To My Fellow CWA Local 1101 Members and Families

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. Overall, the average risk of a woman developing breast cancer sometime in her life is about 13%. This means there is a 1 in 8 chance that one of our members or someone in their families will develop breast cancer.

Because of the impact this disease has on our members, every October, we gather in a sea of red and pink in solidarity in support of a cure. We run, we walk, we march, and we raise money to remember those who have passed, those who are still fighting and the survivors.

This time the disease has hit close to home and has hit the CWA Local 1101 family devastatingly hard. One of our own, AT&T Chief Steward Ghiajaira Paz, who represents AT&T in Westchester, New Jersey and Rockland, was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2022

Ghiajaira is fighting the battle. She is young and strong but is dealing with the terrible side effects of her treatment and still needs more time to recuperate. Because of AT&T’s policies, she will be forced on unpaid leave and forced to pay for cobra out of pocket on top of the mounting medical expenses. We all know the high price of Cobra and the medical bills, now imagine not getting paid while you are LITERALLY fighting for your life. The last thing Ghiajaira needs is to worry about finances. She needs to be concerned with getting healthy and returning to work. CWA Local 1101 needs her back and so do the members of Local 1101 she represents. Therefore, I am personally asking each one of you to donate what you can do to assist a fellow member in need. Together the members of CWA Local 1101 can do something that AT&T refuses to do. Make sure our friend, our co-worker and a Local 1101 Chief Steward's only concern is to get well and get back into the fight.

Currently, there are more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Let’s help Ghiajaira make sure she is one of the 3.8 million.

In Unity

Heather Trainor

Business Agent, CWA Local 1101

and one of the 3.8 million