The agreement in the Southeast ends the 30-day unfair labor practice strike—the longest telecommunications strike in CWA District 3’s history—with union members across nine states pressuring the company to negotiate in good faith.
The agreement at AT&T West comes after members rejected a previous tentative agreement on September 6.
“I believe in the power of unity, and the unity our members and retirees have shown during these contract negotiations has been outstanding,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. “I’m not just talking about AT&T members in the Southeast and West, although the determination of our striking AT&T Southeast members was remarkable. CWA members and retirees from every region and sector of our union mobilized in support of our bargaining teams, including by distributing flyers with information about the strike at AT&T Wireless stores. Gone are the days when CWA Districts and Sectors had to fight their fights alone. Together, we win.”
AT&T Southeast Members Stay Strong on the Picket Line as Strike Continues
As the AT&T Southeast unfair labor practices strike continues, CWA members are staying strong on the picket lines with the support of other CWA members and retirees, members of other unions, community organizations, and customers. Supporters from across the country are posting solidarity photos on social media (you can view them here and here).
Meanwhile, the company’s use of undertrained managers and contractors during the strike is taking its toll, with customers throughout the Southeast reporting extended wait times for service and repairs. In an interview on WKYT, an AT&T customer in Kentucky had a message for the company: “You need to right now do what is right for your employees and your customers because they are the backbone of your company.”
“We appreciate the outpouring of support we have had from union members, elected officials, community organizations, and the public,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. “We care about our customers and urge AT&T to resolve the unfair labor practices that caused this strike and engage in good faith bargaining so we can get back to work.”
“When CWA’s Executive Board authorized this strike, we knew that our members would remain strong, and they have,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. “The striking CWA members have our union’s full support, including financial support from our Members’ Relief Fund.”
CWA members, currently on an unlawful labor practice strike, walked the picket lines and rallied this week across District 3, including in West Palm Beach and Miami, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C. Click here for more photos from the strike.
Late last week, over 17,000 CWA workers across the Southeast went on an unfair labor practice strike in protest against AT&T’s bad faith bargaining tactics. CWA District 3 members in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee walked off the job. Though negotiations began in late June, AT&T has refused to bargain over mandatory subjects and has failed to send a representative with authority to make decisions.
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said, “I have been in close contact with CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt, and I have complete faith in our bargaining team. I have told AT&T executives that the striking workers and the bargaining team have my full support. I expect AT&T to treat every member with respect and to send representatives to the table who have authority to bargain and who are serious about bargaining in good faith.”
With customer service representatives and AT&T installation and maintenance technicians on the strike line, the company has resorted to using unqualified subcontractors to keep their network running. “During the strike, AT&T has been sending under-trained managers and contractors to perform highly technical work,” said Honeycutt. “Our members have seen them at work in their communities and documented unsafe practices, including failure to wear proper safety equipment, failure to secure ladders and other equipment, putting the worker and nearby vehicles and pedestrians at risk, and failure to mark work areas with safety cones. We are encouraging members of the public to use extra caution when encountering these worksites.”
The workers have also set up a petition for supporters to sign. Please do so at cwa.org/attse-support.
Striking workers are walking the picket line in every state in CWA District 3 (Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama).
An AT&T logo adorns a worker's van on April 1 in Miami, Fla.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
More than 17,000 AT&T workers across the Southeast are on strike after accusing company management of “unfair labor practices” during recent contract negotiations.
A statement released Friday by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) — the union representing the striking employees — said AT&T did not bargain in good faith and sent negotiators who didn’t have any authority to make decisions.
“Our union entered into negotiations in a good faith effort to reach a fair contract, but we have been met at the table by company representatives who were unable to explain their own bargaining proposals and did not seem to have the actual bargaining authority required by the legal obligation to bargain in good faith,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt
“Our members want to be on the job, providing the quality service that our customers deserve. It’s time for AT&T to start negotiating in good faith so that we can move forward towards a fair contract.”
The union said it had filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
The striking workers include technicians, customer service representatives, and AT&T wire installation workers.
In a statement to NPR on Saturday, AT&T denied the company was breaking any labor laws and said it’s eager to negotiate a new contract.
“CWA’s claims of unfair labor practices are not grounded in fact,” the company said. “We have been engaged in substantive bargaining since day 1 and are eager to reach an agreement that benefits our hard-working employees.”
