News

Political Action Updates - Fighting for Labor Standards in Connecticut and a Pro-Worker State Budget in New York

28 Mar, 2023

CWA Local 1298 members at the Capitol in Hartford, CT

Building Broadband Better in Connecticut

CWA members in Connecticut are going all out this year to make sure that State and Federal funding for broadband buildout is deployed with strong labor standards attached.

On March 9th, David Weidlich, president of CWA Local 1298, testified at a Connecticut House Labor and Public Employees Committee hearing in support of An Act Concerning Broadband Construction and the Prevailing Wage. The bill would ensure that public dollars benefit the public good by requiring that all federally-funded broadband work across the state be subject to prevailing wage requirements and carried out by high-road employers with directly-employed workers instead of non-union, out-of-state contractors.

“Public dollars should be used to fund high-quality networks – which require the use of a well-trained workforce,” Weidlich said. “Typically, these [low-road] contractors are non-union, lack adequate safety training, have very high turnover, and undermine the wages and standards established by union-represented telecom employees through collective bargaining agreements. The result is a disturbing record of accidents that cause damage to utilities, public property, and homes while presenting serious risks to workers and public safety.”

The bill is making progress in the Connecticut legislature, having been voted through the House Labor and Public Employees Committee last Thursday.

Are you a CWA member or retiree in Connecticut? You can help!

Click here to send an email to your Connecticut State Legislators urging them to support An Act Concerning Broadband Construction and the Prevailing Wage (H.B. 6862).

Fighting for a Pro-Worker Budget in New York

The New York State budget is due by April 1st, and while our legislators are making their final arguments as we speak for what goes in it, CWAers are stepping up to make sure that our pro-worker priorities are included.

We’re fighting for a budget that includes funding to:

Keep hospitals open and get our healthcare workers the support they desperately need.
End pay-to-work for our SUNY graduate workers (members of CWA Local 1104).
Raise the minimum wage to lift up all New Yorkers and index it to inflation so that workers aren't left behind when inflation goes up.
Support the the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies so they can continue to grow enrollment and educate the next generation of workers

If we don’t take action and ensure that these priorities are included in the final budget, we'll see more workers — including our own members — left behind, and our battered healthcare system pushed even further to the brink of disaster.