Author: CWA6210

Last week, CWA District 1 hosted a District–wide political town hall via Zoom to educate members on some of the latest issues surrounding our elections and voting. Approximately 85 members participated. Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding our democracy, joined to discuss concerns about attacks on voting rights, the importance of election integrity in upholding our democracy, and how people can organize to fight back.

Other topics included the recent Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, election protection, and how to overcome obstacles to free and fair elections being put in place ahead of the November midterms.

Hosts encouraged members to sign up to be poll watchers and also to attend several upcoming election events CWA District 1 will have for priority candidates across the District. The District has held town hall meetings on topics of importance like fighting rising healthcare costs and fixing our broken tax system. They will continue to hold monthly meetings to discuss even more topics in the future.

Earlier this month, 2,100 information technology (IT) professionals at the University of California (UC) voted overwhelmingly to join the University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA (UPTE-CWA Local 9119). This was the largest tech industry organizing campaign in U.S. history and brings the total number of IT workers in the bargaining unit to 8,400, making it the largest tech union in the country.

IT workers cited layoff protections, wage increases, and AI governance as key issues. Worker titles include application programmers, business systems analysts, data systems analysts, database administrators, information systems analysts, and instructional designers. These workers keep California’s public university running. They build and maintain the digital infrastructure behind patient care at UC’s medical centers, power the research systems scientists across the state rely on, and design the learning tools that serve hundreds of thousands of students.

“We know when you try to make quick, dirty decisions to cut labor through AI, you’re actually creating a more vulnerable system,” said UPTE-CWA Local 9119 President Dan Russell. “On paper, AI can make us more ‘productive’ at our jobs, but the people making those recommendations to UC are management consultants who don’t have the knowledge or expertise we have as workers. With the right to bargain over our working conditions, we can set the right tone not just for our workplace and tech organizations, but also for the millions of Californians who turn to UC every day for critical research, healthcare, and educational opportunities.”

The organizing campaign involved dozens of IT workers who reached out to their colleagues via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, e-mail, and social media, as well as physical outreach across departments and by knocking on doors.

Congratulations to the IT workers for organizing a highly effective campaign, engaging with one another, and winning a victory for workers across the public university system nationwide.

Last week, AT&T workers covered by the Orange Mobility contract ratified a new agreement covering 9,000 workers in customer service, retail, technical support, and other positions across 36 states and the District of Columbia.

The four-year contract includes a top-tier benefits package and industry-leading wage increases. Other highlights include new job security provisions, call center scheduling improvements, and more.

“This is a strong contract that delivers long overdue benefits and wage increases while securing jobs for the workers who make AT&T millions,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “This agreement serves as a reminder that strong contracts are not just won at the bargaining table, but in the streets and on the shop floor where CWA members mobilize and fight for their fellow AT&T workers and the customers they serve.”

The gains made in this new contract are a direct result of pressure on the company through member-led mobilizations. Throughout negotiations, AT&T workers across the country held the company accountable for its broken promises on a wide range of issues directly impacting workers by engaging and educating their coworkers, pamphleting AT&T-sponsored events, and participating in a strike authorization vote.

Congratulations to our AT&T Orange Mobility members on their new contract!

Last week, workers at Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) decisively won their union election, with over 65% of union eligible workers voting yes to joining CWA Local 6360. The new bargaining unit represents nearly 700 part-time and full-time librarians, early literacy associates, information technology staff, delivery services staff, and other workers who keep the library system running.

“From everyone that was there in the beginning four years ago to those that started supporting this week, we couldn’t have done it without each and every one of us,” said MCPL Workers United-CWA Local 6360 member and MCPL Green Hills Early Literacy Associate Kelli Mulligan Lindsey. “Together we can do anything, and together we can continue to make the library a place for everyone in our community.”

MCPL is one of the largest public library systems in the United States, covering three counties across the Kansas City metropolitan area and serving over 880,000 residents.

In March, workers gathered at the North Independence Branch to announce that more than 60% of union-eligible employees had signed a public declaration in support of forming a union. Library workers say the union will give them a stronger voice in decisions that shape services, staffing, safety, and access across the system.

For additional union updates, follow MCPL Workers United-CWA Local 6360 on Instagram and Facebook.

Last week, CWA District 3 Organizing Coordinator Akeyia Johnson went public with news that workers at Novel Booksellers in Memphis, Tenn., had organized to form the Novel Booksellers Union (NBU-CWA). At the press conference, guests included Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson (D-09) and CWA Assistant Organizing Director Gail Tyree. The booksellers won their union election with a clear supermajority in favor.

Novel Booksellers has served as a hub for literature, learning, and community connection for more than four decades. From hosting author events and book clubs to partnering with local schools, writers, and organizations, the bookstore has played a vital role in the cultural life of Memphis. The booksellers who power this work say their decision to organize came from a deep love for the store and the community.

“We show up every day for our customers and each other,” said Gordon Pera, a Novel Booksellers worker. “We are proud of the welcoming and inclusive space we create. Unionizing is about ensuring that the people who sustain this institution are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.”

Workers organized to secure fair compensation, a voice in decisions that affect their work and livelihoods, and clear workplace protections. Booksellers say these steps are essential not only for their own stability but also for the long-term health of Novel as a community institution. They emphasized that their organizing efforts align with Novel’s longstanding mission of community investment and engagement and expressed hope that investors and leadership will recognize their union and bargain toward a fair contract.

Click here to watch a video of the press conference on Instagram.

On May 9, CWA Director of Human Rights, Education, and Health & Safety Angie Wells delivered the keynote address at the University of Iowa Labor Center’s (UILC) 75th Anniversary celebration. The UILC has delivered decades of important worker education to people in Iowa and across the country. Through a strong partnership, CWA and the UILC have been teaching organizing and leadership principles to the international union community since 1967.

Wells gave an inspiring speech, recalling the shared history between CWA and the Labor Center and looking to the future of the fight for worker dignity and safety. Over 200 guests attended the event, which also included recipients of the Labor Center Legacy Awards and additional speakers from across the state of Iowa.

“We are reminded,” said Wells, “that progress has never been given. It has always been fought for and won. Our collective history is not just a record of what has been—it is guiding us toward what is possible.

And the Labor Center reminds us that ordinary people, when organized and united, can collectively achieve extraordinary change. It tells us that even in the face of uncertainty, solidarity is always our greatest strength. And it shows us that the future of work is not something we must accept—but it is something we have the power to shape.”

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union released the following statement in response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) policy change to the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program:

Today, the NTIA has put the interests of a few billionaires and satellite companies ahead of millions of Americans in rural communities and thousands of workers. Commerce Secretary Lutnick’s attack on approved broadband projects undermines the bipartisan work of the U.S. Congress and the state governments that have invested significant resources in carefully developing programs to bring high-quality broadband and good jobs that meet the needs of their unique communities. 

CWA members know that fiber is the best broadband technology of today and tomorrow. A high quality fiber network is the financially responsible choice compared to expensive and unreliable satellite service or fixed wireless. The NTIA’s policy change confuses upfront costs with long-term value.

In well-considered plans, state broadband boards have addressed the need to develop the workforce to build and maintain network infrastructure, supported by labor standards and training. The NTIA’s elimination of requirements for fair labor practices and workforce development plans will hinder states’ ability to appropriately manage local workforce needs, or to create the good jobs that would have attracted and retained a well-trained workforce.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill made a commitment to rural communities to close the digital divide with high-quality networks and good jobs. Secretary Lutnick has betrayed this promise, and undermined the work and hopes of so many rural residents, workers, and state governments.

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(202) 434-1168

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