AT&T cited three other agreements reached this year with 13,000 employees in other states as evidence that it was committed to reaching a deal.
The company also said customers shouldn’t have to worry about any service disruptions and that it had backup measures in place to keep operations running smoothly.
The strike affects workers in nine states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
CWA Members Join Labor Secretary to Speak Out About Excessive Heat
Last week, Acting Secretary of the Department of Labor Julie Su and representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hosted a roundtable discussion with union activists in Arizona, including CWA Local 7019 Piedmont Steward Imari Heard. The discussion centered on the need for heat regulations. Excessive heat poses a threat to workers in numerous roles, both indoors and outdoors.
Heard noted that “passenger service agents may work 10-hour shifts on the tarmac lifting heavy bags with a timeline that, at times, is very unrealistic in an environment that has many safety hazards. Without proper protection, extreme heat, high humidity, and direct sunlight can cause severe health issues like heat exhaustion or heat stroke.”
In Panama City, Fla., a number of workers had to be taken to the hospital due to heat stroke or heat exhaustion. An OSHA investigation found Piedmont didn’t protect workers and cited the company with a serious violation. Piedmont must now provide heat-mitigation aids like cooling stations, water, shaded areas, and breaks to cool off.
Heard, speaking on behalf of CWA, called on Piedmont Airlines to implement the heat protections they have been ordered to provide in Panama City at all of their stations and to protect the health of all Piedmont passenger service agents. She also thanked Secretary Su, the Department of Labor, OSHA, and the Biden-Harris Administration for the proposed OSHA rule on excessive heat in the workplace, which will save lives.
Acting Secretary of the Department of Labor Julie Su (left) met with CWA members to discuss the need for workplace heat regulations. CWA District 7 Staff Representative Shad Ercanbrack (center) and CWA Local 7019 Piedmont Steward Imari Heard (right) joined the conversation to advocate for workers.
Donald Trump Says Striking Workers Should Be Fired
During a live conversation on X with Elon Musk on Monday evening, Donald Trump expressed his support for firing striking workers, saying, “They go on strike, and you say, ‘That’s OK, you’re all gone. You’re all gone. So, every one of you is gone.’”
The United Auto Workers have filed an unfair labor practice charge against Trump and Musk for threatening workers who go on strike. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) forbids employers from firing striking workers, and threatening to do so is illegal.
As president, Trump appointed union-busters to the National Labor Relations Board, which enforces the NLRA. Supreme Court Justices and federal judges appointed by Trump have consistently ruled in favor of bosses over workers. The one major piece of legislation that he passed, the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy while making it more profitable for companies to send jobs overseas. It also eliminated the tax deduction for union dues.
CWA District 3 Rallies in Atlanta for AT&T Southeast Bargaining
With the AT&T Southeast contract scheduled to expire on August 3, hundreds of CWA members, retirees, and their supporters rallied in Atlanta this past weekend.
Addressing the crowd, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said, "This is what it’s about: getting our fair share. It’s not about breaking the company. It’s not about taking what we don’t deserve. It’s about getting our fair share! And I believe if we stick together, if we mobilize like we have here, I believe in the end you will come out with a fair contract that the members will be able to ratify. I believe when we fight, we win!" He continued, saying, “It’s not just about money. It’s about wire techs and other techs having a work-life balance, being able to see their family, being able to take time off when they want to.”
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. (left) and CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt fired up the crowd as members gathered to rally and march in Atlanta, Ga., in support of their AT&T Southeast bargaining team.
CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt acknowledged members of the bargaining committee and subcommittees for their hard work and dedication. He also highlighted the work of CWA District 3 Campaign Lead Joey Barker and nearly two dozen state coordinators and trainers who, together, have trained over 2,000 members for tactical escalation.
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) also gave remarks at the rally.
Wages and scheduling for wire techs are key issues at the bargaining table. Last week, CWA released a report, "Wiring Failure: How Low Pay and Overwork Undermine AT&T Technicians and Customers," which exposes how AT&T is driving away its experienced and skilled technicians with low pay and abusive job practices, making it harder for customers to get the high-quality service they deserve.
One Wire Technician in Georgia reported, “Not having enough pay or time to build a family or provide for a family...they wonder why turnover rates are so high; it's because you have to have a roommate or second job to be able to afford to live.”
CWA members took to the streets in support of their bargaining teams as they seek a fair contract for AT&T Southeast workers.
