Earlier this week, thanks to the tremendous efforts of CWA’s Legislative and Political Team, members, and retirees, CWA-endorsed candidates across the country took home victories. CWA mobilized to knock on doors, place phone calls, send texts, and share the platforms and plans of pro-worker candidates in critical races. Voters sent a clear message: pro-worker, pro-people candidates can win against the bottomless coffers of the billionaire class.

CWA District 1-endorsed candidate for Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani defeated rival candidate Andrew Cuomo for the win in a critical election. Mamdani’s platform contains several worker-focused plans, including raising the corporate tax rate and taxing New York’s wealthiest residents to help pay for low-cost public transportation, expand childcare, and make groceries more affordable. The Mayor-elect has also proposed raising the city's minimum wage from its current $16.50 per hour to $30 per hour by 2030. CWAers knocked on doors in all five boroughs, and as part of our National Day of Action, 34 CWA members called 5,550 union siblings, encouraging them to hit the polls.

Also in CWA District 1, voters turned out for New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, who won her race handily with over 56 percent of voters choosing her vision for N.J.’s future. CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor, at Sherrill’s endorsement event, stated, “Mikie has built her career on service, leadership, and delivering results—from her time as a federal prosecutor to her work as a U.S. Representative. In Congress, Rep. Sherrill has been a steadfast advocate for labor rights, affordable healthcare, and strong public infrastructure. With a 100% lifetime voting record, we know that she stands with us on our issues, from fighting for union rights to supporting critical investments in public services.” Across the state, 90 activists called 20,764 members to hit the polls, with 73% of the members we spoke to committing to vote.

Wins in CWA District 2-13 included a slate of pro-labor candidates in Virginia, including Abigail Spanberger for Governor, Ghazala Hashmi for Lieutenant Governor, and Jay Jones for Attorney General. In Pennsylvania, 31 CWA activists made 21,739 dials and texts to turn out the vote, helping labor-friendly Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht retain their seats on the state’s highest court.

In CWA District 3, members pushed hard for, and won, a place for Peter Hubbard on the Georgia Public Service Commission. This win bodes well for a stronger pro-worker voice in oversight of Georgia’s telecommunications systems and other utilities.

CWA members in Central Florida hosted a phone bank and mobilized our members to support Tom Keen in his upset victory in the Orlando City Council District 1 race. The Orlando City Council is now entirely in the hands of pro-labor Democrats.

And in CWA District 9, in a crucial test for the state, voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, which provides for fair electoral maps that will help give pro-worker candidates a chance to secure a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. There, 46 volunteers made 39,244 calls and texts to our members. CWA also hosted a Political Activist Bootcamp and labor walks with AFL-CIO allies.

Stay tuned next week for more election coverage as it becomes available.

On Monday, CWA members of the Daily News Union, represented by the NewsGuild of New York-CWA (TNG-CWA Local 31003), announced a tentative first contract agreement with owner and second-largest newspaper chain in the country, Alden Global Capital. If ratified, the new contract could bring new, life-changing salary minimums, six percent wage increases over six months, improved job security measures, and new benefits for part-timers.

Members will vote on the two-year contract in upcoming weeks, which could bring to a close three years of contentious bargaining. The tabloid’s print, digital, and photo employees organized as a bargaining unit of the NewsGuild of New York in 2021.

“I could not be prouder of everyone in the Daily News Union who made this possible,” said Michael Sheridan, unit chair of the Daily News Union. “Winning the first contract for the Daily News’ workers in more than 30 years was an uphill battle. From the historic walkout to distributing flyers and organizing rallies, it was a Herculean effort. But it never would have happened without the dedicated efforts of dozens of people, including those who have left the News for bigger and better things.”

The war for better wages finally took a turn after members staged a major rally outside New York City Hall in support of the New York City Council’s “Too Tough to Die” resolution, which called for Alden to agree to a fair contract. The resolution passed by a wide margin.

Click here to read more about the tentative agreement and what it could mean for Daily News Union members.

On October 27, members of CWA District 1 hosted a breakfast forum bringing together endorsed Assembly candidates, incumbents, and public sector workers and retirees for a critical dialogue on the state’s escalating healthcare affordability crisis. The event, held amid a high-stakes election season, underscored the urgent need for legislative solutions to curb skyrocketing costs that are crushing public servants and taxpayers alike.

The attending legislators included Assemblymembers Gabriel Rodriguez, Ellen Park, Shama Haider, Lisa Swain, and Chris Tully. They were joined by first-time Assembly candidates Larry Wainstein and Katie Brennan, who won their races on Tuesday. Also attending the forum was N.J. State Senator and Senate Labor Chair Gordon Johnson.

The group heard from CWA members and retirees, including state and local government workers who provide essential services to New Jersey, about the real-world impact of rising premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses. Members shared harrowing accounts of forgoing promotions, struggling to afford life-saving medications, and having to access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid benefits to help feed their families.

