Aug 22, 2024 - Strike! AT&T Workers Walk Off Job Across the Southeast

Late last week, over 17,000 CWA workers across the Southeast went on an unfair labor practice strike in protest against AT&T’s bad faith bargaining tactics. CWA District 3 members in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee walked off the job. Though negotiations began in late June, AT&T has refused to bargain over mandatory subjects and has failed to send a representative with authority to make decisions.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said, “I have been in close contact with CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt, and I have complete faith in our bargaining team. I have told AT&T executives that the striking workers and the bargaining team have my full support. I expect AT&T to treat every member with respect and to send representatives to the table who have authority to bargain and who are serious about bargaining in good faith.”

With customer service representatives and AT&T installation and maintenance technicians on the strike line, the company has resorted to using unqualified subcontractors to keep their network running. “During the strike, AT&T has been sending undertrained managers and contractors to perform highly technical work,” said Honeycutt. “Our members have seen them at work in their communities and documented unsafe practices, including failure to wear proper safety equipment, failure to secure ladders and other equipment, putting the worker and nearby vehicles and pedestrians at risk, and failure to mark work areas with safety cones. We are encouraging members of the public to use extra caution when encountering these worksites.”

The strike has been widely covered by news outlets, including National Public Radio, The Associated Press, and many local news outlets.

The workers have also set up a petition for supporters to sign. Please do so at cwa.org/attse-support.

 
Striking workers are walking the picket line in every state in CWA District 3 (Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama).

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. addressed the nation at the Democratic National Convention earlier this week. He focused on the critical nature of broadband access and applauded the Biden-Harris administration for its funding of broadband projects and creation of union jobs. We will provide more detailed coverage in next week’s newsletter. Watch the video here.

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CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. visited with NABET-CWA members who provided television coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago for ABC News and the networks of NBC News.

Last week, CWA’s Human Rights Committee, led by Director of Human Rights, Education and Health & Safety Angie Wells, hosted a four-day conference in Houston, Texas. Over 500 CWA members from across the country took part in workshops, solidarity actions, and other activities. From its spectacular opening with “Dragon Dancers” to the closing “Activist Mall,” the conference was a celebration of cultural diversity and inclusion.

The agenda featured several workshops and panel discussions, including “Ageism, Accessibility, and Pensions,” “Addressing Systemic Racism as a Workplace Health and Safety Issue,” and “How to Not Work Until You Die.”

As Chair of the CWA Executive Board Diversity Committee, IUE-CWA Sector President Carl Kennebrew helped open the conference, welcoming attendees to Houston. He focused his speech on the work still needed to create an anti-racist America—one that works for all its residents.

The Minority Caucus paid honor to several guests, including CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam and CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., whom they presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Long-time friend and ally Congressman Al Green (D-Texas) presented Cummings and Salaam with an American flag from atop the Capitol building, an honor he now shares with civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. 

Cummings shared his appreciation for the award saying, “I believed it was my job to serve the people. People didn’t work for me, I worked for them. I’ve tried to do that in every position that I have been in and I think that’s why I’ve been elected. So, for those of you who are running for positions just remember that you have a duty to work hard for those who elect you.”

 
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by (left to right) CWA Local 3204 President Emeritus Walter D. Andrews, CWA Local 3204 President Ed Barlow, CWA National Minority Caucus President Maurice Washington, Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos, CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt, and CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce.

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Congressman Colin Allred (D-Texas) gave a powerful speech, laying out his plan to send current Texas Senator Ted Cruz on a “permanent vacation” from office. Allred proudly held up his union card to show his solidarity with the labor movement. CWA has endorsed Allred ahead of this year’s election.

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A poignant moment in the festivities came when members of the Minority Leadership Institute (MLI) gathered to formally rename the MLI in honor of civil rights and labor activist Dennis Serrette, who was a founding member of CWA’s Black Caucus and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. The ceremony was attended by his wife, Judge Cathy Hollenberg Serrette, and his son, Dennis Serrette Jr., who expressed their appreciation for how CWA has chosen to honor Serrette’s legacy.

