Steward Leads Delaware Cingular Organizing

Shelby Nash is one of a new breed of CWA steward, a union builder who reaches out beyond her bargaining unit to bring new members into her local. Just recently elected a steward, she immediately volunteered as an organizer and took the lead in signing up the entire Delaware retail unit of 49 Cingular Wireless workers. The American Arbitration Association certified representation on May 11.

Working with District 13 Organizing Coordinator Pam Tronsor, Nash spoke to workers at nine Cingular stores across the state and followed up with small group meetings and one-on-one conversations to answer their questions.

"She has tremendous energy and enthusiasm," Tronsor said. "It's amazing she had just gotten involved in the union and got more involved through organizing — and now wants to do more."

Nash said better health care benefits were a big incentive for the Cingular workers to join CWA. "It was a win-win situation, but still they had a lot of questions," Nash said. "My task was mainly getting them to that point where they had confidence in what they were signing up for."

Bringing union representation to others is "very, very important," she said. "Organizing strengthens us as a union, and I came away from the campaign feeling a lot more certain about my role. It just validates you across the board."

Nash, 31, has worked for Verizon for seven years. She started her steward's work Jan. 1, while working and completing a bachelor's degree in psychology at Wilmington College.

The Cingular campaign increased Local 13100's membership from about 160 to 210 members, a gain of 31 percent. 

CWA, overall, has now organized 16,632 former AT&T Wireless workers, 75.5 percent of those eligible, including: 6,835, or 98 percent, in customer care; 6,071, or 65 percent in retail sales; 3,330, or 95 percent, in business; 360, or 25 percent, in network, and 36 in other titles.