Proceedings and Index of the 58Th Annual Convention - 1996
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Proceedings and Index of the 58th Annual Convention - 1996 TABLE OF CONTENTS MONDAY MORNING June 10, 1996 Call to Order - Temporary Chair Gerald Nelson Invocation - Most Reverend Bishop Thomas Gumbleton Opening Ceremonies Presentation of Colors, National Anthems Introduction of District 4 Host Committee Welcome Remarks by Jeff Rechenbach, Vice President, District 4 President’s Address- International President Morton Bahr Greetings by Freman Hendrix, Executive Assistant to Mayor of Detroit Address by Hon. Richard Gephardt, House Democratic Leader Remarks by Frank Garrison, President, Michigan State AFL-CIO Use of Microphones Credentials Committee- Partial Report Remarks by Hon. John Conyers (D-MI) Convention Rules Finance Committee Report Resolutions Committee 58A-96-5 - Corporate Greed - CEO Pay 58A-96-6 - Workers in Today’s Economy Communications & Greetings Recess MONDAY AFTERNOON Call to Order Address by Vice President Vic Crawley (District 6) Chair, Executive Board Organizing Committee Organizing Program - Larry Cohen, Organizing Director Local Union Organizing List Organizing Awards President’s Annual Award Address by Linda Foley, President, Newspaper Guild Address by John Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO Resolutions Committee (continued) 58A-96-2 - Legislative and Political Program Address by Reed Hundt, Chairman, FCC Resolutions Committee (continued) 58A-96-7 - Federal Reserve System Policy 58A-96-4 - Living Wage Ordinance 58A-96-1 - CWA Endorsement of Clinton-Gore Address by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton Election Procedures Nomination & Elections: International Officers Sector Vice Presidents Recess TUESDAY AFTERNOON June 11, 1996 Call to Order Election Results - District Vice Presidents Credentials Committee - Supplementary Report Secretary -Treasurer’s Report by Barbara Easterling Resolutions Committee (continued) 58A-96-3 - The International Economy and Information Technology Address by Philip Bowyer, General Secretary, PTTI Election Results - District Vice Presidents (continued) Introduction of Foreign Guests National Women’s Committee Report Report of Executive Vice President M.E. Nichols Discussion Re: Public Sector Workers’ Representative on Defense/Members’ Relief Fund Oversight Committee Constitution Committee Report In Memoriam COPE Awards Pediatric AIDS Foundation - Video Presentation & Awards Bone Marrow Donor Program 30-Year Service Awards Resolutions Committee (continued) Special Resolution - Detroit News Strike Remarks by Harry Collins, Member, CWA Typographical Local 18 Recess WEDNESDAY MORNING June 12, 1996 Call to Order Invocation by Rabbi Ernst Conrad Installation of Officers by President Emeritus Glen Watts Address by Governor Jim Florio, Chair, Task Force on Excellence in State and Local Government through Labor-Management Cooperation National Committee on Equity Defense Fund Oversight Committee Report Resolutions Committee (continued) 58A-96-8 - Building Worker Power in the Information Industry 58A-96-9 - Members - Rights and Responsibilities WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON Call to Order Appeals Committee Journalism Awards Introduction & Video of NABET Technicians Good and Welfare Closing Remarks by President Bahr Video of Convention Highlights Announcements Adjournment Communications Appendix A- Finance Committee Report & Supplement MONDAY MORNING SESSION June 10, 1996 The 58th Annual Convention of the Communications Workers of America, held at the COBO Conference/Exhibition Center, Detroit, Michigan, June 10- 12, 1996, convened at 8:30 a.m., Temporary Chair Gerald Nelson, President, Detroit Metro Area Council and Vice President, CWA Local 4100, presiding. TEMPORARY CHAIR GERALD NELSON: The Convention will come to order. Will the delegates please take their seats. J’ambo alafiya. Good morning. We have a full schedule today. I think it is going to be pretty exciting also. I want to ask you to please take your seats so that we have as little confusion as possible. I am Piemba-- Gerald Nelson. Most of you know me as Jerry Nelson. I am President of the Metro Area Council, CWA Locals, and the Vice President of my own local, CWA Local 4100 in Detroit. I have the honor this morning of serving as your Temporary Chair. It is a special honor for me. Having asked President -Emeritus Glenn Watts, I find that I am the first CWA member of African descent to have the honor of opening the Convention. (Applause) And if you know how that process works, it did not take a protest or badgering or anything else. That is just the way it works. I am the Chairman of the Metro Council, as I have said, and that process is an election process. In order to get there, I had to have the support of not only African-Americans, whites, Hispanics, but everybody in the Metro area. That is also a tribute to yourselves. It is a special pleasure to welcome you to