Shelton’s Farewell: “Seize the Moment”

At the 2023 CWA Convention in St. Louis, Mo., CWA members from every sector and district came together to discuss and make decisions about the union's future and how to make our union stronger, held national and district elections, recognized and celebrated each other's accomplishments, and much more.

In his final Convention kick-off address, President Emeritus Chris Shelton shared a heartfelt thank you to all CWA members for their trust and confidence in his leadership and all the work they do to make our union strong. “I want to thank each and every one of you, the local officers and local leaders of our union. You are the backbone of the union. You are the lifeblood of our union. You are in the trenches every single day, dealing with grievances, fighting for good contracts, walking on picket lines, lobbying and campaigning for elected officials, organizing new members into the union. You fight for our members every single day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Without all of you, there is no union. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for everything you do,” said Shelton.

He also took the opportunity to reflect on the lessons he has learned from the last five decades in CWA and clearly articulated his vision for the future of CWA, as well as emphasized the important roles our members and leaders play in strengthening the union and the labor movement. Shelton called on CWA members to “fight smart” by coming together to constantly mobilize. He encouraged all CWAers to continue to organize and grow our union. In addition, he urged CWA members to actively engage in building political power.

Watch a video of Shelton's full remarks here.

CWA delegates and guests of the Convention also heard from President Joe Biden, who sent a video message, and other guest speakers, including Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush, State Senator and CWA Local 6300 member, Karla May, and the mayor of St. Louis, Tishaura Jones.

In addition, the delegates and guests participated in district and sector meetings, wrote postcards in support of pro-worker candidates, signed petitions to advocate for increased broadband access, contributed to the Political Action Fund and CWA’s Eduardo Diaz Union-To-Union International Solidarity Fund, signed up for Building an Anti-Racist Union and Gender Justice Trainings, joined the CWA Pride Caucus, and much more. See photos from the convention here.