CWA 9505

HORTON'S NEWS YOU CAN USE

"I Prefer Yes We Will Over Yes we Can;

It's Far More Definitive"

Jerome E. Horton , Member Board of Equalization

California Must Be Prepared to Receive It Share of the $35 Billion Job Proposal.

Greetings!

Under the proposed law, companies that hire the unemployed would claim new tax breaks under a jobs-promoting bill the Senate passed Wednesday.

It's the first major bill to pass the Senate since the Christmas Eve passage of a deeply controversial health care bill and the subsequent election of Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown, which rocked Democrats by demonstrating their falling standing even among heavily Democratic voters.

The bill contain two major provisions. First, it would exempt businesses hiring the unemployed from the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax through December and give them an additional $1,000 credit if new workers stay on the job a full year. The Social Security trust funds would be reimbursed for the lost revenue.

Second, it would extend highway and mass transit programs through the end of the year and pump $20 billion into them in time for the spring construction season. The money would make up for lower-than-expected gasoline tax revenues.

The Senate's $35 billion proposal is a far smaller measure than the $862 billion economic stimulus bill enacted a year ago.

The measure cleared a key hurdle Monday when Brown and four other Republicans broke party ranks to defeat a filibuster. Republican leaders said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had used strong-arm tactics to bring the measure to the floor.

In all, 13 Republicans voted for the measure Wednesday. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska was the only Democrat in opposition.

Jerome E. Hoton, Vice Chair

California Board of Equalization

INTERESTED IN OUTPLACEMENT SERVICES FOR DISLOCATED WORKERS

Workers laid off either due to plant closure or downsizing, or who have been out of work for prolonged periods, may be eligible to receive retraining/transition services including on-the-job training, classroom training or customized training in demand occupations. Training for dislocated workers is designed to re-employ individuals by developing and matching transferable skills with job opportunities in growth industries. We encourage you to contact the South Bay One Stop Center for More Information on this and the following programs.

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES FOR OLDER WORKERS
Seniors 55 years and older can receive job placement assistance as experienced participants for full or part-time work. The South Bay One -Stop Business & Employment Centers are able to place ready, willing and able seniors who want to invest their time and energy in meaningful employment.

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Jerome is helping the unemployed prepare for future and current employment opportunities.

Horton as a former Board Member of the California State Work Force Investment Board encourage you to call the One-Stop at (310) 318-0645.310-318-0645 e-mail: bcos@redondo.org

for help with the programs listed in this News Letter.

Dear Tony gonzales,

CWA members log thousands of hours with Lynda- Complements of CWA

Since offering the Lynda.com program, over 500 CWA members have participated in watching over 14,500 training movies. The popularity of the program continues to grow and space is limited.

If you are interested please visit www.cwanett.org/lynda to be scheduled for your access to this great training program. Access is granted for 14 days, by order of request. You may participate in several sessions throughout the year. Please note there is usually a brief waiting list.

lynda.com is an award-winning provider of educational materials, including Hands-On Training instructional books, the Online Training Library�, CD- and DVD-based video training, and events for creative designers, instructors, students and hobbyists.

CWA will pay your exam fees

For a limited time, CWA will pay certification exam fees for CCENT or CCNA Discovery, or the exam fee for any class that is part of a certification taken through CWA/NETT as part of the 2,010 students in 2010 campaign to commemorate the 10th anniversary of CWA/NETT Academy. Those who become certified in any of our programs also are eligible for a drawing to win one of 10 Dell netbook computers. The highest participating Local also will receive two Dell computers.

Call CWA/NETT Academy at 877-676-4553; or visit www.cwanett.org/2010.

Next classes for all CWA/NETT Academy courses begin March 1 and April 5, 2010. Register now and begin the process of getting your tuition assistance or training funding in place.

GUILTY

On Wednesday January 6, 2010 the CWA Trial Board met to hear charges filed against former CWA 9505 President Rosio Blanco, former Executive Vice President Dennis DeMarco, former Vice President Thomas Montoya, former Secretary/ Treasurer Robyn Walker, former Secretary/Treasurer Anna Pathirana.

The above mentioned were charged with multiple violations of the CWA Constitution, the By-Laws of local 9505 and the local rules and policies. None of the above appeared to present a defense to the charges.

The Trail Court composed of Terry Daly CWA District 1 New York, Brent Duvall CWA District 7 Idaho and Georgia Thomas CWA District 6 Texas found there were numerous instances of credit card abuse, lack of financial accountability, duplicate receipts and vouchers. These actions of the above mentioned could have put CWA and Local 9505 in harm�s way.

The judgments of the trial panel are as follows;

� Rosio Blanco- Suspend membership in CWA or any of its affiliates for a period of ten years and a $3500 fine.

� Dennis DeMarco- Suspend membership in CWA or any of its affiliates for a period of ten years and a $3500 fine.

� Tomas Montoya- Suspend membership in CWA or any of its affiliates for a period of ten years and a $3500 fine.

� Anna Pathirana- Suspend membership in CWA or any of its affiliates for a period of ten years and a $3500 fine.

