• AFA-CWA International Website

A Brief Overview: Who Is CWA?

[12.19.07] -- Since AFA's merger with CWA in 2003, some members still ask: "Who is CWA?" We've compiled a brief overview to give you a better idea of our strength and our numbers. The 55,000 Flight Attendant members of AFA-CWA are part of the 700,000 member-strong Communications Workers Of America.

Power in numbers and strength in unity; diversity is key to our success

CWA, America's largest media and communications union, represents over 700,000 men and women in both private and public sectors, including the over half a million workers who are building the Information Highway.

CWA members are employed in education, airline customer service, law enforcement, health care, TV broadcasting, journalism, publishing, electronics & general manufacturing, government service, telecommunications, cable TV, printing, video & sound recording, and other fields.

CWA holds over 2,000 collective bargaining agreements spelling out wages, benefits, working conditions and employment security provisions for its members. The union includes some 1,200 chartered local unions across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Members live in approximately 10,000 communities, making CWA one of the most geographically diverse unions in the world.

All-encompassing fields: Airlines, News Media/Broadcasting, Education, Communications, Law Enforcement, Health Care, Publishing, and more...

In addition to representing employees at major airlines such as United, Northwest, Alaska, US Airways/America West, Aloha and Hawaiian Airlines (AFA-CWA), CWA members are represented at NBC and ABC television networks (NABET-CWA), AT&T, GTE, Lucent Technologies/Bell Labs, General Electric, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Delphi/GM (IUE-CWA), major papers such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post (TNG-CWA), the University of California system, and the state of New Jersey.

There are also 25,000+ public safety officer members in the CWA Law Enforcement Division of the National Coalition of Public Safety Officers (NCPSO/CWA). These officers include the entire range of public safety services – municipal police officers, deputy sheriffs, state police, county and state correctional officers, EMS workers, communications dispatchers, probation officers, and firefighters.

Retiree involvement & activism is key to CWA's history

The CWA Retired Members' Council (RMC) is a serious organization that focuses the accumulated skills of CWA veterans on the critical issues facing retirees. It has the expertise to help insure that retirees have input into key retiree matters as they are shaped by former employers and public policy decision-makers. Retired Members' Councils are an important part of CWA’s past, present, and future.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., CWA also maintains regional district headquarters in New York City, Denver, Philadelphia, Silver Spring, Md., Atlanta, Cleveland, Austin, and San Francisco. CWA staff members working out of 50 field offices assist local unions/offices with contract negotiations, officer & steward training, organizing, legislative/community programs and day-to-day member representation.

CWA is affiliated with the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations), the Canadian Labour Congress, and the worldwide Union Network International. AFA-CWA members can be proud of the fact that as members of the 700,000 member strong union of CWA, our collective voice on Capitol Hill and in the halls of Congress do not go unnoticed.

What does being unionized do for our work group?

The main role of a Union is to defend the interests of the employee, who by nature of the corporate environment, is the weaker party in an employment contract. Employers have an almost unfettered right and opportunity to choose the employees who get hired and to define the scope of their duties at work through company policies and procedures.

It is only through mutual cooperation and solidarity that employees can begin to compensate for this natural advantage of the employer. By negotiating collectively with the employer, workers can meet their employers on a more equal footing. The strength of the Union lies in its members and can be measured by their participation in its affairs and by their awareness of the Union's role in their lives.

Membership participation and awareness don't just grow - they must be cultivated. Workers need to be informed & engaged, get involved and must always be aware of the importance of vigilant enforcement of their Contract and their rights on the job.

Every individual member has the potential to make a difference in our Union. For more detailed facts, and to get more information on the importance of being involved and informed, email us at gkim.moe@gmail.com.

Copyright © September 2007 AFA-CWA, UAL Council 12 Los Angeles.
Add'l info: CWA-union.org, All Rights Reserved.