Tower Climbers Lobby for Safety and Transparency

During this month’s CWA District 1 Lobby Day, there was a special focus on tower climbers. Members of CWA’s Tower Climbers United project joined CWA members in Albany for a legislative training, lobby day, and a briefing on newly introduced legislation to set safety standards and increase transparency in the tower climbing industry. Lead sponsors, New York State Senator Rachel May (D) and New York State Assembly Member Dana Levenberg (D), stood alongside tower climbers to educate other legislators about the dangers these workers face and the need for transparency and accountability in the industry.

Since meeting with legislators, the proposed bill has started to secure co-sponsors, and Tower Climbers United members are looking forward to continuing to garner support for their legislation.

When asked what this legislation would mean to him, tower climber Ryan Dupal said, “It'll be a huge step for our industry, brothers and sisters alike. We’ll know that, when we're on these state-owned towers, there are going to be safety protocols in place—knowing that we'll be safe to climb ’em and come down.”

Though extremely dangerous, the work tower climbers do is integral to the availability of cell services, internet, and other critical systems that rely on transmission towers.

During the lobby day, tower climbers also supported CWA District 1 healthcare workers from across New York State who are fighting for safe staffing.