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700 at Cingular Wireless Win Recognition
More than 700 Cingular wireless workers in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin won CWA representation in a card check conducted Feb. 27 by the American Arbitration Association. CWA Locals 4100, Detroit, 4603, Milwaukee, 4320, Columbus and 4340, Cleveland, participated in the campaign, assisted by District 4 staff.
The victory brings to 1,900 the number of Cingular workers in the Ameritech region who have joined CWA since card-check recognition took effect seven months ago. In November, 1,200 Cingular workers in Illinois were among nearly 2,200 from New York, Massachusetts and Maryland who joined CWA and won their first contract in January.
“This certification means that Cingular is now union throughout District 4,” said Jeff Rechenbach, CWA vice president for the region. “The victory was truly a team effort dating back to the first card-check agreement negotiated with SBC in District 6. Through the hard work of local organizers, staff and wireless workers, they have built their union member-by-member.”
Local 4100 Organizer Shannon Kirkland said the campaign started Oct. 31 — he remembers workers at Cingular’s Farmington call center wearing Halloween costumes. “We went into the lunchroom, sat down and talked to the workers who came in,” he said. “We answered their questions, told them what was going on and were able to get a lot of support from them.”
Following SBC’s acquisition of Ameritech and the recent merger of the SBC and BellSouth cellular companies that created Cingular, the nearly 200 employees at the call center felt they needed a voice.
Kirkland, a full-time organizer since last July, said they had the support of Local 4100 President Stella Petties-Howard and considerable help from CWA Represent-ative Celia Cody and Seth Rosen, administrative assistant to Rechenbach.
In addition to administrative employees, account specialists and customer service representatives at the call center, Kirkland said they managed to talk personally with sales consultants and cell site engineers at 30 Cingular retail stores spread over 80 square miles, as well as several outside technicians.
Joy Roberts, who helped with the Cingular Illinois campaign, worked full time to reach Cingular workers in southeastern Wisconsin. With the support of Local 4603 President George Walls and help from District 4 Organizing Coordinator Susan Baxter-Flemming and CWA Representatives Cody and Ann Crump, Roberts talked to workers at about a dozen retail outlets, producing about 70 new CWA members. She said older workers were instrumental in teaching their younger colleagues the value of a union.
Cathy Mason, chief steward for Local 4320 in Columbus, ran a similar campaign for most of Ohio, assisted by Organizer Guy Phillips in the Cleveland-Akron area. Said Local 4320 President Jack Huber, “We’re looking forward to getting them settled in, setting up a structure with them and training new stewards.”
Sal LaCause, administrative assistant to Rechenbach, and CWA Representative Teri Pluta also played a key role in the campaigns, working with management on card-check logistics, Rosen said.
The victory brings to 1,900 the number of Cingular workers in the Ameritech region who have joined CWA since card-check recognition took effect seven months ago. In November, 1,200 Cingular workers in Illinois were among nearly 2,200 from New York, Massachusetts and Maryland who joined CWA and won their first contract in January.
“This certification means that Cingular is now union throughout District 4,” said Jeff Rechenbach, CWA vice president for the region. “The victory was truly a team effort dating back to the first card-check agreement negotiated with SBC in District 6. Through the hard work of local organizers, staff and wireless workers, they have built their union member-by-member.”
Local 4100 Organizer Shannon Kirkland said the campaign started Oct. 31 — he remembers workers at Cingular’s Farmington call center wearing Halloween costumes. “We went into the lunchroom, sat down and talked to the workers who came in,” he said. “We answered their questions, told them what was going on and were able to get a lot of support from them.”
Following SBC’s acquisition of Ameritech and the recent merger of the SBC and BellSouth cellular companies that created Cingular, the nearly 200 employees at the call center felt they needed a voice.
Kirkland, a full-time organizer since last July, said they had the support of Local 4100 President Stella Petties-Howard and considerable help from CWA Represent-ative Celia Cody and Seth Rosen, administrative assistant to Rechenbach.
In addition to administrative employees, account specialists and customer service representatives at the call center, Kirkland said they managed to talk personally with sales consultants and cell site engineers at 30 Cingular retail stores spread over 80 square miles, as well as several outside technicians.
Joy Roberts, who helped with the Cingular Illinois campaign, worked full time to reach Cingular workers in southeastern Wisconsin. With the support of Local 4603 President George Walls and help from District 4 Organizing Coordinator Susan Baxter-Flemming and CWA Representatives Cody and Ann Crump, Roberts talked to workers at about a dozen retail outlets, producing about 70 new CWA members. She said older workers were instrumental in teaching their younger colleagues the value of a union.
Cathy Mason, chief steward for Local 4320 in Columbus, ran a similar campaign for most of Ohio, assisted by Organizer Guy Phillips in the Cleveland-Akron area. Said Local 4320 President Jack Huber, “We’re looking forward to getting them settled in, setting up a structure with them and training new stewards.”
Sal LaCause, administrative assistant to Rechenbach, and CWA Representative Teri Pluta also played a key role in the campaigns, working with management on card-check logistics, Rosen said.