• Sign Up For Zone Contact Webinar: What UC Is Proposing For Our Pension And How It Affects Everyone
• Supreme Court Takes Up Union Busting: Sign up Co-Workers For UPTE Now
• Celebrate, Defend and Expand Medicare!
• Ballot Initiative Survey
  

Supreme Court Takes Up Union Busting: Sign up Co-Workers For UPTE Now
This week the Supreme Court decided to hear a case (Friedrichs v CTA) that could require unions to negotiate for all employees’ raises, benefits and working conditions, even if employees do not pay their “fair-share” of the cost of negotiations. This would be comparable to using public roads, schools, public safety and countless other public services and having the option of not paying taxes.

As much as we would all prefer to not pay taxes, we all know that without them our society would fall apart. The same will go for our union contracts, without the financial resources to bargain effectively, our employment conditions will suffer greatly.
 
Conservative corporate advocacy groups have financed this case as part of the national attack on working people. Unions remain the strongest voice for working people across America, and public sector unions are the strongest unions. If the Supreme Court decides in favor of the anti-union conservatives, the financial hit to unions will undermine the ability of unions like UPTE-CWA to negotiate excellent contracts. Similar attacks in Wisconsin have already resulted in dramatically reduced employment and benefits.

What can we do? Sign up all UC employees who are eligible to be UPTE-CWA members. We want a strong and informed membership. We will be negotiating about pay and pensions soon and will need member participation to win again.

Talk to your co-workers today about joining UPTE-CWA. Our website has fliers you can use to explain what membership means.

Celebrate, Defend and Expand Medicare!
Join events in Oakland and Los Angeles on July 30 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Medicare. This public health system has provided health care security for elders and disabled people more efficiently than any private system in the US. Despite efforts to weaken Medicare, this system continues to be hugely popular, saving the older people from financial distress caused by health problems.

At this celebration, we will advocate expanding Medicare so that all Americans enjoy the health security available to people over 65.  Here are flyers for the Bay Area and Los Angeles events– please post and distribute. We’ll see you there!

Ballot Initiative Survey
All UPTE-CWA members have received an invitation to participate in a ballot initiative survey. In 2016 there will likely be one or more initiatives to raise revenue for public services. We want our members’ opinions about which initiatives we should support. Please make sure the members you are in contact with complete the survey.