May 16, 2024 - AT&T To Remain Carrier of Last Resort and other news

Protecting American Workers from Unfair Trade Practices

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced increased tariffs to protect American competitiveness abroad, American jobs here at home, and slow the influx of cheap goods that drive down prices for similar products made domestically. Representatives from several labor unions, including CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., CWA Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos, and CWA Local 2236 members Brandon Horn and Lawrence Bryant, gathered at the White House for the announcement. President Biden opened his remarks by thanking the labor unions present, mentioning CWA by name.

Among the products targeted for protection by the tariffs were raw steel and aluminum, electric vehicles, and semiconductors. Members of IUE-CWA, who manufacture both semiconductors and electric buses, should benefit from less undercutting by Chinese competitors.

“I’m determined that the future of electric vehicles will be made in America by union workers. Period,” President Biden said at the event.

To watch the event, click here.

 
CWA Local 2236 member Brandon Horn (left) joined President Joe Biden at the White House as he signed a memorandum leveling trade tariffs on strategic Chinese goods to help protect American manufacturing.

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Rural Communities in Action Summit

CWA also participated in the White House Rural Communities in Action Summit, which took place the same day. CWA Local 3611’s Keith Busby, a Broadband Brigade member from North Carolina, joined Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and others to discuss the importance of high-speed internet access in rural communities and the benefits of building out broadband using union labor. You can watch the event here.

 
CWA Local 3611 Broadband Brigade member Keith Busby participated in a White House panel discussion on the need for broadband expansion in rural communities and why union labor is more cost-effective and safer for workers creating that infrastructure.

Earlier this week, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. joined U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and others to celebrate the announcement of new jobs and increased domestic production of optical fiber at an OFS Fitel facility in Norcross, Ga.

Thanks to President Biden’s focus on investing in American manufacturing and jobs, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires the use of Made in America materials for federally funded broadband infrastructure projects. The OFS plans to add 100 new jobs, including 50 jobs at a facility represented by CWA Local 3263.

Said President Cummings, “CWA members will be manufacturing the fiber optic cable that other CWA members will use to make sure their kids can get online to do their schoolwork, that seniors can use to connect to telehealth services, that folks can use to do their jobs. And it won’t matter if you live in a city, suburb, or rural area. We’re going to build it everywhere!”

 
Top photo, from left: CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and CWA District 3 President Richard Honeycutt announced new jobs at the OFS Fitel plant, where CWA Local 3263 members manufacture fiber optic cable and other tools for broadband expansion. 

Bottom photo, from left: CWA Local 3204 President Ed Barlow, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., and CWA Senior Campaign Lead Tony Tilley toured the CWA-represented OFS Fitel fiber optic cable production facility. 

Earlier this month, CWA District 7 hosted its annual meeting in Vancouver, Wash. Workers, activists, and retirees from across the district gathered to celebrate victories, share skills, and strategize for the upcoming year. The meeting also included workshops and breakout sessions dedicated to such topics as internal organizing, human rights, and advanced grievance arbitration.

During the opening session, attendees heard from several speakers, including CWA President Claude Cummings Jr.; CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam; Public, Healthcare, and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook; Western Region At-Large Executive Board Member Keith Gibbs; and Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor.

“Unity is the key, and I don’t just believe it is; I know it is,” said President Cummings. “It’s not enough to ‘dream big.’ You’ve got to bring enough people together to get the job done, or big dreams fade away into nothing. Unity means we understand how connected we are and the simple truth: we will either succeed together or we won’t succeed at all.”

Secretary-Treasurer Salaam said, “As a 32-year, proud CWA member, I can testify to the difference a union makes: the difference in wages, the difference in benefits, the difference in respect, having a collective voice, and just feeling secure. The difference in being CWA. I want all of these things for all workers.”

CWA District 7 Vice President Susie McAllister kicked off the general session, followed by CWA National Political Field Director Curtis Hierro and CWA District 7 Administrative Director of Organizing Katie Romich.

"We need each and every one of us to be fighting and winning for our fellow working people,” said McAllister. “We do this by working the whole CWA triangle.”

That hard work has paid off. CWA District 7 has welcomed approximately 2,500 new members into the union since the last District 7 Meeting in 2022.

Activision Quality Assurance United (AQAU-CWA Local 7250) leaders shared a 20-minute presentation about their historic organizing campaign. They spoke about overcoming union busting from Activision Blizzard management while helping create the leverage for the groundbreaking neutrality agreement between CWA and Microsoft. They also shared how they collaborated with workers in Texas and California to move swiftly once the neutrality agreement was in place to certify their 575-member unit. They closed the presentation to thunderous applause by borrowing from the Call of Duty slogan that "the ultimate weapon is team,'' while displaying a graphic from the game combined with the CWA, CODE-CWA, and AQAU-CWA logos.

