ARIZONA STATE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION-CWA
What is ASEA-CWA?
ASEA-CWA stands for the Arizona State Employee Association-Communications Workers of America (ASEA-CWA), which is made of Arizona State employees who are striving to improve our jobs and working conditions. Assisted by CWA, a strong progressive labor union representing 700,000 members all across the U.S., there is much we can achieve as ASEA members.
ASEA-CWA is a democratic worker organization that supports State Employees obtaining the right to negotiate with the state regarding working conditions such as wages, work rules, and disciplinary action. How does this work? The only way is by state employees joining together to create a positive change at work.
We are not alone in this effort. All over Arizona Municipal Employees have joined together to improve tomorrow. Maricopa Community College employees, City of Tucson, City of Nogales, Santa Cruz County, Tucson Unified School District, and Public Safety Officers in over 70 municipalities have joined CWA. By joining ASEA we will have the support of every one of these members of CWA with us everyday.
Why was ASEA started in the first place?
Like other unions, ASEA was started when people like you decided they wanted better working conditions.
The workers who formed ASEA knew that they could balance the power of employers only by sticking together. The same is still true today.
How can ASEA make my job better?
One way is by giving you someone to turn to when you are not being treated fairly.
With ASEA-CWA, you have a union “steward” at your job site and trained union officers and a professional staff to back you up if you have a problem with management.
If you face a unfair firing, demotion, discrimination, harassment, denial of promotions, benefits or rights, ASEA-CWA is at your side. You no longer have to stand alone. ASEA-CWA will help you win a fair settlement and make sure the employer lives up to it.
How will ASEA-CWA make my employer respect my rights?
If you are a public employee not covered by a law giving you the right to protection from a union contract, ASEA-CWA will work for passage of such a law. In the meantime, it will help you get fair treatment by using and improving existing personnel procedures.
Does ASEA-CWA contracts also prevent favoritism and unfair treatment?
Yes, ASEA-CWA contracts set up systems for promotions based on seniority and ability instead of on favoritism.
Fair, orderly procedures are set up to protect workers if layoffs occur. Overtime work must be distributed fairly. Job tasks are spelled out to protect workers against unexpected increases in workloads. Harassment and discrimination are prohibited.
CWA contracts also help improve working conditions. For example, CWA contracts establish health and safety committees in workplaces where people face on-the-job hazards.
Who runs ASEA-CWA?
The members do. We are the union; the union belongs to us. Democracy in ASEA-CWA begins at the local union level. Every member has the right to vote for local union officers.
Facts At a Glance -CWA International
SIZE: CWA, the largest telecommunications union in the world, represents more than 700,000 workers in private and public sector occupations in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. More than 1,200 chartered CWA local unions are affiliated. CWA members live and work in some 10,000 communities.
MEMBERSHIP: CWA members are employed in telecommunications and information technology, printing and the news media, broadcast and cable television, law enforcement, higher education, health care and public service, the airline industry, manufacturing, and other fields.
Collective Bargaining: CWA holds more than 2,000 collective bargaining agreements establishing wages, benefits and working conditions for its members. Among major private sector employers are AT&T, Verizon, Cingular Wireless, and other telecom companies; General Electric; the New York Times and Wall Street Journal; NBC and ABC television networks; the Canadian Broadcasting Co.; United, US Airways and two dozen other airlines. CWA represents, and or bargains on behalf of, more than 100,000 members across the U.S. working for local, state, and community government in the areas of health care, higher education, government service, and law enforcement.
On The Job: CWA membership means representation on the job every single day. Union stewards are trained to deal with members’ workplace issues and handle individual grievances at the job site. In addition, CWA local officers and professional staff are trained and experienced in such areas as workplace health and safety, handling arbitration cases and other legal concerns, economic research, education and employment counseling, contract negotiation and more.