Last week, CWA released its first-ever study on the public benefit of more than a dozen broadband projects around the country, all built using funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The 14 county-level projects across 10 states were evaluated on union representation, use of a directly employed workforce, and other labor standards; measures of public transparency; and equity, including counties’ ability to drive additional funding from private companies to match ARPA funds and whether the projects offered and advertised a low-cost plan for low-income households.
A project from Kenton County, Ky., which sits outside of Cincinnati, earned the top ranking and a perfect score of 20 out of 20 points. CWA Local 4400 members at Cincinnati Bell’s Altifiber are leading the broadband build, and Local 4400 President Jason Ballman says that they are “proud to be setting a higher standard for broadband projects that are long-lasting and stimulating our local communities. As states prepare to receive billions in federal dollars from BEAD [the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program] to help close the digital divide, decision-makers need to ensure accountability from the companies they choose to work with, prioritizing transparency, equity, and the creation of good, local union jobs.” Kenton County officials’ decision to make the project agreement publicly available online and provide frequent updates on its status during public meetings also contributed to their high score.
In Beaver County, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh, a project contracted with Verizon also scored high, thanks to Verizon’s commitment to using their CWA Local 13000-represented workforce and to investing more than the county into the project. “At Local 13000 in Pennsylvania, we know what it means to build broadband the right way, and that starts with a highly-qualified local workforce. Thanks to Beaver County’s close collaboration with Verizon and their joint effort to prioritize union workers, we’ve been able to ensure that the federal dollars from ARPA are going towards a high-quality buildout,” said CWA Local 13000 President Jim Gardler in Pennsylvania. “We hope policymakers are taking note of our project and paying attention to what real accountability and integrity looks like and how this has translated into positives for us in Beaver County.”
CWA and Unite the Country Launch "Delivering for America" Ad
Earlier this week, CWA joined with Unite the Country to launch “Delivering for America,” an ad campaign featuring CWA members highlighting how the Biden-Harris administration has rebuilt the economy through union labor and the role of CWA members in expanding affordable internet service.
In the ad, CWA Local 4009 member James Dennis says, “When the Biden and Harris team got to work rebuilding our economy, they knew who they could turn to: American workers.”
Doin' Good in the Neighborhood Maintains Mobilization
It is important to maintain mobilization 24/7/365 and the easiest and most beneficial way to do that is to keep our members involved in building meaningful relationships with and providing support to community organizations. It is amazing what happens when we start to support community needs that our members care about. Intermingling other Union groups and networking with the membership outside of "Local Business" is the key to increasing member participation while creating visibility among our communities and living up to our namesake as the Community Minded Union.
To give a sneak peak of what's been going on with the E34 SIF (Community Outreach and Maintaining Year-Round Mobilization) Team across the district, North Carolina members in Local 3680 built blessing boxes on the local's premises and stocked with non-perishables and hygiene products and filled purses full of necessities to donate to a women's organization. Kentucky members in Local 3301 covered a Trooper's car in donation stickers to support the Special Olympics, Alabama members in Local 3905 and 3906 held a yard sale and barbeque to raise money for veterans. This event not only brought the membership together so they could all clean out their garages and donate to a good cause, but they got to spend time breaking bread together and getting to know one another which created interest in future activities. Mississippi Local 3519 held a raffle to raise money for the USO. E34 team members partnered with Human Rights and went to Washington DC for the Poor People's Campaign March. This is not an exhaustive list of what has happened, just a few highlights of what we call Building the Village.
These are just a few of the things going on with the E34 SIF. We have major things planned. July was national picnic month, Locals all over the district are having members donate their time in programs that feed those in need, gathering donations for food pantries and holding picnics where the price of entry is a donation of nonperishables that will be sent to food banks. August will be focused on gathering school supplies, backpacks, and clothing to make sure kids have what they need to be set up for success for the upcoming school year.
If you would like to get involved, see an increase in your member participation and become more visible in your community, reach out to Cayti Miller at 606-694-0351 or send an email to cmiller@cwa-union.org.
July 25,2024
CWA Draws Attention to AT&T Wire Tech Attrition as Bargaining Continues
As CWA continues to bargain with AT&T in both the Southeast (CWA District 3) and the West (CWA District 9) Wire Technicians, also known as Premises Technicians, face low pay and abusive job practices, as detailed in a report released earlier this week.
