Graduation hat sits atop a roll of cash.

ROBERT D. JOHNSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Deadline April 15
https://collegenowgc.org/cleveland-foundation-scholarship-listing/the-robert-d-johnson-memorial-scholarship-fund/
The Robert D. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund, administered by the Cleveland Foundation, is now accepting applications – Application deadline is 5 p.m. EDT, April 15, 2023. A random drawing is used to select the scholarship awards. Minimum 2.0 GPA required.

One of our own Local 4502 members has won this in the past, so please apply.

CWA JOE BEIRNE SCHOLARSHIP: Deadline April 30
16 scholarships of $4,000 for each of two years are up for grabs in a lottery-style drawing. Details here https://cwa-union.org/pages/beirne. It is open to CWA members, their spouses, children and grandchildren, including those of retired or deceased members. Submit online by 11:59 pm April 30 at https://cwa-union.org/pages/beirne_scholarship_application

There is a short essay (max 250 words), but it is a lottery style drawing so don’t let the essay deter you. We had our own Local 4502 members win this in the past, so please apply.

Dear CWA 4502 Members,
Many of you have received deceptive “Opt Out” email from the so-called Freedom Foundation — a shadowy, extremist organization funded by billionaires and anti-union fanatics.

Make no mistake, the Freedom Foundation has one goal: to weaken CWA Local 4502 right before we start contract negotiations with the City of Columbus.

Don’t be distracted by their patronizing breakup-themed email. The only thing the Freedom Foundation wants to break up is yours and your co-workers’ collective bargaining strength so we can’t improve your pay, benefits and working conditions. Apparently, the very idea of employees having a strong union as their advocate at work threatens the extremists behind the misleading email you received.

The Freedom Foundation knows how powerful a union voice can be — that’s why they’re spending so much money and time to mine your personal data and contact you at work. Let’s show them that we understand what a strong union is worth by remaining loyal Union members and negotiating a good contract with the City of Columbus.

The email they sent you should have an “unsubscribe” link at the bottom. Click to unsubscribe. If you are emailed again after you unsubscribe, please let us know.

Let’s stick together going into negotiations with the City and show everyone what the power of a union really brings. If you have not yet responded to your Union’s survey, please do so by February 26th. If you have not yet received a link to the survey, please contact Joyce at [email protected]

If you have not yet received a link to the survey, please contact Joyce at [email protected].

United We Bargain. Divided We Beg.

United We Bargain. Divided We Beg.

I Love my CWA Negotiations Team, seen here hard at work again today! Left to right: Hugh Williams, Brent Writesel, Jim Weber, Susan Wilson, (Eric Cunningham – absent) and Sarah Ingles (attorney).

The team along with our attorney have been meeting twice per week since January, (now three times per week) in preparation to begin negotiations February 27.

Members wishing to receive negotiations updates should provide their home/personal email address and home/cell phone to: [email protected].

CWA Local 4502 Negotiations Team photo while working.

I Love my CWA Negotiations Team, seen here hard at work again today! Left to right: Hugh Williams, Brent Writesel, Jim Weber, Susan Wilson, (Eric Cunningham – absent) and Sarah Ingles (attorney).

CWA Local 4502 is again offering members an incentive for supporting local arts/sciences/historical organizations (ASH). CWA members can then choose a gift card as an incentive for doing so. This program is returning (after a long pause during COVID) with an annual open-enrollment period starting March 1.

Open Enrollment: March 1 – April 21, 2023
RSVP via email to: [email protected]
Indicate the preferred gift card: Kroger, Meijer, Target, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants
Indicate Membership Meeting or Office Pick Up In person pick-up is required. A photo ID and the membership card must be presented.

Membership Meeting Pick Up: May 10, 2023 (4:30 open house, 5 – 7pm).
Office Pick Up: April 24 – 28 from 10am – 5pm (times may be adjusted; this post will be updated by April 17).

