Press Releases

A major investigative journalism piece from The Sunday Times (UK) provides unsettling details about how individuals? financial data are illegally culled from call centers in India and peddled on a thriving black market. On the heels of an investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that uncovered a fraudulent debt collection ring operating out of an Indian call center, these developments call into question the safety and security of our continued off-shoring trend ? no matter the way foreign authorities and off-shoring companies try to downplay the risk.

Verizon workers, members of the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, joined by progressive allies and AFL-CIO activists ? are holding rallies and actions in nearly 300 communities as a part of a nationwide day of action against Verizon?s corporate greed.

Amid shocking reports of the systemic theft of consumers? personal information at overseas call centers, the Communications Workers of America today announced that five state legislatures are now considering, or have considered, their own call center worker and consumer protection legislation, while bi-partisan Congressional support for national legislation has swelled to 90-plus co-sponsors.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today that its investigation into the death of Verizon technician Douglas Lalima ? who was electrocuted while working on a utility pole in Brooklyn last September ? has resulted in 10 citations against Verizon and fines totaling $140,700 for serious and repeated failures by the company to abide by critical safety rules. The fines in the citation are the maximum penalties under the law for such egregious conduct.

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is expanding its national program to educate 700,000 members and their families about the threat to our democracy posed by the U.S. Supreme Court?s Citizens United ruling. That ruling allows corporations to contribute unlimited money to political campaigns because the court determined that corporations also have free speech and other rights that individuals are granted by the U.S. Constitution. CWA?s continued commitment comes as the national AFL-CIO passed a statement endorsing action to overturn the Citizens United ruling at its winter meeting in Orlando, Florida.