Comcast Throws Tantrum over Cardcheck Order

City Council members in Oakland, Calif., aren't backing down from a fight with cable bully Comcast, which is refusing to sign a new franchise agreement with the city because of the council's passage of an ordinance to require cardcheck organizing for cable workers.

With five "yes" votes, the eight-member council passed the CWA-backed measure Feb. 21, two weeks after a preliminary vote of support. Between the votes, Comcast threatened to bail out of the new 13-year franchise agreement if the council didn't change its mind.

As part of the deal, Comcast pledged to spend more than $17 million on a network linking government and schools to expand educational and public access. But the council stood firm. "We have to do what we think is right," Councilwoman Jean Quan told the Oakland Tribune before this week's vote.

About 20 members of CWA Local 9415, which represents more than 200 Comcast technicians in the Bay Area, turned out for the Tuesday night meeting carrying signs that said "Comcast Doesn't Care."

CWA District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler said Comcast's extreme anti-union tactics nationwide, from firing union supporters to refusing to bargain contracts, are "par for the course" for the cable giant. "But the actions this weekend of Comcast in Oakland mark a new low in its war on workers," he said, referring to the company's Feb. 17 letter threatening the council.

Local 9415 President Valerie Reyna said the company's behavior doesn't surprise her, noting the recent firing of a long-time employee, Will Goodo, after he testified before the City Council in December about Comcast's anti-worker tactics. CWA has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Comcast over the firing.

"There appear to be no bounds to what this company, this bully, will do — even taking away money it promised to wire our schools — in an effort to prevent workers from forming unions," she said.

Bixler called Comcast's behavior "blackmail" and said it shows "why we so desperately need competition in the delivery of video services in this state. So long as Comcast is an absolute monopoly they will continue with scare tactics, abusing their customers, their workers and local governments alike."

Comcast will continue to operate in Oakland without a franchise and media reports speculate the fight will wind up in the courts, while workers continue to fight to organize.