TPMDC Communications Workers of America
FAA
Powerful Union Escalates Campaign Against GOP Push To Weaken Unions On Threat Of FAA Shutdown
A powerful union will escalate a fight with Republicans over the party's push to make it harder for rail and airline workers to unionize.
This week, the Communications Workers of America will launch direct mail and robocall campaigns against the GOP's top transportation policy maker, and about two dozen other GOP members of the House of Representatives, according to officials.
The campaign stems from a months-long fight over legislation to permanently reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration programs. House Republicans want to use that bill to fiddle with mediation rules, so that airline workers who abstain from voting on whether to form a union would be tallied as having voted "no."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Communications Workers of America, FAA, John Mica, Labor
AR-SEN
Communications Union Runs New Ad Against Blanche Lincoln (VIDEO)
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
The labor union offensive in the Democratic primary against Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln is continuing with a new ad from Communications Workers of America.
"Middle-class jobs are disappearing, thanks to Washington politicians like Blanche Lincoln," the announcer says. "For 15 years, Lincoln supported bad trade deals, killing jobs in Arkansas, shipping our jobs to Mexico, China and South America. It wasn't an accident. Lincoln took millions from Washington special interests -- $2.3 million from Wall Street, $1.1 million from Big Oil. She listens to them. Not us."
This is the kind of rhetoric we would normally expect to see a union use against a Republican incumbent. But this time, the attacks are being lobbed against a Dem Senator, who is being challenged in her primary from the left by Lt. Gov. Bill Halter.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: 2010 elections, AR-SEN, Blanche Lincoln, Communications Workers of America, Senate '10
Communications Workers of America
CWA-Commissioned Poll: Overwhelming Opposition To Cadillac-Plan Tax, Support For Tax Increase On Very Wealthy
On a conference call with reporters just now, the Communications Workers of America union announced a new poll showing widespread national opposition to the proposed taxes on high-end health insurance plans int he Senate health care bill -- and support for raising taxes on the rich instead.
The poll surveyed likely 2010 voters across ten states, all of which could have high-stakes House or Senate races: Arkansas, Louisiana, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana and North Dakota. Seven of these states voted for Barack Obama in 2008, but in 2004 eight of them had voted for George W. Bush. It was conducted by the Democratic firm of Anzalone Liszt.
Respondents opposed the tax on high-cost plans by 70%-19%, and by a 63%-22% margin said they would be less likely to vote for their member of Congress if that person voted for it. By contrast, respondents favored a tax increase on individuals making over half a million dollars per year, and households making over a million, by a 54%-42% margin, and said by a margin of 49%-43% that they were more likely to vote for a member of Congress who supported it.
The poll showed the numbers being very similar across all regions. "The fact that these are red states," said pollster John Anzalone, was an important message. "Support for an alternative for what's currently in the bill is certainly in there."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Communications Workers of America, Health Care
© 2011 TPM Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
