The Communications Workers of America is an international union in its own right as well as being a very active member of the world-wide union movement. As industries have become more globalized and employers have become multinational with interests around the world, CWA has kept pace with an expansion of its international program.
Although deeply rooted in the United States, CWA has a long history of representing workers outside America’s borders. Our union’s involvement in Canada, for example, goes back more than 40 years when it represented thousands of workers in the telecommunications industry. In the past two decades, CWA gained global members through a number of its merger partners. The Newspaper Guild brought members in Puerto Rico and Canada, the ITU and the IUE in Canada, and the Association of Flight Attendants has members in London, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Tokyo and San Juan.
In recognizing the presence of thousands of members in Canada, CWA approved the creation of CWA/SCA Canada in 2007 as an autonomous region within the union. Since 2007, two global members – Arnold Amber from Canada and Nestor Soto from Puerto Rico – have served on the CWA Executive Committee.
Several CWA Districts have active Solidarity Committees of interested Local officers and staffed by the District International Coordinators. These Committees assist in the selection of projects for the Districts to support, and work to raise awareness of the Solidarity projects.
A critical element of CWA’s international program is the partnerships that it has developed with global unions and their members.
CWA continues to expand its work with unions around the world, using innovative approaches to building bargaining power with international employers.