Tony Walker
In 1992 I joined the Communication Workers of America, AKA CWA. They are the union for Verizon workers here in NY and most of the Country.
I knew nothing about unions or corporate america at that time.
From then til now I have seen all sorts of corporate greed, deceit, lies, and despicable behavior by the managers I worked for. It forced me to get me involved in the union & fight for our rights. I am proud to say that I was a Chief Steward for Local 1104 for 10 years. I loved every minute of it.
In 2008 I was forced out of my job due to my disability and that's when I decided to start my new life doing what I was meant to do-comedy. However I am still an active member of 1004 and try to stay involved. I made some great friends while working there and I will always support them.
Because of my union: I had medical benefits that got me through cancer and got my family through all the testing we needed to do on my daughter when she was young as we discovered she's autistic. I still had a job even though the cancer kept me from doing my job for a few years.
I get a pension. I was paid a decent salary plus overtime. I was trained properly and was given all the safety equipment I'm supposed to have so I can return to my family every night. Working on poles like I did can be very dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
Did you know that no one was paid overtime after 40 hours until unions made it happen? So even if you're not a union member, what happens with a union can effect you. It's all about workers rights!!!
Here's a question.... after being a union guy for almost 20 years I forget how the public perceives unions. Do you think they are corrupt? If so why? How much do you actually know about them?
Do you think unions are needed now more than ever as the middle class suffers more & more every day?
I'd like to wish all my Brothers and Sisters at CWAN all the best as they fight for what they deserve. This strike could be a long one. Be strong!
If you're in NY or on the eastern seaboard most likely you know someone who is fighting for their job right now. Please support them! They won't forget who supports them & who doesn't. Believe me!!
I think it's a hard call on how the public views unions. On one hand they played a huge part in building America after the war and making it a great nation. However I do think that some of them have gotten just a greedy as you claim corporate America has gotten. They destroyed the automobile industry, forced the closure of at least 5 newspapers here in NYC alone, and look what's happening to our taxes by way of the teachers union. So while I do think thay have a place, I also think they need to feel the pain of the economy like the rest of us. By the way, I pay for my medical insurance, don't get paid overtime, and don't have a pension. Some people are just happy to have a job in this economy. Just my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you speaking up Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteWould you mind explaining how the union forced the closure of these newspapers & destroyed the auto industry?
You also say, "Look what's happening to our taxes by way of the teachers union." From what I see, what's happening to the teachers is the same as what is happening to the rest of middle class America. They are expected to give back when they don't have much to give back. The school administrators & the gov't agencies who were all over the teachers didn't give anything back & they're the ones who have something to give back. For example... in my town the school superintendent wanted the teachers to give back meanwhile she was all proud of herself for giving herself a wage freeze. She makes over $400,000 a year!!! Wage freeze?? How about a wage cut??? The gov't agencies made it look like the teachers were being insensitive meanwhile none of those corrupt bastards gave anything back.
"They need to feel the pain of the economy like the rest of us." Sorry, wrong again. We are feeling the pain like the rest. CWA members used to get 5% raises give or take. For the past 15 years or so those raises have been 2%. We accepted that because we weren't paying for our medical. So in a roundabout way we were paying for our medical.
I need to remind you we are also feeling the pain because our strike is not just about dollars. It's about job security, it's about job safety, it's about pensions, & so many other things. If we lose any of those things then it's over. We are feeling the pain by fighting to keep what we have. Going on strike & not getting paid is pretty painful by the way.
People need to understand that just having a job is not enough. Everyone (not just union members but everyone) needs to band together & fight for jobs with insurance, pensions, & overtime. Instead they get mad at the people who do have those things. These things are a right not a privilege. Unions fought long & hard to keep those things. There is no reason why everyone shouldn't have them too. People would rather accept having no pension or overtime then go home & do nothing but complain to other people, than fight with their employer for these things. It's very sad.
Unions continue to PROTECT workers rights from corporate greed. Anonymous; Verizon has made 40 billion dollars over the past three years on the backs of union workers. The CEO of Verizon makes $55,000 a DAY, 7 days a week. While my husband, a CWA employee is struggling to maintain a middle class existence. These employees have felt the pain and have given back much over the years, yet there is very little that they are left with. Yes, they are fighting to hold onto medical and are also willing to compromise but the GREEDY CORPORATE PIGS at Verizon are unwilling to participate in ANY type of negotiations. So YES my husband was happy to have a job but he has also EARNED RESPECT. Do you think if they give back, your costs as a customer will go down? The answer is a RESOUNDING NO! The CWA members have fought for over 50 years to protect worker rights. They are fighting to keep jobs here in the USA. Verizon wants to outsource as much as they can. They are fighting for the life of a dwindling middle class and they are fighting for the future of their families. So I say, FIGHT STRONG, FIGHT HARD, FIGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT, FIGHT FOR YOU LIVELY-HOOD, FIGHT FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS, FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY! CWA STAND UNITED!
ReplyDeleteDawn M.
Having grown up in Flint Michigan I got a first hand view of the destruction of the auto industry. I lived there from the '70s until the late '90s and watched the decimation. Take a look at the blight that was once Buick and Fisher Body via google maps
ReplyDeletehttp://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.038156,-83.683119&spn=0.023745,0.045276&t=h&z=15
the white and grey area that goes north used to be factories and is now almost done being leveled to the ground. There are three players in the downfall of the auto industry in Flint. The corporations, the government and the unions all are responsible, maybe not equally but all are at fault. Unless these groups start looking past their noses and start working together for the long term, then we as a country will go the way Flint and Detroit have.
Garyo I couldn't agree more when you say everyone needs to work together or the whole Country will end of like Flint.
ReplyDeleteWhile I know the basic story of what happened to you guys I will admit I don't know the main details of what happened over there so I can't agree or disagree, but I will say that you're not the first person who has told me the union was partly to blame.
I will tell you this.... CWA in my area (NY) is the strongest CWA in the Country. CWA as a whole is one of the strongest unions in the Country. In the industry I work in CWA has not been perfect but my opinion is that 90% of the time they've done the right thing for their members.
Since this is such a strong union, all the major corporations are looking at this strike. They know that if Verigreedy wins then all unions are screwed & they can start doing whatever they want. But if CWA/IBEW wins than they know they have to keep on battling. So this strike will have a tremendous effect on this Country's future.
The middle class is in deep doo doo right now. Sometimes I think we need to wipe out the major political parties & start everything all over again just like when we were kids & called for a do over!