Dec 19, 2024 - CWA Members at Google Ratify Historic First Contract

In a unanimous vote yesterday, Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009 members who work on the Google Help team became the first group of AWU-CWA-represented workers with a collective bargaining agreement.

The contract with Google vendor Accenture sets a precedent for temporary, vendor, and contract workers in the tech industry who too often receive the lowest wages and fewest protections among the industry's workers and whose numbers have been growing as the industry increasingly “vendorizes” its workforce.

“We're proud to be one of the few tech contractors in the U.S. to secure a collectively bargained contract. Many large tech companies have moved away from directly employing workers to avoid providing the benefits and security that they deserve. We hope this contract demonstrates to all tech workers that it's possible to demand respect, fair treatment, and improve your working conditions,” said AWU-CWA member Mike Batilla.

The new contract includes guaranteed remote work, severance pay, just cause termination, and other significant protections and improvements for the workers who write, edit, publish updates to the Google Support site, and create and publish materials for Google Support agents.

Ahead of a busy holiday travel season, passenger service and ramp workers at Piedmont Airlines held informational pickets on December 16 for a contract that secures better pay and healthcare for part-time employees. Picketing locations included airports in San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Detroit, Mich.; Washington, D.C.; and Norfolk, Va.

Piedmont workers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in D.C. were joined on the picket line by AFA-CWA International Secretary-Treasurer Dante Harris and AFA-CWA International Vice President Keturah Johnson.

CWA and Piedmont Airlines have been in negotiations for a new contract for over a year and have yet to reach agreements on key articles, including fair wages and healthcare. Despite performing essential work for a subsidiary of one of the largest U.S. airlines—American Airlines—many Piedmont workers rely on government assistance and are not offered healthcare coverage.

“It's a very physical job," Tom Garza, Vice President of CWA Local 9423 District 2, told KEYT News. "It's a very demanding job. They work in the elements. They're busting their tails. And for under $19 an hour in San Luis County, I mean, it's a very tough ongoing economic struggle just to survive."

Contract negotiations will resume in January.

Late last month, NABET-CWA Local 51016 members at music distribution company DistroKid received the news that 37 union workers would be laid off. That number includes five of the seven members of the team bargaining their first contract and represents 47% of the union membership.

The workers continue to challenge the layoffs and fight for fair severance packages for those who were laid off—as well as a first contract. They formed their union in April and have been attempting to negotiate a contract for over four months.

DistroKid is a platform for artists and creators to sell or stream music through online retailers like iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, and Amazon Music. The company is valued at $1.4 billion, and most of the work previously done by those employees who were laid off has been outsourced overseas.

Former employee and union member Jase Ihler recorded an interview with music critic and YouTuber Anthony Fantano and explained more about the situation unfolding within DistroKid.

The workers have set up a mutual aid fund to support the wrongfully terminated workers. Click here to donate.

 
Jase Ihler (right), a member of NABET-CWA Local 51016, spoke with music critic and YouTuber Anthony Fantano about the recent layoffs at DistroKid.

Last week, members of CWA Local 1084 wore red in solidarity at a Camden, N.J., County Board of Social Services meeting after flatly rejecting a 2.25% pay raise offered by the county. The Local released a public response to the lowball offer, saying, “We abruptly concluded the meeting because we were disgusted. This offer is unacceptable, and we cannot afford to let it stand!” The members, with support from CWA Local 1014, packed the meeting with 50 people with another 300 joining via Zoom. Sam Ferraino, president of the Southern New Jersey Central Labor Council, joined the group and spoke in support of the workers.

CWA Local 1084 members administer public assistance programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and Medicaid benefits. Workers are demanding higher wages and lower healthcare costs in response to inflation and higher insurance premiums. Also of great concern to members is pay equity. Suppressed salaries are a major contributing factor to low morale and high attrition, making it difficult to maintain adequate staffing levels.

