CWA Members Pass Strike Authorization Vote at Frontier Communications and other news

In response to AT&T’s announcement that the company would be closing multiple call centers in CWA District 4, CWAers across the District and beyond are mobilizing to call on the company to cancel the closures, stop the terminations, and treat their loyal employees with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Over 45 call centers have been closed by AT&T in the United States since 2011, with thousands of employees, their families, and the communities they live in being devastated by this alarming trend. Workers who have given years, even decades, of their lives to help AT&T succeed are being unceremoniously terminated. Many of these centers have been recognized as top performers, making their shutdown even more unreasonable and unjust.

The workers have launched a petition to send a powerful message to AT&T: “Do the Right Thing – Save Our Centers!” CWAers are also working with community allies and elected officials to bring awareness about the negative impacts of the call center closures on workers and communities. In a video message, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) called out the corporate greed behind AT&T’s decision to prioritize short-term gains over its hard-working employees. She also emphasized the need to advance national call center legislation to stop companies like AT&T from closing down call centers and sending jobs out of our country.

Watch this video of CWA members speaking out against AT&T’s decision to close call centers and eliminate good paying, union jobs.

Recent news reports have highlighted concerns about exposure to lead-sheathed telecommunications cables. Preventing lead exposure at all represented telecommunications employers is a priority for our union, and our members and health and safety committees have been working on this issue for many years.

Last month, AT&T, after consultation with union leadership, announced a policy that will allow employees who may have been exposed to lead as part of their work to receive paid time off in order to be tested for lead levels. While this is a voluntary program, we strongly encourage CWA members to participate in this testing. We are in discussions with our other telecommunications employers to ensure that they provide the same opportunity.

CWA’s Health and Safety department has updated its fact sheet, “Preventing Exposures to Lead in Telecommunications: What Every Member Should Know.” It is available on our website at cwa.org/lead-exposure.

Frontier Communications (West Virginia and Ashburn, Va.)

CWA members at Frontier Communications in West Virginia and Ashburn, Va., have overwhelmingly voted to give union leaders authority to call a strike if negotiations between CWA and the telecom company fail to reach a fair settlement. The 1,400 members went on strike for three weeks in 2018 in order to reach an agreement that ensured that they would be able to provide quality service and keep good jobs in their communities.

“Through a bankruptcy and the pandemic, we have shown up, worked hard, and delivered quality service for our community,” said Jeff Anderson, the Area Vice President for CWA Local 2009, who has worked for the company for 18 years. “Now it’s time for a contract that gives dedicated, local technicians the opportunity to build the broadband networks that will strengthen our local economy.”

“The quality of our service matters now more than ever. Every day, I speak to customers who rely on our services to connect to a telehealth appointment or to their job,” said Tiffany Parsons, who works in Connection Support & Account Services at Frontier Communications. “We want to have the resources necessary to do a good job for our customers, and we want to be treated with respect.”

Major bargaining issues include maintaining quality, affordable healthcare, and job security provisions that keep jobs local and limit the use of subcontractors in expanding broadband. The current contract expires on August 5th.

CWA members at Frontier participate in a “white out” mobilization action to share their solidarity across the state.

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TCGplayer (eBay)

On Monday, workers at TCGplayer, an eBay-owned online marketplace for verification services, card games, comics, and collectible trading cards, held a press conference and a rally in Syracuse, N.Y., to call out the company’s continued efforts to sabotage contract negotiations and undermine the workers’ right to organize. The TCGunion-CWA members (CWA Local 1123) were joined by local community members, labor leaders, and elected officials at the rally. In the five months since the workers won their union election, eBay and its subsidiary TCGplayer have refused to meet at the bargaining table, instead engaging in various stalling techniques to silence organized workers.

The union filed an unfair labor practice charge on behalf of the workers against eBay for its illegal actions. The workers also organized a petition delivery action and garnered support online. The workers and their supporters hope that the companies will respect the workers’ right to union representation and enter into meaningful dialogue to reach an agreement that addresses workers’ demands. Last month, members of the union met with President Biden to discuss the refusal by corporations, including eBay, to bargain a strong union contract, even after workers have won their union election. Read more here.

On Monday, workers at TCGplayer (eBay), held a press conference and petition delivery action in Syracuse, N.Y., to demand the company end its nefarious delay tactics and meet workers at the bargaining table.

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Change.org

Workers at the online petition company Change.org in the U.S. and Canada overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first contracts last month. The contracts include significant wage increases, and diversity, equity, and inclusion improvements, as well as comprehensive health care benefits that cover gender-affirming care and reproductive health. The workers, who are members of CWA Local 9410 and CWA Canada, announced a cross-border campaign to form a union with CWA in the spring of 2021. Since then, the workers have stayed committed through tough negotiations and persevered despite enduring a round of layoffs and company restructuring, which resulted in effects bargaining. Their strong first contracts set a new, higher standard for tech, social change nonprofits, and public benefit corporations.

Supporting a More Equitable and Fair Tax Code for Union Workers

Last week, Shannon Opfer, President of CWA Local 2107, participated in a press conference organized by Congressmen Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) to announce the introduction of the Tax Fairness for Workers Act. The bill would allow workers to get a tax deduction for their work expenses and union dues. This deduction was eliminated under Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, which gave tax cuts to large corporations and made it easier for them to send jobs overseas.

“This legislation would ensure that our tax code is not solely working on behalf of the rich, but that it prioritizes working families and supports workers who have made the choice to join a union. For far too long, our tax code has prioritized tax cuts for large corporations at the expense of workers. Corporations are able to write off the expenses they incur in intimidating, browbeating, and even threatening workers to try and prevent them from unionizing,” said Opfer who spoke in support of the legislation at the press conference. Previously, Opfer, who also serves as the CWA Maryland State Council, helped a successful push for similar legislation in the state of Maryland.

CWA Local 2017 President Shannon Opfur spoke at a press conference in support of the Tax Fairness for Workers Act.

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CWA District 2-13 Members Build Broadband Better

CWA District 2-13 leaders in Maryland met with key governmental officials from the Office of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Statewide Broadband for Maryland in mid-July to discuss the plan to build out high-speed, reliable internet for the state of Maryland.

MissionWired

Workers at MissionWired, one of the largest and most prominent digital direct marketing firms in progressive politics, formed their union, MissionWired United-CWA, and requested voluntary recognition from the company. The union includes digital, tech, creative, editorial, and operational workers that believe in building a more sustainable, transparent, and equitable workplace at MissionWired.

Earlier this week, CWA activists gathered in Minneapolis, Minn., to participate in a Runaway Inequality training to learn about the increasing wealth gap and systemic inequality, how the economy is rigged against workers, and how we can put a stop to it. They were joined by Democratic State Representative Kaela Berg, who spoke to the CWAers about using their collective power to fight for economic justice.

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Last week, members from CWA Local 9423 across California completed steward training classes to gain the skills they need to be strong and effective advocates while building collective power in their workplaces.