Aug 8, 2024 - CWA Members at AT&T West Reach Tentative Agreement

One longstanding tradition at CWA is wearing red on Thursdays. We do this not just to show our solidarity with one another but in honor of a very special man, CWA Local 1103 Chief Steward E. Gerald “Gerry” Horgan.

True to his nature, Gerry was a leader, fighting injustice and working for his union siblings. When the union went on strike in 1989 against the NYNEX Corporation, Gerry was on the picket line, encouraging others, running messages, and doing everything to make their strike a success. The corporation, however, hired scab workers to replace the strikers. Gerry was struck and killed by a scab worker who drove through the picket line.

Please click here to watch a video about that day and the impact of his loss.

Today, Gerry Horgan’s memory lives on. CWA Local 1103 continues to honor his memory with an annual memorial service held at their union hall, renamed in Gerry’s honor. Though few people remain who knew Gerry personally, the Local takes great pride in educating new members, whether from his particular unit or not, on the life and death of this hero. Said current CWA Local 1103 President Kevin Sheil, “It wasn't just his sacrifice that is his story. Gerry was a United States Marine, a volunteer fireman, and a mountain rescue team member. He was a loving husband, father, son, and brother. He was an up-and-coming labor leader. To the members, he was the union. Gerry is gone, but he is never forgotten.”

This year, August 15 will mark the 35th anniversary of Gerry Horgan’s sacrifice.

Last week, CWA District 9 members at AT&T West announced they had reached a tentative agreement with the company. This announcement comes after months of intense negotiations and solidarity actions across the district.

CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce issued a statement regarding the tentative agreement, saying, “We have reached a tentative agreement with AT&T West on a new collective bargaining agreement. This significant achievement is the result of the tireless work and dedication of your duly elected bargaining committee. I am pleased to inform you that our International Executive Board has approved this tentative agreement.”

In District 3, the contract between CWA and AT&T Southeast expired this past weekend. Members are working without a contract as bargaining continues, but have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if necessary to reach a fair contract.

CWA members across District 3 showed their support for their AT&T siblings by posting on social media, wearing red, and engaging in innovative actions like filling their work vehicles to exactly $20.24 for the 2024 bargaining and putting red t-shirts over the passenger seats.

“Our members are prepared to stand together for the contract we have earned and they deserve,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. “Our members want to be on the job, providing the quality service that our customers and communities rely on, but for this to continue, we need to see AT&T make progress towards a contract that secures better working conditions for our dedicated members and better lives for their families.”

Last week, Kevin Tenkhoff, a 19-year AT&T Customer Service Technician and member of CWA Local 6316, shared details of an incredible moment that took place in October 2023. Kevin arrived hours early at the residence of Helen Parli, who considered asking him to come back at the scheduled time but decided to allow him to get to work. CWA Local 6316 is located in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

A few minutes into the job, Kevin heard yelling. He raced uphill to the front yard and found Helen unresponsive on the ground and her husband, Ryan, performing chest compressions. Kevin, who had received CPR training through AT&T, took over the chest compressions while Ryan called for emergency services.

Helen learned later that she had been technically dead for nearly 4 minutes and that Tenkoff’s assistance had kept her brain oxygenated, likely saving her life. From an interview at People.com Helen is quoted saying, “You were put where you were at the time you were there. And I feel like it was a godsend. You're kind of like my guardian angel. That's the way I'm going to feel about you for the rest of my life.”

Tenkhoff also spoke of the incident, saying, “There are no words to describe it whatsoever. It was great seeing how appreciative they were.” He received the Bronze Vail Award from AT&T for his heroism.

The NewsGuild-CWA is continuously fighting for the rights of workers both here in the U.S. and abroad. Here is a brief snapshot of some of the battles currently being waged for members around the world.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Journalists and other staff at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNG-CWA Local 38061, CWA Local 14827, and CWA Local 14842) have been on strike for 22 consecutive months, making this the longest-running strike in the nation right now. Striking members remain determined to win a contract that recognizes their skills and talents and offers protections against surveillance and replacement by artificial intelligence. To support striking members, please follow this link to make a donation and receive an official strike t-shirt.

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Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalist Evan Gershkovich, while on assignment, was detained by Russian authorities. Evan was sentenced to 16 years in prison after a wrongful and baseless conviction. Members of IAPE TNG-CWA Local 1096, WSJ management, and all TNG-CWA members called for Evan to be returned to the U.S. safely. After 16 months in a Russian jail, Evan Gershkovich was released on August 1.

Also at WSJ, earlier this month, journalist Selina Cheng was terminated by the publication after she refused her supervisor’s request to withdraw from an election in Hong Kong’s leading media professional group. Cheng was told she was fired because of restructuring, but she believes that the real reason was her election as chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, a trade union for journalists that advocates for press freedom. IAPE TNG-CWA 1096 members have created a petition calling on WSJ to reinstate Cheng to her former position and provide a full explanation of management’s decision to dismiss her.

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Gannet

Members in Ohio are mobilizing fiercely in opposition to a plan by employer Gannet to force workers to accept inferior, and more expensive, health insurance while also denying pay raises. Members working for The Canton Repository, Massillon Independent, and Alliance Review (TNG-CWA 34001) are asking for letters of support to be sent to the newspapers.

