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Spectrum of Victories Expands Union by 300
CWA has added 300 new members through recent organizing campaigns in the United States and Canada.
On April 18, administrative staff for the Bergen County Judiciary in New Jersey chose CWA over another union by a vote of 86-26, for a unit of 141.
"This was a unique situation," said District 1 Organizing Coordinator Erin Bowie. "The workers' previous union dissolved and tried to affiliate them with no membership vote into OPEIU. The membership wanted to have a choice in their union, and approached CWA."
Rich Holmes and Kathy Mirra, CWA Local 1034 stewards for the Bergen County professional unit took the lead on the campaign, assisted by local Staff Representatives Gail Richardson, and John Seiler and Bowie. They helped workers form an organizing committee comprised of workers from both the professional and administrative units.
The election, with both unions on the ballot, was conducted by the Joint Council of Affiliated Unions, the governing body for all judiciary workers in New Jersey.
"We're thrilled to have the administrative staff join the professional staff to strengthen our representation of Bergen County court employees," said Local 1034 President Carla Katz.
On April 12, reported Eric Geist, administrative assistant to TNG-CWA President Linda Foley, the Canadian Media Guild/Local 30213 filed to become the officially certified union to represent about 80 employees at Toronto 1, a television station owned by Quebecor.
"Over the past few months, Toronto 1 employees have been working with the Guild to bring a union to the station to address long hours, unpaid overtime, random decisions and lack of planning," Geist said.
The application is now pending before the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Certification in short order is a virtual certainty. Geist said, "It's not like here, where employers file all kinds of objections."
"The Guild looks forward to working with employees at Toronto 1 to develop a productive relationship with managers from the company," said Lise Lareau, president of TNG-CWA Local 30213. Guild officers are already meeting with Toronto 1 employees to begin putting an internal structure in place.
CWA Local 9423 won an organizing victory for 22 telecommunications technicians who maintain satellite communications equipment at the Camp Roberts military base near San Jose, Calif.
Virginia Rodriguez-Jones, administrative assistant to District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler, said the employer, Rome Research Corp., agreed to card check recognition, verified by a neutral third party.
The workers faced frequent threats of firing, did not get health insurance benefits they had been promised, and the company withheld from them a cost-of-living allowance that had been included in the job bid. "Their choice was overwhelmingly 'for' CWA," Jones said.
Other recent victories include a National Labor Relations Board election for 34 workers at Frontier Telephone in Statesboro, Ga., in a campaign led by Local 3220 President John McInnis and, reported District 2 Organizing Coordinator Ron Collins, an NLRB election victory for 30 workers at Casa De Maryland, a nonprofit community service agency, in a campaign run by TNG-CWA Local 32035.
On April 18, administrative staff for the Bergen County Judiciary in New Jersey chose CWA over another union by a vote of 86-26, for a unit of 141.
"This was a unique situation," said District 1 Organizing Coordinator Erin Bowie. "The workers' previous union dissolved and tried to affiliate them with no membership vote into OPEIU. The membership wanted to have a choice in their union, and approached CWA."
Rich Holmes and Kathy Mirra, CWA Local 1034 stewards for the Bergen County professional unit took the lead on the campaign, assisted by local Staff Representatives Gail Richardson, and John Seiler and Bowie. They helped workers form an organizing committee comprised of workers from both the professional and administrative units.
The election, with both unions on the ballot, was conducted by the Joint Council of Affiliated Unions, the governing body for all judiciary workers in New Jersey.
"We're thrilled to have the administrative staff join the professional staff to strengthen our representation of Bergen County court employees," said Local 1034 President Carla Katz.
On April 12, reported Eric Geist, administrative assistant to TNG-CWA President Linda Foley, the Canadian Media Guild/Local 30213 filed to become the officially certified union to represent about 80 employees at Toronto 1, a television station owned by Quebecor.
"Over the past few months, Toronto 1 employees have been working with the Guild to bring a union to the station to address long hours, unpaid overtime, random decisions and lack of planning," Geist said.
The application is now pending before the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Certification in short order is a virtual certainty. Geist said, "It's not like here, where employers file all kinds of objections."
"The Guild looks forward to working with employees at Toronto 1 to develop a productive relationship with managers from the company," said Lise Lareau, president of TNG-CWA Local 30213. Guild officers are already meeting with Toronto 1 employees to begin putting an internal structure in place.
CWA Local 9423 won an organizing victory for 22 telecommunications technicians who maintain satellite communications equipment at the Camp Roberts military base near San Jose, Calif.
Virginia Rodriguez-Jones, administrative assistant to District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler, said the employer, Rome Research Corp., agreed to card check recognition, verified by a neutral third party.
The workers faced frequent threats of firing, did not get health insurance benefits they had been promised, and the company withheld from them a cost-of-living allowance that had been included in the job bid. "Their choice was overwhelmingly 'for' CWA," Jones said.
Other recent victories include a National Labor Relations Board election for 34 workers at Frontier Telephone in Statesboro, Ga., in a campaign led by Local 3220 President John McInnis and, reported District 2 Organizing Coordinator Ron Collins, an NLRB election victory for 30 workers at Casa De Maryland, a nonprofit community service agency, in a campaign run by TNG-CWA Local 32035.