December 16, 2021

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Organizing Update

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AT&T In Home Experts

A majority of AT&T In Home Expert (IHX) workers in New York State voted to join CWA. They are building power with hundreds of thousands of workers at AT&T and other telecom companies to bargain good jobs and strong contracts. IHX workers across the country have been organizing to have a voice on the job, including in Arkansas, Detroit/Southfield Michigan, Illinois, and New Jersey.

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Citizen App Central Operations

A supermajority of the analysts in the Citizen App’s Central Operations department have voted to join CWA. The workers plan to advocate for editorial standards that prioritize the safety of Citizen users and bargain a first contract that addresses the serious issues they face, including the mismanagement of Central Operations, pay discrepancies, subcontracting, and the removal of benefits.

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Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center

Workers at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center (LAIAC) in El Paso, Texas, won voluntary recognition with CWA. LAIAC is a non-profit that provides legal advocacy for detained immigrants. Workers decided to form their union to improve their organization and better advocate for the clients they serve. The unit includes lawyers, paralegals, DHS accredited representatives, and administrative support staff.

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Audubon

This week, workers at six Audubon units across the country–North Carolina, Mid-Atlantic, California, Nebraska, Upper Mississippi, and Great Lakes–voted to join Audubon employees in the organization’s national headquarters as members of CWA. Audubon employees in the remaining 5 regions (Washington, Alaska, New York-Connecticut, Vermont, and SouthWest) are also expected to vote on union representation this week. The workers plan to bargain as a single unit.

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Vodeo Games

On Wednesday, workers at the Vodeo Games video game studio won formal recognition from management for their union. The bargaining unit includes both full-time employees and contracted workers and is the first certified video game studio union in North America. This effort is part of CODE-CWA’s successful campaign to support worker organizing and collective action within the video game and tech industry.

CWA Member-Created Games for Your Holiday Shopping

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Got a game lover on your holiday shopping list? Consider giving them a game created by CWA members!

Beast Breaker, made by CWA members at Vodeo who just successfully became the first union-represented video game workers in North America, is available on NintendoSwitch, Mac and PC. According to the company’s description, the game “combines pinball physics with tactical decision making and careful resource management," in Vodeo Games' signature "cozy-crunchy" style.

For the table-top games/role playing enthusiast on your list, consider products from the popular Pathfinder and Starfinder series produced by the newly organized CWA members at Paiso Inc. (paizo.com/store).

At a time when information about employee abuse, discrimination, and deplorable working conditions is coming to light at major game studios, supporting worker organizing in the industry is more important than ever. Choosing games created by game workers who have won a voice at work with CWA is one way to do that!

CWA Member-created Games
A screenshot from video game Beast Breaker, a product of CWA-represented game studio Vodeo.

Bargaining Update

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New Jersey Child Care Workers

Last Monday, in-home child care providers, members of CWA Local 1037, ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the State of New Jersey, increasing their wages by as much as 64 percent. This is an unprecedented increase for this group of hardworking, committed, and educated workers in a notoriously low-wage child care industry. Over 98 percent of the members voted to approve this contract. This victory will have a positive impact on the entire child care industry in New Jersey and nationally.

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Wirecutter

On Tuesday, workers at Wirecutter, members of the NewsGuild of New York (TNG-CWA Local 31003), reached an agreement with the New York Times on a first contract after two years of bargaining and a five-day strike. Union members won immediate average wage increases of approximately $5,000, with the lowest paid members receiving a raise of more than 18%. These gains would not have been possible without the efforts of the workers who stood tall throughout a tough and long negotiation, including a five day strike from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

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VTDigger

Members of VTDigger Guild, Manchester Newspaper Guild (TNG-CWA Local 31167), have unanimously ratified their first collective bargaining agreement with the Vermont Journalism Trust, which operates the nonprofit digital news site. VTDigger is Vermont's largest newsroom. The contract guarantees minimum salaries and overtime pay, establishes consistent standards, rewards longevity, and continues to solidify the organization’s commitment to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion.

CWA Members Let Shoppers Know Which AT&T Stores are Naughty and Which are Nice

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Last weekend, CWA members visited dozens of AT&T third party dealer stores to inform customers about the advantages of shopping at company-owned, union-staffed stores. They distributed flyers directing shoppers to CWA’s online union-staffed AT&T store locator at cwa.org/attstore.

