Communications Workers of Watch your friends on YouTube: 4501 CWA July/August 2018 “Like” us on Facebook Join us at https://unionhall.cwalocals.org/cwa-local-4501 27 Euclid Avenue, -Columbus, Ohio 43201 Phone: (614) 294-5265 Fax: (614) 294-6562 OSU MAIN CAMPUS, WOOSTER, LIMA, MANSFIELD, NEWARK, MARION, PUT-IN BAY, FACULTY CLUB, SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE, PICKAWAY COUNTY JOBS AND FAMILY SERVICES, FRANKLIN COUNTY VETERAN’S COMMISSION Third World Country This wraps up poor American mothers must one reason the U.S. has the highest the article choose between raising their chil- tuition costs of any OECD country. first printed in dren and keeping their jobs. The Rolling Stone U.S. education system is plagued 5. Inequality Magazine. with structural racial biases, like the By almost every measure the U.S. In sharing this fact that schools are funded at the tops out OECD countries in terms article with local, rather than national level. of income inequality, largely be- President Kee you I do not That means that schools attended by cause America has the stingiest wel- intend to criti- poor black people get far less fund- fare state of any developed country. cize the fun- ing than the schools attended by This inequality has deep and pro- damental principles our country is wealthier students. The Department found effects on American society. built on but to point out how far I of Education has confirmed that For instance, although the U.S. jus- feel we have strayed from those schools with high concentrations of tifies its rampant inequality on the principles and what we have lost. poor students have lower levels of premise of upward mobility, many both at home and in the world. The funding. It's no wonder America has parts of the United States have comparisons to other countries one of the highest achievement abysmal levels of social mobility, around the world demonstrates are- gaps between high income and where children born in the poorest as in which we have fallen behind low income students, as quintile have a less than 3 percent and to me paints a bleak picture for measured by the Organization for chance of reaching the top quantile. America’s future if we continue in Economic Co-operation and Devel- Inequality harms our democracy, this ultra-conservative direction. In opment (OECD), a collection of because the wealthy exert an out- my thoughts and prayers I often ask rich world countries. Schools today sized political influence. Sheldon for solutions to these problems so are actually more segregated than Adelson, for instance, spent more to we can get back to an America that they were in the 1970s. Our higher influence the 2012 election than the exists not only for the rich and education system is unique among residents of 12 states combined. In- greedy but for the working class developed nations in that it is fund- equality also tears at the social fab- and the needy. ed almost entirely privately, by ric, with a large body of research debt. Students in the average OECD showing that inequality correlates 4. Education country can expect about 70 percent with low levels The U.S. is among only three na- of their college tuition to be public- of social trust. In their book The tions in the world that does not ly funded; in the United States, only Spirit Level, Richard Pickett and guarantee paid maternal leave (the about 40 percent of the cost of edu- Kate Wilkinson show that other two are Papua New Guinea cation is publicly-funded. That's a wide variety of social and Swaziland). This means many See third world p2 HOW BAD WILL YOU LET IT GET BEFORE YOU VOTE? Third world indicators, including health and capacity are more than half a centu- upward mobility blind us to the re- well being are intimately tied to ry old and in Detroit, some of the alities of class and inequality. Our inequality. sewer lines date back to the mid- healthcare system provides good 6. Infrastructure 19th century. One in nine U.S. care to some, but it comes at a cost The United States infrastructure is bridges (or 66,405 bridges) are – millions of people without health slowly crumbling apart and is in considered "structurally defi- insurance. If we don't critically ex- desperate need for repair. cient," according to the National amine these flaws, how can we ever One study estimates that our infra- Bridge Inventory. All of this means hope to progress as a society? structure system needs a $3.6 tril- that the U.S. has fallen rapidly lion investment over the next six in international rankings of infra- years. In New York City, the devel- structure. America is a great coun- opment of Second Avenue subway try, and it does many things well. line was first delayed by the out- But it has vast blind spots. The fact “If you think you are too small to make a break of W.W.II. It's still not fin- that nearly 6 million Americans, or difference, spend the night in a room full ished. In South Dakota, Alaska and 2.5% of the voting age population, of mosquitoes”. Pennsylvania, water is still trans- cannot vote because they have a ported via century-old wooden felony on record means that politi- —African proverb pipes. Some 45 percent of Ameri- cians can lock up more and more cans lack access to public transit. citizens without fear of losing their Large portions of U.S. wastewater seat. Our ideas of meritocracy and From CWA International News membership. Local 4501 to members and engage in the one- is working with other on-one contact that is so effective. Local 4501 is CWA STRONG CWA activists, includ- "Over the last six weeks, we've ing Local 4310 Presi- stepped up our program, meeting October 10, 2017 dent Dianne Bailey and Local 4322 with members and workers at Local 4501 in Columbus, Ohio, organizer Tomika Cooley, to do worksites three times a week. With took on the challenge and is becom- everything it takes to make sure the help of District 4 organizers, ing CWA STRONG. The local rep- Local 4501 is CWA STRONG. we've signed up another 167 peo- resents public workers at the Ohio President Kee says: ple in just six weeks. State University; in Lima, Mans- "We knew we had to do something. "We've learned that it's im- field, Newark, and Marion, Ohio; We started with a one-week organ- portant to highlight what we're do- the Ohio Secretary of State’s Of- izing blitz in October 2017, dedi- ing, if we've won a member benefit fice; Pickaway County Jobs and cated to reducing the number of or made other gains, or when we're Family Services; Franklin County agency fee payers. Organizers from bargaining a new contract and Veterans’ Commission, and other District 4 joined with Local 4501 know that the way to build strength agencies. members in making house calls and at the bargaining table is by Members work in skilled and onsite visits. We exceeded our goal building strength in our numbers. service trades and as paralegals, and actually got 158 new members That way, agency fee payers and benefits and program specialists, to sign up that week. It was amaz- non-members see what the union is and in other occupations. ing, and it was the start of our pro- doing. They recognize the value Local 4501 President Kevin Kee gram to make our local CWA and say they need to sign up. said that when the local and activ- STRONG. "And we know that it's im- ists "heard about efforts to limit the "Building on that first week, we portant to reach out to everyone. membership of our union, especial- knew we needed to continue to or- Sometimes, a university worker or ly the Friedrichs case, it was a re- ganize. We created spreadsheets county worker hasn't signed up just al wake up call." and databases of every building at due to the fact that no one had The local represents about OSU where we represent workers, reached out to them. That's all 2,200 workers, and about 500 plus members' work shifts and con- changed now. Our steady progress workers were agency fee payers, tact information. It's a lot of work, is becoming a tremendous success." just under 25 percent of total but it's what is needed to reach out Sanders, Pocan Lead Bill to Restore Workers’ Rights date, those who benefit from union con- WASHINGTON, May 9 – threaten or tracts and activities. fire pro- Under the legislation, when a With public support for unions union workers, who threaten to majority of workers in a bargain- at 61 percent, the highest in 15 move plants to China if their work- ing unit sign valid authorization years, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ers vote in favor of a union, and cards to join a union, they must Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and who refuse to negotiate a first con- have a union. Companies would their colleagues in the Senate and tract with workers who have voted not be allowed to deny or delay a House introduced legislation to join unions,” Sanders said. “If first contract with workers who Wednesday that would strengthen we are serious about reducing in- have voted to join a union. Unions the middle class by restoring work- come and wealth inequality and re- would be given the right to have ers' rights to bargain for better wag- building the middle class, we have their voice heard through second- es, benefits and working conditions.