Communications Workers Of America Local 6508 AFL-CIO, CLC

• NMB Brings 'Majority Vote' Rule to Airline Union Elections
• CWA Activists Ready to Build a Strong Political Movement
• In Germany, T-Mobile USA Workers Learn 'Respect' is the Difference
• On the Web: Learn More During Labor History Month
• CWA Photo Contest Open for Entries Through June
• Union Sportsmen's Alliance Promotes New Giveway

NMB Brings 'Majority Vote' Rule to Airline Union Elections

The National Mediation Board issued a new rule for union representation elections in the airline and railroad industries that finally adopts the majority determination rule that is the standard for elections in the United States.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and all of CWA made the fight for fairer elections for airline workers a top priority. "Our elected officials, from the President of the United States, to mayors and other representatives in our communities, attain office by winning majority support of the votes being cast," said AFA-CWA International President Pat Friend. "That's the way U.S. elections are conducted, and AFA-CWA commends the NMB for restoring the majority rule standard for airline workers."

The previous rule gave management enormous opportunities to stack the deck, because workers who didn't vote were counted as no votes. Airlines also have resorted to intimidation and other tactics to suppress voter turnout by making workers fearful of voting.

The NMB said that its rule change, first issued for public comment last November, was necessary "to provide a more reliable indicator of employee sentiment in representational issues." The wishes of those who take the time and trouble to cast ballots should not be superseded by those choosing not to participate, the NMB said.

CWA Activists Ready to Build a Strong Political Movement

About 110 CWAers met in Baltimore to gear up for the 2010 elections. Photo by Herb Keener, CWA 6215

Local union officers and activists who will lead CWA's electoral work in 2010 met for two days of training and brainstorming to get geared up for the elections.

CWA President Larry Cohen outlined CWA's political agenda and stressed that "our work isn't about one party. We're not in the pocket of any party but we stand for working families, for CWAers, for our communities." Watch President Cohen's remarks here.

Also meeting with the group was CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill, who told participants that the CWA triangle remains more important and more effective than ever. We must continue to build our legislative and political actions teams in order to offset the attack on collective bargaining, she said.

In Germany, T-Mobile USA Workers Learn 'Respect' is the Difference

It was an eye-opening experience for T-Mobile USA workers to see firsthand how differently their company treats workers in Germany.

During the 10 days that T-Mobile USA workers spent in Germany for the Deutsche Telekom annual meeting and other events, meetings with their German colleagues strengthened their commitment to continue the fight for a union in the United States.

"While there were many differences on issues like pay and due process, the most recurring issue was respect," said CWA District 6 staff representative Judy Graves who was part of the CWA delegation. When a German worker was asked how bathroom breaks are handled, she simply responded, "I go. She was taken aback to learn that it's not that simple for T-Mobile workers," said Graves.

When discussing measures used to evaluate workers' performance, T-Mobile USA workers discovered a huge difference in how management uses the data. In Germany, scores are used to encourage workers to improve performance. In the U.S., low scores mean warnings or discipline.

German management uses GPS technology to improve dispatching, the US workers learned. In the United States, management uses GPS positioning technology to punish workers for being in the wrong place.

"After the meeting, a ver.di member came up to me and apologized for our treatment," one of the T-Mobile USA workers wrote in a blog at www.LoweringTheBarForUs.org. "She had no reason to apologize. We stand together and fight for the same rights and respect. It's the greedy corporations who need to stop stuffing their pockets and taking advantage of the lack of global regulations."

Ver.di members at T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom encouraged the T-Mobile USA workers to keep fighting, not only for their own sake but to stop DT from trying to take away the gains that ver.di members have made.

On the Web: Learn More During Labor History Month

May is Labor History Month, and whether you want to learn about oral histories or famous union leaders, some new websites are making it easier than ever to explore the rich history of the fight for workers' rights.

Union leaders, students, teachers and activists all can take advantage of new resources to keep telling our story and building our future.

The website of the American Labor Studies Center, www.labor-studies.org, links users to materials from the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, the National Archives, Labor Department, the AFL-CIO, top university labor programs and much more.

"Labor History Links," a site developed by a Duke University labor historian, is a comprehensive bibliography of information, documents and links of U.S. labor history sites; users also can recommend links to be added to it. Click here to visit the site.

The website includes teachers' lesson plans, information organized by date and topic, biographies and oral history, labor culture through films, songs, literature, art and photos, listings of state and local historical sites and much more.

CWA Photo Contest Open for Entries Through June

The deadline for CWA's First Annual Photography Contest has been extended to the end of June to give local shutterbugs a little more time to take quality pictures of local members in action.

Your photo of members on the job, on the picket line, at rallies or at other events could be a winner. Winning photos will be displayed at the CWA convention in July. Entries may also be published, with the photographers' names, in the CWA News, the union website and local newsletters.

Be creative, be dramatic, be funny. Look for good candid pictures and interesting ways to take group or other posed shots. Digital or film photos will be accepted, but digital photos must be high resolution.

For all the categories, rules and requirements, including how to make sure your photos will be high resolution, go to http://ga.cwa-union.org/source/cwa-photo-contest.html. There you will find instructions on how to submit your photos online, or to mail print entries.

The deadline for submitting photos is June 30.

Questions? Please contact Janelle Hartman in the CWA Communications Department at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please put "CWA Photo Contest" in the subject line.

Union Sportsmen's Alliance Promotes New Giveway

The Union Sportsmen's Alliance has a new giveaway, and any active or retired CWA member who joins the club is eligible to win.

USA is giving away a new, U.S. made Triton boat, plus a visit to the Triton factory in Tennessee and a day of fishing with Triton's CEO, who is proud of his company's union label. The boat will be given away at the end of July 2010.

For info on joining USA, go to www.UnionSportsmen.org.