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CWA, IBEW Blast Comcast Bid for Disney
In a joint letter telling members of Congress why Comcast's proposed takeover of the Walt Disney Co. is a bad idea, CWA and IBEW pointed to "Comcast's horrendous record of abusing employees, gouging customers and bullying communities where it operates."
CWA President Morton Bahr and IBEW President Ed Hill noted that "Comcast is one of the most aggressively anti-union companies in America," as they detailed the cable giant's campaigns to decertify workers at AT&T Broadband units that it purchased in 2002.
Bahr and Hill described Comcast's tactics of firing union supporters, stalling negotiations for years, holding captive audience meetings and making illegal promises and threats as amounting to "a handbook for intimidating workers and denying them the right to organize and bargain collectively."
Both unions have battled Comcast's anti-union attitude for years, and NABET-CWA's 3,000 members at Disney's ABC television network want no part of a merged media behemoth led by Comcast CEO Brian Roberts.
Bahr and Hill also pointed to Comcast's record of predatory pricing. Comcast's monopoly control over about one-third of the nation's home cable boxes has allowed it to drive up costs every year by four times the rate of inflation.
And when communities stand up to Comcast and demand higher quality service, or fine the company for failing to meet electrical code standards, Comcast's lawyers file lawsuits against cities such as San Jose and Modesto, Calif., the union leaders pointed out.
"Considering Comcast's track record of abuse and contempt for regulation, a mega-merger of Comcast and Disney offers a nightmare specter of raw, unrestrained media power," Bahr and Hill wrote.
The degree of media concentration in a Comcast-Disney deal would be unprecedented, they noted. Disney is the largest provider of video content, owner of the lucrative ESPN and Disney Channel, and the ABC broadcast network which includes nine TV stations and 53 radio stations. Comcast is the largest distributor of video entertainment - twice as big as its nearest competitors, Time-Warner and DirecTV - and also the largest high-speed Internet provider.
Key members of Congress have already expressed concern. The deal "may well pose a risk to competition in the marketplace of ideas and diversity of news, information and entertainment available to the American public," said Senators Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), the leaders of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on anti-trust, in a joint statement.
CWA President Morton Bahr and IBEW President Ed Hill noted that "Comcast is one of the most aggressively anti-union companies in America," as they detailed the cable giant's campaigns to decertify workers at AT&T Broadband units that it purchased in 2002.
Bahr and Hill described Comcast's tactics of firing union supporters, stalling negotiations for years, holding captive audience meetings and making illegal promises and threats as amounting to "a handbook for intimidating workers and denying them the right to organize and bargain collectively."
Both unions have battled Comcast's anti-union attitude for years, and NABET-CWA's 3,000 members at Disney's ABC television network want no part of a merged media behemoth led by Comcast CEO Brian Roberts.
Bahr and Hill also pointed to Comcast's record of predatory pricing. Comcast's monopoly control over about one-third of the nation's home cable boxes has allowed it to drive up costs every year by four times the rate of inflation.
And when communities stand up to Comcast and demand higher quality service, or fine the company for failing to meet electrical code standards, Comcast's lawyers file lawsuits against cities such as San Jose and Modesto, Calif., the union leaders pointed out.
"Considering Comcast's track record of abuse and contempt for regulation, a mega-merger of Comcast and Disney offers a nightmare specter of raw, unrestrained media power," Bahr and Hill wrote.
The degree of media concentration in a Comcast-Disney deal would be unprecedented, they noted. Disney is the largest provider of video content, owner of the lucrative ESPN and Disney Channel, and the ABC broadcast network which includes nine TV stations and 53 radio stations. Comcast is the largest distributor of video entertainment - twice as big as its nearest competitors, Time-Warner and DirecTV - and also the largest high-speed Internet provider.
Key members of Congress have already expressed concern. The deal "may well pose a risk to competition in the marketplace of ideas and diversity of news, information and entertainment available to the American public," said Senators Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), the leaders of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on anti-trust, in a joint statement.