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Workers' Rights are Human Rights

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Letter to Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation in support of NABET-CWA Local 21

                                                                                           (story and pictures)

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From left front to right: 

Greg Perez, CWA Local 7200 President;

Tim Lovaasen, President CWA MN State Council;

Labor Endorsed Candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg;

Mike Nguyen, CWA Local 7200 Legislative Chair;

Owen 'Andy' Anderson, CWA Local 7200 AVP; and

Left back: Todd Erickson, CWA Local 7200 AVP

CWA Minnesota State Council was a cosponsor of a fundraiser for  Labor Endorsed Candidate for Congress in the 6th Congressional District, Elwyn Tinklenberg.  CWA gave Tinklenberg $5,000.00 from our CWA-COPE Fund for his election campaign.  Tinklenberg said he was proud to get the endorsement of and would work to see Labors' issues are addressed when he is elected.  He said his door will always be open to Labor.

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Pictured from left to right are:

 Local 7203 President Jerry Finn;

 Congressman Tim Walz; and

 CWA MN State Council President Tim Lovaasen

CWA Minnesota State Council President Tim Lovaasen and CWA Local 7203 President Jerry Finn had a 30-minute meeting with Congressman Tim Walz.  They discussed the need for healthcare reform so CWA members could continue to receive healthcare benefits at their current levels without the fear of paying higher premium or co-pays. 

Also discussed was rebuilding of the middle class in the United States and that the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act into law is necessary to accomplish that goal.  Unions helped build the middle class, but they have been under attack by the right wing element in this country which has made it almost impossible to organize and get the first contract.  Representative Walz understands this and has been a strong support of the EFCA. 

Speed Matters was also discussed and Representative Walz told us to keep him informed of what the needs of CWA members are concerning this issue.

The meeting ended with Representative Tim Walz getting a check from Tim and Jerry from our CWA-COPE fund for $1,500.  This brought our total CWA contributions for the year to Representative Walz to $5,000 which is the maximum we can give. Representative Walz is a true friend of CWA and our members.

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Free Choice Act

Dear Members,

The following is Senator Klobuchar's speech on the Senate Floor pertaining to the Employee Free Choice Act.  This is what it is all about (thank You Amy)!

Tim

Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 2:20 PM

Subject: Sen. Klobuchar EFCA Floor Speech on the Employee Free Choice Act)

              (Wednesday, June 27, 2007)

EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

Mr. President, before I yield the floor, I want to speak for a few minutes in support of the Employee Free Choice Act which the Senate may vote on this week.

I support this Act because I believe in leveling the playing field for working people in this country, and this bill will do that by protecting workers and promoting a smooth and fair process.

It’s getting harder and harder for working families in America to get by. Millions of workers have been left behind in this economy, and are struggling to make ends meet with stagnant wages and declining benefits.

Unions help all workers, not just those that are members. Unions helped build this country and have lifted millions of Americans out of poverty. As we go forward as a nation, unions will continue to be the friend of working men and women everywhere.

But for too many workers, forming unions at their workplaces simply is not a real option. Approximately 60 million workers say they would join like to join a union right now. And the reasons why are clear:

o   Union workers earn 30% more than non-union workers.

o   Union workers are 62% more likely to have employer-provided health coverage.

o   Union workers are 400% more likely to have access to pension plans.

For millions of workers, access to fair wages and decent benefits is being denied because the current process for forming unions has become flawed.

In my state, we’re lucky to have great companies and honest employers that, to a large extent, treat their workers with the respect and dignity that they deserve.  But there are those companies that don’t play by the rules, in every state across the nation, where workers considering unionization face intimidation and termination from employers.

According to national labor data, workers are illegally fired in one-quarter of all union organizing campaigns, including 1 in 5 active union supporters.

When workers are systematically denied rights to fair wages and benefits, we need to take action.

In my last job, I was the County Attorney in the largest county in Minnesota. For eight years I managed an office of nearly 400 unionized employees. Each day I made sure to show them the same level of respect that they showed the people they represented.

This level of respect and dignity towards workers is lacking in many workplaces today.

This bill would create a process that will allow more well-paying jobs and benefits for hard-working Americans. This bill will help workers.

The Employee Free Choice Act places the decision to form a union where it belongs: in the hands of the working men and women in America.

I urge my colleagues to support it.

Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

This Site contains information from CWA Locals from all over the great state of Minnesota.

If your Local has something they would like to share with the other Local in Minnesota, or you have  questions of the MN State Council, please contact President Tim Lovaasen at:  tim@cwamncouncil.org