRACT!
It’s All About Good Jobs • Communications Workers of America • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
On Thursday, Jan. 26th, 282 Brooklyn Cablevision technicians and dispatchers in Brooklyn voted to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Local 1109 in a union election administered by National Labor Relations Board, overcoming a vigorous anti-union campaign led by Cablevision. They are the first Cablevision workers to join a union. Cable TV is an overwhelmingly non-union industry while the traditional telecommunications industry remains highly unionized. Learn more at thecablevision99.org.
CWA District 1/IBEW Local 2213 and IBEW New England Regional Committees and the CWA District 2-13/ IBEW Mid Atlantic Regional Committees have been meeting at the RyeTown Hilton in Rye, NY. The meetings are back “on the record”. For the last couple of months, we have been meeting in “off the record” discussions in Sub Committees focusing on several major areas of our collective bargaining agreements.
Today, Vice President Chris Shelton had a District 1 Local Presidents and Regional Bargaining Committee Meeting at the Ryetown Hilton to discuss the status of contract negotiations. The Local Presidents were given an update and asked to go back to their locals and update their Executive Boards and their membership.
Starting tomorrow and continuing into next week, every CWA Local Executive Board Member in District 1 will be visiting work locations and they will also be in the field to talk to every CWA member to tell them exactly what the company’s proposals would mean to their future. Every Executive Board member will be explaining what must be done to fight this Company. We are asking every member to give four (4) hours a week to your local to do what is needed to win a fair contract. We need every member to tell your Executive Board Member that you are ready to do whatever it takes and to pledge your 4 hours and your support in this struggle.
It is more important than ever that our members continue to mobilize and that EVERY member commit to spending 4 hours per week participating in mobilization activities.
MYTH #1: The congressional Super Committee failed because both sides refuse to compromise.
REALITY: The Super Committee failed because Republicans’ number one, non-negotiable priority is to protect millionaires and billionaires from paying even one more penny in taxes.1 Democrats repeatedly offered deep spending cuts (far deeper than most progressives would like) in exchange for raising taxes on the wealthy and closing corporate loopholes, only to be refused again and again.2 So even though the vast majority of Americans say they want to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits, and raise taxes on the rich and corporations,3 that won’t happen until Republicans put aside their extremist stance.
MYTH #2: Nobody knows what Occupy Wall Street is about.
REALITY: Occupy Wall Street may not have a formal list of demands, but anyone who’s been paying attention understands the core problems that occupiers are protesting–that corporations have far too much power in our political system, that Wall Street banks crashed our economy but were never held accountable, and that the richest 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans–156 million people–combined.4
MYTH #3: Occupiers should stop protesting and just get a job.
REALITY: As anybody who’s looked for a job in the last few years knows, there just aren’t jobs out there. That’s a big part of why occupiers are protesting. In September, there were four times as many unemployed people as job openings.5 And for those who are lucky enough to find a job, median wages today are lower than they were a decade ago.6
MYTH #4: Occupy Wall Street is intent on provoking violence, especially against banks and the police.
REALITY: Occupations across the country have committed themselves to nonviolent protest, in the greatest traditions of protest movements. Some of their protests have been met with acts of police violence–tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets7–but in many cases, protesters have reminded police that the police are part of the 99%, too.8 And in the few cases when people have shown up at occupations and committed acts of vandalism, other protesters have even repaired their acts of vandalism.9
MYTH #5: The biggest crisis facing our country is out of control government spending.
REALITY: The two biggest drivers of our deficit–by far–are the economic crash and the Bush tax cuts.10 We have millions of people out of work, corporations hoarding cash, and factories sitting idle. If we put all those people back to work–rebuilding infrastructure, educating our children, and researching new technologies–it’ll shrink the deficit and make our economy stronger for the long haul. And we can easily afford it if we make sure the rich–who are taking home a larger percentage of income than any time since 191711–pay their fair share.
The Verizon Workers’ March for the 99%–with a dozen workers marching the whole way from Albany–will arrive in NYC and join a massive rally in Lower Manhattan.
Most CWA members are meeting at Verizon HQ at 140 West Street between 4 and 5pm for a large informational picket. Members will march from 140 West Street at 5pm to join a massive rally for the 99% on Foley Square on the two month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, which has focused attention on corporate greed. Click the link to view or print the flyer
We need to support the Marchers who have taken the time from their daily lives to stand up against VeriGreedy Verizon. Verizon is the poster child for Corporate Greed. These Marchers are driving that point home and we need to support them. If you can make it to these locations to show your support please do so.
