NLRB Rule Changes: A Modest First Step to Ending Unnecessary Delays

New proposals from the National Labor Relations Board regarding rules for union representation elections are a first, but modest, step toward ending some of the delays workers face when trying to organize, CWA President Larry Cohen said.

While the rules would streamline some aspects of what can be a difficult and drawn-out process, Cohen said they won't address the coercive and intimidating behavior that companies frequently use against workers who try to exercise their lawful organizing rights. "Workers at T-Mobile USA and nearly every other company know firsthand how U.S. corporations use delay to keep workers from making a fair choice about union representation," he said.

In late May, technicians at T-Mobile USA lawfully petitioned for a union election at three locations in New York and Connecticut. Management responded by stepping up its anti-union campaign with fear tactics and harassment — illegal activities that companies routinely get away with under existing election rules.

Three technicians — Chris Cozza, from Connecticut, and Elvis Alvira and Rick Stradone from Long Island — say management "has made it crystal clear that they will not be happy if we dare to even talk about forming a union."

T-Mobile is using video surveillance and security personnel to keep close tabs on workers who are simply trying to exercise their rights. And straight from the anti-union playbook, the company is requiring workers to attend captive-audience meetings and some managers have told workers the company will move if they vote for a union.

In Germany, T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom, recognizes and respects its workers' right to form and join unions.

"The preamble to the National Labor Relations Act actually says [the law's] purpose is 'to promote collective bargaining,' but as workers at T-Mobile USA in New York and Connecticut can confirm, we've fallen a long way from that," Cohen said.