In June, members of the Colorado Independent Drivers United (CIDU-CWA Local 7777) in Denver, Colo., won twin victories when Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed HB24-1129 and SB24-75 into law. The bills will require transparency between companies—such as Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash—and their workers, create a driver resource center, and provide protections for both delivery and transportation drivers against deactivation, which amounts to termination but can be entirely driven by artificial intelligence without human oversight.

These laws constitute the first-ever legislation of its kind and may form a blueprint for other states seeking to protect vulnerable rideshare and delivery workers.

Meanwhile, in California, the opposite is taking place, with the California Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding a state ballot measure allowing app-based transportation companies to classify their drivers as independent contractors. The ballot measure, Proposition 22, received 58% of the vote in 2020 but was overturned in 2021 by a lower court. In 2023, the law was upheld by the state's 1st District Court of Appeals and has now been upheld by the state’s highest court.

Opponents of the California law hold that it disproportionately impacts Black, brown, and immigrant workers and is little more than a cash grab by app-based transportation companies.

While an Uber driver in Denver has workplace protections, access to a driver resource center, and protections against wrongful termination, their counterparts in Los Angeles have none.

Efforts to organize app-based delivery and transportation workers are stymied by the nature of the work, which can be isolating and provide almost no control for workers. Business owners have sought, through challenges to worker rights law, to make app-based transportation workers a permanent underclass with few protections and almost no legal responsibilities for the businesses that employ them. Industry experts put the number of app-based workers in California at approximately 1.4 million.

 
Members and supporters of CIDU-CWA Local 7777 in Denver, Colo., celebrated winning protections for both delivery and transportation workers for app-based companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash.

Last week, CWA District 6, led by Vice President Derrick Osobase, held its annual conference. The theme of the conference was “Together We Rise.” Hundreds of members from across the District met in Tulsa, Okla., where CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. delivered the keynote address.

President Cummings hammered home the theme, saying, “We cannot let politicians, bosses, or even ourselves break the bonds we create with one another. Our unity is our strength, and without it, we don’t have much to fight with or fight for. Unity is the key, and I don’t just believe it is; I know it is. Like the theme of your conference says, together we rise. Not one by one, but together.”

President Cummings, focused on the upcoming presidential election and all the important down-ballot races. He urged members to focus on voter turnout, saying, “What we now know is that there is a clear and present danger to our democracy, to the idea of having a say, any say, in how you are governed, where you work, your hours, your pay, your taxes, and how those taxes are spent. Project 2025 gives the details of their dangerous, extremist agenda to roll back our rights and put more power in the hands of CEOs and corporations.”

CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam, who couldn’t be there in person, sent a video detailing many of the changes she’s brought to the office of Secretary-Treasurer including establishing a general email to more quickly answer member questions. Salaam has made it her goal to streamline CWA’s finances and has already saved the union significant money by cutting unnecessary expenses.

Attendees also had the opportunity to build skills through various workshops, including “Grievance Prep Training,” “How to Build an Anti-Racist Union,” and “Aptify–Grievance Tracking.” They also got to hear from numerous speakers, including Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton, NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson, Western Region At-Large Executive Board Member Keith Gibbs, and Retired Members Council President Gwen Parker.

 
At the CWA District 6 Conference, members of the Retired Members Council showed their CWA pride with CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase (back row, center).

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. joined dozens of dignitaries last week, including Vice President Kamala Harris, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, to honor the life and work of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. The congresswoman passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 74.

Sheila Jackson Lee was one of the longest-serving members of Texas’ congressional delegation, having begun her congressional career in 1994. Lee spent her career at the nexus of the labor and civil rights movements and she consistently co-sponsored legislation to empower workers, raise wages, and protect our rights and dignity.

President Cummings, a close friend of the late congresswoman, took time to speak about her work serving the residents of Houston, whether her constituents or not. “She was there for everyone, during floods, storms, power outages, you name it,” said President Cummings. “And her feet and her mouth ran in the same direction. She backed up her beliefs with action. During COVID, not many people know this: when the city ran out of baby formula, it was Sheila who brought in an 18-wheeler full of formula for folks. She trucked in vaccines for people when the city ran low and protective gear for healthcare workers facing the worst of the pandemic.”

Click here to read more about Sheila Jackson Lee’s incredible life and work.

After committing numerous violations of workers’ rights under federal labor law over the course of the 22-month strike, the publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PG) attempted to question their striking workers’ right to picket. PG Publishing Company, Inc. filed a motion in Allegheny County Court, attempting to permanently bar the striking workers from picketing the newspaper’s distribution center. When the frivolous suit was slapped down, the company spent additional money pursuing an appeal.

In a resounding victory for the striking workers, the appellate judge dismissed this outrageous motion and affirmed that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and its Section 7 protection of the rights of workers to engage in collective action preempted the Pennsylvania trespass law. This victory sets a strong precedent for defending the rights of other Pennsylvania workers.

The judge further rebuffed the PG, finding, “As for violent behavior, the trial court found that the only violence that occurred during picketing was the March 11, 2023 incident where [a scab] for PG, physically assaulted two union members, breaking one of their jaws.”

In October 2022, the PG unilaterally cut off the health care of its production, advertising, and distribution workers. The workers, represented by CWA Locals 14842 and 14827, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh (TNG-CWA Local 38061), and PPPWU local unions, have maintained their solidarity and their picket lines through America’s longest-running strike.

You can donate to support the strikers by visiting unionprogress.com/donate.

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