Oct 15, 2026 - IUE-CWA Members Advocate for Union Protections

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Election Day is coming up on November 3, and so much is at stake for union members in this election. Please join us for CWA national phonebanks to help elect pro-worker candidates!

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On October 6, IUE-CWA members and retirees met with Congressman Ro Khanna in Dayton, Ohio, as part of his investigation into Fuyao Glass, a Chinese-owned company with a reputation for safety issues and labor law violations. Congressman Khanna is the Ranking Member on the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Fuyao took over a plant previously owned by General Motors for its “Truck and Bus” manufacturing. The facility was once the worksite of tens of thousands of IUE-CWA Local 84755 members.

Sharing her recollections of the plant under Fuyao management with Congressman Khanna, IUE-CWA Local 84798 member Demetria Hodges said, “The conditions were terrible; there were a lot of safety violations and injuries. I was hit by a forklift and had to be out on workers’ comp for months. The company did nothing to address the safety hazard, and more workers have continued to be injured on the job.” Hodges now works at the IUE-CWA DMAX facility, where safety is a much higher priority. "We have a voice on the job, better safety and working conditions, and better pay. I couldn't imagine going back to work at a factory without a union," said Hodges.

Workers attempted to form a union at Fuyao in 2017 but were met with fierce opposition from the company, who held captive audience meetings, spread rumors about closing the plant, and offered workers a raise if they would “vote no” on the union. Despite these flagrant labor law violations, the company has never been held accountable. The union drive is documented in the Oscar-winning documentary "American Factory," currently on Netflix.

President Carl Kennebrew shared, “Workers at Fuyao and across the country deserve a fighting chance for safety, good wages, and respect on the job that they can win through a collective bargaining agreement. That is why we will never stop fighting for the rights of workers to unionize.”

 
IUE-CWA members and retirees, including IUE-CWA Local 84775 President Sam Sanders (third from right) and Local 84775 Vice President Dawn Smith (second from right), met with Congressman Ro Khanna (center) to discuss numerous safety issues at the plant since its purchase by Fuyao Glass.

Last week, CWA District 3 Broadband Brigade Member Mike Tharpe joined Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock on a panel of Georgia labor leaders to discuss the affordability crisis, workforce shifts driven by artificial intelligence, and protecting our right to vote.

As a telecommunications worker, Tharpe shared how employers utilize digital tools to the detriment of workers and customers alike, including intensive GPS monitoring of technicians' driving routes and pushing call center workers to follow scripts precisely through digital monitoring rather than allowing workers the flexibility needed to effectively resolve customers' issues.

Tharpe also shared how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program would have helped address the growing digital divide and how the Trump administration is preventing it from achieving its full potential.

On October 1, Evergreen Workers Union (EWU-CWA), represented by CWA Local 7800, voted unanimously to ratify its second contract after 15 months of negotiations. Members work to advance legislation to protect state forests and waterways.

The three-year contract includes guaranteed annual raises at 2.5%, 2.75%, and 3%, respectively, from 2026 through 2028. Workers won adjustments to wage bands that will increase pay equity for new hires and newly promoted staff, a practice not implemented in the first contract. Some members will see as much as a 9% raise to put them in line with their peers. The contract also includes new protections for work-from-home/remote work and continues to have very progressive language around native rights, minority rights, and making sure the workplace is just and equitable for all members.

“The federal administration’s anti-democratic actions to cut funding to social and environmental services and instead fund war crimes and deportations are felt by every working person in this country,” says Aida Amirul, member of the EWU-CWA bargaining committee. “Although we didn’t meet our initial goal of a 3% minimum annual raise, we understand that the fiscal challenges faced by the organization are not unique to us, and we are grateful to arrive at an agreement that delivers on the needs of our workers at this difficult time.”

EWU-CWA members remain dedicated to their mission of environmental protection.

Years in the making, workers at the North Carolina AFL-CIO, represented by the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild (TNG-CWA Local 32035), announced in September the creation of an American Labor History Coloring Book.

The coloring book, full of labor history facts, was the brainchild of NC AFL-CIO Communications and Operations Director Jeremy Sprinkle, with artwork by NC State University PhD candidate Henry Adamson.

Said Sprinkle, “The project aims to engage people of all ages by connecting them to the icons, struggles, and victories of the labor movement in a creative way. We debuted the artwork online for Labor Day this year. Since it's intended as an educational resource, each illustration is paired with historical context, quotes, photographs, and sources for further learning.”

Members hope to publish the coloring book early next year with support from the national AFL-CIO and distribute the first printing in bundles of 10, free of charge.

You can support this effort by pre-ordering copies for your union, classroom, family, or community group at aflcionc.org/coloringbook.

 
Clockwise from upper left: CWA Local 4603 Steward Mira Radulovic, CWA Local 4621 President and LPAT Co-coordinator Joey Olson, CWA Local 4603 Steward Carrie Dercola (with Radulovic), and CWA Local 4603 Chief Steward and State LPAT Co-coordinator Louria Jewett spent time talking to workers at their doors about the upcoming election.

Ahead of the midterm elections, CWA political activists are fired up and focused on holding as many one-on-one conversations with pro-union voters as possible. In Wisconsin, more than 25 CWAers began knocking on doors last week to spread the word about pro-worker candidates like gubernatorial candidate David Crowley and congressional representatives Mark Pocan (WI-2) and Gwen Moore (WI-4). Activists are also working hard to elect Mitchell Berman in Wisconsin’s 1st District and Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin’s 3rd District.

Many of these CWA members, retirees, and volunteers have undergone CWA’s Fighting Oligarchy training or graduated from CWA’s political bootcamp program in preparation for this moment.

“It has been encouraging to see so many of these members become increasingly engaged and eager to make a difference,” said CWA District 4 Staff Representative Wendy Fonseca. “They are committed to building a stronger presence for working people in Wisconsin, and we are looking forward to maximizing these next six weeks and reaching as many voters as possible.”

Last week, 16 CWA Passenger Service workers with CWA Local 3140 in Pembroke Pines, Fla., learned the skills necessary to combat economic assault with the CWA Legislative and Political team’s Fighting Oligarchy training. The group included CWA Local 3140 President Marilyn Campos (front, left).