Feb 13, 2025 - CWAers Rally Against Billionaire Power Grab

On Tuesday, CWA members and retirees joined federal workers and community supporters on Capitol Hill at a rally hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees. Government workers, including first responders, educators, and nurses for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, face unprecedented attacks from the current administration in its attempt to dismantle critical federal agencies to fund tax cuts for CEOs and billionaires.

CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam attended the rally and said she left feeling “reinvigorated and ready to work.” She encouraged other CWAers to get connected with local efforts to support federal workers.

 
CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam, NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss, and CWA Telecommunications and Technologies Sector Vice President Lisa Bolton joined CWA members and retirees on Capitol Hill to support federal workers.

Last week, leaders from across our union participated in CWA’s week-long Dennis Serrette Minority Leadership Institute (MLI).

Over the course of the week, the MLI students studied a variety of topics, including effective speaking and writing, the legal rights of union activists, leading for workers in the political arena, and organizing labor-community coalitions. IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew, who chairs the CWA Executive Board Diversity Committee, and CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam (who joined via Zoom) gave opening remarks. CWA staff, instructors from the University of Iowa Labor Center, and other guest speakers conducted training sessions throughout the week.

Students also met with CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. to discuss union activism. Cummings provided a “state of the union,” addressing both the national political landscape and the state of CWA. He also highlighted the importance of the labor movement and the role MLI leaders play in protecting workers.

Secretary-Treasurer Salaam opened a panel discussion on the “Paths, Obstacles, and Strategies for Developing Leadership.” The panel included President Kennebrew, along with CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton, CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce, Western Region At-Large Executive Board Member Keith Gibbs, and Central Region At-Large Executive Board Member Reggie Small. Director of Human Rights, Education, and Health and Safety Angie Wells moderated the panel.

On the final day of the training, CWA Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos met with MLI students virtually, offering advice and encouragement as they graduate and move on to greater leadership roles.

 
Pictured, left to right: Members of the 2024 MLI Graduating Class included Jacquelyn Wells (District 1), Kenyon Johnson (District 9), Mornica McLean (District 2-13), Traci Hagans (AFA-CWA), Angela Bates (District 7), Michelle Richardson (Telecommunications and Technologies), Diogenes Miller (District 3), Stacey Breckenridge-Williams (IUE-CWA), Tanya Holmes (District 6), Dana Thomas (NABET-CWA), and Ewuniki Yemi (District 4).

In January, educators in Santa Ana, Calif., learned of the school district’s plan to cut as many as 300 educator positions due to a budget shortfall. CWA substitute teachers, represented by CWA Local 9510, joined allies from the Santa Ana Educators Association, the National Union of Health Care Workers, and Santa Ana elementary and secondary school teachers, counselors, curriculum specialists, social workers, and parents at a hearing of the Santa Ana School District.

Activists filled the school board meeting room and an overflow chamber in protest of the proposed cuts. CWA members in the district will be displaced as full-time teachers will receive priority placement if they choose to enter the substitute teacher pool.

At a follow-up school board meeting, CWA Local 9510 Vice President Glenn Ball addressed the board members. “I’m angry,” said Ball. “Most of these teachers live in this community, in Santa Ana and in neighboring cities. With the layoffs, there are going to be people whose marriages fail. Whose cars get repossessed. God forbid, somebody might be homeless, or not able to afford their medications. Serious, life-altering effects can happen to people. And it’s not because they did something wrong. Not this case. This was bad planning on someone else’s part.”

 
CWA Local 9510 Vice President Glenn Ball spoke to Santa Ana School Board members about the effects layoffs will have on substitute teachers represented by the local.

Authentication workers at eBay subsidiary TCGplayer, represented by TCGunion-CWA Local 1123, continue to push for a fair contract after 500 days of bargaining. TCGplayer is one of the largest online marketplaces for verification services, card games, and collectible trading cards.

The group launched their public campaign in January 2023. Since they started contract negotiations, eBay and TCGplayer CEO Robert Bigler have refused to discuss economic issues at the bargaining table and refuse to agree on key parts of their union contract, including just cause requirements and standard grievance procedures.

“Every day [that] TCGplayer and eBay are able to delay is a day they line their pockets with more money that could have gone into the wage increases and benefits that we desperately need. Instead, they leave us to barely scrape by while pointing fingers at our union,” said Zach Freeman, eBay worker and TCGunion-CWA Local 1123 member, in a recent email to the unit. “An employee working full time used to be able to make a life for themself and their family, but TCGplayer and eBay are robbing us of that basic dignity.”

In December 2023, Region 3 of the NLRB found merit with several elements of the unfair labor practice charges filed by CWA, finding eBay and TCGplayer in violation of labor law by delaying bargaining, denying information to the union that they are legally entitled to, withholding benefits to punish union workers, and more.

