Community members turned out to support strikers all over the Southeast, but in South Carolina, one visitor had a special connection to CWA members on the picket line.

Christine Horgan-Klien was just two years old when her father, Gerry Horgan, was killed by a car being driven by a scab worker and daughter of a plant manager while walking on a picket line with fellow CWA members during the 1989 NYNEX strike.

"It was very moving to meet her on the picket line, she came out for two days in a row offering donuts,” said Local 3704 President Steven Auerbach. “I gave her a hug, thanked her for coming out and supporting us, and she said that CWA members were her family. I told her I've been involved in the labor movement for almost 16 years and I've heard all the stories about her father and it was an honor to meet her. She thanked us for what we were doing, and said she was behind us. We are so grateful to her for coming out and supporting us."

Since Horgan’s tragic death thirty years ago, CWA members wear red on Thursdays in remembrance of him and to pay tribute to his sacrifice. That tradition has continued over the last three decades, and today CWA members throughout the country, including workers at AT&T Southeast, don red every Thursday to honor Gerry's memory and to show that we are united in the fight for justice for all working people.

Christine Horgan-Klien, whose father, Gerry Horgan, was killed by a car being driven by a scab worker and daughter of a plant manager while walking on a picket line with fellow CWA members during the 1989 NYNEX strike, visited AT&T Southeast workers on strike to show support for her CWA family.

Tragedy visited our CWA family on August 11, when Piedmont passenger service agent Kendrick Darrell Hudson died on the job at Charlotte Douglas International airport. Kendrick, who was only 24 years old, was moving baggage at night on an airport vehicle that turned over on top of him when he hit a piece of luggage on the tarmac.

Family, friends, and coworkers held a vigil on August 18, which included memorable tributes to Kendrick. Kendrick's family received his vest and a jar overflowing with dozens of notes from agents who knew and loved him. Mainline agent (and former Piedmont agent) Asia Henley created the jar of memories. Piedmont, Mainline, and Envoy agents honored Kendrick and his family with a moment of silence across the country. Kendrick will be deeply missed by everyone who worked with him.

Micki Siegel de Hernandez, director of CWA's Occupational Safety and Health Program, is working closely with the leadership of Local 3645 and District 3 staff during the ongoing OSHA investigation of Kendrick’s death. Donielle Prophete, Vice President of Local 3645, is the on-site union representative who has been participating in the OSHA inspection. CWA wants to ensure that any factors that may have contributed to this tragedy, such as insufficient lighting at night on the tarmac, are corrected to prevent future injuries and to keep pursuing improved workplace safety for all agents.

Family, friends, and coworkers held a vigil on August 18, which included memorable tributes to Piedmont passenger service agent Kendrick Darrell Hudson.

Presidential candidates Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Governor Jay Inslee (who has now dropped out of the race), announced their support in recent days for MAXIMUS call center workers as they join together for better working conditions.

In a video message that was played for MAXIMUS National Organizing Committee members who met earlier this month in Richmond, Virginia, Warren said, “I stand with you in your fight to organize at MAXIMUS to be able to bargain collectively and get fair wages for the vital work you do for our government.”

Sanders, who has met in the past with workers at the call centers that MAXIMUS now operates for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, tweeted his support for MAXIMUS workers, declaring “I stand with them in their fight.”

“I’m so excited to know that you’re making an effort to create a union at MAXIMUS,” said Inslee in a video message to workers. “People having the ability to form a union is fundamental to America. I want to encourage you and tell you that I support you.”

“More and more people are joining our movement for the better pay and working conditions we deserve at MAXIMUS call centers every week,” said Sheronda Dove, a dual-trained Medicare and Federal ACA Marketplace agent at MAXIMUS’ call center in Hattiesburg, Miss. “It’s inspiring to see that we have leaders like Senator Warren, Governor Inslee, and Senator Sanders backing us up. It motivates me to know that we have their support, and makes me more confident that our organizing will be successful.