News

  • CWA Members Help Fellow Union Members Affected by COVID-19
    On Wednesday, CWA members from Local 6143 volunteered with the San Antonio Central Labor Council to give groceries to their fellow union members in San Antonio, Texas. The food drive was for union families that have faced layoffs and work shortages due to COVID-19. These roughly 150 families include custodial workers, hotel workers, bus drivers, and state workers across the San Antonio region. Contributions for the food came from CWA Local 6143, the San Antonio Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and other local unions. — Jul 30
  • CWA Activists Gear Up for November Elections
    CWA's political activists have been engaging in an intensive series of Zoom video trainings to gear up for the November elections! About 25 activists from across the country have participated in these sessions to grow their skills to elect Joe Biden as President, elect a pro-worker Senate, and keep a pro-worker majority in the House of Representatives. Trainings have included:
    • Social Change in Moments of Crisis, a 10-week series covering the history of the last 100 years, from working class victories through their rollback at the hands of the 1%. Participants also discussed this current moment of social crisis to better understand the political fight ahead.
    • The Power Building School, an intensive 5-week skills training that covered volunteer recruitment during a pandemic, vote by mail, advanced digital media, political messaging, and more.
    • The boot camp political activist train-the-trainer, a 3-week program that teaches activists how to run the successful CWA political boot camp training program virtually.
    CWA's political activists have been participating in Zoom video trainings to gear up for the November elections!     — Jul 30
  • CWA, AFL-CIO, AFT, Teamsters, SEIU, and USW Issue Statement Condemning Duterte Expansion of Power to Arrest and Detain Critics in the Philippines
    WASHINGTON, DC — The Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and United Steelworkers (USW) issued the following statement calling on the Philippine government under Rodrigo Duterte to rescind the newly-signed Anti-Terror Law (ATL): “The Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and United Steelworkers (USW) are teaming up to condemn Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s newly signed law, which went into effect on July 18th." “The new law gives a body hand-picked by President Duterte to declare any organization a ‘terrorist entity’ and expands the powers of security forces to intimidate, surveil, arrest and detain members or supporters of those organizations and those they deem to be terror suspects.” “This new law comes as the Duterte Administration has been aggressively attempting to silence independent media outlets in recent months. Recently, a leading independent journalist in the country and one of the recipients of the 2018 Time Magazine Person of the Year was convicted of ‘cyber libel.’  Last month, Duterte shut down the country’s largest broadcast network for being critical of his administration.”  “Duterte is using every fascist trick in the book to silence his critics, and we have seen an alarming escalation of these tactics during the pandemic. His government has a long history of using raids, arrests, and violent attacks in an attempt to silence and intimidate political opponents.  Prominent amongst the targets are union leaders and brave union and progressive organizers who are seeking to improve the lives and conditions of Filipino workers, as well as the workers themselves who are attempting to exercise their fundamental rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining. People like Anne Kruger, an activist working to organize workers in call centers serving US corporations, Coca-Cola workers struggling to unionize at a bottling plant, or one of the many Labor leaders assassinated in targeted killings documented by the ILO and the UN were at risk before this legislation was enacted and this step puts their work and livelihoods in danger.” “We strongly urge the Government of the Philippines to rescind this new ‘anti-terrorism’ law, which is yet another tool for Duterte to silence political opposition and end the Armed Forces of the Philippines ‘red tagging’ efforts targeting union leaders, labor organizers, and all human rights defenders for arrests and targeted assassinations. Considering the military and police forces complicit involvement in these repressive and murderous actions, we demand that Members of Congress review the U.S. taxpayer funded military aid which is used in these human rights violations and that Congress consider and pass the Philippines Human Rights Act which would deny U.S. taxpayer money in the form of military aid to the Philippines until the armed forces and police stop engaging in the suppression of the human rights of all citizens of the Philippines. Also, we urge US corporations profiting off this blatant abuse of fundamental human rights to join us in condemning these actions by Duterte and the Philippines military.” The Anti-Terror Act (Republic Act No. 11479) was signed into law by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on July 3, giving the government broad discretion to label critics of the government as terrorists given the law’s vague definition of terrorism. The provisions of the new law include wiretapping without notice, arrest without warrant, and detention for up to 24 days, which goes beyond the limit prescribed by the Philippine Constitution. The law has been met with widespread opposition in the Philippines and across the world, including from the United Nations High Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet. The legislation gives Duterte’s security forces the power to intimidate peaceful protesters by surveilling, arresting and detaining them without due process — which he did immediately after signing the bill into law. A group of activists protesting the signing of the law were accused by soldiers of being part of the Communist Party of the Philippines and were then violently dispersed by police and military forces. Eleven of them have been detained without charges. This new law comes as the Duterte Administration has been aggressively attempting to silence independent media outlets. Recently, a leading independent journalist in the country and one of the recipients of the 2018 Time Magazine Person of the Year was convicted of “cyber libel.”  Last month, Duterte shut down the country’s largest broadcast network for being critical of his administration. — Jul 30