 
Attendees at this year’s CWA District 7 Meeting were treated to rousing stories of overcoming union-busting tactics to welcome approximately 2,500 new members into our union.

Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a proposal rejecting AT&T’s request to withdraw as a Carrier of Last Resort in California.

CWA members vigorously opposed AT&T’s request, which could have left many areas of California without a landline voice service provider. Such a reduction in service would have put technician and customer service support jobs at risk. Members, retirees, and community supporters attended public forums and filed comments with the CPUC to voice their concerns.

“CWA welcomes CPUC’s continued commitment to ensuring that every Californian has access to affordable, reliable telecommunications service by dismissing AT&T’s attempt to cut service to our most vulnerable residents,” said CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce. “CWA members know that for many Californians, especially our elderly and rural residents, landline service remains the most reliable option. This was evident in over 5,000 public comments filed with the CPUC and in 5,800 individuals who attended the public hearings, the majority speaking in opposition to AT&T's request. CWA intends to participate in the proposed Committee of Last Resort rulemaking to ensure all Californians continue to have access to affordable and reliable telecommunications services.”

Last week, the United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act was introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate. The bill has been strongly endorsed by CWA for protecting call center workers from seeing their jobs offshored and for protecting American consumers whose data could be at risk under the control of foreign companies and governments.

Under the proposed law, call center agents would be required to disclose their location, and customers would have the right to ask to be transferred to a call center located in the United States. The bill would penalize companies that outsource call centers overseas by withholding federal grants and contracts. It would further require that all call center work performed on federal contracts be done in the U.S., protecting the work from offshoring.

“As the union representing the largest number of workers in the call center industry, we understand how devastating call center offshoring is to U.S. workers, consumers, and communities,” said Dan Mauer, CWA Director of Government Affairs. “U.S. workers and communities rely on these good-paying jobs, and consumers rely on our data privacy laws to keep their personal identifiable information protected. We applaud the introduction of the bill and urge Congress to pass this legislation!”

The bill was introduced by Senators Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) in the Senate and Representatives Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) in the House.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. As part of its yearly celebration of leaders from the AAPI community who are shaping the labor movement for the future, the AFL-CIO featured Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Local 27019 member Yan Yan Teague.

For the last seven years, Yan Yan has been devoted to ensuring the safety and comfort of Alaska Airlines passengers. Before becoming a Flight Attendant, she worked with AmeriCorps, where she demonstrated her passion for creating meaningful change in people’s lives. Her continued pursuit of that passion has led to her appointment as the inaugural chairperson of the AFA-CWA Human Rights Committee. Yan Yan has also recently been appointed to the National CWA Women’s Committee, where her unwavering commitment to improving the lives of workers can continue to flourish.

In her free time, Yan Yan enjoys traveling to new places and trying different cuisines, always seeking to broaden her horizons.

Congratulations to Yan Yan Teague for her dedication to improving the lives of others.

It’s often said that other professions should be celebrated the same way we celebrate professional athletes, and that’s just what happened last week in Dayton, Ohio. Gabriel Bierma, Jack Ledford, and DaMarian Scott, 2024 graduates of Northridge High School, received the “Division 1 Treatment” while signing their hiring papers with DMAX Ltd., a General Motors plant specializing in diesel engines. These young men also became members of IUE-CWA Local 84755, jumpstarting their careers in automotive technology.

The Industrial Manufacturing Technician Program (IMT) is a certification program administered by the IUE-CWA that provides aspiring technicians a springboard into the industry. Approximately 60 students matriculate through the program annually. IUE-CWA Local 84755, Local 84775, and the IUE-CWA National Office all contribute to the education of prospective new technicians.

IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew attended the event with IUE-CWA Senior Campaign Lead Dave Cash, IUE-CWA Local 84755 President Mike Gross and IUE-CWA Local 84755 members Chris Gross, and Jay Balwig. Northridge High School Superintendent Dave Jackson, members of the local school board, and Northridge Instructor Joe Miller also attended. Daniel Green represented DMAX, Ltd. Parents, grandparents, other family members, and friends of the graduates joined in the celebration.

 
Family and IUE-CWA supporters celebrate Northridge High School graduate Jack Ledford’s decision to accept employment with DMAX Ltd. and join IUE-CWA Local 84755 as part of IUE-CWA’s Industrial Manufacturing Technician Program. Pictured, front row: Ms. Ledford next to her son Jack Ledford. Back row, left to right: IUE-CWA Local 84755 members Daniel Green, Jay Balwig, and Chris Gross, IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew, and IUE-CWA Local 84755 President Mike Gross.