Click here to check out all of our great photos of our members in action at the stores!

Worker Power Update

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CWAers Win Sick Leave Rights for Aviation Workers

Last Friday, thanks to the efforts of CWAers, other labor activists, and community allies, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed HB 106 into law. The bill eliminates an unjust exemption that prevented aviation workers from utilizing sick leave to care for a family member or committed partner, rights that were granted to all other Illinois workers under the Illinois Sick Leave Act of 2017. In recent months, activists have called, emailed, and met with members of the legislature to encourage them to end the unjust exemption of aviation workers. We applaud our champions in the Illinois legislature for fighting for working families.

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Build Back Better

Last Thursday, CWA activists and leaders including Linda Hinton, CWA District 4 Vice President; Brenda Roberts, CWA District 7 Vice President; Lisa Bolton, Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President; and Margaret Cook, PHEW-CWA Vice President participated in a national phone bank to build support for the Build Back Better Act. This was the eighth Build Back Better phone bank in a row. Participants dialed over 4,000 households to call on Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to support the Build Back Better Act.

The Senate has yet to vote on the Build Back Better Act, a nearly $2 trillion, bipartisan spending package that will provide essential support to, and improve the lives of, working families across the country. CWAers will continue to put pressure on the Senate to enact this crucial legislation into law.

Build Back Better Phonebank
CWA activists participated in a national phone bank to build support for the Build Back Better Act.

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Freedom to Vote Act

The Senate has an opportunity to repair our political system and strengthen our democracy. S.1, The Freedom to Vote Act, is a bold and sweeping reform bill that will make it easier, not harder, to vote and get big money out of our democracy. Today, at 6pm ET/ 5pm CT/ 4pm MT/ 3pm PT, join fellow CWAers for a national phone bank and tell your Senators to support the Freedom to Vote Act. Click here to join the phone bank when it is time.

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Thanking Our Labor Champions

CWAers across the country have continued to visit Congressional offices to thank their representatives for supporting the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act. Click here to check out the great photos from these visits!

Continuing the Fight for the Safety and Job Security of Aviation Workers

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On Wednesday, AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in a hearing titled, “Oversight of the U.S. Airline Industry.” President Nelson highlighted the issue of combative passengers who are increasingly threatening the safety and security of aviation workers, both in the air and on the ground at airports. “Lately we have been punching bags. Flight Attendants and aviation workers are saying please make it stop,” said Nelson. She added, “we urge the Department of Justice to ensure the arrest and prosecution of disruptive passengers on the plane and in the airport. Failing to ensure consequences for passengers who prevent passenger service agents from doing their jobs by assaulting, intimidating, or threatening them on the ground only increases the likelihood of problems in the air, too.”

President Nelson also applauded the bipartisan efforts of the committee to enact the Payroll Support Program (PSP), which was designed to curb the severe impacts and disruptions to the U.S. airline industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and protect the airline workforce.

You can get involved in the fight to protect aviation workers on the job by sending an email to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to fully enforce the laws against assaulting aviation workers. Click here to take action.

Colorado Independent Drivers Participate in a Know Your Rights Panel

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Last Wednesday, the Colorado Independent Drivers United (CWA Local 7777) hosted a Know Your Rights webinar on Facebook Live with a panel of experts to talk about the rights of app-based drivers. The union is made up of rideshare, taxi, and limousine drivers who operate as independent contractors in Colorado. The discussion included the rights and legal standing of app-based drivers, how drivers can protect themselves in an accident, which government agencies oversee rideshare work and how to utilize them, and current efforts to fight back against rideshare companies’ illegal practices. Panelists included legal and industry experts as well as labor rights advocates such as Eric Leveridge, Strategic Researcher at Colorado Jobs With Justice and David Seligman, Esq., Executive Director of Towards Justice.

Flower and Chocolate Discounts for CWA Members

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For a limited time, your exclusive union member discount on all Teleflora flowers is 30%! Make the most of these big savings to make the holiday season merry for everyone on your Nice List. Offer ends December 25. Shop Now!

And More!

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CWA Applauds the Confirmation of Jessica Rosenworcel as FCC Chair