How to Participate: Members are to RSVP via email to [email protected] noting they will participate in ASH. The email should indicate which gift card is preferred and if the member plans to attend the next Membership Meeting (May 10) or will pick up their incentive during office hours the week of April 24. In person pick-up is required.

Members must show a photo ID & the ASH attraction membership card (present a non-expired card or recent purchase confirmation/receipt. Must be valued at $50 or more). If gifting a membership, you must provide the purchase confirmation and receipt.

Local arts/sciences/historical organizations (ASH) include:

BalletMet Subscription Show Packages
CATCO – CATCO is Theater Subscription
Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus Symphony Orchestra Subscription
Columbus Zoo & Aquarium or The Wilds
COSI
Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
Ohio History Connection (Ohio History Center/Ohio Village)
ProMusica Chamber Orchestra Subscriber
National Veterans Memorial and Museum
Wexner Center
and more…

Note: You may already have an eligible membership to the zoo, COSI, etc. that can be used for this program, as long as it is not expired. Also, watch for Reciprocal Membership participation/programs. Often a membership to one organization offers free entry or discounts to similar institutions, their cafes and/or gift shops.

New hires/promoted employees can participate once they establish CWA membership. Going forward, new CWA members coming on after open-enrollment can participate until the end of the calendar year. Non-members can join Local 4502 and then have one month to participate; only one $50 incentive will be granted per member per calendar year.

Hurry! The 2023 Union Plus Scholarship deadline is January 31! Active union members and their families are eligible. Awards range from $500-$4,000. Apply today at UnionPlus.org.

Open to CWA members & family: The Union Plus Scholarship awards are presented annually to union members or members of their families who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education.

In 2022, 189 union members and union family members were awarded $200,000 in Union Plus Scholarships, ranging from $500 to $4,000.
May be an image of 9 people and text that says 'UNION PLUS SCHOLARSHIP NOW OPEN FOR 2023!'
Apply today at UnionPlus.org.
36 Reasons to Thank A Union

Did you know that labor unions made the following 36 things possible?

  1. Weekends without work
  2. All breaks at work, including your lunch breaks
  3. Paid vacation
  4. Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
  5. Sick leave
  6. Social Security
  7. Minimum wage
  8. Civil Rights Act/Title VII – prohibits employer discrimination
  9. 8-hour workday
  10. Overtime pay
  11. Child labor laws
  12. Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA)
  13. 40-hour work week
  14. Workers’ compensation (workers’ comp)
  15. Unemployment insurance
  16. Pensions
  17. Workplace safety standards and regulations
  18. Employer health care insurance
  19. Collective bargaining rights for employees
  20. Wrongful termination laws
  21. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA)
  22. Whistleblower protection laws
  23. Veteran’s Employment and Training Services (VETS)
  24. Compensation increases and evaluations (i.e. raises)
  25. Sexual harassment laws
  26. American Disabilities Act (ADA)
  27. Holiday pay
  28. Employer dental, life, and vision insurance
  29. Privacy rights
  30. Pregnancy and parental leave
  31. Military leave
  32. The right to strike
  33. Public education for children
  34. Equal Pay Acts of 1963 & 2011 – requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work
  35. Laws ending sweatshops in the United States

 

Thank Your Union! 

If you are not yet a full-dues paying member, join CWA Local 4502 today. Contact a CWA Rep or reach out to Wayne Trakas-Lawyor at 614-485-1265.

Strong union membership is key to raising income levels, providing benefits such as retirement security, health insurance, and giving workers a voice when it comes to negotiating and enforcing our contracts. By being united with other CWA Local 4502 members our voices will be stronger, and we will be able to negotiate contracts with better pay, benefits, and working conditions.

 

Join together for a stronger voice for better wages and working conditions!

