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CWA 75Th Convention Proceedings

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CWA 75Th Convention Proceedings Proceedings and Index of the 75th Annual Convention Communications Workers of America Cobo Center Detroit, Michigan June 8-10, 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page MONDAY MORNING June 8, 2015 Call to Order - Temporary Chair Dave Skotarczyk, President, CWA Local 4050 1 Invocation - Reverend Carl Wade, Union AME Church, Allentown, NJ 1 Opening Ceremonies - Presentation of Colors, National Anthems 2 Welcome - Linda Hinton, Vice President, CWA District 4 2 Guest Speaker - Dennis Williams, President, United Auto Workers of America 5 President's Address - CWA President Larry Cohen 8 Credentials Committee - Preliminary Report, Marge Krueger, Chair 20 Use of Microphones, Introduction of Parliamentarians and Platform Observers 20 Motion by Don Trementozzi, Local 1400, to include FairPoint striking workers' voting strength 22 Resolutions & Rules Committee - Convention Rules & Hours of Convention 23 Guest Speaker - Lothar Shröder, Chair, Telecom & Information Technology Sector, ver.di 24 Guest Speaker - Joshua Coleman, T-Mobile, Wichita 28 Presentation of inscribed plaque to Lothar Shröder 29 Remarks by Sandy Rusher - Senior Director of Organizing 29 Presentation of Organizing Awards - By Carolyn Wade, Local 1040, Chair, Executive Board Organizing Committee 32 2015 President's Award for Organizing - 33 Recess - 35 MONDAY AFTERNOON Call to Order - 36 Election Rules - By Jody Calemine, General Counsel 36 Nominations of Officers - President 39 Secretary-Treasurer 40 Vice Presidents 43 At-Large Diversity Board Members 49 Oath of Office - 56 Presentation of "President's Hat Award" for Organizing to President Larry Cohen 57 Recess - 57 TUESDAY MORNING June 9, 2015 Call to Order - 58 Invocation - Maurice Dupree, Vice President, CWA Local 4100 - 58 Election Results - 59 Installation of Officers - 60 Address by newly-elected President Christopher Shelton - 63 Remarks by Tefere Gebre, Executive Vice President, National AFL-CIO - 70 Texts to Washington "Vote No on Fast Track" - 72 Introduction of Platform Observers - 72 Report of the Constitution Committee - 72 Remarks - Secretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens - 75 Finance Committee Report - (also see Appendix) 76 Resolutions Committee Report - 75A-15-1 - Honoring the Leadership and Determination of President Larry Cohen to Fight "One Day Longer, Each Day Stronger" 79 75A-15-2 - Oppose the Assault on Public Workers & Public Services 84 Recess - 90 TUESDAY AFTERNOON Call to order - 91 Report - Defense Fund Oversight Committee 91 Retired Members' Council Report - (also see Appendix) 99 National Women's Committee Report 102 Remarks by Vice President Nelson Re: TPP and Fast Track - 108 National Civil Rights & Equity Committee - Intro by Vice President Claude Cummings 109 Results of "Vote No on Fast Track" calls 115 Resolutions Committee (continued) - 75A-15-3 - Restoring & Strengthening U.S. Democracy 116 75A-15-4 - Long-Term Organizing Campaigns 119 75A-15-5 - It's Our Turn 121 75A-15-6 - Supplemental - In Support of the Release of Oscar Lopez Rivera 124 Announcements - 125 Recess - 126 WEDNESDAY MORNING June 10, 2015 Call to Order - 127 Invocation - Sylvia Chapman, Vice President, Local 4250 - 127 Introduction of Platform Observers - 127 Pediatric AIDS Foundation Presentation - Intro by: Chip Lyons, President/CEO 127 Remarks by Fortunata Kasage 128 Presentation of PAF Awards by Vice President Dennis Trainor 130 In Memoriam - 132 Presentation of 30-Year Service Awards - 135 Resolutions Committee (continued) - 75A-15-7 - Women's Voices Must be Heard and Respected 136 75A-15-8 - Equal Access to Jobs, Housing and Public Accommodations for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender (LGBT) People 140 75A-15-9 - Black Lives Matter - All Lives Matter 143 75A-15-10- MUMS*LINK 150 75A-15-11- In Support of Daily Hires 151 Appeals Committee Report - Results of Appeals at Prior Conventions 152 Appeal No. 1 - 153 Appeal No. 2 - (also see Appendix - Independent Referee Report) 155 2013-2014 Political Action Fund Awards 160 Honor Roll Locals - (see Appendix) Convention Announcements 161 Points of Personal Privilege - 161 President's Closing Remarks - 163 Adjournment, sine die 166 Appendix -- - Addendum to Finance Committee Report - Retired Members' Council Report - Political Action Fund Honor Locals - Independent Referee Report re: Dispute between Local 3140 & 3010 1 MONDAY MORNING SESSION June 8, 2015 The 75th Convention of the Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, CLC, held June 8-10, 2015, at Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan, convened at 9:01 a.m., Temporary Chair Dave Skotarczyk, President, CWA Local 4050, presiding. TEMPORARY CHAIR SKOTARCZYK: Good morning, delegates. Please take your seats. We've got a real treat for you, so come on, let's go. It's time to get started. We've