Jan 25, 2024 - President Biden Congratulates CWA Members During Visit to N.C.

Last week, during a visit to Raleigh, N.C., President Biden announced an investment of $82 million in additional American Rescue Plan funds to connect 16,000 N.C. homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet. In his speech, the President expressed his gratitude to CWA members who are building, maintaining, and supporting broadband networks.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the American Rescue Plan are providing $90 billion nationwide specifically for broadband expansion. For North Carolinians, Biden’s goal is to connect every household and business to high-speed internet by the end of 2029. As the President noted in his remarks, this investment is intended to create good-paying jobs, and members of CWA’s Broadband Brigade have been working with state and local officials to ensure that the work is being done by experienced, well-trained union members instead of low-road contractors.

Biden also took this time to remind the audience that the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which launched in 2021, will no longer be accepting applications as of February 8, 2024, if funding is not extended. This program has helped 22 million Americans afford high-speed internet, increasing demand and providing work for CWA members. CWA and other supporters of the ACP are holding a “Don’t Disconnect Us” day of action today to push Congress to fund the ACP. Click here to take action.

Last week, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the United States has asked the Mexican government to review whether call center workers employed by multinational customer support services contractor Atento Services are being denied the right to free association and collective bargaining. This is an historic first, as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Rapid Response Mechanism has never before been used for workers in the customer support field.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. applauded the innovative move, stating, “Ambassador Tai’s action protects workers in both the United States and Mexico by strengthening rights across the industry and combating the longstanding race to the bottom. Our members and our union stand in solidarity with the workers…in their fight for union recognition and the just pay and benefits that they have earned and deserve.”

Members of IUE-CWA Locals 81201 and 81776 are stepping up to connect victims of domestic violence with resources and aid. They recently participated in an ally training session hosted by the North Shore Labor Council with representatives from Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC). The HAWC team discussed ways unions can help spread the word about their services and the important role unions can play since work is sometimes the only place where a victim is away from their abuser, especially if the control factor has gotten to the point of almost total isolation from family and friends.

According to Local 81776 President Theresa Tauro, “HAWC provided handouts and posters to hang in break rooms and lavatories. With just that little effort, we’ve already helped two brave survivors connect with HAWC services.” Tauro plans to present this information to the Massachusetts AFL-CIO in the hopes that locals across the state will be able to participate.

 
North Shore Labor Council Members learn about the HAWC Program to aid victims of domestic violence.

Over 300 NewsGuild-CWA Local 39213 members at the L.A. Times staged a one-day walkout last week in opposition to a third round of layoffs proposed by management who, according to L.A. Times Guild Unit Counsel Brian Contreras, have provided no numbers as to how many positions may be cut. Contreras stated, “If management thinks our financial situation is untenable, they need to come to the bargaining table in good faith and work out a buyout plan with us that would first articulate a clear headcount or cost saving they’re aiming for, and then seek to hit that number with as many buyouts—and as few layoffs—as possible.” This walkout constitutes the first newsroom work stoppage in L.A. Times history since it started printing in 1881.

Union leaders are pushing for three demands: a public headcount or salary reduction figure to ascertain how many jobs are in jeopardy, a town hall with newsroom leadership, and a committee that would include NewsGuild-CWA representatives for the selection of a new executive editor.

In a similar story, workers at Condé Nast, members of the NewsGuild of New York (TNG-CWA Local 31003), with publishing brands such as Vogue, GQ, and Vanity Fair, walked off the job earlier this week after Condé Nast announced layoffs of roughly 300 positions.

The NewsGuild-CWA cited management's "unlawful bargaining tactics during layoff negotiations.” The union has been in bargaining since 2022. In November 2023, the NewsGuild-CWA filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) complaint against Condé Nast, claiming the company violated labor law when it responded to a severance offer with a proposal of only half of the initially offered payout.

 
Members of the NewsGuild-CWA participated in an historic walkout at the L.A. Times. (Photo Courtesy of Jay L. Clendenin)

Last week, United Campus Workers of Virginia (UCWVA-CWA Local 2265) members attended Lobby Day at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. Lobby Day is an annual opportunity to engage state legislators on key issues, and UCWVA-CWA members, including student workers, faculty, and campus staff, showed up en masse to advance their platform.

