October is Customer Service Professionals Month

October is Customer Service Professionals month and CWA is working with unions around the world to recognize these workers' professionalism and the need for strong bargaining and organizing rights.

This year, CWA customer service professionals will join in a postcard campaign to press the Spanish telecommunications giant, Telefonica, to respect employees' right to organize.  In 2000, the company signed a global agreement recognizing workers' basic labor rights, but Telefonica operations in North and South America and in Europe aren't abiding by that agreement.  

In coordination with UNI Global Union, CWA will launch the card-signing effort during the last week of October. Click here to join the campaign. CWA also will distribute more than 100,000 stickers supporting Telefonica workers to CWA locals representing customer service workers.

With CWA support, UNI has published a new report, "A World on the Phone," which highlights the issues facing call center workers around the world. Download the report here.

Also as part of Customer Service Professionals' month, CWA will establish a Call Center Committee to examine issues facing workers in the industry and help them communicate through a nationwide online-based network. "This will be a great time for us to do something special to honor the hard work that is performed by all of our members in customer service," said Executive Vice President Annie Hill.

Hill is asking locals that represent customer service professionals in telecommunications, newspapers, airlines, public service and other sectors to complete a survey that will provide more information about customer service workers and their jobs. Click here to download the survey.