Sept. 20, 2017 – Among the most notable threats to press freedom during the week of Sept. 11-17: Journalists were detained during weekend protests in St. Louis and the White House called for an ESPN reporter to be fired after she posted tweets calling President Trump a white supremacist. That’s according to Reporters Without Borders. Read more here.
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.”
NewsGuild Photographer Roughed Up by Berkeley Police in June
Sept. 7, 2017 – NewsGuild member Brooke Anderson was roughed up by police in late June, ironically, while covering a protest at a Berkeley City Council meeting that focused on how police departments handle protests. The credentialed photographer is a member of the Pacific Media Workers Guild local, which includes a unit of freelancers like Anderson. Continue reading “NewsGuild Photographer Roughed Up by Berkeley Police in June”
Victory: Charges Dropped Against Dan Heyman
Sept. 6, 2017 – Charges have been dropped against radio reporter Dan Heyman, who was arrested May 9 after he persisted in asking questions of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in a hallway at the West Virginia capitol. Continue reading “Victory: Charges Dropped Against Dan Heyman”
CWA, NewsGuild, NABET Join Opposition to Sinclair-Tribune Merger
The Communications Workers of America, NewsGuild and NABET (National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians) filed reply comments at the FCC opposing the Sinclair-Tribune merger on Aug. 29. The unions argued that the merger would reduce viewpoint diversity, harm localism, and reduce jobs. Continue reading “CWA, NewsGuild, NABET Join Opposition to Sinclair-Tribune Merger”
CWA: Trump’s Move on Dreamers is Cruel and Mean-Spirited
Continue reading “CWA: Trump’s Move on Dreamers is Cruel and Mean-Spirited”
NewsGuild Mourns Former Leader of CWA Canada, Arnold Amber
Sept. 5, 2017 – Arnold Amber, a proud, passionate union leader, respected journalist, and fierce defender of free expression, died on Labor Day in a Toronto hospital with family at his bedside. He was 77. Continue reading “NewsGuild Mourns Former Leader of CWA Canada, Arnold Amber”
13 Years After Vote to Unionize, Point Park Faculty Wins First Contract
Aug. 31, 2017 – More than 13 years after they began their quest for a union contract, full-time faculty at Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh ratified an agreement by a vote of 96 to 6 on Aug. 28.
By all accounts, the result was worth the years of struggle. The full-time faculty won major improvements and built a solid foundation for the future.
Continue reading “13 Years After Vote to Unionize, Point Park Faculty Wins First Contract”
Guild Conference Calls for Action
Aug. 21, 2017 – With President Trump’s attacks on journalists as a backdrop, the Guild’s August conference took on a sense of urgency. Delegates discussed the best ways to respond, approved a resolution to Defend the Right to Report, and urged its adoption by the CWA convention that followed. Continue reading “Guild Conference Calls for Action”
Pay Gaps Persist for Women, Minorities in Nation’s Newsrooms
Aug. 17, 2017 – Women and minorities earn less on average than their white, male counterparts at some of the nation’s most prestigious newspapers, according to analyses presented at a recent conference of The NewsGuild-CWA. Continue reading “Pay Gaps Persist for Women, Minorities in Nation’s Newsrooms”