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Labor Award Salutes Cingular's Union-Friendly Attitude
Cingular Wireless, honored at last year's CWA convention for its neutrality in worker organizing drives and track record of treating employees with fairness and respect, has been named the 2003 winner of the Labor-Management Award given by the AFL-CIO's Union Label & Service Trades Department.
The award, first given in 1988, honors employers that have shown a commitment to collective bargaining and to "producing quality, competitive, union-made products or services in an increasingly difficult market," Charles Mercer, president of the union label department said in a letter to Cingular President Stan Sigman.
"Cingular Wireless has demonstrated not only this commitment but also its willingness to work with the union and its members, and has a proven record of treating its employees and their unions fairly, decently and with respect," Mercer wrote.
CWA President Morton Bahr, who invited Cingular's then-CEO Stephen Carter to speak at the 2002 convention, nominated Cingular for the award. "At every level, from CEO to frontline management, Cingular has made their advertising slogan, 'self expression,' a reality in the workplace," he said.
He applauded the company's "totally neutral" stance in card-check organizing, which has brought 17,000 Cingular workers into CWA over the past three years. "Cingular management has worked with its employees and this union to make collective bargaining a positive experience," Bahr said. "In the high-tech sector, this response to collective bargaining is unique and deserves commendation."
Further, Bahr said Cingular is committed to providing the best possible customer service, and doing so by Cingular members and not contractors whenever possible. "This again is a model for the entire high-tech sector, as others move work to India and contract out looking for the cheapest solution," he said.
Also, he praised Cingular for working with Union Privilege to develop incentives for union members to buy Cingular and other union-made products.
The award will be presented May 2 during the annual Union Industries Show, this year in Pittsburgh. Last year's winners were film director George Lucas, praised for his strong working relationships with unionized technicians, animators, sound engineers and other specialists, and Cutco Cutlery, so proud of its workers that it displays "USWA Local 5429" on every company shipment of union-made knives.
The award, first given in 1988, honors employers that have shown a commitment to collective bargaining and to "producing quality, competitive, union-made products or services in an increasingly difficult market," Charles Mercer, president of the union label department said in a letter to Cingular President Stan Sigman.
"Cingular Wireless has demonstrated not only this commitment but also its willingness to work with the union and its members, and has a proven record of treating its employees and their unions fairly, decently and with respect," Mercer wrote.
CWA President Morton Bahr, who invited Cingular's then-CEO Stephen Carter to speak at the 2002 convention, nominated Cingular for the award. "At every level, from CEO to frontline management, Cingular has made their advertising slogan, 'self expression,' a reality in the workplace," he said.
He applauded the company's "totally neutral" stance in card-check organizing, which has brought 17,000 Cingular workers into CWA over the past three years. "Cingular management has worked with its employees and this union to make collective bargaining a positive experience," Bahr said. "In the high-tech sector, this response to collective bargaining is unique and deserves commendation."
Further, Bahr said Cingular is committed to providing the best possible customer service, and doing so by Cingular members and not contractors whenever possible. "This again is a model for the entire high-tech sector, as others move work to India and contract out looking for the cheapest solution," he said.
Also, he praised Cingular for working with Union Privilege to develop incentives for union members to buy Cingular and other union-made products.
The award will be presented May 2 during the annual Union Industries Show, this year in Pittsburgh. Last year's winners were film director George Lucas, praised for his strong working relationships with unionized technicians, animators, sound engineers and other specialists, and Cutco Cutlery, so proud of its workers that it displays "USWA Local 5429" on every company shipment of union-made knives.