A message from President Shelton on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Brothers and Sisters,
I know that each and every one of you has felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis is unprecedented, and CWA members are on the front lines doing the work necessary to keep people informed, connected, and safe during this difficult time.
We are devoting every available resource to make sure that employers are doing everything possible to protect and support CWA members during this pandemic. Over the past few weeks, District, Sector, and Division Vice Presidents have been contacting all of our employers to request detailed information about their health and safety precautions, sick leave accommodations, and plans for continuity of pay. They have been making sure that existing collective bargaining agreements are followed and negotiating additional protections to address the special challenges that you are facing in this rapidly changing environment. This early engagement spurred many employers to take a variety of precautionary measures and get prepared for the onslaught of the pandemic.
Unfortunately, while CWA has established agreements with many of our employers, many companies are failing to update front-line managers about new sick leave and safety protocols. While some employers have been proactive by working with CWA in setting up enhanced safety procedures, others have not taken necessary action. We are following up to identify and resolve these problems.
Our legislative and political teams are also keeping their eye on the larger picture. Federal, state, and local governments are moving quickly to address the crisis. Sadly, even during times like this that demand national unity, some corporations are instructing their lobbyists to resist programs that would provide immediate help to working people and retirees and lay the groundwork for a recovery that includes everyone, not just the 1%.
We are also frequently updating the resources on our COVID-19 information page at cwa.org/covid-19. There you will find information on what to do if you believe that your working conditions are unsafe and links to reliable sources of information about the virus. In the coming days, we will be posting best practices recommendations for different types of work and information about the policies that specific employers have implemented.
Conditions vary across the country and are changing constantly. Your local leadership will have the most up-to-date information on policies in place at your work location. If you have a question and are unable to contact your steward or local officers, there is a link on our COVID-19 information page where you can submit a question that we will route to the appropriate person for response.
While we have many difficult months ahead of us, I know that we will do what we do best – take care of each other, make sure our health and safety is protected on the job, and fight for legislative and political change that puts working people first.
Chris Shelton
p.s. Please note that CWA National, District, Sector, and Division staff are also following social distancing guidelines in order to do our part in stopping the spread of this virus. Although most of our office buildings are closed, we have implemented a work-from-home plan that allows us to continue functioning at full capacity. Larger meetings have been postponed and smaller meetings have been moved to audio- and video- conferencing platforms.
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CWA Urges Congress to Pass P.A.I.D. Leave Act
CWA is urging the House and Senate to immediately pass the P.A.I.D. Leave Act, a comprehensive bill to provide all workers with paid sick days and family leave, in response to the current coronavirus crisis, and to have these benefits in place for workers and families to deal with future crises and life events. The bill was introduced on Tuesday by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.).
“Nobody should be forced to go to work while sick or capable of spreading a disease during a pandemic,” said CWA President Chris Shelton. “Congress must immediately act to give all workers paid sick days and paid family leave to stop the spread of COVID-19. Working people across the country and across the world are looking to their elected officials to use their power and provide leadership in this time of crisis. Our legislators have an opportunity to act now and save lives by passing this bill.”
Send a message to your members of Congress telling them to support the bill at https://actionnetwork.org/letters/paidleaveact.
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CWA and Consumer Advocacy Groups Urge Broadband CEOs to Lift Data Caps and Waive Fees
On Monday, CWA and consumer advocacy groups sent a letter to major broadband CEOs urging them to lift data caps, waive data cap fees, and take other steps to help the American public stop the spread of the novel coronavirus and facilitate access to essential communications services for all.
“In this collective time of crisis, we are asking broadband CEOs to show leadership by lifting data caps, waiving fees, and doing everything within their power to help people connect to the world from home and stop the spread of COVID-19. People’s lives are depending on it,” said CWA President Chris Shelton.
Groups signing the letter include Common Cause, Consumer Reports, Fight for the Future, Free Press, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, MediaJustice, National Consumer Law Center, National Hispanic Media Coalition, New America’s Open Technology Institute, Public Knowledge, The Utility Reform Network, and United Church of Christ, OC Inc.
“The telecommunications industry must do more to protect consumers and facilitate connectivity during the novel coronavirus pandemic,” the organizations wrote. “Connectivity is essential during times of crisis, and during an infectious disease crisis in particular. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials have recommended ‘social distancing,’…This guidance will require a significant shift to tele-work, tele-medicine, and tele-education. This shift necessitates far more bandwidth than under normal circumstances.”
The groups made recommendations for Altice, AT&T, CenturyLink, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, Frontier Communications, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Read the full letter here.
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Workers Demand That Maximus Take More Proactive Steps to Protect Employees from Coronavirus
With the spread of COVID-19 across the country, call center workers at Maximus who are organizing to join CWA are demanding the company take immediate steps to protect their employees from COVID-19, including providing paid sick days without penalty and ensuring a safe workplace at every call center.
Maximus employs about 10,000 workers in 11 call centers across the country who handle Medicare and ACA Federally Facilitated Marketplace inquiries under a federal contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Maximus’ emergency attendance policy issued in response to the virus still will count excused COVID-19 absences as an unscheduled absence worth 8 hours – employees can only miss 64 hours in a 12-month period, or face termination.
The workers are outlining steps that Maximus should implement immediately to protect their call center employees. Read more here.
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Illinois CWAers Help Families in Need
The closing of schools due to COVID-19 pose hardships on many families – especially those with children who rely on meals from school. Members of the CWA Unified Council of Illinois helped box food at the Greater Chicago Food Depository to help these families.
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Union Plus COVID-19 Benefits
CWA members participating in various Union Plus programs may be eligible for additional assistance related to COVID-19. Click here to see a full list of Union Plus updates and resources.
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Coronavirus Safety and Reporting
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to affect communities across the globe, CWA leaders are engaging with employers to ensure that they are providing CWA members with comprehensive safety and prevention measures in an environment that encourages open and free communication without fear of reprisal or negative impacts on pay or continued employment.
CWA’s Health and Safety department has established a process for locals to report on what protections employers have put in place as well as for members to report any incidents of exposure or infection. If you have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms consistent with infection, contact your healthcare provider immediately and follow reporting procedures established by your employer. Also notify your CWA Local or District as soon as possible.
Local health and safety committees are also sharing information with members on protocols for avoiding infection at their workplaces.
These resources provide more information on how to protect yourself from coronavirus infection, what to do if you are sick, and how to address the risk of infection in your workplace: