Larry Cohen hosts online chat with CWA members
Earlier today, CWA President Larry Cohen held an online chat with CWA members across the country. It was a unique opportunity to hear his thoughts on the upcoming election and CWA's key issues of jobs and wages, health care, retirement security, and the Employee Free Choice Act. You can read the full transcript here.
During the nearly hour-long chat, President Cohen fielded 23 questions. Many of them related to the importance of protecting the right to organize. For example, responding to a question about the connection between the current major economic crisis and the need for stronger unions, President Cohen said,
For 80 years policy makers have understood that collective bargaining means a better deal for workers and creates demand for goods and services. The US has been moving in the opposite direction making it nearly impossible for working Americans to gain collective bargaining coverage. In short more union workers means more bargaining power and better pay. This is in turn raises our buying power and stimulates the economy far better than another rebate.
There were also specific questions and answers on a wide range of issues, including working conditions for airline workers, health care negotiations with Verizon, the Presidential candidates' positions on veterans issues, and many more.
President Cohen reminded everyone just how important this election is. As union members, we have an even greater stake, due to threats to our right to organize, our jobs and benefits, and our retirements.
That's why it's so important that we do all we can to make sure Barack Obama is elected as the next President of the United States. He is the only candidate who understands the issues that matter most to workers and their families, and the only one who has shown that he'll fight for all of us.