Detroit this year, because, as you know, Detroit has a rich labor history and a rich history of being culturally diverse. This year we won’t be boring for you. We have a newspaper strike that in one month will have been going on for one year. So we have a little extra curricular activity for you. We also are engaged in organizing drives with the cable companies and other companies in the area. So there will be plenty of excitement for you. As is our custom, we will begin the convention with a prayer. I would like to call upon The Most Reverend Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Bishop of St. Leo’s Parish in Detroit, for the invocation. Reverend Gumbleton is one of the preeminent members of the clergy in the fight for workers’ rights. He is one of the leaders from Detroit’s religious community who are supporting the news paper strikers. Please give him a very warm and appreciative welcome. I ask the delegates to please stand and remain standing after the invocation for the presentation of the Colors and the singing of the United States and Canadian National Anthems. THE MOST REVEREND BISHOP THOMAS GUMBLETON (St. Leo’s Parish, Detroit, Michigan): God of power and mercy, You have revealed to us what You call us to be and to do as Your people growing in holiness. Through Your prophet You proclaim what our true religious obligations are: to break the fetters of injustice, unfasten the thongs of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke; share our food with the hungry; bring to Your house the unsheltered needy; clothe those we see naked; and do not turn away from our own kin. With that challenge before us from Your sacred word, we pray this morning, O God, that you will bless our brothers and sisters with integrity and with Your sanctifying spirit. Bless their heads so that all their thoughts come forth from the well of Your being and fill them with grace and peace. Bless their ears that they might hear the cry of the poor and oppressed all around them and the whisper of Your word. Bless their lips that they might proclaim the good news of Your unwavering love and lasting justice. Bless their hands to hold and heal the many lives that are broken, that they may do good, do what they must to bring hope where there is often hopelessness. Bless their feet to walk in Your ways, to run and never grow weary, to stand up for justice unafraid. Bless their hearts with warmth and compassion and generosity toward all who are in need. Bless them in the depths of their spirit that they might have the courage to respond with the whole of their being to the daily call to justice and peace. Finally, our God, we ask that You bless all of us with the fullness of Your life and our souls with Your sanctifying spirit. Amen. TEMPORARY CHAIR NELSON: Our Colors this morning will be presented by the Detroit Firefighters Fund Honor Guard. Donna Ludolph, Secretary of the Printing, Publishing and Media Workers Sector will lead us in singing the “Star Spangled Banner“ and “O Canada.“ I want to remind the delegates to please remain standing until the Color Guard has left the hall. We will now have the presentation of the Colors and the National Anthems. (Applause) . The delegates arose as the Colors were presented by the Detroit Firefighters Fund Honor Guard followed by Donna Ludolph singing the National Anthems of the United States and Canada . (Applause) TEMPORARY CHAIR NELSON: I want to thank the Color Guard and thank you, Donna, for that beautiful rendition that you gave us. Can we give Donna another round of applause? (Applause) We come to the conventions and we take for granted that everything is in order, the way it should be, but there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. An enormous amount of planning and hard work has gone into our efforts to make this week an exciting and memorable one for us. The District 4 Host Committee has been working overtime to ensure the success of this convention. In addition to serving as Temporary Chair, I am also the Chair of the Host Committee. I want to take a moment to recognize the members of District 4 Host Committee at this time. Please stand when I call your name. The members of the District 4 Host Committee: . As each member of the Committee was introduced, the delegation responded with a single clap of recognition . Gayle Edwards, Executive Board member, Local 4000; Beverly Milliman, Vice President, Local 4004; Jim Cynowa, Vice President, Local 4008; Dominic Guadagni, President, Local 4009; Gary Odom, President, Local 4017; Chuck Thompson, President, Local 4018; Lee Horton, President, Local 4090; Jan Rich, Vice President, Local 4107; Carl Richter, President, Local 4008; Jim Charbonneau, President, Local 4107. TEMPORARY CHAIR NELSON: Please show your appreciation for all of their hard work with your applause. (Applause) In addition to the Host Committee, there are some 35 volunteers in these same locals who will be out there assisting you. You will see that they have on raspberry shirts.