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Mission Statement

Our Legislative/Political Action Committee's Mission Statement: To engage in the legislative and political process for the benefit of our members and all working families; to lobby and advocate our issues at all levels of government; to promote candidates and elected officials who will advance our agenda; to make the voice of CWA heard.

Legislative/Political Action Committee

Taking action for our members!

Committee Members
Alice Hodges, Chief Steward & Chair
Darrin Simmons, Secretary-Treasurer
Robert Longer, Vice President
Jim Gordon, CWA Local 9421 Retired Members Chapter President
Jeanie McKoy, Steward
Heladio Saldivar, Steward

Mission Statement: To engage in the legislative and political process for the benefit of our members and all working families; to lobby and advocate our issues at all levels of government; to promote candidates and elected officials who will advance our agenda; to make the voice of CWA heard.

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2010 CWA-ENDORSED CANDIDATES
FOR PUBLICLY ELECTED OFFICES

- NOVEMBER 2, 2010 GENERAL ELECTION -

The candidates listed below have been thoroughly interviewed and vetted by CWA at all levels. All candidates were personally interviewed by the CWA Local 9421 legislative committee, with the exception of candidates for statewide office and the U.S. Senate, which were interviewed by CWA District 9. Candidates were endorsed based on their specific support of CWA's issues, their past labor history with regard to CWA and the labor movement in general, their voting record (if applicable), and multiple other questions in a formal interview and questionnaire process. Please rest assured that we have endorsed only those candidates who will actually stand up and fight for CWA members and labor. This list reflects a mix of new candidates and incumbents; however, all candidates were screened to ensure that they will be strong labor candidates...we will not support candidates who have not or will not support us!

Website Exposes Meg "Wall Street" Whitman's Attempt at a Hostile Takeover of California

Meet Meg “Wall Street” Whitman – the billionaire ex-CEO and Wall Street insider who could scarcely be bothered to vote during the brief time she’s lived in California, yet now wants to buy her way into the Governor’s seat and “run California like a business.”
Between her shady dealings on the board at Goldman Sachs and her promises to lay off 40,000 state workers while giving massive tax breaks to the wealthiest Californians, there is no doubt that Wall Street Whitman is attempting a hostile corporate takeover of our state.

With our budget crisis growing worse by the day and unemployment at record levels, the last thing California needs is an out-of-touch corporate executive with zero relevant experience suited to the job of Governor. It’s time to expose the truth about Wall Street Whitman and the scams, shady insider deals and mortgage-backed securities that made her and her cronies rich at the expense of countless families’ homes and jobs.

Visit www.WallStreetWhitman.com to learn more about Whitman’s shady past at Goldman Sachs and her attacks on working families.

From the budget to health care to education to jobs and workers’ rights, Wall Street Whitman is threatening everything that working Californians care about the most.

Click here to learn where Whitman stands on the issues that matter most to you.

Ready to join the campaign to stop Wall Street Whitman? Sign up here.

Stop Wall Street Whitman on Facebook

Follow @WallStWhitman on Twitter

Labor Endorses Jerry Brown for Governor, Launches Massive Grassroots Campaign

California Labor Federation delegates have voted unanimously to endorse Jerry Brown for Governor, and committed to reject Meg Whitman's hostile takeover attempt of California.

"Jerry Brown has spent a lifetime fighting for working families. Time and again, he's shown that he's on our side on jobs, health care, retirement security and so many other issues," said California Labor Federation's Art Pulaski. "The choice is clear. Jerry Brown is the people's candidate -- a proven, experienced leader who will stand up to the big banks and corporations and stand with working families to rebuild our economy."

Learn more about Jerry Brown at http://bit.ly/dlfGw8

Delegates also voted on endorsements for state constitutional officers, ballot measures, and state and federal legislative races. The endorsements mark the launch of a massive grassroots campaign to take back the Governor's office and send more friends of working families to Sacramento.

View the complete list of Labor Fed endorsements at http://bit.ly/cKbrU5

View the complete list of CWA's endorsements HERE

Learn more about the campaign at http://bit.ly/9FUL5v

Paid for by the California Labor Federation. Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.

