Organizing Updates

TDS Broadband

On November 8, Field Service Technicians at TDS Broadband in St. George, Utah, voted 28-7 to join CWA Local 7704. The unit has 38 people. Workers came together to establish a formal collective voice at work to build the best possible future for TDS workers, customers, and the essential services they provide to their community. Organizing committee members repeatedly shared messages of hope and positive collective vision through the campaign and specifically while taking over anti-union meetings.

In addition to the strong organizing committee, the campaign was led by District Organizing Coordinator Enida Shuku with support from Staff Representative Shad Ercanbrack, CWA Local 7704 Area Vice President Vance Lowe, and CWA 7704 President Thomas Denos. St. George Lumen technicians from CWA Local 7704 did a solidarity action. In addition, CWA District 4 connected the organizing committee to Wisconsin chief steward and TDS tech Matt Wilmeth from CWA Local 4621, where they shared experiences and wins from their contract.

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Marquette University

Citing a “religious exemption,” the administration at Marquette University, a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wis., has denied UCW-CWA’s request to discuss recognition of their union to represent non-tenure track faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences. You can read a Letter to the Editor submitted by members of the steering committee of United Campus Workers of Wisconsin (UCW-WI) to the Marquette Wire asking the university to reconsider its position.

Despite the rebuff, members of the UCW-WI steering committee have expressed their determination to continue fighting for union representation. Grant Gosizk, a teaching assistant professor of English, who provided opening remarks at a protest of the university’s decision, cited three main reasons for forming a union: inadequate salary compensation, precarious short-term contracts, and inadequate contract benefits.

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The Roundup

Over the last few months, workers also joined CWA at:

• Alachua County Library (CWA Local 3170)
• Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (CWA Local 3866)
• Windstream (Sugarland, Texas) (CWA Local 6171)
• KCUR Radio (CWA Local 6360)
• Jewish Family Services (CWA Local 6400)
• Moonshell Pizza Cooperative (CWA Local 7777)
• St. Mary's Regional Medical Center (CWA Local 9413)
• GreenLatinos (CWA Local 9415)
• Mersen Corporation (IUE-CWA Local 88502)
• WJLA-TV (NABET-CWA Local 52301)
• Military.com (TNG-CWA Local 32035)
• NASTAD (TNG-CWA Local 32035)
• Racine Journal Times (TNG-CWA Local 34051)
• Cobalt Advocates (TNG-CWA Local 37074)
• Anchorage Daily News (TNG-CWA Local 37082)
• Prism (TNG-CWA Local 39521)