� Robyn Walker- Suspend membership in CWA or any of its affiliates for a period of 3 years and a $3,241.85 fine.

For detailed information about specific charges filed please contact the Local at 626-304-9505

August 25, 2010

Cohen: Don't Miss the Bus for Historic 'One Nation' Rally in Washington

The One Nation Rally is scheduled for October 2, 2010 at the Lincoln Memorial.

In 1963, more than 200,000 Americans rallied at the Lincoln Memorial for civil rights, led by Rev. Martin Luther King and other leaders. On Oct. 2, our coalition will again make history.

With just five weeks until more than a quarter of a million One Nation marchers gather at the Lincoln Memorial, now's the time to sign up for a CWA bus ride to make your voice heard.

In a new video, CWA President Larry Cohen is asking CWAers, their families and friends to take part in the historic Oct. 2 march and rally at the Lincoln Memorial. "We believe that across this country working families want change, that working families have had enough with 'Go Slow,'" he said. Watch the video here.

The website is also the place to sign up for one of the buses, which will be available from 11 states within driving distance from D.C. in the East and Midwest.

More than 200 organizations have signed on to the event, united around quality jobs, bargaining rights, retirement security and a government that works for all of us.

In its official call for participants, the One Nation coalition says, "We are determined to build a more united America - with jobs, justice and education for all...We are students and newly-returned veterans persevering in the face of mounting debt, determined not to be the first generation to end up worse off than our parents. We are baby boomers and seniors�We are conservatives and moderates, progressives and liberals, non-believers and people of deep faith, united by escalating assaults on our reason, our environment and our rights. We are workers of every age, faith, race, sex, nationality, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation and ability who have suffered discrimination but never stopped loving our neighbors, or our nation."

Tell us why you're getting on the bus! Email news@cwa-union.org.

Dayton Job Training Program Wins Praise from Governor, Dislocated Workers

Dislocated workers are signing up for high tech and green job training at the IUE-CWA Service Center. From left, CWA Pres. Cohen, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Lee Gillis, Jr., who starts a new job next week, and IUE-CWA Pres. Jim Clark.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland applauded CWA and IUE-CWA for providing state-of-the-art high tech and green job training to dislocated workers. The governor spoke to students and CWAers at the IUE-CWA Service Center in Dayton.

Through a $4 million job training grant from the Department of Labor and CWA/NETT, more than 60 Ohio workers have received skill training, with 1,500 expected to graduate by the end of 2011. A green production skill training module also is being developed as part of the grant.

Classes are free and open to all dislocated workers.

IUE-CWA President Jim Clark said area employers "are already starting to take note of the program's graduates." He introduced one of them, 43-year-old Lee Gillis, who starts a new job Monday after two years out of work.

Gillis described being in a room recently with eight other people seeking the same manufacturing job. Proudly holding up his certification, Gillis said that when he showed it to the interviewer, "everything changed. They hired me."

CWA President Larry Cohen said having a "Labor Department in Washington that actually listens" made all the difference in pursuing the grant. "It was an honor to fight for this program and for this funding," he said. "Anyone can lay off workers, the question is, how do you get companies to hire workers."

CenturyLink Behind Schedule on Embarq Integration

CWA Telecommunications Vice President Jimmy Gurganus submitted testimony to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, outlining potential risks surrounding the proposed CenturyLink-Qwest Communications acquisition. Gurganus will testify before the Minnesota PUC in October.

CWA represents about 15,000 workers at Qwest and about 3,700 at CenturyLink.

CenturyLink's own documents show that the company is concerned that it might not be able to "integrate successfully the businesses of CenturyLink and Qwest and realize the anticipated benefits of the merger," Gurganus said.

CenturyLink already is experiencing problems in integrating systems from Embarq, which CenturyLink acquired in 2008. "If these issues are not successfully addressed with the former Embarq operations, then the much larger task of integrating Qwest has a great potential to cause serious damage to CenturyLink and the customers it serves," he said.

CWA members at Qwest and CenturyLink are contacting their state and local officials, raising concerns about jobs, service quality, and the ability of CenturyLink to provide 21st Century communications to customers across Qwest's 13 state territory.

At a special CenturyLink shareholders meeting Aug. 24 in Monroe, La., Gurganus also pointed out that the Embarq systems were not being properly integrated into the CenturyLink system.

Click here for the latest developments.

Puerto Rico Local Fighting for Members on Many Fronts

TNG-CWA/UPAGRA members at Puerto Rico's WAPA-TV turn out in force for an informational picket in their fight for a fair contract. The 140-member unit has voted unanimously to strike if necessary.

A long-sought back pay award, a court date Monday in the case of 107 locked-out newspaper workers and a strike vote at TV station WAPA are among the victories and battles on the busy calendar at Puerto Rico's TNG-CWA Local 33225, known as UPAGRA.

Last week, a U.S. District Court judge in San Juan ordered four years of back pay for five employees that the San Juan Star laid off in 2005. In 2006, an arbitrator found that the company falsely claimed financial hardship and ordered the workers reinstated. The owners refused, shutting down the Star two years later. But TNG-CWA refused to give up its fight. "This is a lesson for all owners who insist on ignoring arbitration awards that favor their workers," UPAGRA President Nestor Soto said.

