Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
Sprint Locals Launch National Campaign
More than 40 local officers and activists from throughout the country conferred for two days in Overland Park, Kan., to launch a nationwide campaign for respect and improved labor relations with Sprint. On the third day, April 20, they were joined by about 30 additional members of Kansas and Missouri locals in a show of support for two CWA-sponsored resolutions at Sprint's annual shareholder meeting.
Both resolutions - one to limit executive compensation to 50 times what the average Sprint worker earns and the other seeking an independent report on damage to the company's brand name from the offshoring of U.S. jobs - received 10 percent of shares voted, guaranteeing they will appear on next year's proxy.
Sprint made headlines nationwide, offshoring as many as 10,000 information technology and customer service jobs over the last year, Gurganus pointed out to shareholders. The company is also scheduled to close its call centers in Rocky Mount and Wake Forest, N.C., in May, reportedly transferring the work to other U.S. locations. About 160 Local 3682 members will be affected.
"We want to be more effective at Sprint," said Jimmy Gurganus, CWA vice president for Telecommunications, in announcing the new union campaign, CWA@Sprint: Hometown Jobs = Quality Service.
"By improving the labor relations culture at Sprint, we will be able to improve our health care benefits, beat back any future attempts to cut our wages and go in strong for the next round of bargaining," Gurganus said, "But to be successful, we've got to make management respect who we are and what we stand for."
Gurganus said the ongoing strategic campaign will begin with nationwide mobilization actions in May and August and will continue as long as it takes to achieve respect at Sprint.
Local leaders and activists, through workshops conducted by CWA organizing and research staff, developed a broad array of possible actions after analyzing the company's weaknesses and the union's strengths.
"Sprint's customers care about honesty, quality service and keeping jobs in the community. We're going to take our message to them and to the general public," Gurganus said. We've gotten excellent response to our campaign from CWA districts and locals, but to be most effective, it is important that we involve every CWA member working at Sprint."
He encouraged members to sign up for campaign information and updates by sending their name, local number and personal e-mail address to Sandy McDonald, smcdonald@cwa-union.org.
Both resolutions - one to limit executive compensation to 50 times what the average Sprint worker earns and the other seeking an independent report on damage to the company's brand name from the offshoring of U.S. jobs - received 10 percent of shares voted, guaranteeing they will appear on next year's proxy.
Sprint made headlines nationwide, offshoring as many as 10,000 information technology and customer service jobs over the last year, Gurganus pointed out to shareholders. The company is also scheduled to close its call centers in Rocky Mount and Wake Forest, N.C., in May, reportedly transferring the work to other U.S. locations. About 160 Local 3682 members will be affected.
"We want to be more effective at Sprint," said Jimmy Gurganus, CWA vice president for Telecommunications, in announcing the new union campaign, CWA@Sprint: Hometown Jobs = Quality Service.
"By improving the labor relations culture at Sprint, we will be able to improve our health care benefits, beat back any future attempts to cut our wages and go in strong for the next round of bargaining," Gurganus said, "But to be successful, we've got to make management respect who we are and what we stand for."
Gurganus said the ongoing strategic campaign will begin with nationwide mobilization actions in May and August and will continue as long as it takes to achieve respect at Sprint.
Local leaders and activists, through workshops conducted by CWA organizing and research staff, developed a broad array of possible actions after analyzing the company's weaknesses and the union's strengths.
"Sprint's customers care about honesty, quality service and keeping jobs in the community. We're going to take our message to them and to the general public," Gurganus said. We've gotten excellent response to our campaign from CWA districts and locals, but to be most effective, it is important that we involve every CWA member working at Sprint."
He encouraged members to sign up for campaign information and updates by sending their name, local number and personal e-mail address to Sandy McDonald, smcdonald@cwa-union.org.