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? 

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.  

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.  

Organize Your Workplace!

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)

Airline Industry  

In February 2008 AFA-CWA asked the National Mediations Board of the Federal Government to conduct a representational election for the Flight Attendants at Delta Airlines.  Delta Flight Attendants have been working for 2 decades to obtain a voice on the job.  An election should be held this spring.  Delta Flight Attendants work all over the country.  One of the largest domiciles is Salt Lake City in District 7.  CWA District 7 Organizers will be working hard to help AFA and the Delta Flight Attendants win a voice on the job. 

Communication Industry

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.

Remember – AT&T Mobility  is the only unionized wireless company so switch to AT&T.

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. 

April 2008 Valley Telephone Cooperative Voted Unanimously for Union Representation (Submitted by Mary Kay Pence, CWA Representative) In today's NLRB run election, the employees at Coon Valley Telephone Cooperative voted unanimously for union representation. Coon Valley Telephone Cooperative provides local telephone service, high speed internet service and cable television in Menlo, IA. and some surrounding communities. The employees were prepared for the anti-union campaign and actually felt some of the one-on-one meetings with the manager and members of the board were productive. The employees would like to have periodic meetings with the board written into their new contract. Previously the only way they could get the management to listed to their concerns was to threaten to quit. They are looking forward to having a voice at work and a binding contract. Davenport IA AT&T Mobility Workers Join CWA Card Signing Frenzy that Occurred as Workers Reported to Work on Monday the 14th. Today, April 21, 2008, the American Arbitration Association confirmed that the majority of the AT&T Mobility employees at the new Davenport Iowa call center asked to form a union with CWA. With that confirmation, they are certified and join our CWA family. The call center currently has approximately 200 employees and will grow to over 500 at full capacity. Rodney Blackwell, Vice President of Local 7110, Ananda Foster - an AT&T Mobility employee from Local 7901 in Portland and Staff Representative Kay Pence worked on the campaign. They helped build a strong inside committee of just 8 but the committee has been talking with their co-workers for weeks. On Monday, April 14th the committee began to sign their co-workers up to obtain card-check union recognition. Amazingly, in just 1 day, 70% signed up. Since that day, 18 more signed. This demonstrates how workers will form unions if today's anti-union corporate culture is checked by passing the Employee Free Choice Act. In inside organizing Committee included our new leaders: Rosa Wilsons; Donna Guthrie, Justin Schmittler, Freda Coons, Ashlie Timms, Tony Steckman and Rayshanetta Goodlet.  The Davenport AT&T Organizing Committee - (left to right, front to back) Donna Guthrie, Ashlie Timms, Justin Schmittler, Annette Beebower, Freda Coons, Rayshanette Goodlet, Rosa Wilson, Tony Steckman Organizing Committee members Rosa Wilson, Donna Guthrie and Tony Steckman enjoy the overwhelming union support Committee leader explains the power of the union Senator Kerry and other elected leaders talk to VZB techs about organizing and certify that a majority have signed up. See the You-tube Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULxC44aFBnE .     For More information, please visit our National Organizing Web Site.