News

  • Alden Global Capital, Known for Plundering Newspapers, Plans to Expand Ownership of Tribune Publishing
    Alden Global Capital, the hedge fund known for pillaging newspapers, plans to expand its ownership stake in Tribune Publishing as soon as January 1, and is shifting its business strategy to focus on digital subscriptions, according to internal company documents obtained by DFMworkers.org. The news of Alden's planned expansion comes on the heels of a new Hedge Clippers report that details Alden’s long history of gutting newsrooms in communities across the country. As the report makes clear, throughout the last decade, Alden and its president, Heath Freeman, have engaged in a sustained campaign of gutting newsrooms, cutting employment by more than 75%, while lining investors' pockets. "Private equity's tenure in journalism has been disastrous," NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss said. "The obsessive focus on short-term profits has put countless journalists out of work and left millions of Americans without access to quality local news. We need a bold new vision for funding news organizations. We can't afford to wait any longer to revitalize local news." The NewsGuild-CWA, as a part of its broader #SaveTheNews campaign for federal support of newsrooms, has proposed a slate of policy solutions that would allow newspapers to remain independent, help them survive the current economic downturn and enable them to provide quality news coverage in the future. Learn more here. — Sep 17
  • Join the AFL-CIO's Union Veterans Council!
    Calling all veterans! The AFL-CIO's Union Veterans Council is launching a membership drive to build the ranks of union members who can advocate for the issues facing veterans and all working people, including the need for good jobs, reliable health care, and a COVID-19 relief and recovery plan. The UVC plans to establish local chapters and Campaign Quick Reaction Teams to bring union veterans together to help elect pro-veteran, pro-labor candidates at the local, state, and national level. If you're ready to get involved, click here to fill out the UVC Member Information Form.  If you’re interested in starting a chapter or putting together a group of volunteers for our Campaign Quick Reaction Force for Labor 2020 in your area, click here to fill out the Veteran Leaders Form. A member of the team will contact you directly and provide you with the tools and documents you need to get started. — Sep 17
  • Get Out the Vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
    The votes that we cast as union members will be crucial in ensuring we have pro-labor candidates elected at the local and state levels, all the way up to the White House. We know Joe Biden is the clear choice to fight for union members. But this election will be close and we have to do all we can to make sure we defeat Trump in November! Join hundreds of volunteers across the country to get out the vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during CWA's National Nights of Action: Sept. 22, Oct. 6, Oct. 13, Oct. 20, and Oct 27. Join us wherever you are – we will send you information on how to connect online after you RSVP. We'll kick off each phone bank via Zoom with a brief training and Q&A before making calls together. Click here to sign up: CWA.org/GOTV2020. You will receive information to connect via Zoom from 2020 Victory/Mobilize after you RSVP. — Sep 17
  • National COVID-19 Remembrance Planned for October 4
    Covid Survivors for Change, a national group of families of COVID victims and survivors, will lead a National COVID-19 Remembrance on Sunday, October 4. They are calling for a national moment of silence at noon on that day, and will hold a safe and socially-distanced event on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., to remember those lost to COVID-19, to honor frontline and essential workers, and to demand that elected officials do more to develop a national plan for safety and recovery. The event will include speakers and performances by artists and will be streamed online. More than six months into the pandemic, over 6 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and nearly 200,000 have died, including many CWA members, friends, and family members. If you have lost someone close to you or from your local to COVID, please share their name at https://nationalcovidremembrance.org/actions/wall-of-remembrance/ so that we can honor their memory as part of the Remembrance on October 4. — Sep 17
  • Joe Biden Will Act to Stop Job Offshoring During His First Week in Office
    This week, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris announced the steps that they will take to stop outsourcing, including a series of executive actions during their first days in office. Biden and Harris plan to fix the tax code so that corporations will face a penalty on any profits earned by a United States company from overseas production. This penalty will apply to call centers and manufacturing. In addition, companies will be eligible for a tax credit for making investments that create jobs. Biden will also sign a series of executive actions during his first week in office to expand "Buy American" rules for federally-funded projects and crack down on companies that falsely label products "Made in America." Although President Trump has frequently talked about ending offshoring, he has not only failed to follow through on his promises to bring back good jobs, but he has also actively encouraged companies to send jobs overseas. His 2017 corporate tax cut bill lowered taxes for companies on profits from overseas manufacturing and service facilities. The Biden-Harris plan will close that loophole. Early in his administration, a group of Senators asked Trump to issue an executive order to prevent federal contracts from going to companies that send call center jobs overseas. Trump refused to issue the order. "We've called on Trump to take executive action, time and time again," said CWA President Chris Shelton. "In fact, I went to the Oval Office and asked him myself. But what did he do about it? Nothing at all. Actually, it's even worse than that – he gave companies a 50% tax break on their overseas profits, giving them a huge incentive to move call centers and other facilities out of the country." "IUE-CWA members have experienced first-hand having employers close the doors and move jobs overseas," said IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew. "Trump's tax bill gave companies a 50% off coupon for moving their money and jobs overseas. That's why I'm glad that we have a candidate like Biden who is serious about reinvigorating American manufacturing and has a strong plan to create millions of new jobs to rebuild our economy." — Sep 10