Workers Take Action Around May Day

The week of May Day, workers across the country participated in socially-distanced workplace and at-home actions to put pressure on employers to implement adequate safety protections and to make sure skilled essential workers are able to use their skills to keep Americans safe during the COVID-19 crisis.

###

IUE-CWA Members at General Electric

On May 5, coinciding with the company's virtual shareholder meeting, IUE-CWA members held socially distant protests at General Electric (GE) facilities across the country, holding signs that read "Stand Up for Dallas," "We Can Make Ventilators," and "GE: Keep Us Safe." GE recently announced their intent to permanently close their Dallas facility, which will leave over 40 workers jobless.

They also appealed directly to President Trump with banners outside of Trump-owned golf courses and hotels across the country reading, "President Trump, Tell GE: Protect Workers! Stop Shipping Our Jobs Overseas! Protect America! We can Make More Ventilators!"

"Our members are ready to step up with an answer to our country's ventilator production needs. The answer is right here at GE. We're asking President Trump and GE's Board to tell management to stop shipping our jobs overseas and to build more ventilators for sale here and throughout the world by bringing this work to unused space in existing U.S. GE facilities," said IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew.

On May 5, coinciding with the company's virtual shareholder meeting, IUE-CWA members held socially distant protests at General Electric (GE) facilities across the country.

###

Maximus

Maximus call center workers across the country held socially distanced protests calling for the company to meet a set of demands they have put forward laying out their safety concerns and for CEO Bruce Caswell to meet virtually with the CWA organizing committee to work with employees to implement safety guidelines and to ensure workers are able to fairly access leave options that are available.

"With these critical health and safety concerns, it's more important than ever that workers have a voice at Maximus – and that the company have an open dialogue with workers," said CWA President Chris Shelton. "The lack of communication from the company's leadership puts people at unnecessary risk. Maximus needs to meet with the workers' organizing committee to discuss policies that will keep workers, their families, and their communities safe."

Check out the Hattiesburg American's photos from one of the protests here.

###

Missouri State Workers

Ahead of Missouri's planned reopening on Monday, labor advocates said that the state and Gov. Mike Parson are not doing enough to protect workers and families.

Union leaders, members of the Missouri House of Representatives, a state senator, and other labor and economic justice advocates called upon Parson on Thursday morning to provide financial assistance to state workers for transitioning to telework, and to provide state workers with what they deemed to be more adequate personal protective equipment, or PPE.

"What we've outlined is the compromise," said Natashia Pickens, president of CWA Local 6355 in a story in the Jefferson City News-Tribune. “Nothing less than PPE for everyone.”