Over the past week, healthcare workers and allies have held rallies in Atlanta, Ga., and Washington, D.C., calling for an end to funding cuts for critical healthcare infrastructure. CWA’s Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook and CWA staff helped coordinate both protests.

In Atlanta, members of United Campus Workers-CWA, Cook, elected officials, allies, and campus researchers rallied to protest funding disruptions initiated by the Trump administration. Funding cuts and freezes led to layoffs that have interrupted or halted lifesaving research on cancer, viral pandemics, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and more.

Organizers delivered letters to the offices of Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock detailing their concerns and calling for an end to funding freezes.

In Washington, D.C., standing alongside a coalition of union members, Cook continued the rallying cry. “The Trump administration and the unelected, extremist billionaire Elon Musk,” said Cook, “have perpetrated illegal, immoral, unethical, and unacceptable attacks on our members, workers across this country, and on millions of people who depend on us for delivering healthcare, conducting critical research into urgent problems, and the services that we provide every single day, in every single state, in every single congressional district in this country.”

Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton, AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson, and AFA-CWA International Vice President Keturah Johnson also took part in the D.C. protest.

Click here to watch the Washington, D.C., rally.

CWA Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook (center in red) led AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson (in blue), AFA-CWA International Vice President Keturah Johnson (left), and allied union members and leaders in Washington, D.C., in a protest against cuts to federal funding of healthcare research.

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CWA Telecommunications and Technologies (T&T) Vice President Lisa Bolton rallied with CWA members and allies in Washington, D.C., to support healthcare researchers. Pictured left to right: T&T Assistant to the Vice President Tony Shaffer, T&T Secretary III Wendy Connolly, Legislative and Political Senior Campaign Lead Charlie Ramos, Bolton, and Human Rights Senior Campaign Lead Joseph McCue.

NABET-CWA Local 59051 members at KOIN-TV Nexstar in Portland, Ore., have brought a nearly eight-year fight for justice to a close with overwhelming ratification of a new contract.

After years of fruitless negotiation, members determined that the employer was not bargaining in good faith and filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. After the NLRB supported the workers’ complaint, Nexstar appealed the decision, leading to a years-long battle in federal court. The NLRB prevailed, forcing Nexstar to return to the bargaining table and engage in genuine negotiations. Members also won backpay for those who had taken time off to be at the bargaining table and reimbursements for location rentals needed for the bargaining process.

Although bargaining resumed, progress was slow. Members rejected a tentative agreement in 2022 and have been working without a contract since September 2018. The current contract, which was ratified on Valentine’s Day, retains 45 key contract points Nexstar sought to eliminate and contains significant gains for members over its two-year lifespan. Healthcare premiums will remain locked for the duration of the contract, workers will see increased wage minimums as much as twenty percent, and workers will continue to be able to bank five additional vacation days for holidays worked.

“Make no mistake, this was an attack on our unit, designed to break us,” said NABET-CWA Local 59051 President Carrie Biggs-Adams. “Nexstar tried to take away our dues checkoff, but we defended that. Our members voted 40-5 in favor. Now my hope is that we can go back to being a typical unit with a typical grievance process and that the war is truly over.”

Members of the Crested Butte Lift Maintenance unit (CBLM-CWA Local 7781) and the Keystone Ski Patrol Union (KSPU-CWA Local 7781) both ratified contracts with Vail Resorts earlier this month.

Per the two-year contract, members of the CBLM-CWA unit will receive average wage increases between seventeen and thirty percent, an increase of the tool allowance to offset the price of gear, and are now able to undergo wilderness first aid training, which will augment their current basic first aid. “Our members often work in the most remote areas of the national forest,” said CBLM-CWA President and lift mechanic Thomas Pearman. “We are isolated and depend on one another. If someone gets injured, it's our union siblings who will be the first responders. This wilderness first aid may mean the difference between life and death.”

Members of KSPU-CWA Local 7781 ratified their contract last week, securing additional wage incentives for specialized skills like language interpretation and chairlift evacuation, as well as additional training opportunities for higher medical certifications, advanced avalanche education, and other specialized courses. Workers with EMT, nursing, and paramedic certifications will receive increased compensation, and all workers will see a wage compression adjustment.

KSPU-CWA negotiators drew a hard line with Vail Resorts over incentives for workers with lifesaving skills, as medical aid may be slower reaching remote areas.

"We are incredibly excited for this new contract, which includes increases in compensation for every member of our team," said KSPU-CWA Local 7781’s Jake Randall, who served on the bargaining team. "This was a long-fought negotiation with Vail, but I think we’ve come to an agreement that pleases all concerned."

ZeniMax Workers United-CWA members and other video game workers met outside ZeniMax offices in Hunt Valley, Md. (top left), Rockville, Md. (bottom left), and Dallas, Texas. Remote workers joined their in-office colleagues to send a message to Microsoft that the membership is united and willing to go the extra mile to reach a fair first contract.

Earlier this week, quality assurance video game workers with ZeniMax Workers United-CWA picketed in Maryland and Texas to demand progress in bargaining with Microsoft subsidiary ZeniMax Studios. The union’s bargaining committee is continuing to fight for wage increases, permanent accommodations to offset return-to-office (RTO) mandates, and a path to full-time employment for quality assurance workers currently on contract with ZeniMax.

