Sep 14, 2017 - CWAers Protest at iPhone Launch

AT&T Mobility

Hundreds of AT&T Mobility CWAers protested outside the iPhone launch at Apple HQ on Tuesday. Marking the start of a critical sales period that's expected to bring in billions for AT&T, workers called out the company’s pay cuts for its retail employees and its rampant outsourcing and offshoring that undermine their job security and ability to provide quality customer service.

Read coverage of the protest here and here.

Last week, Mobility workers briefed members of Congress, including Senator Bernie Sanders, on these issues and on AT&T's continued refusal to bargain fairly.

AT&T Mobility CWAers fighting for a fair contract protested outside the iPhone launch at Apple headquarters.

StoryCorps

Staff members at StoryCorps, a nonprofit that curates and shares stories of everyday Americans, voted for representation by CWA Local 1180 by an 83 percent vote in an NLRB election. The 24 staff members work in Brooklyn, N.Y., San Francisco, and Chicago.

"In the past, we experienced sudden layoffs, worked for low wages, and weren't able to negotiate over working conditions. My colleagues and I decided to come together and organize so we could have a seat at the table to discuss issues like healthcare benefits, severance packages, and greater transparency around pay. Now we'll be able to have a say in making StoryCorps a better place to work," said Mia Warren, production assistant.

Read more here.

Staff members at StoryCorps voted for representation by CWA Local 1180.

This year marks 16 years since the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of thousands of Americans, including members of CWA, NABET-CWA, and AFA-CWA.

Our members were doing their jobs, on planes and on the ground at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and in Shanksville, Pa. We honor their memory.

Read more here.

Local 2009 in Huntington, W. Va., represents more than 500 workers at AT&T Mobility, Frontier Communications, and DIRECTV.

Members of CWA Local 2009 in Huntington, W. Va., are mobilizing to make CWA STRONG.

The local is growing and thriving despite anti-union attacks from the Republican state legislature. Last year, a West Virginia "right to work" (for less) law was passed, overriding the governor's veto. A circuit court judge issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the law from being enforced – for now.

With West Virginia workers' collective bargaining rights in limbo, Local 2009 is taking a proactive organizing approach as part of the CWA STRONG program.

As the local focuses on expanding its reach, Local President Shannon Fink says that face time is the key. "One-on-one, face-to-face contact between coworkers is how we grow. In order to organize effectively, we must have people in each workgroup reaching out to their coworkers individually to talk about what the union does to help them in the workplace and help the community." 

Fink says that sharing information with prospective members about efforts like CWA's push to pass call center legislation shows that the union is actively working to help them.

The local is training 30 stewards this week, and is planning other mobilizing events.

Families in Texas, including many CWA families, continue to struggle in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and major flooding that hit the region. Texas residents, many of whom lost nearly everything, also must cope with growing health and environmental hazards brought on by flooding and huge volume of trash that can’t yet be removed.

Meanwhile, CWA District 3 is working with locals to assess the needs of CWA members in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Southeast, following the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma. CWA is monitoring this situation to determine how we can help.

Donations to the CWA Hurricane Harvey Solidarity Fund, 100 percent of which go to CWA members affected by the hurricane, are still needed. You can donate to the solidarity fund here.

Online donations are preferred, but you can also send a check payable to CWA Hurricane Harvey Solidarity Fund to the CWA District 6 office at this address:

CWA Harvey Hurricane Solidarity Fund
c/o Judy Graves
The Parkway, Building One
4801 Southwest Parkway, Suite 115
Austin, Texas 78735

Donations are not tax deductible.

A CWAer's home in Texas after Hurricane Harvey.

There's a massive lobbying effort underway right now to give big tax breaks to millionaires and corporations at the expense of the rest of us.

These mega-tax cuts for the rich and corporations that send good jobs overseas would be paid for by cuts of up to $5 trillion from Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public education, and other important programs and service that working families are counting on. 

That’s the budget plan President Trump and Republican leaders in Congress are pushing. We need to speak out now, and say no. The 1 percent and wealthy corporations should pay their fair share of taxes – not get an even bigger handout.

Sign the petition telling members of Congress to reject a budget that cuts Social Security and the programs working families need, to give a big tax break to wealthy corporations and the 1 percent.

CWAers worked hard to get out the vote for CWA-endorsed New York City Council candidates.

See a full list of the winners in NYC City Council races endorsed by CWA District 1 here.