CWA Releases Report on AT&T Wire Tech Attrition

Earlier this week, in the wake of President Biden’s departure from the presidential race, CWA’s Executive Board endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President. In a statement announcing the endorsement, they noted, “On one side is a candidate who has always taken the side of corporate interests and is advancing a policy agenda that would destroy our union and take away fundamental workers’ rights. On the other side is a candidate with a consistent record fighting to empower the working class and unions who has centered CWA’s members’ concerns in her policies. The choice is clear.”

The Board’s endorsement resolution goes on to outline the key role Vice President Harris has played in making the Biden-Harris Administration one of the most pro-union, pro-worker administrations in the history of the United States. It notes Harris’s long history of support for working people as both a U.S. Senator and Attorney General of California.

“We are enthusiastic and ready to elect Kamala Harris the next President of the United States,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. “She has visited our members on the job, listened to them at meetings of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, and made sure their concerns, and the concerns of our retirees, are addressed in the Administration’s policies. With Kamala Harris leading our country, we will continue to have a seat at the table to improve the lives of CWA members and retirees and strengthen our communities.”

Vice President Kamala Harris visited members of CWA Local 7304 at New Flyer’s electric bus manufacturing plant to hear firsthand from workers how public investments in electric vehicles are creating good, union jobs.

The CWA Piedmont bargaining committee met with Piedmont management last week to continue bargaining for a fair contract for passenger service and ramp agents.

Informed by a recent CWA survey of part-time employees, the bargaining committee passed a proposal that would expand healthcare coverage to agents working 20 hours a week or more, keep the same copay percentage, and increase the stipend if an agent opts out of coverage. To demonstrate to the company that workers are united for a contract that includes healthcare for all, CWA Piedmont members displayed band-aids on their lanyards or bodies.

During bargaining, the company presented their initial wage proposal, which included insulting wage increases as low as 12 cents. CWA will continue to hold the line and fight for our economic proposal that includes a liveable wage.

The bargaining committee has reached a critical point in negotiations and is urging CWA members and retirees to follow their fight for a fair, strong contract on Facebook to stay informed about ways you can support their efforts. The next bargaining session is August 20–22.

Childcare is an expensive prospect for many working families, and in New Jersey, childcare can constitute up to 19% of a typical family’s weekly income. Over the last several months, In-Home Childcare Providers, represented by CWA Local 1037, with support from organizing partner N.J. Communities United, mobilized, lobbied, and sent over 5,000 letters and calls to N.J. legislators demanding they extend enrollment-based pay for childcare workers.

During the COVID pandemic, childcare proved to be a crucial component undergirding the entire economy. Extending the enrollment-based pay system would ensure that childcare workers have steady, reliable income even if attendance shifts unexpectedly.

“The funding for us being paid by enrollment is crucial,” said Jocelyn Tomaszewski, a 1037 Family Childcare Provider based in Burlington who has worked in childcare for 41 years. “We offer very high-quality educational programs, but we’ve been in crisis for a long time—always underpaid and underfunded.”

The New Jersey FY 2025 Budget was signed into law on June 28, securing enrollment-based payments throughout the end of 2024 and the continuation of the Temporary COVID Differential Payments so provider rates can stay the same—a huge win for childcare workers and families.

Members of CWA Local 1037 celebrated a victory, getting enrollment-based pay signed into law as part of the New Jersey FY 2025 budget.

World of Warcraft and Bethesda Game Studios

Video game developers at World of Warcraft and Bethesda Game Studios joined CWA this month, forming the first wall-to-wall units under our neutrality agreement with Microsoft. Over 1,750 video game workers at Microsoft now have union representation with CWA. A group of 60 quality assurance workers at Blizzard Entertainment in Austin, Texas, also joined CWA, and their union has been recognized by Microsoft. Workers at Bethesda Game Studios in Montreal filed for union recognition with the Quebec Labor Relations Board in late June to be represented by CWA Canada.

“What we’ve accomplished at World of Warcraft is just the beginning. My colleagues and I are embarking on a quest to secure better pay, benefits, and job security through a strong union contract. We know that when workers have a protected voice, it’s a win-win for employee standards, the studio, and World of Warcraft fans looking for the best gaming experience,” said Eric Lanham, Test Analyst and member of the World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guild–CWA Local 9510.

“We are so excited to announce our union at Bethesda Game Studio and join the movement sweeping across the video game industry. It is clear that every worker can benefit from bringing democracy into the workplace and securing a protected voice on the job. We’re thrilled to get down to brass tacks and win a fair contract, proving that our unity is a source of real power to positively shape our working conditions, our lives, and the company as a whole,” said Mandi Parker, Senior System Designer and member of CWA Local 2108.

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South Sun Sentinel

After years of seeing their newsrooms gutted and pay and benefits slashed, 88% of journalists at the South Sun Sentinel voted earlier this month to form a union and join the Newsguild-CWA. They are asking Alden Global Capital, the newspaper’s hedge fund owner, to voluntarily recognize their union.

This is the same team of journalists who provided the nation with Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which left 17 students and staff dead and many more injured.

In a statement from the journalists, they write, “The union is our way of defending the future of our newsroom—and South Florida’s access to quality local journalism. We must invest in ourselves. With a unified voice, we seek a newsroom that reflects our community with enough journalists to tell its stories.”

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Salt Lake Tribune

Journalists at the Salt Lake Tribune, founded in 1870 in Salt Lake City, Utah, officially notified CEO Lauren Gustus, Tribune management, and the board of directors of their intention to form a union. The Salt Lake News Guild is asking for voluntary recognition but has already filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.

Journalists filed for union membership after new metrics were implemented, tying performance to page views and website analytics.