CWA Local 1180

1. CWA Local 1180 We Make New York Work for All New Yorkers

2. Working Families Under Assault for 30 Years For the last 30 years, Big Business has worked this agenda with every resource it has: Deregulation: trucking, airlines, telecom, financial services, health care, the environment, labor protections Global race to the bottom through NAFTA, GATT, Fast Track, FTAA . . . Privatize social benefits and social services Abolish negotiated benefits like pensions and health care that are critical to the standard of living of working people Cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy Break the power of unions Goldwater, Reagan, Bush Sr., Gingrich, Bush Jr., DeLay… 2

3. The Corporate Assault On Workers Goal: Maximize corporate profits and CEO pay Strategy: Destroy unions Reduce workers’ wages and benefits 3

4. CEO PAY OUTRAGEThe New American Aristocracy

5. http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/03/03/147994/unions-income-inequality/http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/03/03/147994/unions-income-inequality/

6. Workers Have Not Benefited From Productivity Gains Productivity Real Wages Source: Les Leopold “The Looting of America”

7. Nonunion Union 92% 15 days 73% 11.75 days 68% 16% Health Insurance Vacations Guaranteed Pension Source: U.S. Department of Labor; BLS; EPI; Employee Benefit Research Institute. As Unions Decline, Benefits Decline

8. Year Before the Stock Market Crash Year Before the Stock Market Crash Growth of the Middle Class Reagan Cuts Top Tax Rate from 70% to 28% Fires Striking Workers Permits Media Monopolies Top Tax Rate Over 90% Unions are Growing G.I. Bill Promotes Education & Housing

9. For the Elite Top 1% there is never enough! NYC 44% NYS 35% USA 24%

10. Top 10% own 80% of all US stock wealth

11. "We can have concentrated wealth in the hands of a few or we can have democracy. But we cannot have both." — Justice Louis D. Brandeis

12. In NYC the rich get nearly 1/2 of all the income but only pay 1/3 of the taxes. -11.1% + 1.6% + 5.1% + 2.8% + 1.2% + 0.1% + 0.2% 12

13. Productive workers are taxed higher than gambling speculators

14. 7.65% $50,000 0.82% $1,000,000 0.16% $5,000,000 The Social Security Tax Cap Burdens Workers Effective FICA Tax Rate Yearly Wages

17. US For Profit Healthcare System =Lower Life Expectancy + Highest Cost

18. Source: The league table of child poverty in rich nations, (Florence, Italy: UNICEF Research Center, 2000) How government tax and benefit policies reduce child poverty 2.4% 29%

19. And they are out to destroy unions National Union Density, 1984= 19% of workforce 0% to 9% 10% to 20% 21% to 30% 31% + Source: U.S. Department of Labor AFL-CIO 19

20. …and it’s working National Union Density, 2004 = 13% of workforce It’s already down to 12.1% in 2007 0% to 9% 10% to 20% 21% to 30% 31% + Source: U.S. Department of Labor AFL-CIO 20

21. Democratic Election NLRB Election All parties have equal access to voter list and voters. No. Employer has full access; union has limited access to list and voters. Yes. Voters cannot be intimidated or threatened. No. Employer harasses and even fires supporters. Yes. Voters can be forced to listen to one side only. Yes. Employer holds voters captive to message. No. One side can delay election and outcome. Yes. Employer can delay both almost indefinitely. No. Election is conducted at campaign headquarters. Yes. Election occurs on company property. No. Part Four: Why Workers Can’t Get UnionsNLRB Elections Are Inherently Unfair and Insult Our Democratic Traditions

22. Freedom to Form a Union Is a Legal and Human Right . . . In Theory “Employees shall have theright to…form…labor organizations [and] to bargain collectively….” National Labor Relations Act, 1935 “Everyone has the right to form and join trade unions...” Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 “We support the right of . . . employees . . . to organize for collective bargaining into unions.” Social Principles of United Methodist Church

23. Freedom to Form Unions Is Well Recognized by Our Leaders ‘The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress. Those who would destroy or further limit the rights of organized labor…do a disservice to the cause of democracy.’ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

24. According To Human Rights Watch “Our findings are disturbing, to say the least. Loophole-ridden laws, paralyzing delays, and feeble enforcement have led to a culture of impunity in many areas of U.S. labor law and practice. Legal obstacles tilt the playing field so steeply against workers’ freedom of association that the United States is in violation of international human rights standards…” Human Rights Watch Director Kenneth Roth

25. 32 Million Workers Are Not Covered by Law Independent contractors Supervisors Farm workers Domestic workers Public employees in 23 states American Workers Are Losing the Freedom to Form Unions and Bargain Collectively

26. FIGHTING THE MYTHS ABOUT PUBLIC WORKERS AND GOVERNMENT Myth #1: Government Workers Have It Too Good Myth #2: Government Is Too Big Myth #3: Public Sector Unions Are Too Powerful Myth #4: Public Pensions Are Too Generous Myth #5: Government Is Too Focused on the Poor Myth #6: Government Imposes Too Many Regulations Myth #7: Liberal Tax and Spend Policies Have Created Deficits and Debts That Are Too Big

27. FIGHTING THE MYTHS Available at WWW.CWA1180.org Free PDF download

28. SCAPEGOATING PUBLIC WORKERS

29. STARVING GOVERNMENT

30. WALL STREET THE REAL CAUSE OF THE CRISIS

31. WE MUST ENGAGE IN THE STRUGGLE If We Want Progress WE MUST ORGANIZE Members, Coworkers, Families And Neighbors WE MUST EDUCATE Ourselves And The Public WE MUST AGITATE For Social And Economic Justice WE MUST DEMAND Government By And For We The People

32. Arthur Cheliotes, President Local 1180 Communications Workers of America 6 Harrison Street New York, NY 10013 TEL. 212 226 6565 FAX. 212 966 6831 acheliotes@cwa1180.org LOCAL 1180 WEBSITE: WWW.CWA1180.ORG Your comments and questions are important you can contact me at: