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Last week, approximately 300 CWA members at call centers in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota, and Colorado voted to ratify a new contract with DirecTV. The members are located in CWA Districts 2-13, 4, and 7.

The proposed four-year contract includes a 13.4% compounded wage increase throughout the life of the contract; an increase in the time interval between calls, doubling the current duration; and quality, affordable healthcare, preserving prescription drug co-pays.

In April 2026, members voted to authorize a strike if negotiations between CWA and DirecTV failed to reach a fair agreement.

“DirecTV customer service workers held the line for a strong contract that includes lower healthcare costs, fair wages, and more than a ten-second break between calls,” said CWA Local 2009 Area Vice President Eli Martin. “Their fight is reflected in this agreement and should send a message to the company that the workers who make the company millions are united for a strong contract that benefits both the workers and the customers we serve.”

With tremendous support from CWA political activists and retirees and the endorsement of CWA District 1, Brad Lander ousted two-term legislator Representative Dan Goldman in the Democratic congressional primary in June. Lander, who is running for New York’s 10th Congressional District, has been one of CWA’s most vocal champions for decades.

Throughout his career in public service, Lander has stood with CWA members on numerous occasions, most recently at Condé Nast (TNG-CWA Local 31003), the National Audubon Society (CWA Local 1180), and with interpreters organizing with CWA at LanguageLine Solutions.

CWA members canvassed, shared flyers and information with fellow members at worksites, and phonebanked to drive pro-worker turnout to Lander’s campaign.

Lander is expected to continue being a strong advocate for workers. He has not only been accessible to CWA when we’ve needed him but also has a history of proactive assistance, reaching out to ask how he can help in building a stronger New York for working families. He has committed to pushing forward the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and other legislative policies critical to protecting worker rights at a time when workers are under attack.

Last week, TNG-CWA members at the National Abortion Hotline (NAH) represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (TNG-CWA Local 32035) ratified a strong new contract. This win comes after members initiated a 24-hour unfair labor practice (ULP) strike on May 26 over the National Abortion Federation’s (NAF) refusal to implement even minimal protections against artificial intelligence (AI) implementation.

TNG-CWA members work directly with patients as Care Coordinators and provide support to member facilities as Operations Coordinators. They had major concerns over how AI systems are used, especially in surveillance and data collection of patients. Other concerns included staff burnout, high turnover rates, low job security, and improving healthcare benefits. The three-year contract secures wage increases, 100% employer-paid healthcare, short-term disability benefits, improved scheduling, more accessible sick leave, and protections against unilateral AI implementation.

“Throughout nine months of bargaining, our union stood in incredible solidarity, which enabled us to achieve significant protections against being replaced by AI, as well as raises and additional paid time off that will enable us to provide sustainable, patient-centered care and support our member facilities,” said TNG-CWA member and NAH Care Coordinator Amber Pugh.

Congratulations to the courageous members on their win!

Last month, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. delivered a fiery speech to the thousands gathered in Corpus Christie, Texas, for the 2026 Texas Democratic State Convention. Cummings laid out CWA’s goals for the upcoming elections, saying, “We will do everything in our power to turn out the vote in the coming midterm elections and to put pro-worker, pro-people candidates in power who will choose workers over wealth. We will focus down-ballot on governors, state legislatures, and local electeds. We will continue to have the one-on-one conversations with voters that only unions can have at scale.”

Click here to watch President Cummings’ full speech.

Last month, CWA members, officers, and retirees in CWA District 4 (top photo) and District 7 participated in our Fighting Oligarchy trainings. CWA District 4 political activists in Ohio are preparing for a big fight to retake Ohio’s Senate seat with pro-CWA champion Sherrod Brown and to support Amy Acton for Ohio Governor.

In CWA District 7, IUE-CWA, AFA-CWA, and local District activists are supporting AFA-CWA leader Kaela Berg in her run for Congress.

NATIONWIDE – Microsoft eliminated an initial wave of 1,600 jobs across its Xbox division, including hundreds of union video game workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA). 

“When Microsoft sought to grow its video game division, corporate executives made an agreement with video game workers and their union, CWA, to respect their right to organize for a new day for workers across Microsoft’s video game studios,” said Claude Cummings Jr., President of CWA. “Although our union signed neutrality agreements with Microsoft, we have been extremely disappointed by a company that has slow-walked our members at the bargaining table, making CWA members wait for the protections of a union contract. But make no mistake – whether our members have a contract in hand, or are still at the bargaining table, CWA members at Xbox have the power and protection of union membership. When Microsoft decides to treat the workers who built Xbox as expendable, it should know who they’re dealing with. This is not just a fight with the thousands of workers across Xbox; it’s a fight with each and every member at CWA — hundreds of thousands of people strong.”

“As Microsoft restructures, the workers powering its biggest franchises deserve protection, not to be treated like disposable line items,” said Derrick Osobase, Vice President, CWA District 6. “It is our CWA members who make the games that make Xbox valuable. Today’s layoffs decimated the teams at id Software, Bethesda Game Studios, and ZeniMax Online Studios, legendary studios whose employees brought us games like Doom, Quake, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout. The layoffs that occurred this week will lower the quality of these iconic games and make them less fun to play with longer delays in releases, ultimately just hurting the players and driving down revenue for Microsoft.”

“Our union will take all necessary legal and contractual action to defend our members and their rights,” said Mike Davis, Vice President, CWA District 2-13. “We will demand immediate bargaining – over fair severance, over vendor-contract decisions, over internal placement so that qualified employees can move into open roles, and over recall rights. That’s the difference a union makes. Organized workers have a seat at the table on the decisions that affect their lives and families, and that includes layoffs. Workers without a union are left to accept whatever cards they are dealt by management for any given decision.”

“These workers put their hearts and souls into creating best selling video games people around the world loved,” said Carmel Smyth, President of CWA Canada. “We hope their talent and dedication to excellence is recognized and respected by one of the world’s richest employers.”

Across Microsoft’s Xbox division, more than 3,500 workers have chosen to form unions with CWA since 2022, following Microsoft’s agreement to a neutrality framework that allowed workers to make that choice freely, without fear of retaliation or coercion. Xbox’s best-selling games can now boast union-represented labor, including household video games like The Elder Scrolls, Diablo and Overwatch. 

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