You will find (in this section) links to sites of interest to union members or anyone else that 'works' for a living. If you have a link that will fit the bill (socially conscious sites, sites that are of interest to phone workers and especially sites that are not on every one else's page) please contact me at HOME or GTE.
The Union Ring
This
Union Ring site is owned by
Mike Drake Member &
'Defrocked' Shop Steward of CWA Loco 9510, Orange County, CA.
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Union Ring
My web site belongs to the
Union Ring. The Union Ring is the 'stomping ground' for people who have an
interest in workers rights, workplace issues, labor news, civil rights, OSHA
issues, affirmative action in the workplace and issues relative to the
betterment of people who work for a living. 'WORK' does not have to be a "four
letter word"!
The best place for Union related information is
Labor Notes a monthly
newsletter. It is a veritable cornucopia of everything you ever wanted to know
about what is going on in the Labor Movement. It also tells what is not going
on in the Labor Movement and what should be! Click
Labor Notes to see their home
page and find out how to subscribe. Our Local subscribes to it and every month
receives 50 copies that are made available to Stewards and or memebers. Try it,
you'll like it. They will send you a complimentary copy upon
request!
Local 9510 used to have a web site until it was overcome
by it's
politics. A year later (after it was trashed) it is going to have another,
or so say the President and new 'Webster'. Click
CWA Local 9510 Don't look for a
link back to mine on it! One of the funniest things on it is a picture of
Tiananmen Square with the caption When is the last time that you stood up
for your rights? I try to stand up for mine and the rights of other members
of the Local and they (the Local administration) is trying to kick me out of
the Union. I will keep you posted on how much it costs the members in LTW (Lost
Time Wages) for the "web guy" to get off the job to put the Local's spin on
reality!
"Netiquette" dictates a link for a link meaning if someone
links your site, it is only fair that you link them back from yours! My pal
Rick Scouler got me started on this when he showed me how to start the CWA
Local 9510 Internet Site. That was before it became the "CWA Loco: 9510"
Internet Site. We have used "HoTMetaL PRO" to do our respective sites. Here is
a link to his new site
(under
construction).
I can think of no more appropriate place to visit to begin this page of my web site than the coolest of the on line magazines (for those of us who work for a living). The name of the magazine is "DISGRUNTLED". It is a news magazine that combines news, feature articles, satire and commentary about the darker side of the world of work. This magazine is a two way street. It wants to hear from us about why our jobs suck, how miserable our bosses might be and what we do to vent our frustration or get even. If you have a cartoon, an outrageous story of mismanagement or bizarre behavior in the workplace, send it in. Whistle Blowers welcome!
This link is for a site that provides (at a cost) a lot of usefull information for trade unionists. Union Communication Services, Inc. publishes various aids for Stewards, Officers, Members and committee people of Locals. They have just published a GREAT Stewards handbook that covers all the things every Shop Steward needs to know! If you visit their site you can see the variety of material they have available. You can purchase their products online.
My wife & I belong to several Animal
Rights organizations along with a few other 'cause oriented' and/or socially
conscious groups. One of our favorites is
PETA (People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals). If you care about the rights of others you probably care
about the rights of animals. PETA works harder than any organization we know to
protect animals from the tratment given them by some humans! Give them a look
and a few bucks if the spirit moves you.
Another group we belong to is
the API (Animal Protection
Institute of America). They do a great job of informing the public on a variety
of animal rights issues. This link is to GREENPEACE, an
organization that does more than any we know to halt the systematic destruction
of our living environment (read planet earth)! We belong to this one also! You
can help by contacting GREENPEACE at 1436 U Street NW Washington, DC 20009
Do you have something to say and nothing to say it with? Look no further than the "NORTHLAND POSTER COLLECTIVE". It features one of the largest and finest collections of 'T' shirts, buttons, posters and other forms of art from the labor, peace and social justice movements! You can order on-line or get a catalog by visiting their site. There is nothing 'cheezy' at the "NORTHLAND POSTER COLLECTIVE". Unlike the goods offered by Loco 9510 All products offered for sale are union made and not products made in some 'sweatshop haven' with printing done by a union printer. Shirts, jackets and 'T's are made by union members in the USA.
If you are considering a different Long Distance provider than the one you now have, consider this one: WORKING ASSETS! Do you want to know why I would suggest changing? One good reason is WORKING ASSETS employees are represented by CWA. The employees of AT&T, PAC BELL and General Telephone are also represented by CWA so why switch to WORKING ASSETS? Unlike the others, WORKING ASSETS gives some of their profits back to organizations that have a social conscience and as a user you can have a say in where some of the contributions go. Give them a try and as an added deal you will get a free pint of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. To find out more about WORKING ASSETS, give them a call at 800.788.8588.
The
AUD (Association for Union Democracy) is an organization dedicated to
furthering democracy within unions. It does not endorse any position or
candidates for office in unions. The
AUD was instrumental in the battle of the
Teamsters for a Democratic Union
to finally get a a government supervised
election where each member got the right to vote in the union's election.
Unions (their leaders) can be heavy handed when dealing with the "loyal
opposition". For some reason a 'state of siege' mentality takes over after a
person is elected to higher office. This is not necessarily true of all
leaders. It is a malady that only affects a few. When that happens a 'rank and
file' member is at a great disadvantage whenever they question any action of
the Local's officers. The
AUD helps members of
unions who feel their rights may be violated, have questions regarding
elections or seek legal advise. The AUD is a non-profit organization and
functions with the help of volunteers and contributions. We (wife & I)
contribute by naming the AUD as our designated charity thru the United Way via
payroll deductions. You can too!
If the AUD interests you, there is
another organization that might also. It is called the
Public Citizen
Group. To find out more about Public Citizen, go to their site on
the web. They have been protecting health, safety and democracy since 1971. It
was founded by Ralph Nader. You can look at some of the legal work they do on
behalf of Union Democracy and Worker's Rights by clicking
'Union Democracy'.
Here is a link to my friend Mike's local. Give CWA Local 9588 a look from time to time and watch it grow.
This is a link to yet another CWA Local! The site of Local 2107 incorporates a lot of the things I wanted to do with the one I started at our Local. Unfortunately, the politics of our local overcame common sense and the site was discontinued. I am incorporating some of the stuff I had envisioned with the Local 9510 site into my own. If you would like to be a part of a members page similar to the one of Local 2107 or participate with this site you can contact me at the address below or here!
Here is a link to another CWA Local. It is worth a look. They have some interesting comments along with commentary by members who have something to say and care to say it on the Internet. Local 9430 is located in northern California and is composed of primarily members employed by Pac Bell. Check them out! Occasionally a manager will take the bait and write in to CWA Local 9430 and give their two cents worth. The site has some interesting links too!
This link is for the Web site of Michael Moore. Michael is the writer/director of Roger & Me, the creator of TV Nation and author of the best selling book, "Downsize This". To find out more about Michael, to join Mike's Militia or to get on his mailing list, use one of these links to his page! He also has a forum page for those having something to say and not many places to say it! With a startup list of 40,000 members (Mike's Militia) his forum will probably be getting a lot more action than mine.
To get to the CWA home page just click the above button. From there you can connect to other CWA Locals, get the latest news from the National Union and find links to other unions. The CWA page has access to articles from the CWA NEWS (national newsletter) along with the latest on some of the organizing drives our union is involved with. If you want some information on how you can help, check out the CWA National home page!
