Investment Group Drops Comcast over Labor Record

The Calvert Group, a major investment management firm that handles over $10 billion in assets for 400,000 investors, has dropped Comcast from all of its portfolios, citing the cable giant's "workplace practices and labor relations."

The decision by Calvert's Social Index Committee was based on a recommendation by the firm's Social Research Department, which looks at the 1,000 largest U.S. companies and conducts a "social audit" on their practices in the areas of "environment, workplace issues, product safety, community relations, military weapons contracting, international operations and human rights, and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples."

As many CWA members know firsthand, Comcast workers face systematic union-busting tactics when they attempt to organize and bargain contracts. Comcast was the focus of Human Rights Day activities last Dec. 10 in various locations including Pittsburgh, where several hundred CWA members have been fighting decertification campaigns for years as they struggle for a first contract.