Workers Know: There's No More Mr. Nice T-Mobile

A Carly lookalike rides into the Washington, D.C., action.

This week, AFL-CIO and Jobs with Justice activists, plus supporters throughout the union movement, are holding actions at T-Mobile USA retail stores across the country as part of the AFL-CIO's "America Wants to Work Campaign."

Activists are leafleting customers outside the stores, and at each location, a delegation will go inside to meet with the local manager. The message to management: we need to keep good jobs here in the U.S. and end T-Mobile USA's intimidation of workers who want a union voice.

Last month, T-Mobile USA closed seven call centers, affecting 3,300 workers and their communities. Meanwhile, the company continues to send thousands of jobs overseas, a move that puts extreme pressure on U.S. customer service representatives who have to resolve tough customer issues in just 477 seconds or face discipline. T-Mobile USA received more than $14 million in taxpayer funded economic development subsidies in four of the seven communities where it shut down call centers.

T-Mobile USA management is fighting to block laid off workers from receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance, a government program that helps workers who lose their jobs to unfair trade practices and work moving offshore. CWA has filed for workers to receive these benefits, which include extended unemployment insurance, health care coverage, job training and other pluses.

Today, activists In Washington, D.C., made sure that T-Mobile USA workers know that there's "no more Mr. Nice T-Mobile," despite the company's advertising and empty promises. A Carly lookalike (aka Julia Kann, assistant mobilizer for the DC Labor Council) rode into the action on the back of a motorcycle, calling for T-Mobile to bring jobs back home. Dressed in hot pink, she urged people to text "save jobs" to 49484 to oppose offshoring.