CWA Board Proclaims 'Worker Bill of Rights'

When the founders of our nation took a good look at the Constitution, they found it needed a few adjustments to truly ensure "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Bill of Rights guarantees much that we take for granted, including freedom of religion, the right to assemble, the right to privacy in our homes. Preserving these freedoms requires constant vigilance by an informed citizenry.

"But workers need their own Bill of Rights," stated CWA President Morton Bahr, announcing that the CWA Executive Board has endorsed such a document, which has been mailed to all locals. "Those of us in CWA need to reflect upon the rights and benefits our union has won for us, and carry our values into the workplace, into the halls of Congress, into bargaining and into every drive we launch to organize the unorganized. On these principles, we will never compromise":

Worker Bill of Rights

Workers are entitled to certain fundamental rights in the course of earning a living. These include:

• The right to organize and form a union, engage in collective bargaining, exercise full freedom of association and designate representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment;
  
  
• The right to engage in a lawful strike without being permanently replaced or losing their jobs;
  
  
• The right to maintain an equitable standard of living derived from compensation for their labor;
  
  
• The right to job training, other services and education that will empower them to maximize their earnings, improve their occupational skills and enhance the productivity of the Nation;
  
  
• The right to be assured safe and healthful working conditions and to receive from their employers a conscientious effort to reduce the number of occupational safety and health hazards at their places of employment;
  
  
• The right to health care for wage earners and their families;
  
  
• The right to earn their living in an environment free from all forms of discrimination;
  
  
• The right to a livable and economically secure retirement;
  
  
• The right to engage in the political process as guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution, which would include voluntary participation in the union's political action committee and the use of union dues money as currently provided under state and federal law.
  

"Now, as America's working families are under unprecedented attack by right wing and corporate interests, as CWA bargains with many of its largest employers, and as we reach out to build a stronger union," stated CWA President Morton Bahr, "we must stand up for our basic rights as union members and for the right to bring the benefits of unionization to the unorganized."