CWA Locals Rally to Fight Unlawful Firing

In his Labor Day message, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. urged CWA members to recommit to the fight for dignity and respect for all working people. “We must be strong – CWA Strong – for each other and for our communities. That means showing up for each other, not just at our workplaces or within our locals or our industries. When a member of our CWA family puts out a call for help, I want you to show up. When a member of any union puts out a call for help, I want you to show up. Whenever someone is fighting for respect and dignity for all working people – whether it is an ally or an elected official or anyone else – I want you to show up.”

Read the full message here.

CWAers across the country celebrated Labor Day this week by participating in rallies, breakfasts, panels, picnics and parades. CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. (top photo) addressed the crowd at the North Georgia AFL-CIO Labor Day Celebration.

When Tyler Hicks spoke up last week in a captive audience meeting, he knew it was his right to join a union freely. But his employer Zirrus, a telecommunications provider in North Carolina, fired him the very next day. Tyler and CWA have now filed charges with the NLRB alleging that Zirrus fired him for his support of the union.

Within days, CWA members from nine locals across the state organized actions demanding that Zirrus reinstate Tyler and stop unlawfully retaliating against union supporters. CWAers took the fight to the company’s headquarters and retail stores, with a movement that is growing as other unions and the North Carolina AFL-CIO join in support of Tyler.

Since a supermajority of eligible workers petitioned for union recognition last month, Zirrus management has spied on employees engaged in organizing, interrogated employees about their organizing activities, and threatened to eliminate jobs if its workers organize. The workers remain resolved to support Tyler and to join CWA.

CWA members from Locals 3601, 3603, 3608, 3611, 3615, 3616, 3640, 3682 and 3683 rally in support of Zirrus workers in Yadkinville, N.C.

At a rally today in Hattiesburg, Miss., Maximus call center workers organizing with CWA said that they are prepared to go on strike during the upcoming Affordable Care Act open enrollment period unless Maximus addresses their demands.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., NAACP President Derrick Johnson, Executive Director of the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable Cassandra Welchlin, Congressman Bennie Thompson and other allies joined the workers outside of the Maximus call center to call on Maximus for more affordable healthcare, a living wage of at least $25 per hour, and the freedom to organize a union free from employer intimidation.

Maximus workers have been facing unacceptable labor practices for years including low pay, unaffordable health care, unfair layoffs, harsh attendance policies, and significant racial inequities within its workforce. These challenges become even more pressing during the open enrollment period, and particularly following recent layoffs affecting nearly 800 workers.

In an editorial published last week in NewsOne, President Cummings and President Johnson highlighted the connections between the Maximus workers’ fight and the issues raised at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. “Workers at the federal call centers run by Maximus are proudly continuing the fight for racial and economic justice symbolized by the 1963 March on Washington,” Cummings and Johnson wrote. “Economic insecurity, disparities in treatment, and lack of equal opportunities should be relics of the past, not the everyday struggles of the present.”

United Airlines

Union members and community supporters joined AFA-CWA Flight Attendants on picket lines at airports across the globe last week to demand United Airlines fix ongoing operational issues and focus on negotiating a long overdue contract.

“We told management over a year ago to hire schedulers, staff up the hotel desk, and implement automation for crew communication. Management’s response this summer is to attempt to blame Flight Attendants for refusing to accept concessions to fix the problems they’ve created,” said Ken Diaz, AFA-CWA United President. “Their ineffective response to our concerns has hurt passengers who have to wait for crew to receive assignments. We have never seen such a chaotic, ill-equipped, and entirely unsustainable operation. Enough!”

In Chicago, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten joined AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson and more than 500 others at O’Hare Airport, while International Union of Painters and Allied Trades President Jimmy Williams and U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) walked the picket line in Orlando.

United Flight Attendants have had enough of management’s excuses and inaction. They will continue to build their power and show their solidarity until they have the contract they deserve.

AFA-CWA Flight Attendants and supporters rallied at airports across the globe to demand United Airlines fix ongoing operational issues and focus on negotiating a long overdue contract.

Avis Budget

Last Friday, workers at Avis Budget in Boston, members of IUE-CWA Local 81201, staged a successful 24-hour unfair labor practice strike in response to management’s violation of federal labor law by failing to appoint an authorized representative to negotiate with the union. Workers entered negotiations over three months ago with the aim of improving conditions including wages, cost and coverage of healthcare, and working hours. Management has dragged its feet, failing to come to the table with a good faith proposal despite receiving two contract extensions. The second extension expired on August 31st.

Both Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) offered statements of solidarity with the strikers and Massachusetts State Representative Peter Capano (D-11th Essex) walked the picket line with the strikers. Despite management rigidity and delay, workers remain steadfast in their belief that they can achieve a just agreement.

IUE-CWA Local 81201 workers and their supporters staged a 24-hour strike following protracted negotiations with Avis Budget in Boston.

Members of the United Campus Workers-CWA at the University of Louisville and Virginia Tech “extended Labor Day” with rallies on Tuesday to build support for their efforts to win fair compensation and a democratic voice on the job.

In Louisville, workers highlighted their “Cardinal Workers for Cardinal Values” platform that calls for an across-the-board, immediate 10% cost of living increase and a $25 hour minimum by 2025. They are also pushing for new structures that would give them a seat at the table for conversations that affect them.

At Virginia Tech, workers officially announced their affiliation with UCW-VA (CWA Local 2265) at the same time that members of the Virginia Tech Graduate Labor Union announced the formation of their union. The two groups rallied together to call for a better work environment and true equity throughout the university. “We believe every campus worker at Virginia Tech deserves a democratic voice, respect, job security, safety, and fair compensation,” the workers said in a statement. “We want every single Virginia Tech student to know that participating in collective action to advocate for yourself and others is one of the proudest traditions we have here at Virginia Tech.”

In Alabama, workers at Jacksonville State University joined active chapters at the University of Alabama and Auburn University to become the third UCW-CWA Local 3965 chapter in the state. They hope to build on campaigns waged by UCW chapters at universities across the South that have won a $15 minimum wage for campus workers, base pay raises for lecturers and academic advisors, and the elimination of graduate student fees.

Congressional Republicans are threatening to shut down the government at the end of this month unless they are allowed to slash the budget for vital worker protection agencies like the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor. That means corporations will have an easier time getting away with union-busting, wage theft, safety violations, and other labor law violations.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. is hosting a special virtual town hall meeting to discuss the situation and what we all need to do to fight back and make sure that Congress passes a budget that not only funds the government at appropriate levels, but includes funding for vital worker agencies.

The virtual town hall will take place on September 14 at 7pm ET/6pm CT/5pm MT/4pm PT. Click here to RSVP: CWA.org/TownHall

After you RSVP, you’ll receive information about how to join the event online.

We have made so much progress building our labor movement and protecting workers over the past few years. The National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor have provided vital support for our work. Please join the call September 14 so that we can keep that momentum going.