AT&T Sales Reps, Substitute Teachers, Health Care Workers Join CWA

Last week, nearly 800 workers organized with CWA following campaigns in New Jersey, California, and South Carolina. All organized through majority signup.

In the first of the victories, reported June 20, 68 professional employees at the Richard Hall Mental Health Center in Somerset County, N.J., gained representation with Local 1037, reported District  1 Vice President Chris Shelton. The unit includes psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and case workers. Regaining a voice on the job and getting good representation are major issues. The workers lost their collective bargaining rights in January when their former union declined to continue representing them. The local has filed for recognition of the supervisory unit and is working to gain support among the center's non-professional staff.

On June 22, 498 substitute teachers working for the Santa Ana, Calif., school district won union certification from California's Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) following a year-long campaign, according to District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler. They will be represented by Local 9510. Low pay and lack of pay parity with full-time teachers is their major concern.

This is the second group of substitutes that CWA has organized in the state. The local succeeded in getting a large majority of the substitutes to sign cards requesting union representation following a year of developing contacts, sending out literature and phone banking. Because of the large margin of support, the California PERB granted union recognition instead of requiring an election. The PERB also agreed to accrete into the bargaining unit the up to 500 more substitutes who are expected to be hired by the school district in the fall.

On June 23, AT&T Mobility's statewide unit of 218 retail sales representatives in South Carolina won representation with CWA, reports District 3 Vice President Noah Savant. A coordinated organizing effort by seven locals overcame the geographic challenges posed by organizing workers at dozens of stores across the state.

To get union representation under CWA's card check agreement with AT&T, a majority of workers must sign cards within 60 days, but the locals accomplished the task in just 45. This is the first group of A&T Mobility workers to be organized in South Carolina. Major concerns for the sales reps are the cost of health care benefits and job security.