CWA: Medicare for All Legislation Makes Sense

Sept. 20, 2017 – “Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All legislation sets the stage for a health care system that finally would make good health care available and affordable for every American,” CWA President Chris Shelton said in a press statement Sept. 19. “CWA long has supported an overhaul of our health care system and a ‘single payer’ plan that would provide universal coverage. The Medicare for All Act is one opportunity to do just that.”

Despite the fact that the U.S. spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation, the U.S. lags behind the nations of the world that guarantee universal access to affordable, quality health care, he noted.

“Right now, Senate Republicans are trying to push through the Graham-Cassidy bill that would make our health care system much worse for working families. It would cut protections for people with pre-existing conditions and allow insurance companies to make their health care so expensive that ordinary Americans couldn’t afford it.  It would put an ‘age tax’ in place, requiring older Americans to pay thousands of dollars more, it will make health care bargaining much more difficult and it would slash the Medicaid program.

“It’s a mean-spirited and extreme measure that CWA and our allies will resist.”

CWA: Trump’s Move on Dreamers is Cruel and Mean-Spirited

Sept. 5, 2017 –  The Communications Workers of America condemned the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in a statement issued Sept. 5.

Continue reading “CWA: Trump’s Move on Dreamers is Cruel and Mean-Spirited”

On Strike: AT&T Wireless, Wireline, DIRECTV Workers Walk off Job

AT&T workers who are members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) walked off the job May 19 for a three-day strike, protesting AT&T’s failure to present serious proposals that invest in good jobs with a future. During the job action this weekend, a majority of AT&T wireless, wireline and DIRECTV workers fighting for their contracts are expected to be on strike. Click here to read more.

Boston Herald Employees Boycott Twitter After Management Suspends Reporter

Managers at the Boston Herald got an unwelcome surprise after they suspended reporter Chris Villani – allegedly for violating the company’s social media policy. The 2013 policy, which requires reporters to get approval from the Executive Editor or his designee prior to tweeting breaking news, had never been enforced before.

Reporters launched a Twitter boycott – blacking out their profile images and refraining from tweeting. Continue reading “Boston Herald Employees Boycott Twitter After Management Suspends Reporter”

Workers at Digital First Media, GateHouse Join Forces on Press Freedom Day

Unionized workers at media outlets owned by GateHouse Media and Digital First Media (DFM) will mark World Press Freedom Day – May 3 – by sending a message to their employers: “Democracy Depends on Journalism: Invest in Us.”

Continue reading “Workers at Digital First Media, GateHouse Join Forces on Press Freedom Day”

NLRB to Issue Complaint Against SOSi

After a lengthy investigation into more than a dozen charges of anti-union activity, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is preparing to issue a formal complaint against SOS International, a federal contractor that provides language-interpreting services for immigration courts, the NewsGuild-CWA has announced. Continue reading “NLRB to Issue Complaint Against SOSi”

Report: The Status of Women in U.S. Media 2017

The fifth edition of the Women’s Media Center’s annual assessment of how females fare across media platforms found areas of progress, but mixed news overall. The center monitored news outlets for three months in 2016, and found that a gender gap exists in traditional newspapers, TV news, online news, and wire services, with the largest disparity in television.

According to the report, “Men still dominate media across all platforms—television, newspapers, online and wires—with change coming only incrementally. Women are not equal partners in telling the story, nor are they equal partners in sourcing and interpreting what and who is important in the story.”

Read more about the “The Status of Women in U.S. Media 2017” report –>

 

NLRB Says Immigration Court Interpreters Are Employees

By the Pacific Media Workers Guild

The determination is a major — though preliminary — win for the Guild, which has been working to help immigration interpreters fighting for their job rights.

Officials at the National Labor Relations Board have found that immigration court interpreters should be considered employees rather than independent contractors.

The determination is a major — though preliminary — win for the Guild, which has been working to help immigration interpreters fighting for their job rights. Continue reading “NLRB Says Immigration Court Interpreters Are Employees”