Author: CWA6210

Workers at unWired Broadband first joined a union in 2025 to improve workplace safety, address unjust firings, and secure a voice on the job.

(FRESNO, Calif.) – Despite continued anti-union pushback from the company, unWired Broadband fiber technicians in California’s Central Valley voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in a July election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

The election comes one year after unWired installation and service technicians voted to join CWA in June 2025. Throughout the organizing campaign, unWired installation and service technicians endured anti-union captive-audience meetings, and several members of the organizing committee were illegally fired. In July 2026, CWA reached a $75,000 settlement with unWired Broadband resolving several unfair labor practice charges filed with the NLRB. The workers have demonstrated their commitment to a union and holding the company accountable for unlawful behavior.

“We are proud to have stood together and won our union,” said Chris Cooke, an unWired Broadband fiber technician and CWA Local 9408 member. “As fiber technicians we know that we are critical to unWired’s success. We look forward to having a seat at the table to continue to improve the connectivity of the Central Valley while ensuring democracy and dignity on the job.”

“I support the right of fiber splicers at unWired Broadband to exercise one of the most fundamental freedoms in our democracy: the choice of whether to be represented by a union,” said California State Senator Anna M. Caballero (D-Merced). “Even under pressure, they have remained united. Every worker deserves the opportunity to make this decision free from fear, intimidation, or retaliation, and I am proud of their courage and the respect they have shown one another throughout this process. Their determination reflects the best of the Central Valley, and I remain in full solidarity with them.”

“We are proud to welcome unWired Broadband’s second bargaining unit to the CWA family,” said Jason Orozco, President of CWA Local 9408. “These workers endured an aggressive campaign by unWired to thwart their right to organize, but today they prevailed. CWA stands ready to bargain with unWired on behalf of both bargaining units so that unWired’s technicians can continue to connect residents of California’s Central Valley to high-quality internet.”

“Congratulations to the second bargaining unit at unWired Broadband for winning their union election, despite fierce resistance from the company,” said Assemblymember Liz Ortega, Chair of the California Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment. “I am inspired by these workers’ strength and bravery in exercising their right to organize. I stand with them and call on unWired to come to the table to bargain for a fair contract.“

unWired Broadband is a Fresno, California-headquartered internet service provider focused on serving the Central Valley of California. unWired is a portfolio company of O2 Investment Partners, a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based private equity firm.

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

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Sign Up for CWA’s Fighting Oligarchy Training Online!

CWA’s Fighting Oligarchy is our newest political education training.

Participants in this session learn what “oligarchy” is and the tools the billionaire class uses to consolidate power at our expense. Participants of the training explore international, historical, and modern U.S. case studies on how this rule of the super wealthy took root and how the power of an organized working class can win once again. Participants are also briefed on CWA’s political strategy and how to get involved to fight back for working-class power.

Click here to learn more about Fighting Oligarchy.

Earlier this month, CWA human rights activists hosted the 2026 CWA National Human Rights Conference in Atlanta, Ga. They were joined by allies from several unions, including the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Activists from the International Women’s Alliance (IWA), Fwd.US, Rise United, and the Georgia AFL-CIO also attended the conference.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. delivered remarks to the gathering along with CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt, District 9 Vice President Frank Arce, IUE-CWA Industrial Division President Carl Kennebrew, AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson, and CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam. CWA District 2-13 Vice President Mike Davis; District 7 Vice President Susie McAllister; CWA Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook; and CWA Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton also attended the conference.

President Cummings spoke about the current fight for worker rights, saying, “We are fighting for what matters most. We want to see workers protected, not used as pawns. We want to improve Social Security and Medicare so they will be there when we are ready to retire. We want better, cheaper healthcare. We want to fix our tax system so that the obscenely rich pay what they owe and corporations aren’t rewarded for sending jobs overseas. We want to be free to join unions and bargain for the wages and benefits that we deserve.”

Other guest speakers included Stacey Abrams, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Tennessee Representative Justin J. Pearson, and the U.S. Senator from Georgia Jon Ossoff, who all had participants on their feet and fired up. Alliance for Retired Americans’ Robert Roach shared what every working American needs to know about retirement. And SEIU-United Service Workers West President David Huerta shared the story of his heart-wrenching arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

National AFL-CIO Human Rights Director Alex Rias gave an informative discussion on the role of human rights within the labor movement. CWA Human Rights Campaign Lead Mikeya Jones hosted a compelling panel on building young workers into leaders, and Sandra L. Williams, President of the Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council, hosted a panel discussion on the challenges faced by African American women in the Trump era.

