CWA Diversity Committee Meeting
October 25-26, 2006
Washington, DC
Meeting Notes

In attendance:

Susie McAllister, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 7704, (Women's Committee)
Keith Robinson, Steward, Local 6310, (COE)
Mary Lou Schaffer, President, Local 13550, (Women's Committee)
Jetty Wells, EVP, Local 4009, (COE)
Annie Hill, Vice President, District 7
Noah Savant, Vice President, District 3
Brooks Sunkett, Vice President, Public, Healthcare and Education Workers
Barbara Easterling, Secretary-Treasurer / Committee Chair

Staff:
Yvette Herrera, Senior Director
Gwend Johnson, Director Human Rights
Mary K. O'Melveny, General Counsel

1. Meeting began at 9:00 am on Wednesday, October 25th with introductions and a review of the agenda.
2. The committee reviewed the mission of the diversity committee as adopted by the Executive Board on June 7th "…The committee will consist of four Executive Board members, two members of the National Women's Committee (to be selected by Women's Committee), two members from the National Committee on Equity (to be selected by the COE Committee) and will be chaired by Secretary-Treasurer Easterling. The committee will develop options, meet with the Executive Board and issue a report to the 2007 Convention. Among the options to be discussed is electing at-large members to the Executive Board to achieve balance in keeping with the AFL-CIO resolution on diversity adopted in July 2005."
3. The committee agreed on a time line for its work including future meetings and conference call dates and the timely distribution of meeting notes. The committee also drafted an email to all locals requesting input which went out October 27th.
4. The committee reviewed and discussed various background materials including:
    
   
   • The composition of the AFL-CIO Council and how they addressed increasing diversity.  The AFL-CIO expanded the General Council and established a smaller Executive Committee.  The federation added one representative from each constituency group (6 additional seats), allied retiree organization representative and representatives of the State and local central bodies.  In addition, the Council was given authority to create up to three additional seats to increase the racial and gender diversity of the Council.  None of the additional seats are full time, none get paid by the AFL-CIO and each has one vote.  Affiliate Presidents who serve on the Council vote per capita but the Council rarely, if ever, votes on matters.
   • The composition of other International Union Boards.
   • CWA's membership demographics.  Our best data shows the following:  57% Male, 43% Female, 76% white, 11% African American, 8% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 1% Native American with 3% refusing to answer.  This data is derived from a random sampling of the CWA membership conducted by an outside firm for a survey.
   • The demographics of both represented and administrative CWA staff by District and Sector and over time.
   • The legal considerations and limitations (see document attached).
5. The committee heard (via speaker phone) from several local officers who expressed an interest in addressing the committee.
6. The committee brainstormed the barriers faced by women and minorities in advancing in CWA, as well as some possible action steps.

The next meeting of the CWA Diversity Committee is November 16-17 in San Antonio.

The CWA Diversity Committee encourages locals to provide their ideas and thoughts on how to increase the diversity on the CWA Executive Board by answering the attached questions by November 10th.