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MINUTES OF THE

TNG-CWA Human Rights and Equity Committee

February 9, 2008

Telephone Conference

PRESENT: Michael D’Souza, Chair; Yoko Kuramoto-Eidsmoe; Carl Younger; Olivia James; Randye Gilliam; Natalie Hill; Vernon Clark; Joe Lapi; Melissa Nelson, TNG-CWA Sector Rep; Bernie Lunzer; Scott Stephens; Linda Foley

ABSENT: Judy Lee; Fareed Mohammed; Sheila Lindsay

MINUTES PREPARED BY MICHAEL D’SOUZA.

The committee started its meeting on schedule at 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific. It welcomed Joe Lapi from Buffalo. It then held an extensive discussion on the Conference on Equity Issues and the Boston-area event for the Carl Younger library held on Thursday, Feb. 7.

Conference on Equity Issues:

The committee discussed getting Olivia James to the meetings in Providence and then in Las Vegas. She is helping plan sessions on outreach to children in schools at the conference in ‘Vegas and given that much of the final planning will be done at the sector conference in Providence, it is important for her to be there and then at the conference itself in ‘Vegas. Her local is sending only one person to both meetings; not her. Yoko offered to share her room with Olivia and Randye suggested catching a ride on the bus chartered by the New York local. Olivia will take up attending the conference in Las Vegas with her local executive.

The committee then discussed the upcoming Conference on Equity Issues in Vegas on Sunday, June 22, 2008. Sessions are to run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a lunch break of about 90 minutes. The sessions have been timed to allow members who are attending the CWA convention time to register there.  The plan is to refine the schedule at the sector conference in Providence, RI, at the end of the month.

The committee agreed to hold sessions in ‘Vegas on:

- Diversity and Economics. Vernon Clark will prepare a report for the Providence meeting.

- Looking at the Future of Jobs in the communication industry. Sheila Lindsay is working on this issue based on her attendance at another conference on this issue. (Joe Lapi, in a conversation after the Feb. 9 meeting, has offered to help with this session.)

- Computers and the future of jobs and how this affects equity issues, especially matters of making the web more accessible. Michael D’Souza is working on this presentation.

- Outreach to children in schools. Olivia James and Sheila Lindsay will co-operate on organizing this session.

- The CWA Minority Caucus. Yoko Kuramoto-Eidsmoe is working on this session.

- Scholarships for members of equity-seeking groups negotiated as part of collective agreements. Bernie Lunzer said this could be an option suggested to locals to negotiate in their next collective agreements.

- Voter registration. Bernie Lunzer suggested this committee could help in any efforts made by the TNG and the CWA on improving minority participation in politics in the U.S.

Linda Foley suggested that the TNG Executive recommend that Michael D'Souza chair the session on Human Rights at the sector conference in Providence. It is expected that the conference in ‘Vegas will form a substantial part of that agenda.

Carl Younger Library project:

Carl Younger reported that about 75 people attended the outreach event on Thursday, Feb. 7.  He said 22 items were raffled and the sale of tickets was brisk. A report on how much money was raised is to come. The performances included black dancers, one of whom was in a wheelchair and danced a duet to “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.”  Carl reported that the event has resulted in a network being built to address equity issues.

Adjournment.

The committee adjourned at 1:30 pm Eastern, 10:30 Pacific, and agreed to meet again at the opening-night reception at the Sector Conference in Providence.

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