NEWSLETTER
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- UPTE-CWA Members Win Remote Work Concessions
- CWA Members Help Tornado Survivors
- Trump Administration Fires 220 CWA Crisis Counselors
- CWA Recognized as Global Leader at UNI Conference
- CWA Represents at Broadband Communities Summit
- AFA-CWA Reacts to Delta Payroll Settlement
- And More…
UPTE-CWA Members Win Remote Work Concessions
After months of negotiations and several one-day strikes, UPTE-CWA Local 9119 members have secured a deal with the University of California San Diego (UCSD) that extends the current remote work (telehealth) policy until October 2025. This will give workers crucial time to make family or childcare adjustments and save money on transportation, easing the transition back to the office.
Members also won the ability to stay fully remote if they live outside the recall zone, to have disputes go through the formal grievance process, to work remotely up to three days out of the week on a hybrid schedule, and for affected workers to receive 30 days’ notice of any changes to the remote or hybrid work agreements.
“Telehealth increases patient access to care, particularly in places where a clinic isn’t nearby,” said UPTE-CWA UCSD Chapter Co-Chair and Counseling Psychologist Michael McGlenn. “Furthermore, workers are increasingly wanting flexibility in their lives as they’re balancing multiple responsibilities. Preserving the ability to provide remote work when feasible is good for staff recruitment and retention. It felt good fighting to preserve a work arrangement that keeps my colleagues at UCSD and protects patient care access.
“We need to continue fighting to enshrine remote work as a right and not simply an exception, as the University claims.”
UPTE-CWA members also successfully fought recent layoffs at UCSD. They are continuing to bargain with the University of California for a fair contract, safe staffing, and better care for patients.
UPTE-CWA UCSD Chapter Co-Chair Michael McGlenn (right) helped negotiate a deal with the University to safeguard remote work for members.
CWA Members Help Tornado Survivors
Earlier this month, members of CWA Local 6300 and the CWA Human Rights Department’s National Women’s Committee sprang to the aid of St. Louis tornado victims. On May 16, an EF3 tornado left a path of destruction 20 miles long through the mostly urban areas of Greater St. Louis, Greater Ville, and Fountain Park, Missouri. An estimate by city officials put the total damage at $1.6 billion, and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called it the worst tornado since Joplin, Mo., in 2011.
In less than three weeks, members collected and distributed over 34,000 items to CWA members and their families, including essential supplies like toiletries, diapers, baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, over 100 cases of bottled water, laundry supplies, and rain ponchos. Contributions poured in from across CWA thanks to efforts by members, District vice presidents, Local presidents, and supporters.
Pictured, left to right: CWA Local 6300 Vice President Frank “Hollywood” Brown, CWA Local 6300 President Floyd Bell Jr., CWA Human Rights Department Campaign Lead Mikeya Jones, CWA Local 6300 Vice President Michael Songer, and CWA Local 6300 Chief Steward Ronald Munford assisted members in collecting and distributing over 34,000 items to tornado victims in the St. Louis, Mo., area.
Trump Administration Fires 220 CWA Crisis Counselors
CWA Local 1180 members picket at Trump Tower to protest the firing of 220 CWA members and the defunding of the 988 LGBTQ+ crisis hotline.
More than 220 CWA members were laid off last week as a direct result of the Trump administration’s decision to defund the 988 “Press 3” LGBTQ+ youth crisis line that provides specialized services to vulnerable youth at high risk for suicide.
When LGBTQ+ young people in crisis call or text 988, they are connected to counselors who are trained to address their unique needs. Over the past three years, the 988 LGBTQ+ program has assisted over 1.3 million young people. Workers at the Trevor Project, represented by CWA Local 1180, handle nearly half of those contacts.
“As a collective, we are devastated by Trump cutting the LGBTQ+ youth line,” said Jack Hanson, a 988 Lifeline Crisis Counselor and member of CWA Local 1180. “This executive action serves as a death sentence to many in this demographic. Despite the line closure, we will always be dedicated to protecting this population.”