This week’s picket follows a series of nationwide mobilizations from ZeniMax Workers United-CWA over the past few months. Late last year, hundreds of members in Maryland and Texas walked off the job in a one-day strike to call out Microsoft for the minimal movement over top issues. In October 2024, CWA members across the country held rallies to provide common-sense exceptions and accommodations to their recently implemented RTO mandate.

ZeniMax Workers United-CWA formed the first video game studio union at Microsoft in January 2023, representing over 300 quality assurance workers in Maryland and Texas. ZeniMax Studios is a video game production company known for its popular games such as Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Quake Champions, and Fallout. Over 2,000 video game workers at Microsoft have now formed a union.

(Photo credit: Emily Matthews, TNG-CWA Local 38061)

Striking editorial workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette delivered petitions from more than 700 Pittsburghers who have pledged to fight alongside striking workers. They told the company that they would not resume their readership of the newspaper after the strike is won if the Post-Gazette retaliates against workers who went on strike.

“If you earn a paycheck in this country, you may very well have to answer this question in the coming months: Will you go away silently? Or will you stand and fight?" said TNG-CWA Local 38061 member Steve Mellon, a Post-Gazette multimedia journalist who is on strike.

To support striking workers and families, you can do any of these three things today:

1. Donate to the strike fund that's used to pay for rent, utility bills, car repairs, groceries, and to keep their pets alive and well.
   
2. Order a T-shirt repping their strike publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress. All proceeds go to the same strike fund.
   
3. Subscribe to the Pittsburgh Union Progress for free news on the strike, the lives of working people in Western PA and beyond, and more

Members of CWA, including President Claude Cummings Jr. and AFA-CWA International Vice President Keturah Johnson, participated in this year’s Black Labor Week alongside allies from organizations including the AFL-CIO, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, United Service Workers, and Pride At Work. Black Labor Week Project (BLWP) is a nonprofit organization committed to developing leadership and channeling economic and educational resources into Black communities.

The five-day event included multiple panel discussions, community service projects, and a civil rights awards gala where BLWP presented President Cummings with the “Living Legend Award” for his lifelong commitment to both the labor and civil rights movements.

Pictured left to right: Oluwandamani Melvin, Yolanda Mason, Shawne Stephens, President Claude Cummings Jr., Kwami Barnes, President of the Ohio chapter of APRI André Washington, Alafia McMurtry, Ewuniki Yemi, Gerald Sommerville. All pictured, except André Washington, are members of CWA.

Last week, the CWA Executive Board welcomed its newest member, National Chair for Civil Rights and Equity Reginald Small. Small will be filling the Central Region At-Large Diversity seat recently vacated by Erika White, who stepped down to devote her attention to her constituents as an Ohio State Representative.

CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase announced the appointment, writing, “Reginald’s exemplary career began in 1990 at Pacific Bell Directory, eventually leading him to Southwestern Bell Telephone/AT&T in Dallas, where he continues to serve as a Communications Consultant. Alongside his professional accomplishments, Reginald has been an unwavering union advocate, serving as Secretary for CWA Local 6215, Job Steward, and as a representative on the CWA National Human Rights Committee, among many other roles.

“His work with AFL-CIO Constituency Groups and non-profits, coupled with his leadership in implementing the CWA Human Rights Agenda, demonstrates his passion for fostering collaboration and amplifying underrepresented voices.”

Reginald Small has been selected to fill the Central Region At-Large Diversity seat on the CWA Executive Board.

Earlier this week, CWA Next Generation partnered with the Human Rights Department to co-host Gender Justice and Implicit Bias trainings in Nashville, Tenn., bringing together union members committed to fairness, dignity, and respect in the workplace.

Errol Minor, a member of the National Civil Rights and Equity Committee for CWA District 3, led the trainings, hosted by CWA Local 3808. Amanda Bratcher, Next Gen Lead Activist for CWA District 3, and Josh Lightford, a Next Gen Activist and member of CWA Local 3905 in Huntsville, Ala., were co-facilitators.

On the first day, students focused on gender justice, exploring common gender biases, the role of gender in labor history, and ways to build power, solidarity, and community engagement around gender equity issues.

On day two, participants focused on implicit bias, continuing the conversation on how to build a more just and respectful workplace.

Reflecting on the training, CWA Local 3808 member Preston Mock, Next Gen’s newest activist, said, “I was surprised to see the statistics on how our biases affect so much in the workplace. It was nice to learn the history of these issues as well. I also left with a more open mindset on how others feel internally. I enjoyed the class way more than I thought I would.”

CWA Next Gen is proud to support this work and remains committed to empowering young activists to lead the fight for fairness and dignity on the job and beyond.

CWA Next Generation and the Human Rights Department co-facilitated trainings, hosted by CWA Local 3808 in Nashville, Tenn.

The Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus honored NABET-CWA Local 54043 President Dorethea Brown-Maxey last week at their first annual “Beyond the Call of Duty” Award Ceremony. She received the award for her outstanding service and dedication to the labor community and her leadership with the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO and CWA National Minority Caucus. Brown-Maxey is flanked by her son Jonathan Maxey (right) and her brother Michael Hall.

Congratulations to President Brown-Maxey!