Bargaining Update

Dex Media, Inc.

The joint CWA District 1 and District 2-13 Bargaining Committee reached a Tentative Agreement with Dex Media, Inc., covering 180 workers.

The new two-year agreement contains base wage improvements and strengthened job protections, and successfully pushed back the company in several key areas where it was seeking cuts.

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Nokia

After nearly five months of negotiations between the CWA bargaining committee and Nokia, the company has not backed down on its proposal to eliminate its union workforce, and has threatened to pull a proposal to extend retiree healthcare for two additional years. Nokia continues to turn a blind eye to the concerns expressed by CWA members regarding its customers' network security, poor quality and ability to compete in the future without the value added knowledge, and expertise of the bargaining unit's Installers.

Nokia wants to move the work to a third-party service provider model that will cause hundreds of U.S. workers to lose their jobs. Future work would be subcontracted and, in some cases, outsourced overseas.

The bargaining committee is asking members and retirees to continue to spread the word encouraging as many people as possible to send an online letter to Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri and Nokia Bargaining Chair Steve Muscat, urging Nokia not to eliminate American jobs and benefits, to bargain in good faith with the union for a fair deal that allows Nokia to invest in the U.S., to keep its long-standing installation workforce, and to maintain the quality of service and secure telecommunications infrastructure for U.S. customers.

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Law360

Editorial staff at Law360 including reporters and editors, members of NewsGuild of New York-CWA, voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to authorize a strike after two years at the bargaining table and no contract to show for it. The vote allows union leaders at the LexisNexis-owned legal news site to call for a strike if management does not promptly make significant movement in negotiations toward finalizing a strong, first contract.

"We don't want to strike," said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, bargaining committee chair for Law360. "But, after two years, we're done with management dragging out these negotiations. This vote demonstrates that our newsroom stands united and is committed to securing a great contract, no matter what it takes."

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AT&T Midwest and AT&T Legacy T

As part of their "Promises Broken" pickup tour, Good Jobs Nation held events in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday with Senator Bernie Sanders featuring CWAers at AT&T who are fighting back against the offshoring of U.S. jobs. The pickup tour's goal is to raise public awareness of how, despite his campaign promises, the offshoring of American jobs by U.S. corporations has increased to record levels on President Trump's watch.

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CWA Local 4302 members at AT&T Midwest in Akron, Ohio, are mobilizing for a fair contract!

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Members of CWA Locals 7200 and 7250 in Minneapolis, Minn., are holding weekly Thursday informational pickets to raise awareness of their fight for a fair contract at AT&T Legacy T!

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Envoy Air

On Wednesday, CWA passenger service agents from American Airlines subsidiary Envoy Air rallied at Chicago O'Hare International Airport for sustainable, family supporting wages, as many of them are forced to rely on public assistance to make ends meet.

The workers, joined by other airport employees, union leaders, and community supporters including Alderman Carlos Ramirez Rosa, Executive Director of Arise Chicago Rev. CJ Hawkings, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor Don Vilar, talked with travelers about their concerns and asked for their support in standing up to American Airlines as agents try to negotiate a contract with fair wages and better working conditions.

In September, CWA conducted surveys of its members at O'Hare to document issues workers have reported related to mandatory shift extensions and other scheduling concerns, finding that 93% of Envoy agents report that they were notified of last minute shift extensions more than once per month. Mandatory extensions require workers to quickly find last minute child care, cancel doctor's visit,s and risk losing other employment.

As the Chicago City Council considers a fair scheduling ordinance, Envoy agents also drew attention to the negative effects of American Airlines' scheduling practices. "It takes away time that I had dedicated to spending with my loved ones and it puts a strain on my relationships," said an O'Hare agent. "Throws you off completely. You get less sleep. You're more tired when you leave work and it's dangerous because a lot of us work [our second jobs] far from the airport and we are falling asleep behind the wheel," said another O'Hare worker.

The next bargaining dates are November 5-6.