got a treat for you in just one minute, so please take your seats. The Warren Woods Tower High School Drum Line, under the direction of Scott Corpuz, entered the Convention Hall, marching in step . TEMPORARY CHAIR SKOTARCZYK: The Warren Woods Tower High School Drum Line, give them a big CWA thank you. (Applause) And I'd like you to know that our very own CWA Rep, Mike Schulte's son is one of these fine young people. (Applause) If you would please take your seats, we've got a lot of business to do. Please take your seats. My name is Dave Skotarczyk. I am the President of CWA Local 4050, Vice President Bates' own home local, and our President Emeritus at Local 4050. And I also have the honor and the privilege of being the President of the Detroit Metro Media Council of CWA Locals. I'm very proud to be part of that organization. We are, all the sectors, we are the district. We are NABET, we are the News Writers Guild, we are the Printers, we are District 4, we are the T&T, all coming together to work as one union together as we do in this Convention. I am honored to serve as the Temporary Chair this morning and, on behalf of Local 4050 and all of CWA District 4, I welcome you to Detroit and the 75th CWA Convention. (Applause) As we usually do, we open up our Convention with prayer. I am honored this morning to introduce you to my new best friend, The Most Reverend Carl Wade. PASTOR CARL WADE (Union AME Church, Allentown, New Jersey): Let us pray. O, thy Ancient of Days, the Ne Plus Ultra, dare we invoke Your name. Can we who are finite beings tell Grace when to appear and when to exit? My soul stands on tiptoe, for You are holy, holy, holy. Surely Thou art El Shaddai, God Almighty, the object of praise and applause. The Psalmist wrote, "The Lord is great." In agreement, the stars cursai, anthropomorphically speaking, in salutation before You, You who flip galaxies like omelets against the sizzling blackness. The intellectual powers of man have placed eyes in the sky via satellites and, God, Your greatness is such that we still remain as peeping toms at the keyhole of the universe, surveying Your majesty and Your royal power. Father God, we thank You for the leadership of President Larry Cohen, his generosity, his managerial acumen, and his brilliantly retentive mind, which has enabled him to lead our CWA family. 2 Now, Father, we request that You would open a cornucopia of blessings and let them cascade down upon the incoming President, Christopher Shelton. And when confronted with a crescendo of issues, keep his mind sharp, his thinking straight and true. Father, I ask Your blessings on the leaders and the officers of this great union. Let peace and harmony abide, for they are titans among titans in the pantheon of leaders; gladiators willing to argue their belief and fight for the rights of workers. Allow them, Father, to taste the elixir of discernment and order their steps in integrity. Now, God, who paints rainbows without canvas, hold us in the palm of Your hand. Amen. (Applause) TEMPORARY CHAIR SKOTARCZYK: That was great. I know we have a lot of faithful people here. I was at Greektown Casino last night and heard a lot of you praying. (Laughter) Okay. Right now, it's time to rise for the presentation of the Colors and the National Anthems of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Presenting the American, Canadian, and Puerto Rican flags are from our own City of Warren Police Honor Guard. "The Star Spangled Banner" will be sung by Jeanette J. Spoor, President, Retired Members Council 1103. Scott Edmonds, Vice President of Canada West, Canadian Media Guild Local 30213, will sing the Canadian Anthem. And Luis Benitez-Burgos, Secretary-Treasurer of CWA Local 3010, will sing the National Anthem of Puerto Rico. The Colors were brought forward and posted on the podium, and National Anthems were performed, followed by tremendous applause and cheers by the delegates . TEMPORARY CHAIR SKOTARCZYK: Thank you, Jeanette, Scott and Luis. Our Honor Guard and the members of the Warren Woods Tower High School Drum Line! (Applause) Will the delegates and others please remain standing as the Colors are retired. The Color Guard marched out of the Convention hall . (Applause) TEMPORARY CHAIR SKOTARCZYK: Please take your seats. My very good friends, brothers and sisters, it is now my great pleasure and honor to introduce to you not only a personal friend of mine who I have known for a long time, but I don't think she'd want me to tell you that. She is a true champion of the working person. In 2012, she took over CWA District 4 and became our Vice President. Since then, she has been leading us through the Capitol in Wisconsin, fighting the Governor there, and through the Legislature in Ohio, and everything in between. Where there is a struggle of working men and women, she is there on the front lines supporting them. Please give a big round of applause to our friend, Vice President Linda Hinton.
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