NABET CWA LOCAL 41

Membership As an active NABET-CWA member in good standing, you have the right to attend all union membership meetings, vote on all motions and referendums, vote in all elec­tions, run for office and participate equally with all other members in union affairs.Youhave the right to petition for any changes you may desire, under the terms of your local By-Laws and the NABET-CWA By-Laws. Collective Bargaining When the union and company sit down to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions, it is called collective bargaining. NABET-CWA members elect co-workers to act as a negotiating team with the help of an experienced Staff Representative. The give and take between the union and management ultimately produces a tentative agreement for members to vote on, after reviewing it and asking questions. If approved, the contract becomes a legally binding document. CWA’s research, media and legal departments support the negotiating team by generating important data about company finances, structure, shareholders and other information that can be invaluable at the bargaining table Contract Enforcement Most contracts spell out a grievance and arbitration process for resolving disputes between the union and company. Under the grievance process, problems generally are brought to the attention of either side in writing within a set time frame. While each contract is different, most provide a period for the parties to resolve the dispute between themselves. If that doesn’t work, the next step is usually arbitration. In arbitration, the union and company present their arguments before a neutral party who will make a binding decision. Similar to a court proceeding, both sides can present evidence and testimony and cross-examine eachother’s witnesses. The company and union agree to accept the arbitrator’s decision and split the fees involved. NABET-CWA members involved in grievances have the help of their national union Staff Representative, up to and sometimes including arbitration. Union lawyers assist in preparing and arguing cases that go to arbitration. The grievance/arbitration process is one of the funda­mental differences between a union and non-union workplace. It means that employees who have disputes with a boss can pursue a fair and neutral resolution, rather than having to accept the company’s decision without recourse. Political Activity When the Federal Communications Commission tried to change media ownership rules to allow giant media corporations to get even bigger — meaning fewer jobs and less diversity of opinions in local and network television — NABET-CWA helped lead the successful fight against the FCC. Unfortunately, that’s a battle that we will have to contin­ue to fight, along with the constant need to be on guard against legislation that hurts working families and takes away workers’ rights. That’s why political action has become an important part of our mission at NABET-CWA. Since merging with CWA, we encourage our members to contribute to the union’s Committee on Political Education, or COPE. COPE funds are vital to supporting candidates and legislation that look out for workers. Employer groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Broadcasters spend millions to electpoliticians and pass legislation that serves them at the expense of workers. We have to level the playing field. Through COPE, we fight for issues specific to our industry and issues that affect usall— health care, living wages, job safety, retirement security and more. Today, COPE and the political action it funds are more important than ever.

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