  • Aviation Labor Leaders Applaud Bipartisan Majority Push for Extension of Payroll Support Program
    Washington, DC – Leaders of the Air Line Pilots Association, Allied Pilots Association, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Association of Professional Flight Attendants, Communications Workers of America, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, Transport Workers Union, and Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issue this joint statement applauding 223 bipartisan members of Congress for calling for an extension of the CARES Act Payroll Support Program (PSP) through March 31, 2021. The program, which allocated grants to commercial airlines and airline contractors for the exclusive purpose of keeping employees on payroll with wages and benefits, is set to expire September 30, 2020: “We applaud Reps. Peter DeFazio, Brian Fitzpatrick, Rick Larsen, John Katko, Sharice Davids, Karen Bass, Rodney Davis, and 216 of their colleagues for recognizing the severity of the crisis we face and fighting for the health and welfare of America’s frontline aviation workforce." “Airline industry employment, and the collective skill set and knowledge base held by aviation workers, cannot simply be put back together overnight. As airlines continue to struggle amid the COVID-19 crisis, and demand for air travel remains significantly below last year’s levels, an extension of the PSP jobs program is necessary to avoid massive layoffs in this industry. Without an extension of this program, tens of thousands of aviation workers could find themselves on the unemployment line this fall, causing potentially catastrophic consequences to this industry and our broader economy." “By extending PSP grants, Congress has the power to ensure airline workers will continue to stay on payroll with benefits, prevent mass unemployment in October, and keep aviation workers ready to turn the industry around once this crisis is behind us.” ALPA, APA, AFA-CWA, APFA, CWA, IAM, IBT, NATCA, NJASAP, PASS, SWAPA, TWU, and TTD collectively represent hundreds of thousands of aviation professionals, including aircraft cabin crews, ground crews, ticket and gate agents, aircraft cabin cleaners, pilots, and more. Press contacts:Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA): David Weaver, [email protected]Allied Pilots Association (APA): Gregg Overman, [email protected]Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA): Taylor Garland, [email protected]Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA): Paul Hartshorn, [email protected]Communications Workers of America (CWA): Amy Fetherolf, [email protected]International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM): James Carlson, [email protected]International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT): Galen Munroe, [email protected]National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA): Doug Church, [email protected]NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP): Coley George, [email protected]Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS): Elizabeth Doherty, [email protected]Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA): Chip Hancock, [email protected]Transport Workers Union (TWU): Denise Romano, [email protected]Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD): Jonna Huseman, [email protected] — Jul 28
  • CWAers Participate in National Strike/Day of Action for Black Lives
    On Monday, CWAers across the country participated in a National Strike/Day of Action for Black Lives along with other union members at SEIU, the Teamsters, AFT, and community-based organizations, demanding that bosses and elected officials address the systemic racism that drives economic inequality in this country. Workers are demanding guaranteed sick pay, affordable health care, strengthened health and safety protections for essential workers, and stronger organizing rights for all workers. "At CWA, we know that statements in support of our Black colleagues and Black lives are not enough to dismantle the centuries of racism that have shaped our society and our workplaces," said CWA President Chris Shelton. "We are taking real action, educating all of our members on the importance of this movement and the harsh realities that so many of their Black co-workers face each and every day, and demanding the same from our employers. As this pandemic continues to disproportionately affect our Black colleagues and other communities of color, we are ensuring all members understand that an injury to one is an injury to all." In Memphis, workers held an action to call out AT&T for its contradictory statements in support of Black Lives Matter while the company has failed to protect workers of color from COVID-19. "Our actions here in Memphis are part of a much larger movement to ensure that Black workers are supported and uplifted on the job at AT&T and everywhere else," said Randall LaPlante, and Executive Board member of CWA Local 3806 in Memphis, Tenn. "AT&T continues to spend thousands on ads that portray it as a leader supporting the movement despite its failure to institute policies that protect Black workers. Their lack of action is a disgrace, and we’re here to expose the company for its hypocrisy and demand better from leadership." CWAers across the country participated in a National Strike/Day of Action for Black Lives to demand that bosses and elected officials address the systemic racism that drives economic inequality in this country. — Jul 23