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CWA/OSWU IN AUCTION

1996

ü Deliver hundreds of post cards for a $100/month pay raise and display them on a 25 yard banner for a press conference on the Capitol steps during the CWA lobby day

ü Flooded the Governor’s office with hundreds of phone calls telling him we need a pay raise

ü Won $100/month pay increase

1997ü Announced in Capitol press conference the beginning of the fight to get the State to contribute towards health care benefits for family coverageü Exposed in Capitol press conference the diversion of $31 million from state workers health insurance fundü Won $75/mo. Increase to flexible benefit allowance1998

ü Rallied with unions statewide on Capitol steps with our own president addressing the crowd calling for the restoration of the $31 million to our health insurance fund and to push for State to contribute towards family health insurance

ü Delivered thousands of postcards calling on legislators to address health care crisis

ü Organized town hall meetings with legislators all over the state to discuss health care crisis

ü CWA members in March picketed the Governor’s mansion for State to contribute towards health insurance

ü Organized “Rolling Thunder” campaign every day for three weeks we with flooded the Capitol faxes from members calling for better family care and pay increase

ü Won legislation for State to contribute 50% of high option state plan towards dependent health insurance:
* For those without dependents $37.50

ü Lost by one vote a vote to override the Governor’s veto that would have restored the $31 million to health insurance fund

ü Won $1250/year or 4% pay increase “whichever is greater” with cap of $2000

1999ü Organized largest anti-privatization rally in Oklahoma’s history gathering 400 state workers from all over the state in March to form a “human chain” around a state office building in Tulsa with much press attentionü Collected thousands of postcards calling for legislators to “Invest in Us” which we wore an placards at our “Have a Heart” press rally on the Capitol steps in March

ü CWA members worked with Sen. Keith Leftwich to pass SHR9, a DHS understaffing study

ü Fought to have pay raise funded by new money not out of our own retirement fund by lobbying at Capitol in small groups all throughout May and by flooding Capitol phone lines.

ü After the legislative session CWA members protested the 2% pay raise being funded by out retirement money by making group phone calls to legislators at pay phones on breaks during the summer and by writing letters to legislators during our “ summer of outrage”

ü Approximately 300 members called for a $200/mo. Pay increase to Town Hall meeting in November with President of the Senate

ü Meet with Representative Mike Mass who agrees to sponsor $2400 pay raise in House

2000ü Rep. Mass introduced a $2500 pay increase for state workers. CWA members lobbied the whole session for the raise through delivering post cards, making phone calls, attending mini-lobby daysü Legislators pass a bill for a $2000/yr pay increase in the early weeks of the session but the bill is stalledü On CWA’s lobby in March, CWA members held a press conference to expose a bill calling for a $600-$1000/month pay raise for state workersü The day after CWA’s lobby day the $2000 pay raise bill began moving again and was signed into law soon after thatü CWA members did not let up after winning the raise but delivered thousands of signature on petitions calling for the state to pay 100% of the cost family health insuranceü CWA members made group phone calls to legislators from their workplace to protest cut in pay in July, August and September due to rising health insurance premiums in July a pay raise not effective until October 1. ü That summer corrections members and veterans member held press conferences at the Capitol and delivered letters to Governor about their understaffing crisisü CWA members met with Senator Keith Leftwich and Representative Al Lindley who agreed to sponsor annual leave bill.
2001ü CWA members picketed Governor’s mansion in January calling for the Governor to “Make State Workers First”ü For the first time in Governor Keating’s administration, he made some state workers a priority in his budget.ü State workers won unprecedented health insurance legislation with the state agreeing to pay 75% towards the cost of family health insurance as well as improve the benefit allowance for employeesü CWA’s annual leave bill passed successfully, resorting rates for workers with less than five years of service to 10 hours/ month and workers with 5-10 years of service to 12 hours/ monthü DOC won a $4000 pay increase for most workersü Direct Care workers in OJA won $4000 pay increaseü RN’s and LPN’s in most agencies won a $2100 pay raise, and direct care staff in DVA and DHS won a $1550 raise.

2002

ü OSWU members attended mini- lobby days at the Capitol every week this session delivering thousands of post cards to stop budget cuts, raise workers wages out of poverty, win a across-the-board raise, improve health insurance benefits and reduce retirement points to 80.

ü CWA/OSWU members mobilized hundreds of state workers to make group phone calls to stop legislators at the end of the session to stop furloughs of state employees.

2003

ü CWA/OSWU members mobilized across the state with legislative events such as cook-outs, chili cook-offs, coffees, red alert days, and red, white or blue days to move from the doom and gloom of what not to expect next session to “Turn Up the Heat!” for what we deserve

ü Members continue the fight for justice in pay, health care and benefits for all state workers by standing solidarity.

ü CWA members realize we must be politically organized if we are to ever have a voice and began an organizing effort in major state agencies.

2004-05

ü CWA members vowed to “Turn Up the Heat!” on legislators for a $2400 across the board pay increase

ü Members from across the state come together and organized legislative events throughout the summer and fall that definitely heated the capitol halls with talk of a state worker pay increase

ü CWA members rallied workers across the state to save state workers longevity checks

ü After thousands of personal handwritten letters to legislators CWA members were victorious in winning a $2100 pay increase for all state workers

2006

ü CWA members introduced the only legislation requesting a flat dollar pay increase for all active state employees.

ü Members attended mini-lobby day and lobby day to keep state worker pay raise, retirement points and health care issues alive at the capitol.

ü Members worked on the OJA pay parity plan to get increased to as many workers as possible. Members also gave input on front-line workers behalf to the OJA task force.

ü Corrections members within CWA fought for DOC inclusion in the 5% across-the-board increases as well as the flat dollar one secured earlier.

2007- PRESENT

ü CWA/OSWU members will continue to fight for state worker justice. We must educate, organize, and mobilize state workers as never before or we will continue to be at the bottom of the nation in pay and benefits. It will take all of us standing together as a collective voice joining the only union for state employees!