The Human Rights Committee continued their tradition of hosting the Interactive Activist Mall, where members wrote postcards, filmed videos, provided voice clips for the Human Rights Radio Show, signed petitions, and learned how to make effective signs for marches and rallies.

CWA Northeastern Region At-Large Diversity Executive Board Member Gloria Middleton received the prestigious Human Rights Mary Mays-Carroll Award for exemplary dedication and commitment to the labor movement. CWA Local 3204 member Rita Scott also received the CWA National Human Rights Women’s Committee Woman of Excellence Award for outstanding contributions to women’s empowerment in human rights and labor.

The CWA Minority Caucus honored Vice President Honeycutt; CWA District 9 Administrative Director Maurice Washington; and CWA Director of Human Rights, Education and Health & Safety Angie Wells with Lifetime Achievement Awards for outstanding dedication and service.

Earlier this month, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) members and staff discovered, buried in the Spirit Airlines bankruptcy filing, a plan to auction off nearly 100 million emails, 500 million Microsoft Teams messages, and data from aircraft operations, human resources, and customer-service workflows. Google won the auction with a $10 million bid, beating the next bid by artificial intelligence company Mercor.io by $2.5 million. Google representatives have stated that the data will be used to train their AI models.

The finalization of the sale has been postponed to September 9, however, thanks to a complaint filed by AFA-CWA.

In a press statement, AFA-CWA contends that despite promises to “deidentify” the records, no contract language exists pertaining to whether the contents of the records are confidential. The sale agreement with Google specifies that the deidentification process must preserve “referential integrity across the data set,” leading to widespread member concerns over the possibility that “information about identifiable individuals or small identifiable groups can still be reconstructed and determined.”

Click here to read the full AFA-CWA press release.

“Spirit Flight Attendants still haven’t been paid their accrued vacation and sick leave, along with other compensation they are due,” said AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson. “Attempting to now sell their data is adding insult to injury. It’s outrageous. Spirit failed to meet its commitment to these workers, and Flight Attendants certainly shouldn’t be subject to further exploitation. Our data simply is not for sale. We did not and do not consent.”

Click here to listen to AFA-CWA President Nelson in an interview on CNN.

This case could have far-reaching implications for workers in general if personal information is allowed to be sold after a worker leaves the company.

CWA stands at the forefront of the worker fight against AI abuses and threats.

During the last month, NABET-CWA organizers have notched two decisive wins for broadcast workers.

In Washington, D.C., workers at the outlet DC News Now (WDCW/WDVM) won their union election handily with a vote of 19-5 in favor. This unit will join NABET-CWA Local 52031 and enter the fray against network behemoth Nexstar, poised to control stations reaching 80% of American households with their acquisition of TEGNA Inc. This merger was a major concern for workers in the lead-up to organizing. Workers also cited concerns over staffing levels, burnout, and insufficient compensation for additional responsibilities.

“Many of us lost confidence that raising concerns individually would lead to meaningful change,” said William Hall, an organizing committee member and Feedroom Operator. “We needed a real voice in the decisions affecting our careers, our future. Organizing allows us to advocate collectively for fair pay, meaningful career advancement, adequate staffing, accountability, respect, and a healthier workplace culture.”

At Weigel Broadcasting in Chicago, Ill., workers voted overwhelmingly for a union and will now be joining NABET-CWA Local 54041. This 122-person television broadcasting unit is a significant win for NABET-CWA. Major issues motivating the workers included the company cutting remote work options and the decision to run ads for the Department of Homeland Security.

Congratulations to all of our new NABET-CWA members!

Last week, 39 automated teller machine (ATM) technicians working for NCR Atleos won their union. The unit covers territory between Chicago, Ill., and Madison, Wis., including Milwaukee, Wis. The vote was 23-4 in favor of joining CWA.

Workers do a variety of jobs, including ATM repairs, updates, upgrades, and installation work. They formed their union because of persistent failure of management to fulfill promises, constantly shifting managerial priorities, inconsistent schedules, and subpar treatment.

NCR Atleos employed several tactics to dissuade workers, including calling “all hands” meetings full of more promises of improvements, distributing gift cards for attendance, and threatening workers with stories of painful and delayed bargaining. Despite their efforts, workers remained unified and determined to establish a voice in their workplace.

“Winning our union vote means a lot more to me than just becoming a union,” said Senior Customer Engineer Gordon Pierce. “In a work environment where management is changing constantly, our union gives us the ability to have a consistent and stable voice as workers, regardless of who is in management at any given time. This victory is about all of us recognizing that we are stronger when we stand together. I’m proud of what we’ve done so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish as new CWA members. Our 23-4 vote shows how strongly our workers believe in this.”

Congratulations to our new members at NCR Atleos!