Political Action Updates July 2024 - CWAers Help Protect Call Center Workers, Local Journalism, and More

​CWA members from locals up and down New York State put in an incredible effort this year to fight for - and win - legislation that will protect workers and improve our communities, including:

• 4 major Lobby Days in Albany
• 177 meetings held with legislators to advocate for pro-worker bills
• Nearly 600 emails sent to legislators urging them to pass the Call Center Worker Retention bill

Several Major Victories:

• Protecting Call Center Workers - we passed a bill requiring that workforces of Government-contracted call centers be retained if the contract is re-bid and awarded to a new contractor.
• Protecting Local Journalism - we got provisions included In the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget that create a payroll tax credit allowing news organizations to receive a 50% job creation tax credit on the first $50,000 of a local journalist’s salary.
• Ending Mandatory Fees for SUNY Grad Workers - the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget included the next installment of $3 million for phasing out SUNY grad worker fees over four years, which brings us to a total of $6 million.