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Pittsburgh Comcast Workers Reverse Earlier Decert
More than 400 Comcast workers in the Pittsburgh area proved their determination to win a union contract, despite years of stalling by the company and relentless harassment of union activists, by picking CWA in yet their third union representation election.
In a re-run decertification vote on June 16 among an eligible 294 installers and technicians at the company's downtown Corliss Street location, the tally was 168-108 for CWA. In a separate election the same day, a unit of 115 workers in suburban South Hills voted 74-39 for the union.
Said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who heads the union's organizing program: "This is truly an amazing moment. I cannot recall any other time when workers voting for a third time reversed a decertification and voted union after years of first-contract bargaining.
"But this is Comcast, where management thinks that just because they are billionaires they own us all. And this is the campaign that has the highest profile in the entire labor movement, symbolizing all that is wrong with U.S. labor relations."
The new elections were scheduled following an agreement with Comcast on May 24 after the NLRB threw out earlier decertification elections that it said were tainted by Comcast's illegal worker intimidation. In those elections last November, CWA had lost at Corliss Street and tied at South Hills.
Contentious labor relations have plagued both units for years. The first union vote at South Hills took place in August 2000. While the workers rejected the union, the NLRB found that management's anti-union activities were so egregious that it ordered Comcast to recognize the union in March 2001 after an expedited card check campaign. The workers at Corliss Street first voted for CWA representation in June 2001. In both cases, Comcast stalled contract bargaining and fomented decertification efforts, as it has at other locations around the country.
Now that the workers once again have representation, the NLRB-enforced settlement agreement calls for federal mediation if bargaining does not produce a contract for the two units by this October.
District 13 Vice President Vince Maisano said: "This victory proves that the workers at Comcast know they need a union and want a union. We prevailed even with the employer's extreme anti-union tactics. It reflects a hell of an effort by all of the people who worked on the campaign," he said, citing the leadership of his Administrative Assistant Marge Krueger.
Even after the May settlement agreement, workers at both locations were subjected to intimidation and captive audience meetings, said Krueger. Still, a committee of about 40 workers relentlessly pursued victory, contacting each of their co-workers and explaining the importance of the election. Local 13000 volunteers from Verizon also visited workers' homes.
Headend technician John Pezzana from Corliss Street, in a meeting arranged by the AFL-CIO, explained the workers' struggle to Senator John Kerry, drawing his support for their campaign. CWA also ran radio ads to bolster support among community leaders and elected officials.
"The inside organizing committee deserves enormous credit for their hard work and determination," said Krueger, who also singled out Local 13000 Organizer Dave Hoskowicz for playing a crucial role in the campaign.
Also assisting the Comcast workers were CWA Local 9415 organizer Lisa Morowitz from California, CWA Research Economist Patrick Hunt, who made home visits, and AFL-CIO field staffer Frank Snyder.
In a re-run decertification vote on June 16 among an eligible 294 installers and technicians at the company's downtown Corliss Street location, the tally was 168-108 for CWA. In a separate election the same day, a unit of 115 workers in suburban South Hills voted 74-39 for the union.
Said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who heads the union's organizing program: "This is truly an amazing moment. I cannot recall any other time when workers voting for a third time reversed a decertification and voted union after years of first-contract bargaining.
"But this is Comcast, where management thinks that just because they are billionaires they own us all. And this is the campaign that has the highest profile in the entire labor movement, symbolizing all that is wrong with U.S. labor relations."
The new elections were scheduled following an agreement with Comcast on May 24 after the NLRB threw out earlier decertification elections that it said were tainted by Comcast's illegal worker intimidation. In those elections last November, CWA had lost at Corliss Street and tied at South Hills.
Contentious labor relations have plagued both units for years. The first union vote at South Hills took place in August 2000. While the workers rejected the union, the NLRB found that management's anti-union activities were so egregious that it ordered Comcast to recognize the union in March 2001 after an expedited card check campaign. The workers at Corliss Street first voted for CWA representation in June 2001. In both cases, Comcast stalled contract bargaining and fomented decertification efforts, as it has at other locations around the country.
Now that the workers once again have representation, the NLRB-enforced settlement agreement calls for federal mediation if bargaining does not produce a contract for the two units by this October.
District 13 Vice President Vince Maisano said: "This victory proves that the workers at Comcast know they need a union and want a union. We prevailed even with the employer's extreme anti-union tactics. It reflects a hell of an effort by all of the people who worked on the campaign," he said, citing the leadership of his Administrative Assistant Marge Krueger.
Even after the May settlement agreement, workers at both locations were subjected to intimidation and captive audience meetings, said Krueger. Still, a committee of about 40 workers relentlessly pursued victory, contacting each of their co-workers and explaining the importance of the election. Local 13000 volunteers from Verizon also visited workers' homes.
Headend technician John Pezzana from Corliss Street, in a meeting arranged by the AFL-CIO, explained the workers' struggle to Senator John Kerry, drawing his support for their campaign. CWA also ran radio ads to bolster support among community leaders and elected officials.
"The inside organizing committee deserves enormous credit for their hard work and determination," said Krueger, who also singled out Local 13000 Organizer Dave Hoskowicz for playing a crucial role in the campaign.
Also assisting the Comcast workers were CWA Local 9415 organizer Lisa Morowitz from California, CWA Research Economist Patrick Hunt, who made home visits, and AFL-CIO field staffer Frank Snyder.