Day 6 Tuesday, Nov 15th Peekskill to Tarrytown, 18 miles
10 am Departure from Arlo Lane Peekskill
5pm Arrival VZ Wireless Dealer in Tarrytown (15 North Broadway)
The Final leg of the March will be Nov 17, where we will meet the Marchers at 140 West Street. We will assembly at 4pm at 140 West street for informational picketing. At 5pm we will join “We are the 99%” Protest at Foley Square where we will continue to protest that Verizon is the poster child for Corporate greed.
Ohio voters today resoundingly overturned the anti-worker agenda pushed by Gov. John Kasich (R), Republican state lawmakers and outside interest groups, which took away the right of public employees to collectively bargain for a middle-class life.
Moments ago, the vote was called: Buckeye State voters said “No” to Issue 2. The Associated Press reports it was defeated by a 63 percent to 37 percent margin. The “No” vote on Issue 2 repeals Kasich’s S.B. 5 that eliminated the collective bargaining rights of some 350,000 public employees, including teachers, nurses and firefighters.
Ohio’s working people successfully fought back against lies pushed by shadowy multi-national corporations and their anonymous front groups that attempted to scapegoat public service employees and everyone they serve by assaulting collective bargaining rights.
Ohioans from all backgrounds and political parties rejected the crazy notion that the 99 percent—nurses, bridge inspectors, firefighters, and social workers—caused the economic collapse, rather than Wall Street.
After the Ohio legislature rammed the law through in late March—ignoring an outpouring of public opposition, including demonstrations that brought thousands to the state Capitol in Columbus—Ohio working families began a massive mobilization to repeal the law.
In just a matter of weeks, volunteers from the We Are Ohio coalition collected more than 1.3 million signatures to put S.B. 5 repeal on the ballot. With polls showing growing support for repeal and a rapidly shrinking approval rating, Kasich even offered a so-called compromise in August. But working families rejected the deal and continued the fight for full repeal.
As the election drew near, unions and community groups knocked on doors, made phone calls and distributed literature around the state. In the past weekend alone, volunteers knocked on more than 450,000 doors.
But while activists from dozens of states as far away as Alaska gave up their nights and weekends to call Ohio voters from home to get out the vote, S.B. 5 supporters turned to out-of-state money from extremist groups for misleading, and at times downright false, TV ads and dirty tricks.
For example in October, Cincinnati great-grandmother Marlene Quinn—whose family was saved by firefighters—was featured in a We Are Ohio TV ad urging a “No” vote on Issue 2. But shortly after, one of the right-wing groups backing Issue 2 pirated footage for their own ad and doctored Quinn’s words to make it seem as if she was endorsing Issue 2.
Just today, some voters received “robo calls,” telling them Election Day was “tomorrow.”
IF YOU ARE CALLED INTO A MEETING BY ANY COMPANY MANAGER OR CORPORATE SECURITY, BE SURE TO ASK...... If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my Union Representative, Officer, or Steward be present at the meeting. Without representation, I choose not to answer any questions.
YOU ARE THE UNION
UNION BEGINS WITH
YOU
MOST PEOPLE FEEL THAT THE "UNION" IS THE BOARD,
THE PEOPLE WHO "RUN" THE UNION. THIS COULD NOT
BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.
THE "UNION" IS YOU: YOU ARE THE ONE WHO
ELECTS YOUR OFFICIALS TO REPRESENT YOU. YOU ARE
THE ONE WHO HAS THE PRIVILEGE TO GO TO YOUR
MEETINGS AND SPEAK WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND, TO LET
YOUR BOARD KNOW OF ANY GRIEVANCE YOU MAY HAVE.
A STRONG UNION IS ONLY AS STRONG AS ITS MEMBERS.
SHOW VERIZON YOU STAND BEHIND YOUR UNION, ATTEND
MEETINGS, REPORT INFRACTIONS BY MANAGEMENT TO YOUR
SHOP STEWARD OR LOCAL WHEN THEY OCCUR. YOU WILL
NEVER AGREE WITH 100% OF WHAT YOUR LOCAL DOES OR
DOESN'T DO. BUT, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU GET PAST
THAT AND CARRY ON AND CONTINUE FIGHTING FOR YOUR
RIGHTS. REMEMBER, YOU ARE THE EYES AND EARS OF YOUR
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2011-11-17 West St to Foley Sq. flyer_1.pdf