CWA members have been fighting back, demanding the restoration of funding for the crisis line. CWA Local 1180 picketed at Trump Tower last week and led a rally that united union activists and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“As someone who’s been open about my own mental health struggles, I know firsthand what it means to feel like you’re out of options,” said Brita Filter, a popular drag performer and activist, in support of CWA Local 1180 members. “For LGBTQ+ youth—who are already four times more likely to attempt suicide—this lifeline is the option. Cutting it is not just a policy decision; it’s a death sentence. We should be expanding access to care, not ripping it away from the people who need it most.”
CWA Recognized as Global Leader at UNI Conference
Earlier this month, CWA leaders, including Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos and CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce, presented information at the regional conference of the UNI Americas: Information, Communications, Technology, and Related Services sector in Bogotá, Colombia. The unions in attendance represent telecommunications and technology workers from countries across the Western Hemisphere.
CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton, CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase, and Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton also attended the conference. They took part in conversations concerning the health and safety of call center workers, joint solidarity actions, and the rise of artificial intelligence.
Chief of Staff Ramos gave a presentation on CWA’s A.I. Principles, bargaining efforts, and specific language from contracts regarding worker protections from unethical implementation of the burgeoning technology.
Vice President Arce, chair of the CWA Executive Board Organizing Committee, gave a presentation on the great organizing work being done by CWA in the tech sector, especially at Microsoft and in the video game industry. CWA was recognized as a global leader for its efforts in helping these workers to organize into unions.
In recognition of the shared threats workers face from the unethical use of new technologies and the coordination happening between employers on a global scale, attendees adopted a 4-year strategic plan to organize more workers in the telecommunications and technology sectors in the Americas. CWA leaders also met with unions representing workers at international telecommunications corporations like Teleperformance, where U.S. workers are demanding that the company respect their right to join a union.
Above: CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce gave a presentation on the organizing work happening in the tech, gaming, and digital sector and the UNI Global Conference in Bogotá, Colombia.
Below: CWA Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos presented findings and best practices on the ethical use and regulation of artificial intelligence.
CWA Represents at Broadband Communities Summit
On June 25, CWA District 9 Staff Representative Kenny Williams, who coordinates our broadband apprenticeship programs in California, participated in a panel discussion on the topic “Investing in Education” at the Broadband Communities Summit (BCS) in Houston, Texas. The BCS provides a forum for community leaders, network infrastructure builders, and telecommunications service providers to formulate solutions to ongoing connectivity issues across the country.
During the panel discussion, Williams highlighted the work CWA is doing to train and develop individuals seeking a career in broadband, our partnerships with companies in the broadband industry, and OSHA safety standards.
AFA-CWA Reacts to Delta Payroll Settlement
Last week, Delta Air Lines agreed to pay an $8.1 million settlement to resolve allegations that it violated the agreements of the Payroll Support Program (PSP)—the Workers First COVID relief program that continued paychecks for aviation workers while capping executive compensation.
The PSP, designed and championed by AFA-CWA and unions across the aviation industry, created a first-of-its-kind, worker-oriented relief plan. The plan worked as intended, pushing funds to aviation workers, preventing layoffs, and staving off an industry-wide collapse. Additionally, the PSP capped executive pay well after the relief period ended, banned stock buybacks, and provided true oversight and accountability for airlines.
Delta Air Lines encountered significant turbulence after a whistleblower brought allegations of Delta executives using PSP funds, intended for workers, to pay themselves.
“The accountability we are seeing today could not have been possible without the career workers and watchdogs at the Department of Treasury, who enforced the PSP, the most successful worker-first relief program in our nation’s history,” wrote AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson in a statement. “A key takeaway today is that a thriving, fair economy and democracy depend on unions and government oversight that puts corporate greed in check.”
And More…
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