Another 107 workers who were locked out of their jobs at the newspaper El Vocero 14 months ago could get injunctive relief following a U.S. Federal Court hearing Monday. The case, which involves multiple ULP charges, a sham outsourcing company and misuse of federal stimulus funds, is before the NLRB, but workers and their families continue to suffer. Marta Figueroa, NLRB regional director in Puerto Rico, called for the hearing and described the company's campaign of fear and intimidation against remaining workers and the hardship on those fired. In the island's "dismal job market," she said the workers have lost homes, gone bankrupt and delayed critical medical care.

At WAPA-TV, the company's refusal to fairly address key issues of seniority and job security led the 140-member wall-to-wall UPAGRA unit to vote unanimously for strike authorization.

Judge Rules Albany Newspaper Broke Law, Orders Laid-Off Workers Reinstated

New York's Albany Times Union broke the law by dismissing 11 workers last year when the newspaper was supposed to be negotiating lay-off criteria with TNG-CWA, an administrative law judge ruled. His decision also finds the company guilty of unlawfully declaring impasse in contract talks.

Judge Mark Carissimi ordered the company to reinstate the workers within 14 days and make them financially whole. The publisher has said he will appeal to the full NLRB, putting workers' return on hold.

"We won the case and they have an uphill battle now, because the judge's decision is very solidly in our favor," TNG-CWA Local 31034 President Tim O'Brien said.

Carissimi rejected the Times Union's claim that the TNG-CWA local wasn't willing to negotiate layoffs, noting that the union made a proposal the day before impasse was declared that even the company had described as "movement."

O'Brien said the 11 workers have had a tough time financially since the layoffs in July 2009. While some have found jobs, they are making significantly less money. "They deserve better after all they have been through than a long, drawn-out appeal meant only to drag the case out," he said. "Justice may be delayed, but it will not be denied."

Virginia AFL-CIO Elects CWAer as First Woman President

Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays with CWA Pres. Larry Cohen.

The 200 delegates to the Virginia AFL-CIO Convention elected the state fed's first woman president, and she's a CWAer. Doris Crouse-Mays had been a CWA organizer with District 2 until her election as secretary-treasurer of the Virginia AFL-CIO in 2006.

Among resolutions adopted was a call to accelerate the build out of high speed broadband networks, submitted by the CWA Virginia State Council.

To purchase you may:

�         Go to the Local @
     3820E.ColoradoBlvd.,
    Pasadena, CA 91107

�         Contact the Local @
    626- 304-9505

� Via E-mail

www.cwa9505@cwa9505.org

2010 CWA/AT&T EMPLOYEE GIVING CAMPAIGN WINNERS FOR THE GRAND PRIZES:

� 32� SHARP LCD FLAT SCREEN T.V. ($500 value) - EDWINA GARCIA (The T.V. is being donated to Vincent for Hope For the Homeless Youth!)

� Big Bear Cabin for 3 days & 2 nights ($500 value) � KASHAWN NICHOLSON

� DYNEX 19� LCD TV 720P ($300 value) � NORMA BRUNO

� Brighton Purse ($265 value) � GARY JUSTIN

� Brighton Wallet ($115 value) � CARVEL HONORE

� Magic Mountain Family Pack ($137.50 value) � CARMEN HERRERA

� Magic Mountain Family Pack ($137.50 value) � FRANK Del CAMPO

� 2 Pasadena Playhouse Tickets ($90 value) � CLAUDIA LEZCANO

� 2 Pasadena Playhouse Tickets ($90 value) � FRANCISCO RUIZ

� Universal Studios Tickets ($120 value) � GUS CHAVEZ

CWA Local 9505 Charity of choice

LIVE UNITED

Here's this week's news from the CWA Health Care Campaign:

'Like Paul Revere,' sounding the alarm on the plan to tax out benefits
Nearly 200 CWA activists visited Capitol Hill last week, pushing for our goals on health reform -- and, especially, insisting on a reform bill that doesn't tax our benefits. "We're sounding the alarm on this," CWA's President Larry Cohen told a group of local activists on Wednesday, and they gathered at headquarters before fanning out to talk to members of the Senate and House. "It's like Paul Revere and the Revolution."

Stories behind CWA's health care activists
Among nearly 200 CWA activists who came to Washington last week to lobby for health reform were David and Kelly Arellanes, of Local 6508 in Little Rock, Ark., and Jeanine Maury of Local 7800 in Seattle. Their personal stories are dramatic demonstrations of why the health insurance system must change.

Majority of House Democrats say, 'No tax on benefits!'
A majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives have signed a letter opposing a tax on benefits. The tax on benefits is included in a health reform bill from the Senate Finance Committee. CWA research shows that the proposed tax would do serious damage to our health coverage.

Public option: Doctors prescribe it, Robert Reich explains it
There's a lot of misunderstanding about the public health insurance option -- misunderstanding that's been fed by disinformation from supporters of the status quo. Actually, the public option is "not very scary or complicated at all," Robert Reich, former labor secretary, explains in a new video.