“Our members are getting crushed by skyrocketing healthcare costs,” said Anna-Marta Visky, CWA District 1's New Jersey Political and Field Director. “We have electoralized this issue successfully,” continued Visky, “endorsing only candidates who stand with us in our fight to make healthcare affordable for our members, for the state, and for taxpayers alike.”

Click here to read more about the struggles of CWA members and their fight for a better New Jersey.

In early October, Eldora Mountain ski patrollers, represented by CWA Local 7781, reached a new agreement with owner POWDR Adventure Lifestyle Co. This marks the first contract negotiated with the company since Eldora members formed their union in 2024. But this is just the latest in an avalanche of union contracts being won by CWA members across the ski industry. Approximately 1,100 ski patrollers and lift maintenance workers are now members of CWA Local 7781.

Members have successfully negotiated contracts for five units: Solitude Ski Patrol, Steamboat Ski Patrol, Park City Lift Maintenance, Big Sky Ski Patrol, and now Eldora Ski Patrol. These contracts were all negotiated separately with different owners.

Primary concerns across the membership included the rising cost of living, high turnover, and the need for better tools and gear to ensure guest safety.

Ski patrol members at Whitefish, Breckenridge, Telluride, and Arapahoe Basin continue to negotiate contracts.

Members have been met with significant pushback from owners and shareholders as the industry continues to avoid raising wages and instead focuses on maximizing executive and shareholder compensation. Industry leaders have spent millions of dollars on union-busting and plead poverty when told to invest that money in their workforce. But by joining together, members are creating real power, reflected in gains at the bargaining table.

Due to the efforts of our CWA bargaining units, members have seen wages nearly double over the past five years. Most recently, the Park City Ski Patrol strike in January brought wages up 30 to 40 percent across the workforce and set a new industry pay standard. CWA contracts have continued to move the industry forward for workers in the form of COLAs, increased benefits accessibility for seasonal workers through healthcare stipends, and industry-leading training and education packages to maintain the high level of skill required throughout the workforce. All of our bargaining units face distinct challenges, including overcrowding, avalanche-prone terrain, and outdated machinery. Their contracts reflect the diversity of needs across the membership.

Last week, members of UPTE-CWA Local 9119 mobilized in support of twenty colleagues abruptly laid off by the University of California (UC). Those laid off include staff research associates, chemists, biologists, and animal health technicians working at the UC’s Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, where they advanced drug discovery and treatments for fatal diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), and prion diseases.

UPTE-CWA members held last week’s protest outside the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, where UC San Francisco Chancellor Sam Hawgood was scheduled to attend a high-profile dinner celebrating the 10th anniversary of the UC San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences. They handed out flyers to well-heeled attendees detailing the union’s concerns about neurodegenerative disease research and critical understaffing.

"We are encouraged that Chancellor Hawgood has agreed to meet with us personally. We hope he will take direct responsibility for bringing critical Alzheimer's researchers back to work," said Matias Campos, UCSF Pharmacist and Executive Vice President of UPTE-CWA Local 9119.

The layoffs come on the heels of a 40% budget cut by the department and a decision by UC to pivot fully to Parkinson's research at the expense of Alzheimer’s and prion disease research. According to the Cleveland Clinic, an estimated 50 million people globally are suffering from a neurodegenerative disease.

Over the last 17 months, UPTE-CWA members have engaged in three statewide unfair labor practice strikes calling out the UC administration. UPTE-CWA members recently voted to engage in longer strike actions if necessary. Members remain determined to bargain a fair contract to protect themselves, their research, and their patients.

Members of UPTE-CWA Local 9119 held a protest against the abrupt layoff of twenty researchers and veterinary technicians at the UC’s Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Over the Halloween weekend, CWA Local 7055 members held a three-day strike in Grapevine, Texas, as a response to Meow Wolf’s repeated violations of federal labor law and its failure to bargain in good faith with the Meow Wolf Workers Collective-CWA Local 7055 (MWWC-CWA).

The strike follows more than a year of stalled contract negotiations between workers and the company. Despite presenting itself as a progressive employer, Meow Wolf has repeatedly violated federal labor law and engaged in an aggressive union containment strategy designed to weaken its workers’ power. Earlier this month, an informational picket was held outside Meow Wolf’s The Real Unreal exhibition to demonstrate workers’ growing frustration around stagnant wages and lack of a union contract.

“The first year we were open, Meow Wolf would preach about community and being on the forefront of social change, which really resonated with this workforce. That's why all of us are still here, why we work so hard,” said Meow Wolf Workers Collective-CWA Local 7055 member Jack McPherson, who is a bartender at Meow Wolf Grapevine's The Real Unreal. “And over the last few months, Meow Wolf has really stepped back from those ideals, and we're not going to let that happen without a fight.”

Support MWWC-CWA by donating directly to their Strike Fund or reaching out to Meow Wolf directly at 1-866-636-9969. For more campaign updates, follow MWWC-CWA on Instagram and BlueSky.

Read the full press release here.