May 2, 2024 - Big Step Toward Good Union Jobs at Semiconductor Plants and other news

Last week, the Biden Administration announced that chipmaker Micron will meet with CWA to discuss a labor peace agreement as part of the $6.1 billion in federal funding from the CHIPS and Science Act the company is set to receive. A written agreement will be critical to ensuring that the thousands of workers Micron intends to hire in its new semiconductor plants in New York and Idaho will be free to form a union if they choose to and to fight for the kinds of wages and benefits that will grow local economies.

“We are looking forward to sitting down with Micron’s management to negotiate a labor peace agreement that fulfills the promise of this funding to create good jobs in this critical sector of our economy,” said IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew. IUE-CWA currently represents workers at one of the only union-represented chip factories in the country as well as at multiple semiconductor supply chain facilities and negotiated the first-ever comprehensive labor peace agreement in the semiconductor industry at Akash Systems last year.

During an event in Syracuse announcing the CHIPS Act award, both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden highlighted Micron’s commitment to creating good, union jobs at the new facilities. “I’m pleased that Micron is planning to sit down with unions to discuss labor peace,” President Biden said during his remarks.

“Micron has publicly committed to the rights of workers to form and join unions and collectively bargain. Micron is leading the way as the only major company to agree to sit down with unions and have a conversation about the future of their workforce,” Senator Schumer said.

Last week, CWA-Canada hosted its annual National Representative Council Meeting (NRC), where delegates from all over Canada met to set the union’s priorities for the next year. About fifty local presidents and elected members spent two days in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada’s only officially bilingual province.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. attended the meeting virtually. He shared information about his background, recognized the tenacity of workers who participated in last year’s strike at TVO, and affirmed his commitment to support striking workers. CWA-Canada is made up primarily of news media workers, and Cummings highlighted the provisions CWA has put in place to protect workers in AI-vulnerable industries, including journalism. “A highlight for many was also hearing from CWA President Claude Cummings for the first time,” wrote CWA-Canada President Carmel Smyth. “He charmed the crowd, got a few laughs, and left us feeling proud to belong to such a progressive international union.”

The group took time to honor former CWA-Canada President, Martin O’Hanlon, for 30 years of union leadership and service, presenting him with their highest honor, the CWA-Canada Award of Excellence. Delegates also got to share lessons learned in bargaining across the country, debate the pros and cons of 3- and 5-year contracts, and discuss responses to a possible change in government that could see a divisive, anti-worker figure taking the helm as Prime Minister.

 
Delegates from across Canada attended the annual National Representative Council meeting for CWA-Canada, where they heard from President Cummings and made plans for the coming year.

Last week, during the CWA District 3 Meeting, President Claude Cummings Jr. took the opportunity to visit CWA members at nearby AT&T wire tech and call centers in Louisville, Ky. President Cummings met with dozens of workers and discussed issues affecting their work lives, including pay and benefits.

“I took this position with a clear goal: to unite our membership. Meeting with folks, listening to them, and really digging into what they need from me and from our union is how I plan to do it. Meeting these workers in Louisville, hearing their stories, lets me know we’re on the right track. There’s work to be done, but my number one goal is to make sure we’re doing that work together as one organization.”

We will provide an in-depth recap of the CWA District 3 meeting in next week’s newsletter. Stay tuned.

 
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. met with members at an AT&T call center (above) and wire tech center (below) in Louisville, Ky., while in town for the CWA District 3 Meeting. 

Last month, CWA Local 1122 members at the Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) of Western New York ratified a tentative agreement covering over 600 CWA members working at the VNA, including nurses, therapists, social workers, pharmacists, clerical staff, warehouse techs, and delivery drivers.

The bargaining took several months of negotiation and involved some unique challenges. VNA members are spread across several counties, so hosting in-person meetings and keeping communication flowing required ingenuity and determination on the part of organizers and workers.

Despite the logistical headaches, CWA Local 1122’s mobilization team, known as “The Red Dragons,” mobilized successfully throughout the negotiation, showing continued support for their members with rallies at several VNA branch offices.

The tentative agreement included historic wage increases, constituting the highest contractual wage increases for the unit since the healthcare workers joined CWA 45 years ago. The no-concessions contract also added progressive language concerning work-from-home, paid time off, staff scheduling, work-life balance, and healthcare benefits.

Members have expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by organizer Dan Lukasiewicz and co-mobilizer Tori Henley.

Yet again, members have proven our slogan to be true: “When we fight, we win!”

 
Members of CWA Local 1122 celebrated a successful contract negotiation for their Visiting Nurses Association, with substantial wins on pay, vacation, and other benefits.

Members of the Texas State Employees Union (TSEU-CWA Local 6186) hosted a rally last week calling on University of Texas (UT) officials to “Stop the Purge.” At the beginning of the month, UT abruptly fired nearly 60 staff, mostly women and people of color, working in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office and programs.

These firings come in response to the passage last year of Texas SB 17, which requires universities receiving public funds to close diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices. It also prohibits asking new hires for a DEI statement to show their understanding of the concepts and how they would incorporate diversity into their role. That law went into effect at the start of 2024.

To help fight these layoffs, TSEU enlisted support from the American Association of University Professors, AAUP/AFT Students for DEI, Underpaid at UT Austin Justice Coalition Students for a Democratic Society, and the Texas Freedom Network. Guest speakers at the rally included Gary Bledsoe, President, Texas NAACP; Karma Chavez, AAUP UT-Branch, TSEU; and Rick Levy, President, Texas AFL-CIO.