A survey of 647 Wire Technicians, conducted by CWA earlier this year, showed that nearly 65% of respondents said they were actively looking for other jobs. This number constitutes approximately 13% of the total tech workforce in the southeastern region.
The turnover rate for Wire Technicians, as compared to “Core” Technicians, is at its widest margin since 2019, with 30% of Wire Techs having left their position as opposed to only 6% of Core Technicians leaving. The high turnover results in “brain drain,” or the loss of knowledge and skill, replacing more experienced workers with less experienced ones.
Said an anonymous Wire Technician in Georgia, “Not having enough pay or time to build a family or provide for a family…they wonder why turnover rates are so high; it's because you have to have a roommate or second job to be able to afford to live.”
This report highlights some of the issues facing the bargaining teams in both CWA Districts 9 and 3. CWA members in both districts have rallied to support their bargaining teams with signs and solidarity actions.
Earlier this week, in the wake of President Biden’s departure from the presidential race, CWA’s Executive Board endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President. In a statement announcing the endorsement, they noted, “On one side is a candidate who has always taken the side of corporate interests and is advancing a policy agenda that would destroy our union and take away fundamental workers’ rights. On the other side is a candidate with a consistent record fighting to empower the working class and unions who has centered CWA’s members' concerns in her policies. The choice is clear.”
The Board’s endorsement resolution goes on to outline the key role Vice President Harris has played in making the Biden-Harris Administration one of the most pro-union, pro-worker administrations in the history of the United States. It notes Harris’s long history of support for working people as both a U.S. Senator and Attorney General of California.
“We are enthusiastic and ready to elect Kamala Harris the next President of the United States,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. “She has visited our members on the job, listened to them at meetings of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, and made sure their concerns, and the concerns of our retirees, are addressed in the Administration’s policies. With Kamala Harris leading our country, we will continue to have a seat at the table to improve the lives of CWA members and retirees and strengthen our communities.”
Donald Trump supporters have been creating and sharing AI-generated fake images of black voters to encourage African Americans to vote Republican.
BBC Panorama discovered dozens of deepfakes portraying black people as supporting the former president. Mr Trump has openly courted black voters, who were key to Joe Biden's election win in 2020. But there's no evidence directly linking these images to Mr Trump's campaign.
The co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a group which encourages black people to vote, said the manipulated images were pushing a "strategic narrative" designed to show Mr Trump as popular in the black community. A creator of one of the images told the BBC: "I'm not claiming it's accurate." The fake images of black Trump supporters, generated by artificial intelligence (AI), are one of the emerging disinformation trends ahead of the US presidential election in November. Unlike in 2016, when there was evidence of foreign influence campaigns, the AI-generated images found by the BBC appear to have been made and shared by US voters themselves.
One of them was Mark Kaye and his team at a conservative radio show in Florida. They created an image of Mr Trump smiling with his arms around a group of black women at a party and shared it on Facebook, where Mr Kaye has more than one million followers. At first it looks real, but on closer inspection everyone's skin is a little too shiny and there are missing fingers on people's hands - some tell-tale signs of AI-created images. "I'm not a photojournalist," Mr Kaye tells me from his radio studio. "I'm not out there taking pictures of what's really happening. I'm a storyteller."
Stop SB362 in Georgia - Another anti-union labor law bill.
Governor Kemp is pushing legislation in Georgia, SB 362, that will take away our contractually bargained right to join a union through card check. Card check allows workers to form their union if the majority of workers sign cards saying they want to join. This is how AT&T wireless members, AT&T wire techs, and former DirecTV members joined CWA due to our contract language. This legislation would also stop AT&T from receiving state tax incentives or state funds for economic development unless the company refuses to allow any new workers to use card check to join our union. This would mean less work for CWA members to build out high-speed internet across our state. Click here to contact your representative.
Social Security Benefits at Risk
Last week, as part of the government funding debate, the House of Representatives voted on a bill to create a commission to fast-track legislation to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits.This proposal is a way for anti-worker members of Congress to attack our hard-earned retirement benefits while trying to avoid blame by passing the buck to a commission.Your member of Congress, Representative Rick Allen, voted for the bill to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits.Take action now by sending them a message demanding they stop threatening our benefits.It’s important that we make it clear to our elected leaders that we will not stand for cuts to our hard-earned benefits.
Millions of Americans count on Social Security and Medicare for steady retirement income and medical care. We pay into these systems knowing that when we retire, these programs will provide us with basic economic security. But, for decades, extremist politicians have prioritized cutting these programs to line the pockets of wealthy corporations and their billionaire donors at any possible opportunity.
