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Global Unions Voice Outrage Over T-Mobile Abuses
Abuse of CWA-represented workers in California by a German wireless communications company is causing a labor uproar in Europe.
T-Mobile, wholly owned by Deutsche Telekom AG, is a labor-friendly enterprise at home but "has decided to be an anti-union employer when it thinks it can get away with it in another country" - the United States - the head of the Geneva-based Union Network International wrote this week to Deutsche Telekom CEO Kai Uwe Ricke.
UNI General Secretary Phillip Jennings cited T-Mobile's decision to fire 100 unionized technicians while keeping management employees on its payroll as it buys Cingular's network in California. The workers are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between Cingular and CWA. Cingular was forced to sell the California network to gain regulatory approval of its merger with AT&T Wireless.
Meanwhile, CWA filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on Nov. 9 charging that T-Mobile is illegally discriminating against union workers by choosing to retain Cingular's non-union workforce but requiring the technicians to reapply for their own jobs through an agency. Even if hired, they would be employees of the agency and lose their contractual rights and benefits.
CWA has reached out to try to initiate discussions with T-Mobile executives, but "They've completely blown us off so far," said Jim Weitkamp, assistant to District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler. The sale is expected to be finalized in January, he said.
UNI, representing 15 million workers in 150 countries, is mounting a widespread protest. Leaders of the German union representing T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom employees, Ver.di, also have expressed dismay at the transnational double standard.
UNI's Jennings cited the ironic fact that T-Mobile might not even be able to operate in the United States but for CWA's help in lobbying Congress and the Federal Communications Commission four years ago.
When Deutsche Telekom wanted to buy the American cellular company VoiceStream for its T-Mobile unit in 2000, it needed special approval because of foreign-ownership restrictions in telecommunications; the German phone company was largely owned by the German government.
In a filing with the FCC and in testimony by CWA President Morton Bahr before the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, CWA called Deutsche Telekom "a good employer and good corporate citizen" in Germany, and said that it could be expected to bring its enlightened labor relations policies to the United States.
"Company executives have even acknowledged that they couldn't get away with this kind of behavior back in Germany," said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who also heads UNI's World Telecom Committee. "This is an amazing example of corporate hypocrisy. We are seeing that telecom workers worldwide are determined to hold the big transnational companies to a global standard of workers' rights and fair treatment."
T-Mobile, wholly owned by Deutsche Telekom AG, is a labor-friendly enterprise at home but "has decided to be an anti-union employer when it thinks it can get away with it in another country" - the United States - the head of the Geneva-based Union Network International wrote this week to Deutsche Telekom CEO Kai Uwe Ricke.
UNI General Secretary Phillip Jennings cited T-Mobile's decision to fire 100 unionized technicians while keeping management employees on its payroll as it buys Cingular's network in California. The workers are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between Cingular and CWA. Cingular was forced to sell the California network to gain regulatory approval of its merger with AT&T Wireless.
Meanwhile, CWA filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on Nov. 9 charging that T-Mobile is illegally discriminating against union workers by choosing to retain Cingular's non-union workforce but requiring the technicians to reapply for their own jobs through an agency. Even if hired, they would be employees of the agency and lose their contractual rights and benefits.
CWA has reached out to try to initiate discussions with T-Mobile executives, but "They've completely blown us off so far," said Jim Weitkamp, assistant to District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler. The sale is expected to be finalized in January, he said.
UNI, representing 15 million workers in 150 countries, is mounting a widespread protest. Leaders of the German union representing T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom employees, Ver.di, also have expressed dismay at the transnational double standard.
UNI's Jennings cited the ironic fact that T-Mobile might not even be able to operate in the United States but for CWA's help in lobbying Congress and the Federal Communications Commission four years ago.
When Deutsche Telekom wanted to buy the American cellular company VoiceStream for its T-Mobile unit in 2000, it needed special approval because of foreign-ownership restrictions in telecommunications; the German phone company was largely owned by the German government.
In a filing with the FCC and in testimony by CWA President Morton Bahr before the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, CWA called Deutsche Telekom "a good employer and good corporate citizen" in Germany, and said that it could be expected to bring its enlightened labor relations policies to the United States.
"Company executives have even acknowledged that they couldn't get away with this kind of behavior back in Germany," said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who also heads UNI's World Telecom Committee. "This is an amazing example of corporate hypocrisy. We are seeing that telecom workers worldwide are determined to hold the big transnational companies to a global standard of workers' rights and fair treatment."