  1. The higher our membership, the more power we have at the bargaining table, and the better our chances of winning a good contract. The power of our union is in its numbers.
  2. Only members have a vote — in choosing who runs the union, whether we go on strike, and whether or not to ratify a contract or increase dues.
  3. Members are eligible for many benefits, including scholarship awards, services, discounts, and coupons.
Median earnings for union and non-union workers

What is union-busting? Union-busting is when an external organization encourages union members to stop paying union dues. Their aim is to destroy unions and deprive workers of workplace benefits, such as pay raises, health-care, vacation time, personal business holidays, our birthday holidays, and so much more.

What they say: That union members can save money by stop being a dues-paying member of CWA Local 4502, and still get the benefits of membership with no adverse consequences or effects on contracts and collective bargaining.

What it means: Weaken the Union’s ability to bargain for improved pay, benefits and working conditions – our contract – and eventually leads to the Union disappearing. Don’t forget that the employer is not legally obliged to give us any benefits. Who will negotiate for us then? The Union-buster? NO! They have not put a dime into our pockets but they want to take money from our paychecks to fund billionaires.

They do not care about our pay or how we will feed our family and fill the car with gas. Dues-paying union members get more from the union than the union takes from us through exclusive union benefits and collective bargaining power.

Median earnings for union and non-union workers

The choice is easy.

 

What they say: That you have a choice to pay your union dues and that you should choose not to. 

What it means: It means that the Union will lose strenth and may eventually disappear. Regardless of how you might feel about Unions, you enjoy the benefits that come with it. Consider this: If you were at the store and a coworker’s cart was full of groceries and they have just paid for it.  Would you take some of, or all, of your coworkers’ groceries, just because you could?

What they say:  Unions only want your money to give to politicians who do not represent your values.

What it means: How do these people know what your values are? CWA has a Political Action Fund (PAF), which is separate to paying union-dues.  Members choose if they wish to contribute to that fund, which goes to candidates at a state or national level.

CWA Local 4502 gives small amounts of money to a few local labor friendly political candidates from both parties. We do this to advance members’ interests at work. If you know of any candidates who are labor friendly and will help our members, please let us know.

We are political because we have to be to get the best contracts for our members, but we are not party political as union-busters claim  Many people do not care for the political aspect, which is understandable; however, just about every company out there has lobbyists who work for, or are affiliated to politicians or their parties because it gives them influence. Unions have a duty to get the best for workers and are the only voice working people and families have – Unions serve as our lobbyists. “If you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu” (Pat Rusk, a teacher’s union president).

Please help us this Holiday season with the Union Cares/Union Shares program in conjunction with the Central Ohio Labor Union/AFL-CIO and St. Stephen’s Community House.

This program helps union families that have fallen on hard times, been layed-off or placed out of work.

Donate canned goods at the CWA Local 4502 Members’ Holiday Party on December 7 (4 – 7 pm at Ohio Brewing Co) where you can be entered in a gift card raffle, drop off canned goods at the union hall (399 E. Main St), or at 111 N Front St (1st floor) with Cindy Krebs, or get them to your department rep. Monetary donations can be made via check to Unions Share, 4150 E. Main Street, Columbus, OH 43213 or online via saintstephensch.org.

If you can donate your time, volunteers are needed to help sort canned items and fill orders on December 12 – 20, 9 am – 6pm, at St. Stephens Community House (1500 E. 17th Ave). Volunteers can sign up for specific dates and time slots at www.saintstephensch.org. This is a fun even and you can help for as little as an hour or two.

Thank you for your generosity in supporting our brothers and sisters in need.

CWA Local 4502
Members’ Holiday Party
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
4 – 7 pm
Ohio Brewing Company
421 E Second Avenue
RSVP to [email protected]

Let’s all enjoy the season with our union brothers and sisters for a members get together. Food and refreshments are provided and there is a cash bar. Raffles every hour for $50.00 gift cards. To enter the raffle, bring canned goods (we are collecting for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank). Get a raffle ticket for each canned good you donate.

Your Union pay raise of 3% is effective April 17, 2022.

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