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The Heroes Act Protects and Compensates Essential Workers The Heroes Act is an important next step in our country’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, providing compensation and critical health and safety protections for workers. “Speaker Pelosi and her leadership team listened to the concerns of working people, especially those who have been on the front lines of this crisis, and made protecting their health and providing fair compensation a focus of this legislation,” said CWA President Chris Shelton. “Donald Trump quickly declared he would veto the bill, alarmed that it closes loopholes that provide tax breaks to the super-rich. He needs to get his priorities straight and stop acting like the best way to recover from this pandemic is to pretend like it doesn’t exist.” The bill contains provisions that will support employment for CWA members and allow them to continue to serve their communities, including funding for state and local public services, internet access for schools and families, and access for local news outlets to the Paycheck Protection Program. It provides premium pay for essential workers in a number of key sectors to fairly compensate them for the risks they have been taking by staying on the job during this crisis. The bill improves access to paid leave for millions of workers, includes new payments to individuals to offset lost pay, extends unemployment insurance and helps prevent foreclosures and evictions. It requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to do something that should have been done at the outset of the pandemic if the Trump Administration really cared about workers: establish an Emergency Temporary Standard to protect those who have been on the front lines of this crisis, interacting with the public and risking exposure to the novel coronavirus every day. It also establishes funding and coordination to ensure that they have access to badly-needed personal protective equipment. It establishes standards and funding to ensure that elections can be held safely, without jeopardizing the health of voters. CWA members expect their Representatives and Senators to recognize the critical importance of keeping workers employed and protecting their safety and act quickly to pass this legislation. ### — May 15
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Universal Access to Broadband is Needed to Support Critical Services During the Pandemic and Create Jobs The COVID-19 pandemic has made something clear that CWA members have known for a long time: millions of families in the United States do not have access to affordable, reliable broadband internet connections. In a letter sent this week, CWA President Chris Shelton, AFT President Randi Weingarten, and SEIU President Mary Kay Henry urged Congress to include affordable, universal access to broadband in legislation that addresses the coronavirus pandemic. Frontline workers are keeping people connected, teaching our children, and providing healthcare and essential public services during this crisis. But technicians can't install high-speed internet service if fiber optic cable hasn't reached the neighborhood. Teachers can't keep children who cannot access online materials engaged and learning. Nurses can't provide telemedicine services to patients who lack broadband and who can't get a reliable cell phone connection. Two of the leaders' recommendations are part of the HEROES Act, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week: more funding for the FCC's E-rate program, which helps schools and libraries obtain affordable broadband, and assistance covering the cost of broadband for low-income households. In many parts of the United States, however, high-speed broadband connections are not available at any price. By funding broadband expansion, Congress will create family-supporting jobs and provide millions of Americans with a gateway to jobs, education, healthcare, public safety, civic participation, and communications among friends and family. Read the full letter here: https://cwa-union.org/sites/default/files/20200511-union-letter-on-broadband-covid.pdf. — May 14
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Organizing Update Orlando Sentinel Orlando Sentinel workers voted overwhelmingly to join the NewsGuild-CWA this week. The 53-person bargaining unit will join CWA Local 3108. The group, which organized around cuts to their newsroom, faced unexpected delays when their March 25th election was canceled by the NLRB, causing a delay of nearly seven weeks for their vote count. ### Inside Higher Ed Less than a week after publicly announcing their union campaign, 12 editorial and tech employees at DC-based Inside Higher Ed won voluntary recognition. The group will join the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild. Issues for the workers included shifting schedules, tight deadlines, and the desire to gain stability by having a seat at the table. The group had previously delivered a petition to management and won better severance pay, showing the power of collective action! ### Pop-Up Magazine Productions Staffers at Pop-Up Magazine Productions announced this week that they are forming a union as part of the Media Guild of the West. An overwhelming majority of more than 30 non-management employees at Pop-Up Magazine and The California Sunday Magazine signed union authorization cards. The editors, producers, designers, and other staffers said they are seeking to partner with management to build a sustainable work environment for all, including by addressing issues such as job security, transparency, career growth, and compensation. — May 14
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Bargaining Update CenturyLink After eight weeks of bargaining, CWA members at CenturyLink in the central Florida area reached a tentative agreement with the company covering 256 workers. The agreement includes improvements on job protections and working conditions, maintains current benefits, and provides a 4.5% increase on wages during the life of the contract. CWA Local 3176 President Greg Douglas said, "The membership sent a clear message to the company that as union members we have a collective voice and we are willing to use it." The COVID-19 pandemic raised challenges during bargaining, requiring the bargaining committee to conduct all meetings remotely using audio/video technology instead of face-to-face. Despite those challenges, the local mobilized effectively during bargaining, using tactics like an electronic mobile billboard (above). — May 14
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Trump's Labor Secretary Encourages Employers to Report Workers Who Fear Contracting COVID-19 During a global pandemic, instead of focusing the Labor Department's resources on protecting workers, President Trump's Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia is encouraging employers to report workers who refuse to return to their jobs out of fear of contracting COVID-19. Scalia issued a new guidance this week on COVID-19-related unemployment insurance urging states to have employers report workers for refusing to return to their jobs, saying, "States are strongly encouraged to request employers to provide information when workers refuse to return to their jobs for reasons that do not support their continued eligibility for benefits. We also strongly encourage states to remind employers and the public about the claimant and employer fraud resources within each state." "When you put a union buster in charge of the Labor Department, workers are the ones who suffer," said Micki Siegel de Hernández, CWA Deputy Director of Occupational Health and Safety. "During a time when the Labor Department should be putting its full efforts into making sure Americans are safe on the job, Scalia is continuing to focus on instilling fear in the workplace, allowing hazardous conditions while shielding employers from liability, and creating more red tape for states trying to get unemployment benefits to people who desperately need them. Trump's administration's actions have been disgraceful and show blatant disregard for workers' lives." — May 14