NEW ERA CAP AND CWA LOCAL 14177 TO RECEIVE CORNELL UNIVERSITY ILR CHAMPIONS @ WORK AWARD


BUFFALO, NY (November 11, 2005) – Cornell University ILR and the Champions Network announced that New Era Cap Co., Inc., a Buffalo-area headwear company, and its union, CWA Local 14177, will be the recipients of its second Champions @ Work Award. New Era and CWA Local 14177 will receive the award during a reception and ceremony on Monday, November 14th, 2005, 4:30 p.m., at Michael’s in Hamburg, NY.

New Era and CWA Local 14177 have been chosen to receive the Champions @ Work Award in recognition of their evolving spirit of cooperation. The two have worked diligently to grow their relationship into one that is communicative and productive. Through their collaborative efforts during the past three years their successes have been many, including New Era becoming a Category A member of the FLA, a 300% increase in production and various community minded projects. New Era was nominated for this award by David Palmer, CWA’s Area Director.

“CWA Local 14177 and New Era Cap were the unanimous choice for this year’s award,” said Cornell University’s Reggie Grogan, Coordinator of the Champions Network. “We are very pleased to recognize these partners in progressive workplace practices.”

“New Era is honored to be receiving Cornell’s Champions at Work Award,” said New Era CEO Christopher H. Koch. “Our success in the workplace is due to a tremendous collaborative effort put forth by many. I am proud of how far we’ve come in this relationship and look forward to sustained growth with CWA Local 14177.”

“Receiving Cornell’s Champions at Work Award is a tribute to all New Era’s employees, Union and Non-union, for all the hard work we have put in to build this relationship,” said Jane Howald, President of CWA Local 14177. “We have crossed many obstacles together to accomplish the success we have and this is the perfect testament to that.”

The Champions @ Work Award recognizes leaders in sustainable cooperative progress in the workplace. The award was established as an outgrowth of the ground-breaking study conducted by Cornell University in 2000, Champions @ Work, which found clear evidence of world-class workplace practices and workforce quality in Western New York. Since the study, a network of business and union leaders – the Champions Network – continues to move forward with coordinated efforts to improve the region’s economic climate and economic development practices based on their experience in collective bargaining and high-performing partnerships at the firm or industry level.

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Contact: Regina Grogan, Cornell University, 716-852-4191
Dana Marciniak, New Era Cap, 716-604-9000 ext. 1459
David Palmer, CWA, 716-685-5015