TCGunion-CWA is demanding that the company act quickly to end its pattern of delay as workers continue to show up to bargain their first collective contract.

Last week, non-faculty staff at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) informed the university administration that they had established a union with the United Campus Workers-CWA (UCW-CWA). Students, faculty, and community members rallied to show support for the FAMU workers. UCW-CWA Campaign Leads Fred Smith and Sylvia James began working with campus staff in April 2024.

Workers joined UCW-CWA Local 3821, citing the need for higher wages, adequate staffing, and workplace safety.

FAMU is a historically Black college/university, commonly referred to as an “HBCU,” and is the first HBCU in Florida to join UCW-CWA.

 
Non-faculty staff at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University celebrated making history as the first HBCU workers in the state to join the United Campus Workers-CWA.

Hundreds of CWA members and retirees joined a virtual town hall meeting earlier this week to hear from CWA leaders and allies about strategies for protecting our jobs, our ability to organize and bargain fair contracts, and our health and safety. Donald Trump, along with Elon Musk and other CEOs and billionaires who funded his election, have wasted no time implementing Project 2025, endangering our jobs and families in order to boost their profits.

Opening the meeting, Isabella Newell, a member of UPTE-CWA Local 9119, shared details of how her research into childhood obesity has been threatened by the government funding freeze.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. outlined the strategies currently underway. “CWA is focused on the attacks on our members and our union freedoms,” said Cummings. “We will lead on these fights—in the courts, the halls of Congress, and through direct action.” He went on to say, “We must not stop. Hope and a vision for a better future for our families, our loved ones, and our communities is the fuel that powers our movement.”

Representatives from allied organizations, including Leah Greenberg from Indivisible, Rahna Epting from Move On, and Maurice Mitchell from the Working Families Party, encouraged participants to get involved with local efforts to push back against Trump and Musk’s attacks and elect representatives who will work for us, not the billionaires who want to take even more control over our lives. CWA’s National Political Field Director Curtis Hierro fired up the audience with concrete actions members and retirees can take, including visiting local Congressional offices to oppose attempts to tax union workers’ health care benefits to pay for corporate tax giveaways.

The town hall concluded with a question-and-answer session. Members responded enthusiastically to the virtual meeting and requested future updates on progress and ways to join the fight for worker rights.

Click here to watch the town hall. You can also review CWA’s volunteer activist toolkit at cwa.org/toolkit.

The St. Louis branch of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists honored CWA Local 6400 Member Oluwadamini Melvin in January at their 45th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Awards Banquet. Melvin is a national CBTU Under 40 leader and a member of the A. Philip Randolph Institute.

Melvin is a passionate advocate for union member involvement in racial justice efforts and worked with community activists to successfully push for criminal justice reform after Michael Brown Jr. was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. Melvin also holds the distinction of being a key organizer of the first Juneteenth parade in the city of St. Louis.

In a comment made to the St. Louis Labor Tribune, Melvin said, “I’m so humbled and honored to receive this award, following so many labor leaders and leaders who continuously stand for change in our community. Thank you to everyone in this room who has contributed to my development.”

February is Black History Month. The AFL-CIO featured retired CWA Local 3204 president Walter D. Andrews as part of its yearly celebration honoring leaders who are actively making Black history across the labor movement and beyond.

Walter D. Andrews was born in Atlanta and served in the U.S. Air Force before joining Southern Bell in 1978. That same year, he began his activism with CWA Local 3204. Andrews made history as the first African American executive vice president and president of Local 3204, serving in these roles for nine years. He also held leadership positions with the AFL-CIO, CWA's National Minority Caucus, and other labor committees. Andrews' long list of achievements includes receiving the Eugene Mays Award, the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Freedom, and the Presidential Humanitarian Award from President Joe Biden in 2024.

Click here to read more profiles of outstanding Black leadership in labor.

 
Sean Hamill (center) gathers with fellow strikers.

Name: Sean D. Hamill
Local: The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, TNG-CWA Local 38061
Workplace: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Job Title: Reporter
Experience: 15 years
Strike Time: 28 months
Quote: “Union employees for nearly a century at the Post-Gazette have bargained in good faith with the owners. Their legacy will not be erased.”
Inspiration: “We were in the process of helping the Post-Gazette figure out this online news world before we went on strike, helping it to thrive, and I am eager and ready to continue that work.”

To support striking workers and families, 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.

Unlock the power of financial freedom with the Union Plus Credit Card. Designed exclusively for union members, this card offers a range of benefits to help you manage your finances effectively.

Participants in the Union Plus Credit Card program may be eligible for hardship assistance when on strike. Nearly 200 CWA members received strike grants from Union Plus while on strike at AT&T Southeast.

See if you’re pre-approved with no impact on your credit score.

Terms apply. Visit https://theunioncard.com/ for details.