MEMBERS
DETERMINE BARGAINING ISSUES:
Collective bargaining is led by officials and bargaining committee members
elected by CWA bargaining unit members. Collective bargaining is supported
by CWA staff with training and expertise in financial and data analysis,
mobilization, communications, and more. CWA has broken new ground in
contract bargaining, winning greater job security protections, flexibility
in working conditions, and steadily improving income and benefit coverage
for its members.
CWA members discuss, determine and vote on their bargaining goals,
elect their own negotiating committees, and vote to ratify the terms of
their negotiated agreements.
In The Community: CWA members and their families live and work in 10,000 communities across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, and have made community-based organizing and mobilization an important part of the union’s mission. CWA leaders and members participate in countless community and civic projects, earning CWA a widely-respected reputation as one of “the Community-Minded Union.” CWA’s charity of choice is the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and CWA is among the largest contributors to PAF, raising millions for pediatric HIV/AIDS research and education.
CWA’s legislative and
political program supports the election of worker-friendly politicians and
the passage of laws that benefit workers and their families. CWA
is in the forefront of legislative initiatives to maintain fair wage laws,
improve workplace safety and health, strengthen workers’ rights, retain
good-paying, high-skilled jobs in America and to improve the lives of
working families. To promote these and other interests, CWA is an active
part of the Jobs with Justice coalition.
Around The World: CWA maintains close relations with counterpart unions and their members in Asia, the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America, both individually and through the 15 million member Union Network International. CWA has taken a leading role in organizing worldwide activities and conferences to monitor global development as it affects workers and their job rights, and developments in telecommunications and other industries.
Leadership: CWA’s Executive Committee of top officers includes President Larry Cohen, Secretary-Treasurer Barbara J. Easterling, and Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach. Other members of CWA’s executive board, which governs CWA between the union’s annual conventions, are: Vice Presidents Chris Sheldon of District 1 (headquartered in New York); Peter Catucci of District 2 (Silver Spring, Md.); Noah Savant of District 3 (Atlanta); Seth Rosen of District 4 (Cleveland); Andy Milburn of District 6 (Austin, Texas.); Annie Hill of District 7 (Denver); Tony Bixler of District 9 (Sacramento, Calif.); and James J. Short of District 13 (Philadelphia). The board also includes the seven vice presidents who head specific sectors: Ralph V. Maly, Communications and Technologies (AT&T, Lucent and Avaya); Jimmy Gurganus, Telecommunications; Brooks Sunkett, Public, Health Care and Education Workers; William Boarman, Printing, Publishing and Media Workers Sector; John S. Clark, Broadcast and Cable Television Workers Sector; Linda Foley, The Newspaper Guild-CWA; Jim Clark, IUE-CWA Industrial Division; and Pat Friend, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
HISTORY: CWA was founded in 1938 and was first known as the National Federation of Telephone Workers. The union became the Communications Workers of America in 1947. CWA joined the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1949 and has been an AFL-CIO affiliate ever since the 1955 merger of the two labor organizations. CWA got its start representing workers in the telephone industry, yet has grown to represent workers in both public and private sectors of the economy as jobs and workers’ needs have changed. CWA continues to be one of America’s fastest growing unions. A number of unions have chosen to affiliate with CWA, because of its reputation for service to its members and affiliates.
Recent affiliations include the 40,000-member Association of Flight Attendants, which merged with CWA in 2003, adding its professionalism and expertise on airline industry issues. CWA has represented airline passenger service employees since 1999.
The 110,000-member International Union of Electronic Workers merged with CWA in 2000. In 1997, the 30,000-member Newspaper Guild merged with CWA, as did the 2,500-member Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees, which represents workers at the Wall Street Journal.
Larry Cohen became the fourth president of CWA with his election on August 29, 2005, after serving 7 years as Executive Vice President. The late Joseph A. Beirne was CWA’s founding president. Beirne was succeeded by the late Glenn E. Watts, who served from 1974 until his retirement in 1985 and by Morton Bahr, who served as president from 1985 to 2005.
ASEA-CWA
The Union for State Workers