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Where to Begin In District 7 every member, Local Officer, and Staff Representative plays a role in building power for working families. Building power through organizing is the key to our success in every aspect of the Union; from Political Action to Community Coalition building, contract negotiations to everyday grievance processing; organizing is the cornerstone of creating the leverage necessary to be successful as a Labor Movement. By organizing workers into CWA, we ensure our futures by adding to our collective strength in the workplace. Sounds simple enough, but we have many challenges to overcome when deciding to join together with each other for positive change. One of those challenges is employers who don’t want the balance of power to shift to workers. They will do everything in their power to keep employees feeling like they will take care of their every need, like they are one big happy family, and there is no good that can come from joining together with each other. Now ask yourself this question: If it were really such a bad idea for workers to organize, why would employers try so hard to keep their employees from it? The fact is that the only chance American working families have at a better way of life is to join together with each other. By joining together with your co-workers and CWA we will have the power to earn a living wage, have a safe secure working environment, and a chance at a comfortable happy retirement. Not to mention affordable healthcare. How Do I Join Together With My Co-Workers?
The concerns about the workplace that are shared by employees are what we call “issues”. These issues are the driving force behind any organizing campaign. It is our job to identify the issues, agitate our co-workers around them, and make the connection between those issues and how forming a Union can help with those issues. Once issues are identified a committee of workers equal to 10% of the workforce must be formed in order to have one-on-one conversations with every worker to ascertain the level of support of forming a Union. This may take some time but this is the most crucial step in forming a Union. Without a group of workers committed to the organizing effort the Union will appear as “third party” or “outsiders”. Organizers can provide the tools, but workers must form their own Union in order to be successful.If you would like to find out more about how we can help you form a Union with CWA, contact a Local CWA Organizer in your area or contact the Denver District Office at (303) 770-2822. Or you can email District 7 Administrative Assistant to the Vice President, Kevin Mulligan at kmulligan@cwa-union.org. If you are a CWA Local and want to know how you can become involved in organizing contact your Staff Representative and they will give you all the information you need and connect you with an Organizing Coordinator.
Locals 7000, 7019, 7050, and 7077 in Arizona, and 7076 and 7911 in New Mexico are working together to identify opportunities to organize State and Local government entities. If you come across workers in the public sector with no voice on the job, please share your experience with CWA and encourage them to join with us to build power. In most cases your local municipality will have an ordinance, charter, or state law that provides organizing rights to Public Sector employees. To find out if your local municipality has such a law call Kevin Mulligan at the Denver District Office or email him at kmulligan@cwa-union.org. Arizona State Employee Alliance (ASEA) ASEA-CWA is an organization of Arizona State Workers in the Health Services Department and the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind. Currently there are about 500 members working to improve Arizona Government services and improve their standard of living. To learn more about ASEA visit http://www.cwa7019.org/ASEA CWA.htm
AT&T
AT&T Mobility (Formally Cingular) is the only unionized wireless company. At&t is a union friendly company that understands the value added when workers have an organization and a voice. In the last few years thousands of at&t Mobility workers have joined together with CWA for a voice on the job. If you work for at&t and you have not been contacted by a
CWA Organizer send an email or call today. All CWA members that have a chance
to talk to AT&T workers please encourage them to Join us and get names and phone
numbers. New Call Center in Davenport IA. In December 2007 a brand new AT&T Mobility center opened in Davenport, IA. Those workers are already hard at organizing to join the rest of AT&T in CWA. If you would like more information about the Davenport organizing effort please contact Kay Pence at (515) 278-5551 or email: mpence@cwa-union.org. AT&T LNS center in Denver CO. Last year the employees at the AT&T Local Network Services (LNS) center in Denver fell just short of obtaining the majority support needed to join CWA. The union organizers in the center never stopped organizing for a voice. This year they are very close to majority support in just one week of an effort to have the workforce sign a union card. When the majority is on record as wanting a voice with CWA they will have the chance to negotiate on their collective interests.
Although most Qwest employees are CWA members, there are over 3,000 in Qwest with no voice on the job. Currently we are working with the technicians that build and maintain Qwest’s vast fiber optic network and the Engineering departments. If you know Qwest workers that do not have a contract, encourage them to join us.
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Talk
to each other! Think about how often you actually talk with your co-workers?
Reason is because your boss wants it that way. If we talked to each other
regularly we would discover that we all share the same concerns about our work.
These common concerns are what Unions are all about. Through education and
empowerment we provide the tools necessary for workers to take a stand at work
and achieve real positive change. By building relationships with each other and
our community we strive to create an atmosphere where all working people can
provide a decent way of life for their families. 
Low
wages, poor benefits and job security in a bad economy were major
factors in the organizing victory by parking lot attendants at
WallyPark, an airport parking lot near Denver International Airport.
The workers also wanted a union so they would be treated with
dignity and respect. More than 70 percent are immigrants and faced
unfair treatment by their employer. Unity and a strong inside
organizing committee made the difference in blocking a nasty
anti-union campaign, and the vote for CWA representation was 32-11.
Workers were supported by District 7 organizing coordinator Al
Kogler and Local 7717 President, Tommy Costello. 
CWA
District 7 Organizing Coordinator Al Kogler reports that 23 Budget
Shuttle Bus Drivers at Denver International Airport, voted 16 - 6
for CWA representation with one challenged ballot in an NLRB
election on 12/30. The primary issues were dignity & respect,
equity, and working conditions. 
CWA
District 7 Organizing Coordinator Brenda Roberts reports that CWA
Local 7906 won card check recognition for 39 Customer Service
Representatives in the former Edge Wireless Call Center in Bend,
Oregon. 