 
Graduates of the newly renamed Dennis Serrette Minority Leadership Institute posed alongside Serrette’s wife, Judge Cathy Hollenberg Serrette, and his son, Dennis Serrette Jr.

CWA members and guests also heard from CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam, District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt, District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton, District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase, District 9 Vice President Frank Arce, Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton, IUE-CWA Industrial Division President Carl Kennebrew, AFA-CWA International Vice President Keturah Johnson, Western Region At-Large Executive Board Member Keith Gibbs, and Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos.

Managers at ADT in Shoreview, Minn., treated workers to an appreciation breakfast last week to celebrate the company’s 150th anniversary. This small celebration came during bargaining, which began in May. The newly established unit won recognition in January.

CWA Local 7250 Steward Jesse Selin was fed up. So were his fellow union members. The team of mostly ADT technicians handles small business and residential security system installations and service. Low pay and disinterested management had made the work unbearable, driving out both new techs and seasoned veterans. Many of the workers felt like cattle, driven to perform with little regard for morale or concern for the toxic environment, leading to chronic understaffing.

Jesse needed some way to humanize the workforce and wake management up. What better way to do that than with coffee?

Jesse organized his co-workers so each of them arrived at the breakfast carrying a coffee mug. Printed on the sides of each mug were the names of their colleagues who had left the job. The crew set out 33 mugs in all. The visual was simple yet powerful.

Jesse addressed the managers at the breakfast, saying, “You may see a ton of mugs on the counter in the back warehouse. You’ll recognize many of the names on them. These are the people who would be here today if ADT was truly grateful for them. Some of these people worked for ADT for 15 or 20 years. Some just a few months. We as a team thought it was appropriate to remember those who aren't here anymore on this big day.”

Contract negotiations will continue for CWA Local 7250, and management has been put on notice that the workforce demands respect.

 
CWA Local 7250 Steward Jesse Selin and his coworkers took creative action to remind management of their humanity and the need for respect on the job.

At this year’s Olympic Games, held in Paris, France, the athletes weren’t the only ones striving for excellence. Over 180 NABET-CWA members, including technical directors, camera operators, graphic designers, and audio/video engineers, traveled to Paris, responsible for the television production for NBC’s news and sports broadcasts of the Games. Another 180+ member team worked out of the NBC Sports Stamford Studios in Connecticut.

Coverage of the numerous athletic events is a highly stressful job under difficult conditions. However, NABET-CWA members are consummate professionals dedicated to their craft.

Many thanks to all the NABET-CWA members who helped share the excitement of global athletic competition, bringing the world a little closer.

 
NABET-CWA technicians prepare audio and video equipment in Paris, France, at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

 
CWA Member Jen Kundrach (Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh TNG-CWA Local 38061) spoke at a virtual rally earlier this week to encourage her fellow strikers to carry on.

“I want my daughter to see that standing up for what’s right may be hard, but it’s worth it.” — Jen Kundrach

On Tuesday, striking workers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette held a virtual rally to discuss last week’s news of the NLRB filing to enjoin their employer for its many violations of federal labor law. It is a massive step closer to ending the 22-month strike being carried out by not just one but three CWA units.

Here’s what striking designer Jen Kundrach shared at the rally, speaking about the 9-year-old daughter she fights for, and alongside:

“Whenever my resolve begins to waiver, I remember that she's watching me. She's learning that we don't let bullies push us around. Just because they're bigger doesn't make them stronger. She's learning that when our union siblings get pushed down, we reach out our hands and help them back up. She's learning that we do not lie down and take it, and we do not give up, because it's not just about us; it's about every single person out there working and being treated unfairly, being taken advantage of, or neglected, or dismissed.”

To support striking workers and families like Jen’s, you can do any of these three things today:

1. Donate to the strike fund that's used to pay for rent, utility bills, car repairs, groceries, and to keep their pets alive and well.
    
2. Order a T-shirt repping their strike publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress. All proceeds go to the same strike fund.
    
3. Subscribe to the Pittsburgh Union Progress for free news on the strike, the lives of working people in Western PA and beyond, and more.