From May 2^nd thru the 4^th, Executive Vice President Mike Harris and Vice President Claudia Cole attended the Jobs with Justice National Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. At the conference, they stood in solidarity with activists from around the country and world in connecting to the growing movement for workers’ rights, economic and social justice. The conference started off with a "bang" as over 700 attendees of the conference marched on the Capital demanding that the Governor stop treating the working people of Rhode Island like "second class citizens."

During the conference Harris and Cole were invited to participate in a special strategy meeting on "Fighting for Good Jobs in the Telecom Industry". In this session, the goal of bringing together CWA and IBEW members with JWJ activists to discuss current campaigns and common challenges, and to adopt several concrete organizing goals was accomplished. The common theme of our struggles is the need to fight to win the good, family wage union jobs that benefit telecom workers and the communities they serve.

Jobs with Justice has partnered with CWA and the IBEW for the last few years to engage community, religious and student allies in the fight for justice for telecom workers.

Early in the morning on May 1, 2008, members of Local 2336 leafleted shareholders and the public at the Verizon location at 2055 L Street NW in Washington D.C. in support of our members in Nebraska, and the many others who traveled to Nebraska to confront the Verizon CEO with the message of "no confidence" in him or the Verizon Board of Directors.

Verizon union members carried ten boxes with thousands of proxy votes into the annual shareholder meeting demanding they "Separate the Verizon Chair and CEO jobs."

The Union and Share management will convene a special session of the Common Interest Forum to be held on Wednesday, May 21, 2008. The purpose of this session is to discuss what is in the best interest of both the Company and the employees regarding the on hook/off hook time.

Any input by our members at Share for this session should be communicated to the stewards in the location or to the local office as soon as possible.

Verizon union employees are being made scapegoats for Verizon’s disinvestments and poor service quality record:

• Chronic static
• Slow internet
• Dropped calls
• Billing errors
• Service centers closed
• Jobs moved
• Workers strained
• Trained on false solutions

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH—join us when we attempt to the put the PUBLIC back into the Public Service Commission on Thursday, May 15^th at 1333 H St. NW Washington, D.C. at 8:30 a.m.

On Thursday, May 1, 2008, Verizon announced surplus in several titles covering various locations in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. The titles impacted are:

• Communications Representative
• Central Office Technician
• Cable Splicing Technician
• Systems Technician
• Outside Plant Technician
• Service Technician
• Maintenance Administrator
• Special Clerk
• Service Order Clerk
• Manager’s Clerk
• Reproduction Clerk
• General Clerk
• Office Clerk

The universe of employees included in this surplus covers all of the employees in these titles in the following work locations:

• 2055 L Street NW
• Lawrence Street NE
• Gallatin Street NE
• 1700 14^th Street NW
• 730 12^th Street NW
• N Street SE
• 935 V Street NE
• 980 V Street NE
• Barry Rd SE
• Fairland Data Center

Packages were mailed out to all impacted employees on May 1, 2008. The voluntary period starts on May 8, 2008. All voluntary applications accepted will have an off-the-payroll date of June 22, 2008.

Maryland’s labor unions are strongly backing approval for the slot machine referendum on the November ballot. It represents a chance to bolster finances for education and other union supported programs, with an opportunity to create good union jobs at the slots locations.

The legislation includes "a labor peace agreement" requiring the owner of slots licenses to cooperate with unions attempting to organize their workers. The workers in turn are restricted from taking any job actions that would interrupt the flow of slot revenues to the state.

Passage of the slot referendum will be a fiscal win for the state of Maryland," said Fred Mason, President of the Maryland and DC AFL-CIO. One in four households in Maryland has a union worker, he said. "They understand that much revenue is going to neighboring states."

Tickets are now on sale at $5.00 per person for the Annual Union Night at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md. Game time is 7:05 p.m. on Friday, June 13, 2008. There will be a fireworks display after the game.

Tickets will be sold on a first come—first serve basis. To purchase tickets, contact the Local office on 202 291-1500.

This will be a night out at the new union-built stadium to support the Community Services Agency of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO. Game time is 7:35 p.m. on Friday, July 11, 2008—gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10.00 each with $1.00 from each ticket sale going to support the Community Services Agency. To purchase tickets on a first come—first serve basis, contact the Local office on 202 291-1500.