CWA Local 1084 President Stephen Johnson told NJ.com, “Newer employees are paid so little that they can’t afford to live independently. Most of them have second and third jobs. We have more and more workers who are paid so little that they qualify for the same programs that we distribute to our clients.”

The workers have been without a contract since January.

The CWA Local 1084 Bargaining Team has indicated they will continue to fight for the pay and benefits members deserve. “We will not be intimidated nor fooled by management’s tactics. This low offer is a test—they want to see if we'll cave. Let's show them what we're made of! Let's show them the power of a united Union.”

 
CWA Local 1084 President Stephen Johnson and Local 1014 President Garren Steiner (standing) raised fists in solidarity as they, and members, provided testimony before the Camden County Board of Social Services.

Members of IUE-CWA at the Mersen plant in Columbia, Tenn., have issued a public letter calling on elected officials for support amid devastating layoffs and furloughs announced just weeks before the holidays. The workers recently filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) complaint against Mersen, accusing the company of illegally refusing to bargain over the effects of its mass layoffs.

On November 25, 80% of the workforce was furloughed with little warning. Just days later, workers received a second blow—a notice that 25% of the workforce would be permanently laid off, effective December 15. These cuts came after workers won their union election, a move aimed at securing fair pay, job security, and safer working conditions. In response to the union victory, Mersen hired the law firm JacksonLewis, known for its union-busting tactics. To add insult to injury, Mersen continues to ramp up its hiring of temporary workers, a move that exposes the motive for the layoffs is not about cost-cutting but about control.

“This is a betrayal of Tennessee workers and taxpayers,” said IUE-CWA Industrial Division President Carl Kennebrew. “The public invested in Mersen with the promise of good, stable jobs for this community. Instead, Mersen is slashing jobs right before the holidays while raking in record sales and increased profitability.”

The IUE-CWA’s public letter calls on state and local officials, including Governor Bill Lee, Maury County Mayor Sheila Butt, Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, State Senator Joey Hensley, and U.S. Representative Andy Ogles, to rescind over $500,000 in public subsidies if Mersen refuses to end furloughs, reverse layoffs, and negotiate in good faith with workers.

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In Campbellsburg, Ind., last week, IUE-CWA workers at Metal Power Products (MPP) delivered a letter to U.S. Representative Erin Houchin asking her to call on the company and its private equity owner, Mill Point Capital, to engage in good faith bargaining. Workers are demanding a fair first contract after months of stalled negotiations and minimal progress at the bargaining table.

“Rep. Houchin has a chance to stand with Hoosier workers and help ensure that MPP and Mill Point Capital do the right thing,” said Randall Baker of the IUE-CWA MPP Workers United Bargaining Team. “All we’re asking for is fairness. We want MPP to meet with us, listen to us, and bargain in good faith. Our families and our community deserve a better, more certain future.”

Video game workers at Microsoft’s ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS), maker of the popular multiplayer game Elder Scrolls Online, joined CWA last week after an overwhelming majority either signed authorization cards or voted in favor of joining the union via an online portal. The unit is geographically diverse, with web developers, designers, engineers, and graphic artists all over the country.

"To me, this union, this victory, means the potential for real and meaningful change to an industry that I really care about,” said Joseph Reedy, a member of the ZOS United-CWA organizing committee. “It means we are all a step closer to a healthier work-life balance, reasonable hours at reasonable pay, and hopefully, an end to the more harmful practices that have upended lives and robbed us of our peace and our dignity. From now on, none of us are facing these things alone. We are all in this together, and we are truly stronger for it."

ZOS United-CWA is the latest group to organize under CWA’s groundbreaking neutrality agreement with Microsoft, which gives workers a free and fair path to join together to improve their working conditions. Over 6,000 workers in the United States and Canada have organized with the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) since launching in 2020, including over 2,000 at Microsoft-owned video game studios.

Members of CWA-Canada’s Ottawa Newspaper Guild (CWA-Canada Local 30205) celebrated 75 years of union solidarity and excellence in journalism on December 8. The event honored the people and history of the Ottawa Newspaper Guild (ONG).

