|
February 1, 2008
Volume 08 NO 5
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
‘The History of Black History"
 We owe
the celebration of Black History Month, and more importantly, the
study of black history, to Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Born to parents
who were former slaves, he spent his his childhood working in the
Kentucky coal mines and enrolled in high school at age twenty. He
graduated within two years and later went on to earn a Ph.D. from
Harvard. The scholar was disturbed to find in his studies that
history books largely ignored the Black American populations—and
when Blacks did figure into the picture, it was generally in ways
that reflected the inferior social position they were assigned at
the time.
In 1926, he launched Negro History Week because it marks the
birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the Black American
population—Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. However,
February has much more than Douglass and Lincoln to show for its
significance in Black American History. What you might not know is
that Black history had barely begun to be studied—or even
documented—when the tradition originated. Although Blacks have been
in America at least as far back as colonial times, it was not until
the 20th century that we gained a respectable presence in
the history books.
Black History Month was established in 1976 by Afro-Americans for
the Study of Afro-American Life and History. The month-long
celebration was an expansion of Negro History Week. It purpose is to
expose the harms of racial prejudice and to cultivate Black
self-esteem following centuries of socio-economic oppression. It is
also an opportunity to recognize significant contributions to
society made by people with African heritage.
2008 Bargaining
update
Printable Flyer (Adobe Acrobat)
We
Need Health Care for All Working Families, Not Health Cuts at
Verizon!
Take Health Care Off
the Table!
Our health care system is in crisis.
Since 2003, when we last bargained with Verizon-East, the average
cost of employer-sponsored health insurance has risen by 58%. Today,
only 6% of Americans get fully paid family health care from their
employers, and only 20% get fully paid single coverage.
Those of us with health insurance are paying for those without
it. Hospitals and doctors raise fees to cover the services they
provide to the uninsured, so costs for employers like Verizon
relentlessly increase. Employers who don’t provide health insurance
get a free ride. That’s one factor driving up Verizon’s $2.3 billion
health care bill.*
Verizon wants to solve the problem by forcing us to pay much more
for our health care. While the current system punishes employers who
provide health care,
the
real solution is national health care, not huge co-pays for workers.
*Current annual cost of health care for all active and retired
Verizon bargaining unit members. Does not include VZ Business, VZ
Wireless, or management. Verizon projects costs will increase by
about 9% a year.
Verizon’s Proposals for Cost Shifting
This reality is reflected in Verizon-East’s outrageous November
proposals to impose huge levels of cost-shifting for health care:
|
Verizon’s November Proposal for
Monthly Employee Contributions |
| |
Emp. Only |
Emp. +1 |
Emp. + Family |
|
Average active |
$79 |
$118 |
$158 |
|
Pre-Medicare retiree |
$38 |
$76 |
$95 |
|
Medicare retirees |
$22 |
$43 |
$65 |
 As
fewer and fewer workers manage to hold on to free health
care, the pressure on CWA and IBEW members at Verizon will only
continue to grow. We need to stop cost-shifting today. But in the
long run,
Verizon must join CWA, IBEW, other unions, consumer groups, and
progressive organizations to find a national solution to this
national problem.
|
