October 2020
www.workersworldtoday.com
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In Solidarity
Elizabeth Warren and AOC Refuse to Cross New Yorker Union’s Picket Line
S Supports Workers’ World Today
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ecently, I was in Albany fighting and seeking support of A1261/S1947, legislation that will create a clear definition of public work and level the playing field for New York’s contractors. District Council 9 Painters and Allied Trades Union (DC9), the union for painters, prides itself on being a strong advocate for workers’ rights and safety. We are excited about this new publication, Workers’ World Today, which covers the issues of relevance and concern for all workers. We are encouraged that all workers: blue and white collar will have a voice and platform. Congratulations on your inaugural issue. We wish much success to the leaders and team of Workers’ World Today and pledge our support.p Davon Lomax Political Director, DC9
enator Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are standing in solidarity with The New Yorker Union. Represented by The NewsGuild of New York, New Yorker Union members plan to hold an informational picket on Monday night to spotlight unfair labor practices at The New Yorker and to demand a just-cause provision in their first collective bargaining agreement. The picket coincides with a New Yorker Festival event scheduled to feature Representative Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Warren. Both have agreed not to cross the picket line, and to withdraw their participation in The New Yorker Festival, until New Yorker management agrees to the “just cause” standard of discipline that union members have proposed. The New Yorker is currently in the midst of a labor dispute as company man-
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Publisher Workers’ World Today, Inc Editor-in-Chief Pearl Phillip Contributing Writers Marilyn Silverman Charles Tabasso Victoria Falk Erin Telesford Jennine Estes, MFT Travis Morales Mary Campbell Janet Howard Legal Advisor Brian Figeroux, Esq. Telephone 1-866-435-3286 Email info@workersworldtoday.com
Rep Ocasio-Cortez Editorial credit: Phil Pasquini / Shutterstock.com
agement — led by editor David Remnick and Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch — refuses to agree to just cause, a basic labor standard found in other Guild contracts that guarantees due process, promotes fairness and accountability, and creates consistent, transparent standards in the workplace. This is an especially crucial protection for workers at Condé Nast, which has recently faced a public reckoning over hostile work environments at multiple mag-
Senator Warren. Editorial credit: Rich Koele / Shutterstock.com
azines and a failure to fairly compensate employees of color. “The NewsGuild and The New Yorker Union are fighting for basic dignity on the job, and we stand with them,” Ms. Warren and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said in a joint statement to The New York Times. “We will not cross the picket line and attend the festival unless the New Yorker leadership agrees to the union’s demands — they should do so immediately.” p
Take Action: Stop CBS News Union Busting Contract Violations BEW Local 1212 needs your voices! Local 1212 has a collective bargaining agreement covering employees working for CBS News. In the early days of the pandemic, the union exhibited tremendous flexibility while CBS News tried to figure out the new normal.
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Yet months later, after layoffs impacting IBEW members, and despite the many grievances the union has filed, CBS News continues to violate the collective bargaining agreement by using non-union camera crews and third-party vendors to conduct interviews for their news programs in-
cluding "CBS This Morning”" and "Face the Nation." Take Action by calling CBS News Vice President of Operations Rick Jefferson at 212975-8517 and telling him that CBS News must respect workers and let IBEW technicians do their jobs!p
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s part of a robust member-to-member phone bank for the 2020 elections, the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO is conducting twiceweekly phone bank opportunities for NYC union members to reach out to other union households both in NYC and in battleground states, every Tuesday & Thursday from 11am-8pm. Volunteers will provide voters information on labor-endorsed candidates in their communities, as well as encourage members to call their legislators to ensure COVID-related legislation is passed and signed into law immediately.p