Earlier this month, CWAers in District 1 participated in the CWA Reversing Runaway Income Inequality Training (RRI). Members at CWA Local 1032 learned about the growing gap between the super-rich and ordinary workers, how the 1% uses race to divide working people, and how we can fight back against inequality and level the economic playing field.

The training was led by long-time member trainers Elijah Zimmerman (CWA Local 1109) and Chris O’Shea (CWA Local 1104), with new trainer Kathi Cooley (CWA Local 1033). A similar training also took place last week, which included members from nearby CWA Locals 1036 and 1085, hosted by Local 1033.

From CWA Local 1032, nearly a dozen participants signed up for a 2-day Political Activism Bootcamp, which will further prepare them to take part in, and possibly lead, future Legislative and Political actions.

Follow this link to sign up for RRI training in your area.

CWA Local 1032 hosted a Reversing Runaway Income Inequality Training where members learned about income inequality, how the 1% divides the working class, and how workers can level the playing field.

Last week, members of CWA Local 1120 rallied in Hudson, N.Y., at a city park to raise awareness about proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare. The group of about 16 members and volunteers held signs and spoke to passersby about the cuts that a group of Republican members of Congress have proposed and what they would mean for retirees and those living with disabilities. Allies included the Mayor of Hudson Kamal Johnson and members of the Working Families Party.

Cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and other social safety net programs could have life-threatening ramifications for people already living on fixed incomes. Another method to draw down spending is to raise the age of retirement, with current proposals calling for a retirement age of 69. For workers in labor-intensive jobs, this could mean risking injuries or death on a job from which they cannot afford to retire.

The group of activists marched to the local Social Security office, where they continued to share information. Activists called for increased taxes on the wealthy to help keep Social Security, Medicare, and similar programs funded. This sentiment is reflected in a recent Forbes.com article by economist Christian Weller, who wrote, “Starting those adjustments with benefit cuts, especially regressive ones such as increasing the retirement age that hurt lower-income earners more than higher-income earners, is exactly the wrong approach, however. Raising additional revenues from high-income earners should be a preferred policy approach that strengthens rather than weakens the program.”

 
Members of CWA Local 1120 rallied in Hudson, N.Y., to share information and call for legislators to halt cuts to social safety net programs including Social Security and Medicare.

CWA Local 4900 members aren’t just stylish…they’re stylish for a good cause. In an effort to support survivors of domestic violence, members donated purses filled with essential items for women in need.

The initiative was driven largely by CWA Local 4900 Division 3 Vice President Danielle Brewer-Collier and Secretary-Treasurer Yolanda Mason with over 70 members of Local 4900 helping to stuff purses with items including toothpaste, shampoo, toothbrushes, antiperspirants, and encouragement note cards from CWA members.

“We all need help at some point in our lives; we are all one,” said CWA Local 4900 member and Purses with Purpose Co-Captain Temeka Linton. “I enjoy knowing that my efforts help someone.”

“There are a lot of things tied into how a woman carries herself. I thought that providing the supplies and purses, things we sometimes take for granted, could mean that another woman gains dignity, pride and comfort,” said CWA Local 4900 member Rachelle Sudduth.

 
Members of CWA Local 4900 donated purses filled with supplies for women experiencing domestic violence through the Purses with Purpose Program.

 
Kitsy Higgins (CWA Local 14827) speaks at a rally marking the anniversary of the strike against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Mellon, Pittsburgh Union Progress, TNG-CWA 38061)

Name: Kitsy Higgins
Local: Pittsburgh Typographical Union 7/CWA Local 14827
Workplace: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Title: Advertising Account Representative
Experience: 5 years
Strike Time: 1.5 years
Quote: “I’ve been on strike for a year and a half because my employer won’t respect my basic dignity."
Inspiration: “I’m inspired by my children. They are the reason I stay on strike. If we let the bosses win, that means there will be less of a union for the next generation or my children's generation. We can't have that and let them win."

FleetLogix, Inc.

In March, workers for FleetLogix, Inc. voted overwhelmingly to join IUE-CWA Local 81201. FleetLogix is a subcontractor for Avis-Budget Group, which specializes in global transportation solutions. The 87 workers staff the regional headquarters in East Boston, Mass., and will be joining nearly 300 Avis-Budget workers at Boston Logan Airport and their Downtown/Cambridge locations already represented by Local 81201.

The rank-and-file workers formed the organizing committee, with assistance from Local 81201 Organizer Nick Becker, local leadership, shop stewards, and other members.

 
Workers for FleetLogix, Inc., a subcontractor with Avis-Budget Group, rallied at the Boston Logan International Airport rental car lot in support of their coworkers voting yes to joining IUE-CWA Local 81201. The vote came back with overwhelming support for joining the union.

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End-of-the-Month Organizing Roundup

Over the last month, workers also joined CWA at:

• Keystone Resort (CWA Local 7781)
• Solitude Mountain Resort (CWA Local 7781)
• Wells Fargo Bank, Cedar Hill, Texas (CWA Local 6215)
• Wells Fargo Bank, Apex, N.C. (CWA Local 3611)
• Wells Fargo Bank, Bradenton, Fla. (CWA Local 3108)
• Wells Fargo Bank, Apopka, Fla. (CWA Local 3108)
• Wells Fargo Bank, Egg Harbor City, N.J. (CWA Local TBD)
• Wells Fargo Bank, Prospect, Conn. (CWA Local 1298)
• The Marshall Project (TNG-CWA Local 31003)
• Berlin Rosen (CWA Local 1101)