Organizing Update

DirecTV

A nationwide unit of 540 DirecTV Tech Support workers has been certified by the AAA. More than 8,000 workers from DTV have now joined the CWA family in the past 6 months.

This campaign was coordinated with Districts 7, 3, and 9, and was supported by the hard work of members of Locals 7050, 7019, 7777, 7103, 37074, 7250, 7500, 3902, 3803, 3808, and 9400.

Internal organizing committee members from the unit held hundreds of conversations with their coworkers to answer questions about the union and how their vision of CWA would be realized. 

###

The Lakeland Ledger

Journalists at The Lakeland Ledger voted overwhelmingly Thursday to form a union, becoming the first unionized newsroom staff in Florida.

The 22-3 vote by the staff of Polk County's daily newspaper means The NewsGuild-CWA will represent 25 Ledger employees as they bargain their first labor contract with The Ledger's owner, GateHouse Media. Ledger employees have not had a raise in eight years.

The Ledger, with a daily circulation of 45,900, and Sunday circulation of 61,000, becomes the only paper in Florida, and the first in modern memory, to have a unionized newsroom. Thursday's election was administered by the National Labor Relations Board. The campaign was assisted by Special Assignment organizer Melinda Fielder, lost-time organizer Dean Olsen, and Steve Wisniewski of CWA Local 3108.

Lakeland Ledger employees celebrate becoming Florida's first unionized newsroom.