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2010 CWA-ENDORSED CANDIDATES
FOR PUBLICLY ELECTED OFFICES

- JUNE 8, 2010 PRIMARY ELECTION -

The candidates listed below have been thoroughly interviewed and vetted by CWA at all levels. All candidates were personally interviewed by the CWA Local 9421 legislative committee, with the exception of candidates for statewide office and the U.S. Senate, which were interviewed by CWA District 9. Candidates were endorsed based on their specific support of CWA's issues, their past labor history with regard to CWA and the labor movement in general, their voting record (if applicable), and multiple other questions in a formal interview and questionnaire process. Please rest assured that we have endorsed only those candidates who will actually stand up and fight for CWA members and labor. This list reflects a mix of new candidates and incumbents; however, all candidates were screened to ensure that they will be strong labor candidates...we will not support candidates who have not or will not support us.

Current News:

PRIMARY ELECTION IS JUNE 8TH!

The primary election takes place on Tuesday, June 8th. This election is important, as we have the opportunity to remove some politicians and elect new labor-friendly candidates who will fight for CWA members and working families.

To see who CWA and the California Labor Federation endorse, look here:

View the complete list of CWA's endorsements HERE

View the complete list of Labor Fed endorsements at http://bit.ly/cKbrU5

The most important thing that you can do is to please VOTE on Tuesday, June 8th! Remember, polls close at 8pm.

If you are a registered absentee/vote-by-mail (VBM) voter, you can vote by mail now or anytime until June 8th!

To see what else you can do to directly help out, please read below.

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PHONEBANK FOR RICHARD PAN

CWA Local 9421 has teamed up with the Dr. Richard Pan for Assembly 2010 campaign.  Richard Pan is endorsed by CWA Local 9421, the Sacramento Central Labor Council, and the California Labor Federation for his candidacy in the 5th Assembly District (AD).  The 5th AD encompasses Natomas, Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Arden-Arcade, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Foothill Farms, North Highlands, Orangevale and parts of Roseville and Granite Bay.

Please join us for CWA-sponsored Thursday night phonebanks every Thursday until the Primary to help Richard get elected!

FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED!

Details:

WHAT

Making calls.

Phonebanks for Dr. Richard Pan.

Make quick and easy calls to voters in a comfortable setting.  You don’t need any prior experience!

WHEN

We will be phonebanking these nights:

Thursday, April 29th, 6 – 8:30pm

Thursday, May 6th, 6 – 8:30pm

Thursday, May 13th, 6 – 8:30pm

Thursday, May 20th, 5:30 – 8:00pm

Thursday, May 27th, 5:30 – 8:00pm

Thursday, June 3rd, 5:30 – 8:00pm

Pick one or two dates--whatever works for your schedule!

WHERE

The first three phonebanks will be held at the Dr. Richard Pan for Assembly 2010 campaign headquarters located at 4690 Natomas Blvd, Suite 140, Sacramento 95835 (in the shopping center at Truxel Rd. & Del Paso Rd. in Natomas – by the Kohl's). The last three phonebanks will be held at the CWA Local 9421 Union Hall located at 2725 El Camino Avenue, Sacramento 95821 (by Fulton Avenue).

WHY

The 5th AD is a very important seat in the California Assembly.  If we can get a labor-backed candidate elected, we will have a direct voice in the Legislature to fight for CWA members and all working families!

HOW

It’s easy, just RSVP (see below) and then show up (see above).  That simple!

RSVP

Please RSVP by e-mailing Robert at robert@cwalocal9421.org or calling CWA Local 9421 at 916-484-9421.

So we can know how much food to order, please RSVP.  Thanks!

We promise that this will be an easy and fun experience.  CWA has a really good to chance to help elect a candidate who will fight for OUR interests.  Please help!

If you have any questions, please call Robert at 916-335-5492.  Thanks!

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Past News:

May 3, 2010

Today, Vice President Robert Longer attended the State Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce hearing for Assembly Bill 2690 (AB2690), a bill that deals with call centers. Unfortunately, this bill did not garner enough votes to make it out of Committee and is now dead. Again, this goes to show the tremendous amount of opposition that we face from the corporate lobbyists in AT&T and Verizon, among others. It is very sad that the Legislature succumbed to the money and influence of these corporations instead of listening to and fighting for working people.

