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National Workers' Rights Board Spotlights Comcast Abuses
The first national Workers' Rights Board put the spotlight on the extensive abuses by Comcast Corp. and Wackenhut Corp., a private security firm, against workers simply trying to exercise their right to form a union and bargain fairly.
The national forum, held June 2 in Washington, D.C., was sponsored by Jobs with Justice, the national coalition of labor, faith-based, community and student organizations that fights for workers' rights.
Board members heard testimony from Steven White and Shannon Kirkland, former Comcast workers, on the company's relentless campaign to keep workers from gaining CWA representation. The panel also heard from Wackenhut workers fighting for representation by the Service Employees International Union.
White, from Montgomery County, Md., told the panel how managers intimidated workers through mandatory daily meetings and said he was fired because of his efforts to get union representation.
Kirkland, now a CWA representative in District 4 working with Comcast employees, said the company "acts like a bully, refusing to adhere to the rules or community standards."
Board members at the hearing included radio commentator Jim Hightower; Sarah Fox, former NLRB board member; Maude Hurd, national president of ACORN; Edie Rasell, United Church of Christ, and Ron Daniels, Center for Constitutional Rights.
Top executives from both companies were invited to attend and present their points of view but declined.
In response to the testimony, Fox pointed out that "most people have no idea what workers go through to form a union. It is incredibly easy for an employer that doesn't want to reach an agreement with its employees to go through the motions - to have protracted meetings, to postpone meetings, to put out proposals that it knows the union won't accept, to drag it out."
She said the "frivolous delays, the illegal interference by management and the lack of meaningful penalties" could be largely prevented by passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would support workers' bargaining and organizing rights.
Hightower said the hearing "isn't just about helping these workers. It's really about what kind of a country we are going to be. Politicians always talk about jobs, but today, we're talking about income and benefits. Unions make supporting a family possible and we've let big business tear that down."
Following the testimony and evidence, the Workers' Rights Board made these recommendations:
The national forum, held June 2 in Washington, D.C., was sponsored by Jobs with Justice, the national coalition of labor, faith-based, community and student organizations that fights for workers' rights.
Board members heard testimony from Steven White and Shannon Kirkland, former Comcast workers, on the company's relentless campaign to keep workers from gaining CWA representation. The panel also heard from Wackenhut workers fighting for representation by the Service Employees International Union.
White, from Montgomery County, Md., told the panel how managers intimidated workers through mandatory daily meetings and said he was fired because of his efforts to get union representation.
Kirkland, now a CWA representative in District 4 working with Comcast employees, said the company "acts like a bully, refusing to adhere to the rules or community standards."
Board members at the hearing included radio commentator Jim Hightower; Sarah Fox, former NLRB board member; Maude Hurd, national president of ACORN; Edie Rasell, United Church of Christ, and Ron Daniels, Center for Constitutional Rights.
Top executives from both companies were invited to attend and present their points of view but declined.
In response to the testimony, Fox pointed out that "most people have no idea what workers go through to form a union. It is incredibly easy for an employer that doesn't want to reach an agreement with its employees to go through the motions - to have protracted meetings, to postpone meetings, to put out proposals that it knows the union won't accept, to drag it out."
She said the "frivolous delays, the illegal interference by management and the lack of meaningful penalties" could be largely prevented by passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would support workers' bargaining and organizing rights.
Hightower said the hearing "isn't just about helping these workers. It's really about what kind of a country we are going to be. Politicians always talk about jobs, but today, we're talking about income and benefits. Unions make supporting a family possible and we've let big business tear that down."
Following the testimony and evidence, the Workers' Rights Board made these recommendations:
- Comcast should end its interference in workers' efforts to form or join unions.
- Comcast should end its practices of not bargaining in good faith in an effort to derail contract negotiations and its instigation of union decertification campaigns.
- The Federal Communications Commission and House Energy and Commerce Committee should further investigate ways to bring down cable prices and improve service quality.
- The government must enact comprehensive labor law reform that will establish significant penalties against law-breaking companies and provide for mediation and arbitration for first contracts.