Union Plus Scholarships for CWA Members and other news

For months, CWA members have been gearing up for the 2022 midterm elections. From participating in political activist trainings, to organizing GOTV rallies, knocking on doors, phone banking, and text banking, CWAers have been actively mobilizing to secure pro-worker wins and protect the rights of working families at the polls. CWAers were also on the ballot as some of our dedicated activists ran for elected office.

Election officials continue to count ballots in many areas. They are able to perform their duty of making sure every vote is counted, thanks to the work generations of CWA members have done to safeguard free and fair elections. It may be days or weeks until we know the full results of this election. However, the results so far clearly show that CWA and other union members’ grassroots efforts helped working people defy the odds and elect pro-worker candidates. Here are some initial highlights from Election Day:

• In Pennsylvania, our efforts helped secure major wins, including flipping a U.S. Senate seat to pro-worker Democrat John Fetterman.
• In New Hampshire, CWA-endorsed Senator Maggie Hassan won reelection.
• In Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer won reelection, beating a right-wing election denier. Democrats in Michigan also won control of the state legislature. This gives us an opportunity to grow worker power in the state by, for instance, fighting back against the state’s so-called “right-to-work” law. CWA-endorsed candidates also won key races for governor in Kansas, Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.
• In Illinois, we passed the Workers’ Rights Amendment, which adds the fundamental right to organize and bargain collectively to the state constitution while forbidding any law that interferes with that ability.
• In Michigan, we passed a constitutional amendment to protect voting rights and stop corporate interests from overturning the will of the people.
• In Florida, we elected the first Gen Z member of Congress, Maxwell Alejandro Frost.
• Voters also stood up for our democratic values, preventing election deniers from winning key Secretary of State and Attorney General positions in several states.

Victories by CWA Members who ran for elected office include AFA-CWA Local 27048 member Kaela Berg, who won her election in Minnesota State House District 55b; IUE-CWA Local 81201 member Pete Capano, who won his election in Massachusetts State House District 11; Former TNG-CWA President Linda Foley, who won her election in Maryland State House District 15; and CWA Local 3204 member Nikki Merritt, who won her election in Georgia State Senate District 9.

Our work doesn’t stop on Election Day. The conversations we have at work, at our places of worship, at our kids’ activities, and in our homes are at the heart of our fight to keep good, union jobs in our communities, raise wages, bring down the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, and increase access to quality, affordable childcare. The movement of working people who are joining together in ever-increasing numbers to improve their lives and the lives of their co-workers by organizing unions is transforming our country. We won’t let greedy CEOs and corporate-backed politicians slow our momentum. Read more from CWA’s post election statement.

Verizon Wireless

Workers at the Verizon Wireless store in Oswego, Ill., unanimously signed cards in favor of forming a union with CWA and have filed an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The workers are looking forward to participating in the NLRB election on November 18 and continue to stand firm in their commitment to form a union and collectively work to implement better working conditions, including respect, fair compensation, adequate staffing levels, a safe work environment, and benefits. This group of workers, who have been dealing with poor working conditions including understaffing and unlivable wages, is the latest to join the national wave of union organizing at Verizon retail stores. The company has responded to the workers’ organizing efforts with an onslaught of aggressive union busting tactics, including retaliation by senior management against workers seeking to form a union.

This week, in a tremendous victory for Verizon Wireless workers, the NLRB issued a complaint alleging the company violated the law by illegally firing Jesse Mason, a former Specialist at Verizon Wireless’ Seattle Northgate and Aurora Village retail store locations, for engaging in union activity earlier this year. The NLRB is asking the company to reinstate Mason, provide him with compensation for lost wages and consequential damages, and issue a letter of apology for terminating his employment in an act of retaliation.

“The feeling of walking back in after being illegally fired will be amazing. Workers have rights, including the right to organize, and this will show Verizon and every other union-busting mega-corporation that their illegal actions have consequences,” said Mason. Read more here.

Workers at Verizon Wireless store in Oswego, Ill., unanimously signed cards in favor of forming a union with CWA and have filed an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

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McKay’s Books Inc.

Workers at McKay’s Books Inc. in Knoxville, Tenn., have overwhelmingly voted to join the McKay’s Knoxville Workers Union (CWA Local 3805) in an NLRB election. Fed up by the failure of McKay’s owners to recognize the value of their contributions, the workers have been organizing for dignity, respect, and a voice on the job. Recently, they held a rally with community members and allies to build solidarity and support ahead of the vote count for their union representation election. For decades, the workers have served readers and hobbyists in the community by providing excellent service to customers and ensuring McKay’s reputation as a beloved institution providing access to a wide variety of affordable second-hand books and other forms of entertainment. Unfortunately, this has come at a cost for the workers who are overworked, underpaid, and mistreated. Following their union election win, the workers are gearing up to negotiate a fair contract and resolve the challenges that have made their jobs difficult.

Gannett Strike

Over 200 union journalists across 14 Gannett-owned newsrooms, from New York and New Jersey to Arizona and Southern California, collectively walked off the job for a one-day strike last week, in protest of Gannett’s austerity measures which are devastating local news around the country. Hundreds more workers across various other Gannett newsrooms in Texas, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, and elsewhere took coordinated lunch-time walkouts or staged visible pickets in their city in solidarity with their colleagues who were out on strike.

The one-day strike is the latest in a string of actions Gannett Media workers have organized with support from community members and electeds to fight to save their jobs and local journalism. “Gannett is actively sabotaging our democracy by attacking its own journalists,” said Jon Schleuss, NewsGuild-CWA President. “The company has the money to invest in journalists and it should start doing that immediately instead of fighting them.” Read more here.

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United Soccer League (League One)

Soccer players in the United Soccer League (League One), members of the United Soccer League Players Association (CWA Local 7211), have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement with the League One Board of Governors. The League One contract is the first of its kind for a professional third division men’s soccer league and defines the standards by which players are signed and employed. The contract establishes a minimum compensation structure and new standards for player contracts, per diem rates, and appearances. It also includes new requirements for working condition standards and grievance procedures. Read more here.

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Strike Update

CWA, NewsGuild-CWA, and Teamsters members at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette remain on the picket lines in their fight against management’s unfair labor practices. For more information on how to support the striking workers, visit cwa.org/ppg, and don’t forget to check out the Pittsburgh Union Progress strike newspaper at unionprogress.com.

Since 1991, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $5 million to students of working families who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education. Applications are due by January 31, 2023! Get started here.