The ONG represents reporters, journalists, broadcasters, and print shop workers at CTV Ottawa, CFRA radio, and The Ottawa Citizen/Sun in the nation’s capital.

About 60 current and former union members enjoyed food and fun while celebrating and reminiscing. President of CWA-SCA Canada Carmel Smyth also joined in the festivities.

A post on the CWA-Canada website reads, “It has been decades of change, and a huge media transformation, but the job of the union stays the same: standing up for each other.”

Congratulations to the ONG for 75 years of outstanding work.

Capital Area Food Bank

In November, more than 100 workers at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., filed for union recognition with the National Labor Relations Board after being denied voluntary recognition by the company. The staff, including office and warehouse workers, are advocating for fair compensation, a voice in implementing workplace policies, an end to PTO blackout periods, and a stronger relationship between warehouse and office staff.

Despite an intense anti-union campaign by the company, workers at both the D.C. office and the Lorton, Va., locations will vote on joining the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild (TNG-CWA Local 32035) in early January. With member approval, Capital Area Food Bank will become the first union food bank on the East Coast, joining other Feeding America food bank unions at San Francisco Marin Food Bank, Alameda County Community Food Bank, and Oregon Food Bank.

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Wells Fargo

Last week, 37 conduct management investigators became the first non-branch group of workers at Wells Fargo to successfully organize with CWA. The workers cited staffing issues, a lack of transparency in policies, inconsistent training, and job security concerns as primary factors in their decision to form a union. They also are seeking to push back against the revocation of work-from-home accommodations, especially in cases where physicians have deemed them medically necessary.

“Today is a historic moment for making a real difference at Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the country. Myself and my colleagues are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with over 20 branches who have won union elections across the country, and we are thrilled to be the first non-branch group to join in their efforts,” said Roslynn Berkeland, Investigations Associate at Wells Fargo.

Wells Fargo Workers United-CWA workers were able to persevere despite an aggressive anti-union campaign by Wells Fargo, including the termination of 11 workers a week before the hybrid in-person and mail-in ballot vote with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). CWA has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB over the layoffs and sent a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Director Rohit Chopra.

Name: Carissa Hahn
Local: CWA Local 37083
Workplace: I work for AT&T Mobility in the WFH call center in Everett, Wash.
Titles: I am the President of my local union and the Legislative and Political Coordinator for the state of Washington. I was recently elected Trustee to the Executive Board of the Snohomish and Island County Labor Council (AFL-CIO).
Time with Next Gen: 7 years!
Mentorship: My mentors have been Amy Masciola, CWA Next Gen Coordinator, and Ted Hooker, CWA District 7 Organizing Coordinator. They’ve taught me to take the time up front to develop a strategy for success, whether it's planning a week-long mobilization with members of another local or organizing a new workplace; a solid plan with good support on the ground will make all the difference.
Inspiration: Just being part of the union and getting active inspired me to do more. My first action was leafleting outside a T-Mobile store in Seattle. Watching fellow CWA members get involved in fights for workers’ rights outside of contract negotiations showed me that there are a lot of ways our union can improve the workplace.
Current Work: In addition to bargaining contracts with members of my local, I am supporting our human rights work through the Building an Anti-Racist Union training, working with young members to bring the training back to their locals and workplaces.
Future: I would like to see more locals involved in the Next Gen program, taking advantage of our support to skill up and train young activists to get involved in CWA programs and push our work forward so our wins aren't reversed in the future.
Quote: Back in 2017, I heard Derrick Osobase, who is now the Vice President of CWA District 6, say “Make yourself replaceable” at a training I was participating in. I loved that idea; it’s so important for us to share our knowledge with others and support them as strong activists. It’s the only way to make our movement sustainable.

Carissa would like to connect with young activists and potential mentors across CWA District 7. If you’re interested in getting involved, send her an email message to Carissa@washtech.org.

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