Florida legislature proposes dangerous rollback of child labor protections
At least 16 states have introduced bills putting children at risk
Last week, Florida became at least the 16th state to introduce legislation rolling back child labor protections in the past two years, and the 13th state to introduce such legislation in 2023. Florida’s bill proposes eliminating all guidelines on hours employers can schedule youth ages 16 or 17 to work, allowing employers to schedule teens to work unlimited hours per day or per week—including overnight shifts on school days. The bill bears similarity to child labor legislation heavily backed in other states by the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA)—a right-wing dark money group based in Florida—and its lobbying arm Opportunity Solutions Project.
At a time when violations of child labor laws are on the rise nationally—and amid reports of serious violations in Florida—lawmakers must act to strengthen standards, not erode existing minimal standards designed to keep youth safe at work and guarantee all children equal access to education.
Florida proposal threatens a century of progress on improving health, education, and economic outcomes for youth
Florida’s child labor bill proposes rolling back longstanding state standards adopted more than a century ago in response to widespread exploitation of children. Prior to the law’s passage in 1913, Florida children as young as five and six years old were employed in dangerous work in agriculture, seafood processing, canning, and the cigar industry. While Florida’s first child labor law contained many loopholes, was underenforced due to staffing constraints, and imposed only limited penalties, it established critical initial protections against employer exploitation of children. Specifically, it barred factories from hiring children younger than 14, limited work hours for youth under 16, and prohibited all employers from scheduling minors for night shifts.
Under federal law, no one can be forced to join a union as a condition of employment, and the Supreme Court has made clear that workers cannot be forced to pay dues used for political purposes. So-called right-to-work (RTW) legislation goes one step further and entitles employees to the benefits of a union contract—including the right to have the union take up their grievance if their employer abuses them—without paying any of the cost.
This means that if an employer mistreats a worker who does not pay a union representation fee, the union must prosecute that worker’s grievance just as it would a dues-paying member’s, even if it costs tens of thousands of dollars. Non-dues-paying workers would also receive the higher wages and benefits their dues-paying coworkers enjoy. RTW laws have nothing to do with whether people can be forced to join a union or contribute to a political cause they do not support; that is already illegal. Nor do RTW laws have anything to do with the right to have a job or be provided employment.
At their core, RTW laws seek to hamstring unions’ ability to help employees bargain with their employers for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Given that unionization raises wages both for individual union members as well as for nonunion workers in unionized sectors, it is not surprising that research shows that both union and nonunion workers in RTW states have lower wages and fewer benefits, on average, than comparable workers in other states
The Southern economic development model has failed to provide economic security for workers and families
A new Economic Policy Institute report examines key economic trends in the South to refute proponents’ arguments that the Southern economic development model creates jobs and overall prosperity. In fact, the South lags other regions of the country on most indicators of economic health.
The Southern economic development model is characterized by low wages, low taxes, few regulations on businesses, few labor protections, a weak safety net, and vicious opposition to unions. This long history of anti-worker policies in the South—rooted in a racist agenda—has had devastating consequences for its residents. Specifically, the report finds:
Job growth across the South has failed to keep up with population growth. The share of prime-age workers (ages 25–54) who have a job is lower than the national average in most Southern states.
Workers in Southern states tend to have lower earnings. Median earnings in nine Southern states are among the lowest in the nation, even after adjusting for lower cost of living in the South.
Poverty rates are above the national average in most Southern states. Louisiana and Mississippi have the highest poverty rates in the nation, with nearly 1 in 5 residents living in poverty.
Child poverty is highest in the South compared with any other region. At 20.9%, child poverty rates in the South are 3.7 percentage points higher than the region with the next-highest child poverty rate—the Midwest (17.2%).
Southern states are among the lowest-GDP states. Nine of the 15 states with the lowest per capita GDP are in the South.
“Southern politicians claim that ‘business-friendly’ policies lead to an abundance of jobs and economic prosperity for all Southerners. The data actually show a grim economic reality. While this economic model has garnered vast amounts of riches for the wealthiest people across the region, it is leaving most Southerners with low wages, underfunded public services, a weak safety net in times of economic downturns, deep racial divisions, and high rates of poverty,” said report author Chandra Childers, who is a senior policy and economic analyst for EPI’s Economic Analysis and Research Network.
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