Aug 29, 2024 - AT&T Southeast Members Stay Strong on the Picket Line as Strike Continues

As the AT&T Southeast unfair labor practices strike continues, CWA members are staying strong on the picket lines with the support of other CWA members and retirees, members of other unions, community organizations, and customers. Supporters from across the country are posting solidarity photos on social media (you can view them here and here).

Meanwhile, the company’s use of undertrained managers and contractors during the strike is taking its toll, with customers throughout the Southeast reporting extended wait times for service and repairs. In an interview on WKYT, an AT&T customer in Kentucky had a message for the company: “You need to right now do what is right for your employees and your customers because they are the backbone of your company.”

“We appreciate the outpouring of support we have had from union members, elected officials, community organizations, and the public,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. “We care about our customers and urge AT&T to resolve the unfair labor practices that caused this strike and engage in good faith bargaining so we can get back to work.”

“When CWA’s Executive Board authorized this strike, we knew that our members would remain strong, and they have,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. “The striking CWA members have our union’s full support, including financial support from our Members’ Relief Fund.”

Support the striking workers by signing our petition to AT&T CEO John Stankey.

 
CWA members, currently on an unfair labor practice strike, walked the picket lines and rallied this week across District 3, including in West Palm Beach and Miami, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C. Click here for more photos from the strike.

 
ZeniMax Workers United-CWA Local 2108 member Autumn Mitchell joined AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler at the 2024 State of the Unions event to amplify tech and video game organizing. 

This Tuesday, CWA Local 2108 member Autumn Mitchell attended AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler’s second annual “State of the Unions” address, outlining the key strides America’s unions are making in building a better economy that works for all. The AFL-CIO brought together labor union leaders, workers, and allies to discuss the crucial role that the labor movement is playing in electing Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the White House. Watch the full livestream here.

Before President Shuler’s speech, Mitchell shared with the audience the power of collective action within the video game industry and the growing momentum of support for CODE-CWA and video game workers across the nation.

“Six years ago, none of us were organized at tech and games. CWA worked really hard with us to build relationships, and now our union represents thousands of tech and game workers. Needless to say, I am really looking forward to the next six years,” said Mitchell. “It’s better in a union for us because it means finally having a real opportunity to change the games industry for the better.” 

CODE-CWA now represents over 6,000 workers in the tech and video game industries.

Hearst Connecticut Media Group

Ten days after going public with their union drive, Adrian Szkolar—a member of the Connecticut News Guild’s organizing committee—was fired, in what the Guild believes is retaliation.

Szkolar was a digital producer for Hearst Connecticut Media Group, the state’s largest newspaper group. He was asked, as part of his job, to post a Hearst story about the Connecticut News Guild to the company's Facebook account. He captioned it with a statistic that was true, but not in the piece. He was subsequently terminated.

The Connecticut News Guild believes this to be a clear case of retaliation for organizing and is asking supporters to write a letter to Hearst Connecticut Media Group management, demanding they reinstate Szkolar and recognize the Connecticut News Guild.

“We’re passionate about our livelihoods and the service we provide to our readers,” Szkolar said in a statement announcing the union drive. “That’s why we’re coming together as one. We want to have a seat at the table and work with Hearst to be sure that our quality work will continue in the future.”

 
Members of the Connecticut News Guild mobilized last week in a show of solidarity with their colleague, organizer, and fellow Guild member Adrian Szkolar.

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Bethesda Game Studios – Montreal

Earlier this month, developers, engineers, programmers, graphic artists, and quality assurance staff at Bethesda Game Studios (BGS) in Montreal celebrated a win when the Quebec Labour Relations Board granted union certification to workers at game developer Bethesda Game Studios in Montreal. Their successful union campaign began in late June.

President of CWA-SCA Canada Carmel Smyth welcomed the new members: “CWA Canada is proud to support the efforts and commitment of these brave workers who are improving the potential for generations of workers in the video gaming industry.”

This victory would not have been possible without the work of the BGS organizing committee, the World of Warcraft Gamemaker’s Guild-CWA, and the CWA and CWA Canada organizing and legal teams.

A delegation of CWA leaders and members participated in this year’s Democratic National Convention (DNC), which wrapped up last week. While many people are familiar with the televised portion of the Convention, behind the scenes delegates spend their days meeting with elected officials, candidates, and policymakers to advocate for issues important to CWA members and retirees and to find out how they can best support pro-worker candidates.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam, CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton, CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase, IUE-CWA Industrial Division President Carl Kennebrew, AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson, Northeast Region At-Large Executive Board Member Gloria Middleton, Central Region At-Large Executive Board Member Erika White, and Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos attended the Convention to make sure that working peoples’ voices were heard.

 
CWA’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention enlisted the support of elected officials for the 17,000 striking CWA members at AT&T Southeast. These included (clockwise from top left) Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) with CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Representative Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.), Representative Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), and Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

With a career spanning four decades, journalist and CWA member Helen Fallon (Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, TNG-CWA Local 38061) began, and will soon end, that career with monumental strikes. Like her first, her current strike against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PPG) focuses on livable wages and health care. The PPG strike has dragged on for 21 months, and, though a possible end is in sight, there is still much to be done to ensure the journalists and other staff are made whole. Read the incredible story of Helen’s work, her fights, and the lengths to which corporate bosses will go to “break the unions.”

You can read her full story here.

You can donate to support the strikers by visiting unionprogress.com/donate and read why other supporters have chosen to give.

 
CWA member and journalist Helen Fallon began, and will soon end, her career with monumental strike actions. (Photo credit: Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Name: Hannah Long
Local: CWA Local 2204
Workplace: I work for AT&T Mobility in Lebanon, Va.
Title: In my Local, I am an organizer, the Norton Area Vice President, an Executive Board member, and a member of the Human Rights Committee. I am the Next Gen Lead Activist for CWA District 2-13 and the Secretary of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) of Virginia.
Time with Next Gen: 8 months.
Mentorship: Former Norton AVP and Organizer Leaburn Kennedy has probably been my most important mentor. She always told me, “You will get out of the union what you put into it.” She has always inspired me to get involved in the labor movement. As a young organizer, she taught me the importance of getting others involved and lifting them up in the labor movement.
Inspiration: Being from Southwestern Virginia, the Pittston Coal Strike (1989–90) left a lasting impression on me. When I started at AT&T in 2017, the contract had just expired, and I started as a mobilizer after just a few months on the job. That lit a spark for me, and I have been eager to do more ever since. I got involved in the Next Gen program because I think it’s so important to teach young workers about the struggles and sacrifices of earlier generations of union members.
Current Work: Like a lot of CWA activists, I’m gearing up for a lot of political work this fall. I am also working with members of the United Campus Workers-CWA in my state to plan some solidarity events when they start back in the fall. I am also co-leading our Confronting Bias Team, which is a partnership with the National Human Rights Department.
Quote: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” CWA District 1 Connecticut Area Director Pat Telesco often used this quote during bargaining to remind us that no matter how big the task, you’ve just got to take your first bite and to take it one bite at a time. Anytime I’m faced with a difficult or daunting task, I always remember that and just get to work.

Hannah would like to connect with young activists and potential mentors across CWA District 2-13. If you’re interested in getting involved, send her an email message to hlong@cwalocal2204.org.

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