Members lobbied to secure collective bargaining for university workers. Public sector workers in the state lack the ability to collectively bargain, making the legalization of bargaining rights an essential cause for UCW-CWA members. UCWVA-CWA also advocated for Childcare for All, a crucial component of their current campaign to improve working conditions for all campus workers. Their Childcare for All campaign aims to achieve universal pre-K childcare, staffed by workers paid a living wage, for every campus worker in the state.

In addition to attending Lobby Day, members of UCWVA-CWA also held a rally on the Capitol grounds, where they called on state legislators to back their collective bargaining and Childcare for All campaigns.

 
UCWVA-CWA members rallied at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond for Lobby Day.

Congratulations to Tassie York, a member of CWA Local 1037, on fulfilling her own part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. York is now the first Black woman to be mayor of Neptune Township in New Jersey. For over 20 years, York worked as a hairdresser at Seaview Square Mall. She returned to school at Kean University, where she earned a pair of master's degrees in special education and social work. "I am grateful to my colleagues for having that trust in me, having the confidence to know what I am all about," York said to App.com. "I am in this for the people, not for the fame or fortune. I don't need my name in lights; I just want to make sure I am doing what is right for the town."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Members of the Newspaper Guild-CWA of Pittsburgh (TNG-CWA Local 38061) have filed a formal grievance against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for its use of an artificially generated illustration in January. This latest affront to workers comes in the second year of the longest ongoing strike in the U.S. The strike began over the loss of healthcare for workers, bad-faith bargaining, and unilateral cuts to their collective bargaining agreement.

“That they’ve resorted to the use of inferior, AI-generated images rather than custom art by a staff illustrator shows how little they must value the talent of their guild staff,” said Jen Kundrach, a Post-Gazette page designer and illustrator on strike. “They’d rather squander that talent and put out a subpar newspaper than come to the table and reach a fair agreement with us.”

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City of New York

The City of New York has reached an agreement with CWA Local 1180 regarding fair pay for its 911 operators, who were being forced to work 40 hours a week while only being paid for 35 hours. According to CWA Local 1180 President and Northeast Region At-Large Executive Board Member Gloria Middleton, “This new deal provides the higher compensation they deserve and allows them the opportunity to work a compressed week that could better suit their families.”

Better pay and more schedule flexibility are expected to improve employee retention and the efficiency of emergency services.

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Politico

After 20 months of bargaining, PEN Guild (TNG-CWA Local 32035) members won a tentative agreement with Politico management for a transformative, three-year contract. The agreement ensures better working conditions, higher wages, and great benefits for Politico and E&E News journalists. Highlights include protections from AI, a salary floor of $75,000 for reporters and $63,000 for producers, a six percent raise in the first year of the contract, and 24 weeks of paid parental leave.

Breeze Airways

Within two weeks of announcing their intention to join AFA-CWA, Breeze Flight Attendants collected union authorization cards and filed for an election with the National Mediation Board (NMB). “Breeze Flight Attendants organized faster than almost any campaign I’ve ever seen. The solidarity and recognition of their worth is inspiring. We can’t wait to make the union they’ve built together official with this election,” said Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson.

Flight Attendants at Breeze have cited pay and workplace rule inconsistencies, as well as insufficient work hours and disrespect from management, as reasons for joining the union.

 
Flight Attendants at Breeze are ready to join AFA-CWA.

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Journalists Organizing Across Texas

There is a wave of organizing in newsrooms across the state of Texas, with journalists, editors, business staff, and photojournalists demanding recognition as members of the Newsguild-CWA. Newsroom staff at three Texas newspapers have organized since the start of the new year: the Texas Tribune, the San Antonio Report, and the San Antonio Express News.

Local journalism is under attack, with layoffs impacting workers across the industry and threatening a vital democratic institution. Journalists and newsroom workers are joining together with unprecedented solidarity—with 90-100 percent of staff signing union cards—to defend independent journalism.

As longtime San Antonio Report reporter Iris Dimmick put it, “A union is the best way—as part of our inevitable evolution—to codify the progress we’ve made and sustain our journalism for the future.”