Oct 17, 2024 - CWA Joins Other Labor Unions to Rally for Pro-Worker Candidates

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton, and IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew joined other labor leaders this past weekend in Columbus, Ohio, at a rally for labor champion Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).

Speaking to the enthusiastic crowd of union members and retirees, President Cummings said, “Union members have a lot of allies in Congress. But we don’t have as many champions who will fight for us when our jobs, our rights, and our livelihoods are on the line. Sherrod Brown is the epitome of a champion for labor. He takes whatever kind of action is needed to help create and protect good union jobs, no matter how many billionaires, CEOs, and lobbyists he pisses off in the process.”

Click here to watch a highlight video from the event.

Click here to participate in an upcoming virtual phone bank or click here to find other ways to support labor champions in your area.

 
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. (center left), with CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton (center), IUE-CWA Industrial Division President Carl Kennebrew (center right), and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler (center left, front), joined CWAers at a rally for Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).

On October 10, workers at WLNE in Providence, R.I., who successfully joined NABET-CWA earlier this year, held a successful rally ahead of an upcoming bargaining session. The unit is engaged in its first contract negotiations with owner Standard Media, which purchased the station in 2019.

Joining the workers were the Treasurer of the state of Rhode Island, the Lieutenant Governor, members of the Providence City Council, and representatives from the offices of both of Rhode Island's U.S. Senators and Congressman Gabe Amo (D-R.I.). Congressman Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) also sent a letter of support, meaning Rhode Island's full federal delegation stood in solidarity with the CWA members.

Patrick Crowley, Secretary-Treasurer of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, also spoke at the rally.

WLNE workers cite low wages and poor work-life balance as major issues for the bargaining table. Organizers are hopeful that this early show of support will ensure that negotiations are smooth and efficient.

Workers at WLNE are members of NABET-CWA Local 51018, based in Boston, Mass.

 
WLNEUnion (NABET-CWA Local 51018) hosted a rally with impressive support from local, state, and national political figures, as well as the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, ahead of an upcoming bargaining session with station owner Standard Media.

Last week, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. was awarded the Willie J. Baker Award by Region 2 of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) for his outstanding contributions to the Labor Movement. Here he is pictured with the award’s namesake, CBTU Executive Vice President Emeritus Willie J. Baker.

NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss joined a panel of labor leaders for a discussion on the National Labor Relations Act and the state of union organizing at the National Press Club. Panelists included Brian Petruska, general counsel of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition, and Jennifer Abruzzo, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel.

According to the most recent data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of union election petitions increased 27 percent from Fiscal Year 2023 to 2024, doubling since Fiscal Year 2021. Yet just 10 percent of wage and salaried workers in the U.S. belong to a union, a decrease of 20 percent from 1983. Meanwhile, employers are increasingly challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board and its authority to enforce the National Labor Relations Act.

When asked what needs to happen when employers attempt to thwart labor law, Schleuss highlighted the potential for penalties on companies that violate the National Labor Relations Act, such as those outlined in the House bill called the Protecting America's Workers Act.

"There should be some real aggressive penalties for companies that violate the law," Schleuss said, pointing out the long delays in addressing unfair labor practices during the two-year strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I think there should be strong fines and the potential for jail time for companies and bosses who break the law. This is the law. There should be consequences for violating the law."

Since 2019, more than 7,500 workers from more than 180 workplaces have organized with NewsGuild-CWA. The full panel is available to view here.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. joined CWA Local 1040 for their 40th Annual Convention earlier this month in Atlantic City, N.J. Hosted by CWA Local 1040 President Michele Long-Vickers, the event focused on resiliency and building a strong, unified local. CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor hosted the evening banquet.

Members of Local 1040 fill roles in several government agencies for the state of New Jersey and are also private sector group home workers, nurses and nursing home staff, bus drivers, crossing guards, and municipal contractors.

While at the convention, President Cummings met with Local 1040 members at the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority in Atlantic City, N.J., the Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Hammonton, N.J., and the Vineland Memorial Home in Vineland, N.J.

 
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. attended CWA Local 1040’s 40th Annual Convention in Atlantic City, N.J. CWA Local 1040 President Michele Long-Vickers (left of Claude) hosted the event. President Long-Vickers and CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor presented the award for Shop Steward of the Year (non-state) to Lashawn Peterson (center), a worker at the Children’s Home Society of N.J. 

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) released data this week showing that worker organizing and NLRB-elections have doubled since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, reversing a decades-long decline. President Biden and Vice President Harris have made it clear that union representation helps build a better future, and workers have responded.

