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2,400 Cingular Workers Join CWA in Dec./Jan.
It's a happy new year for 2,400 Cingular workers in the continental United States and Hawaii who gained CWA recognition in December and early January.
On Jan. 4, the American Arbitration Association certified that a majority of the 1,288 customer service representatives at the company's Orlando call center chose CWA representation. Three locals rose to the challenge of explaining to numerous young workers - many of them students who will only work there until they complete their education - the importance of union representation.
Assisting the workers, from Local 3108, were organizers Renee Wigfall and Keith Harmon, members Horrace Dave Skinner, Deana Pruitt, Louis Smith, Steve Wisniewski and Debbie Matheny, President Pamela Lawson and Executive Vice President Sherri Keller.
Kendrick Benoit, from Local 3406 and Josh Denmark, a 75/25 organizer from Local 3106, provided critical support as workers got the final cards signed on the last of 60 days allowed under the Cingular neutrality agreement. Denmark is paid by the local with assistance from the national union, a practice that has boosted CWA's organizing power at the local level.
Other new Cingular workers and locals that assisted them include:
** 400 retail sales, 67 locations in Pennsylvania (Local 13000).
182 retail sales, 27 locations in the state of Washington (Locals 7803, 7818 and 7901.)
** 158 retail sales, customer care, BMG and IT, 21 retail sales locations and a call center in Hawaii (Locals 9505 and 9415).
** 151 retail sales, 21 locations in Colorado (Locals 7717 and 7777).
** 89 retail sales, 27 locations in West Virginia (Locals 2001 and 2003).
** 51 retail sales, 11 locations in Iowa (Locals 7101, 7102, 7103, 7108 and 7110).
** 43 retail sales, 14 locations in Arkansas (Locals 6502, 6507 and 6508).
** 36 network technicians in Illinois (Local 4202).
These latest organizing gains raise to 15,952 the number of former AT&T Wireless workers at Cingular who have gained CWA representation. Overall, nearly 38,000 workers at Cingular belong to CWA. Another 6,000 former AT&T Wireless workers remain eligible.
On Jan. 4, the American Arbitration Association certified that a majority of the 1,288 customer service representatives at the company's Orlando call center chose CWA representation. Three locals rose to the challenge of explaining to numerous young workers - many of them students who will only work there until they complete their education - the importance of union representation.
Assisting the workers, from Local 3108, were organizers Renee Wigfall and Keith Harmon, members Horrace Dave Skinner, Deana Pruitt, Louis Smith, Steve Wisniewski and Debbie Matheny, President Pamela Lawson and Executive Vice President Sherri Keller.
Kendrick Benoit, from Local 3406 and Josh Denmark, a 75/25 organizer from Local 3106, provided critical support as workers got the final cards signed on the last of 60 days allowed under the Cingular neutrality agreement. Denmark is paid by the local with assistance from the national union, a practice that has boosted CWA's organizing power at the local level.
Other new Cingular workers and locals that assisted them include:
** 400 retail sales, 67 locations in Pennsylvania (Local 13000).
182 retail sales, 27 locations in the state of Washington (Locals 7803, 7818 and 7901.)
** 158 retail sales, customer care, BMG and IT, 21 retail sales locations and a call center in Hawaii (Locals 9505 and 9415).
** 151 retail sales, 21 locations in Colorado (Locals 7717 and 7777).
** 89 retail sales, 27 locations in West Virginia (Locals 2001 and 2003).
** 51 retail sales, 11 locations in Iowa (Locals 7101, 7102, 7103, 7108 and 7110).
** 43 retail sales, 14 locations in Arkansas (Locals 6502, 6507 and 6508).
** 36 network technicians in Illinois (Local 4202).
These latest organizing gains raise to 15,952 the number of former AT&T Wireless workers at Cingular who have gained CWA representation. Overall, nearly 38,000 workers at Cingular belong to CWA. Another 6,000 former AT&T Wireless workers remain eligible.