Members Win Strong Contract after Comcast Decert Backfires in Detroit

Solidarity was key as CWAers in Detroit and Port Huron, Mich., bargained strong contracts. Above, Local 4100's bargaining team in Detroit: Charles Collier,  Vince Baldwin, Nikkia Johnson and Rodney Woods. Below, Local 4008's Port Huron bargaining team included Executive Board Member Don Richardson, left, and Chief Steward Tim Davis.

CWA locals are taking on Comcast and coming through with good contracts and solid bargaining units. That's exactly what happened most recently in Detroit and Port Huron, Mich., where members of Locals 4100 and 4008 overwhelmingly ratified new agreements.

"Our members at Comcast have to fight every day against attacks on our existence," CWA District 4 Vice President Seth Rosen said. "They're not just fighting for fair treatment, they have to deal with decerts and union-busting against a company determined to eliminate the union. It takes hard work and a very high level of solidarity to bargain a contract that moves us forward under these conditions, and that is what these workers did."

In Detroit, Comcast had persuaded a group of newer workers in a unit of 38 technicians to file for decertification, promising raises if they got rid of the union. Ultimately, the very members Comcast counted on as anti-union votes sided with CWA and helped bargain a contract that provides for wage increases of 5.8 percent over the three year term, plus retroactive pay increases ranging from 6.9 to 11.3 percent.

"Educating the members and getting them involved made a world of difference," Local 4100 President Greg Wynn said. "They truly understood what they were voting on, and truly understood the value of having a union."

CWA Staff Representative Shannon Kirkland said CWA members got the decert campaign leader to listen to the truth about Comcast. "He found out he was being deceived by Comcast and ultimately he came to the bargaining table on our side," Kirkland said.

In Port Huron, Local 4008 members bargained a three-year contract that provides a 5.8 percent wage increase over the contract term, a signing bonus and a new post-retirement health care benefit, among other improvements. "The retirement health care stipend follows a formula based on years of service that will provide up to $800 a month to help reimburse health care costs," Local President Mike Schulte said.