Resolution: 72A-10-7
Adopted: July 27, 2010
CWA and ver.di - Germany’s largest union - have joined together to form TU - an organization for T-Mobile workers in the United States. In Germany, T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom, recognizes workers' rights to join a union and bargain collectively. In America, T-Mobile USA refuses to tolerate the organizing and collective bargaining rights of 20,000 employees creating a climate of fear and intimidation designed to prevent workers from even talking about a union.
Mimicking the anti-union path taken by companies like Wal-Mart, T-Mobile USA distributed manuals that instruct lower level supervisors how to stop organizing efforts. Workers are disciplined if they are seen talking to a union organizer. Security guards harass workers interested in talking to union organizers. The National Labor Relations Board has warned T-Mobile USA for its behavior.
Ver.di has refused to accept this anti-union behavior in the United States at Deutsche Telekom’s largest foreign investment and recognizes the importance of union tolerance everywhere in the global economy. While German culture embraces organizing and collective bargaining rights, in the United States employers no longer tolerate organizing and collective bargaining rights. Ver.di and CWA are united to work together to make sure that our global economy raises organizing and collective bargaining rights, and does not depress them.
Ver.di has mobilized its membership in support of TU workers: publicizing the struggle in the United States of T-Mobile workers who want to join their union; publicizing the anti-union actions of T-Mobile to the shock of the German public; and most recently bringing leaders and members to stand up for T-Mobile USA workers at Deutsche Telekom's annual meeting of shareholders.
Resolved: CWA and ver.di celebrate the courage of T-Mobile workers who are standing up in the face of T-Mobile USA's attack on their organizing and collective bargaining.
Resolved: CWA shall bring every political and social pressure to bear on T-Mobile USA to tolerate organizing and collective bargaining rights consistent with the culture of its parent company Deutsche Telekom.
Resolved: CWA expresses its deep appreciation and admiration for the work of our colleagues at ver.di for the vision, solidarity and energy they have shown in supporting the struggle of T-Mobile USA workers to organize.