CWAers have been at the forefront of a national movement of workers coming together to exercise their rights at work and organize for a better future. Workers at banks, advanced manufacturing plants, college campuses, television stations, technology and video game studies, telecom companies, news rooms, nonprofits, airlines, transportation and logistics, and many more have all organized their workplaces and joined CWA as part of more than 3,000 union elections in the past year.

The chronic underfunding of the NLRB has left workers with inadequate protections in their fight to build the American middle class, however. Despite thousands of union elections in the past year, the NLRB has just half of the field office staff it did 20 years ago. This short-staffing leads to justice delayed and justice denied for working people.

CWA members at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette waited five years and one day from filing unfair labor practice charges against their employer until the day an overburdened and underfunded NLRB filed an injunction against the Post-Gazette to enforce the law. While waiting for justice, CWA members bravely sacrificed to carry on the fight on their own, leveraging the power of the strike and maintaining their picket lines for two years and counting.

Every American worker deserves swift justice that can only be served by a fully funded and staffed NLRB.

 
On October 5, Adam joined fellow members of CWA Local 4501 and national AFL-CIO President Liz Schuler at a canvassing event in Ohio for Sen. Sherrod Brown. Pictured left to right: Dee Devastey, Local 4501 Next Gen Committee member; Yasir Lalla, Executive Vice President Local 4501; Mericle Long, President Local 4501; Liz Schuler, President of the AFL-CIO; and Adam Mosley, Next Gen Lead Activist, CWA District 4.

Name: Adam Mosley
Local: CWA Local 4501
Workplace: The Ohio State University
Job title: Facilities Maintenance Associate
Union positions held: Executive Board member, shop steward, and member of the following committees: Next Gen, Organizing, Women's, and Communication.
Mentorship: “My Local President Mericle Long has taken me under her wing and has been a real mentor to me. She has taught me the importance of letting everyone have their say, even if we don’t always agree. Our union is stronger when everyone's voice matters.”
Inspiration: “What inspired me to get involved in my union was working non-union jobs and recognizing how much better off we would be if we had a union. Once I finally got my union job, I jumped at the chance to get involved. Then I joined Next Gen when I saw how few young members were involved in the Local.”
Current Work: “I am passionate about political activism. I participated in the CWA Political Boot Camp in August, and now I am working with Legislative and Political Coordinators in my District to activate fellow members in support of worker-friendly candidates this election day, including voter education and registration, canvassing, phone banking, and GOTV.”
Future: “I would like to not only grow the youth movement but expand the labor movement to job markets not typically associated with unions, such as white-collar jobs. In the next five years, I would like to become a more seasoned and well-rounded activist. There is still so much for me to learn, and I’m eager to step up my activism.”
Quote: “Power never takes a step back—only in the face of more power.” Malcolm X. “This quote speaks to me because although it might seem like corporations have limitless power, they don’t stand a chance against people who are truly united.”

Adam would like to connect with young activists and potential mentors across CWA District 4. You can reach him at adammosley60@gmail.com.

If you’re interested in getting involved in CWA District 4 Next Gen, send an email to cdaniels@cwa-union.org. To sign up for updates from Next Gen, visit cwa.org/nextgen.

Follow us on social media; we are @cwanextgen on all channels.

Mersen

Last week, workers at Mersen’s Columbia, Tenn., plant—part of the French multinational conglomerate specializing in electrical power and advanced materials—voted overwhelmingly to join CWA’s industrial division, the International Union of Electrical Workers-CWA (IUE-CWA).

Workers cited safety concerns, the lack of a clear pay structure, and the lack of a pathway for temporary workers, on which the company relies heavily, to advance to full-time employment.

"We are proud of what we've accomplished by standing together to form a union," said Tracy Jones, a worker involved in the organizing process. "We look forward to working with Mersen to create a safer and more structured workplace and to secure fair wages for everyone."

Read the full press release here.

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Apple

On October 10, retail workers at the Bethesda Row Apple Store in Maryland, who are organizing to join CWA, filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. The filing comes nearly three weeks after Apple Retail Union-CWA Local 6016 members at the Penn Square Mall Apple Store in Oklahoma City overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first contract, becoming the second union of Apple Store retail workers in the country to do so.

“It has been inspiring to see our colleagues in Oklahoma City and Towson organize and win better working conditions and job protections at the bargaining table. Their efforts have made it clear that a union is not only better for workers, but better for the company. My colleagues and I at the Apple Bethesda Row store in Maryland care deeply about our jobs and want to secure the transparency, pay, benefits, and job stability that we deserve,” said Peter Cascio, Operations Specialist at Apple.

The union election marks a critical moment for union organizing at one of the world’s largest tech companies and for Apple retail workers’ rapidly growing fight for a seat at the table.

Read more here.