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April 28, 2010

Today, Vice President Robert Longer spent the day lobbying at the State Capitol again regarding Assembly Bill 2690 (AB2690), a bill that deals with call centers. This bill was originally scheduled to be heard by the State Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce on April 19, 2010; however, the new hearing date has been changed to May 3, 2010 at 3pm (if you are interested in attending it is open to the general public; call Robert at 916-335-5492 for more information). Unfortunately, AT&T's corporate lobbyists and Republican Assemblymembers have lobbied hard to change this bill from a mandate/fiscal bill to a reporting/non-fiscal bill. While it will still be a good start, this legislation has changed from its original form (see April 15, 2010 post below). Even in its current form, AT&T lobbyists and Republican Assemblymembers are fighting hard to kill this bill. This goes to show how monied corporate interests and the politicians they have in their pockets are always fighting against the interests of working people and labor in general; it also shows why we must not let them have the only say regarding our futures and why we must continue to fight for our beliefs and the advancement of working people's interests. To that end, and as an update on progress of related work, we are happy to report that another bill, Senate Bill 1040 (SB1040), did make it out of the California Senate's Energy, Utilities and Commerce Committee during the hearing on April 6, 2010 (see April 6, 2010 post below) and now moves to the Senate body as a whole for a vote.

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April 15, 2010

Today, Vice President Robert Longer spent the day lobbying at the State Capitol; specifically, Robert met with 7 members of the State Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce regarding AB 2690, a bill that deals with call centers and keeping jobs in California and the United States. This bill will be heard by the Committee on April 19, 2010, so garnering support to pass this bill is critical. To see the letter that Robert circulated to legislators, read below:

On behalf of the Communications Workers of America, Local 9421, representing some 2,200 members in the telecommunications industry in Sacramento, I am writing to ask you to please support and vote yes on AB 2690 (De La Torre); as you know, this will be before your committee on April 19, 2010.

Unfortunately, CWA Local 9421 knows all too well the reality of job losses in the telecommunications industry: since November 2009 and by the end of June 2010, AT&T has/will have moved some 565 jobs out of Sacramento alone.  These are 565 members that we no longer represent and who are out of work.

As public utility call centers leave the state and/or country our current consumer protection practices and requirements that have been in place to protect Californians may now be at risk for privacy invasions.  This can lead to fraud and theft of a person’s identity.  To ensure that Californians have a choice to be serviced by a call center in California when available, AB 2690 would help facilitate this for Californian consumers who choose to exercise their consumer rights pursuant to this legislation.

AB 2690 would require a customer call center for a public utility, upon request to inform any customer that telephones the call center of the location of the call center and whether the call center is operated by the utility or is a contracted vendor of the utility.  The bill would also upon request require a customer call center that is outside the state the ability to direct a telephone call to a call center located in the state, and  a customer call center that is outside the United States, upon request and availability, to direct a telephone call to a call center located within the United States.

We believe AB 2690 will also help retain jobs in the state of California and increase job growth for the state by creating the need to keep the current call centers in the state open and create additional call centers for public utilities that provide services for the citizens of California.

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April 6, 2010

Today, Vice President Robert Longer testified before the California Senate's Energy, Utilities and Commerce Committee during a legislative hearing held regarding broadband buildout and Senate Bill 1040. Below was Robert's testimony (as spoken and submitted via letter):

I am pleased to express CWA's support for SB 1040, relative to the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF).  This bill will help California bridge the digital divide and help bring broadband infrastructure to unserved and underserved communities.  

According to the Broadband Task Force, approximately 1.4 million Californians and 2,000 rural communities have no access to broadband.  In 2008, SB 1193 (Padilla) codified the California Advanced Services Fund, which provided grant opportunities for providers to build out broadband infrastructure in these unserved and underserved communities.  As of December 17, 2009, the CPUC has approved 38 projects, totaling $57.61 million, covering 11,045 square miles and benefiting an estimated 115,706 households in unserved areas and 82,379 households in underserved areas.  With additional pending projects, the $100 million currently allocated for the CASF program may not be enough to fund these projects.

SB 1040 would extend the operation of the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) until January 1, 2018, and appropriate an additional $125 million to the CASF. The bill would also appropriate funds to help continue the important work of the Regional Consortia, which have assisted local regions with broadband demand aggregation, identified exiting broadband community assets that are key in furthering broadband deployment. Approximately 79% by dollar amount and 83% by households served by the CASF projects were associated to the Regional Consortia. SB 1040 would also create a Broadband Infrastructure Revolving Loan Fund, which would provide loan capital for providers to build out broadband in remote communities.

SB 1040 will enable California to continue its efforts to expand broadband deployment in the state while creating jobs.

CWA has been a leader nationally in our Speed Matters campaign (www.speedmatters.org) for the past several years. Through this campaign, we have developed large-scale broadband mapping capabilities by which we can identify under-served areas across the nation, including California. Matching the needs identified via our campaign to broadband buildout will not only deliver much needed access to communities--thereby bridging the digital divide--it will also create good jobs.

For all of the above reasons, we are pleased to support this bill.

At the end of the day, our goal is simple: "no child left offline."

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March 10, 2010

CWA Local 9421 Legislative Committee members Robert Longer, Vice President, and Alice Hodges, Chair, were at the State Capitol again for another round of lobbying to save jobs in both Sacramento and California. We met with 1 State Senator and 4 State Assemblymembers.

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March 9, 2010

Vice President Robert Longer attended the Sacramento Central Labor Council's legislative meeting today with 1 State Senator (Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg) and 6 State Assembly-members to hear what support our elected officials will give labor to benefit working people.

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March 8, 2010

Today, CWA Local 9421 and CWA District 9 set-up another legislative hearing, this time with the California State Assembly's Committee on Utilities and Commerce at the State Capitol. Again, the purpose of this sister-hearing (the second of its kind, following the Senate hearing on February 16th) was to present evidence that AT&T and Verizon have been moving jobs and work out of California.

President Lupe Mercado again testified before the Committee and presented information that shows since 2006, when the Digital Infrastucture Video Competition Act (DIVCA) was passed by the Legislature, AT&T has shed more jobs than they have created. AT&T has been a negligent employer not just to its employees, but to all of the customers they 'serve' in California. Despite reaping the highest level of profits from California consumers, AT&T (and Verizon) continue to move work out of the state at a rapid pace. The Committee was concerned at this information and is looking into further action.

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February 16, 2010

Today, CWA Local 9421 and CWA District 9 set-up a first: a legislative hearing of the California State Senate's Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee at the State Capitol (we were hopeful that we could persuade legislators to hold hearings; our work paid off). The purpose of this hearing was to present evidence that AT&T and Verizon have been moving jobs and work out of California.

President Lupe Mercado testified before the Committee and presented information that shows since 2006, when the Digital Infrastucture Video Competition Act (DIVCA) was passed by the Legislature, AT&T has shed more jobs than they have created. AT&T has been a negligent employer not just to its employees, but to all of the customers they 'serve' in California. Despite reaping the highest level of profits from California consumers, AT&T (and Verizon) continue to move work out of the state at a rapid pace. The Committee was concerned at this information and is looking into further action.

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January 19, 2010

CWA Local 9421 Legislative Committee members Robert Longer, Vice President, and Alice Hodges, Chair, were at the State Capitol again for another round of lobbying to save jobs in both Sacramento and California. We met with the State Senate President Pro Tem's office and 2 more State Assemblymembers.

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January 14, 2010

CWA Local 9421 Legislative Committee members Robert Longer, Vice President, Alice Hodges, Chair, and Jim Gordon, Retired Members Chapter President, and all Locals throughout California spent the entire day at the State Capitol lobbying to save jobs in both Sacramento and California. We met with 2 State Senators and 3 State Assemblymembers, including the new Assembly Speaker-Elect, John Perez, and both heads of the Utilities' Committees (Senate and Assembly) which oversee AT&T. We are hopeful that hearings will emerge to expose AT&T's job cuts and that positive changes would follow.

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