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CWA Statement on House Passage of Build Back Better Act The passage of the Build Back Better Act by the House of Representatives puts us one step closer to providing working families with essential support they need as they continue to struggle with the effects of the pandemic. It will ease the burdens of the pandemic and help working families and retirees build a better future by expanding access to preschool and child care, extending the Child Tax Credit, instituting paid family and medical leave, allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, and much more. The Build Back Better Act will also empower workers to join together to improve their pay and working conditions by imposing substantial penalties on employers and executives who break the law by threatening and firing workers who speak up. It provides $350 million in additional funding for the National Labor Relations Board so that it can enforce the law. It begins to undo some of the damage of the corporate Tax Cut and Jobs Act by adding an above-the-line deduction for union dues, instituting a 15% corporate minimum tax, and instituting a global minimum tax to stop rewarding companies for shipping jobs and profits overseas. Additionally, it will apply a surcharge to corporate stock buybacks, curbing the diversion of funds from wages and investments in order to artificially inflate stock prices. We applaud President Biden and the House Democratic leadership for moving the Build Back Better Act forward, and urge the Senate to pass it without delay. ### — Nov 19
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CWA Applauds President Biden’s Executive Order Providing Additional Protections and Job Security for Workers Employed by Federal Contractors Today, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts, that provides protections for federal contract workers by requiring contracting agencies to keep qualified existing workers in their jobs and values the contributions of experienced federally-contracted workers. This is welcome news to the thousands of federal contract workers represented and supported by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), who perform essential services for the government and our communities. IUE-CWA, the manufacturing division of CWA, represents contract workers covered by the Service Contracts Act (SCA), who service military fighter jets and other aircrafts, support satellite operations, provide ID badge services, and are employed in a range of other service occupations for federal contractors. CWA also represents about 60,000 customer-service and call-center workers, and actively organizes with federally-contracted Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) to form unions and otherwise improve workplace standards in the industry. These workers provide essential services to our government, but without the benefits of being a government employee, and their contracts are plagued by instability and potential disruption. Contracts change hands as often as every 3-4 years, putting workers at constant risk of losing their jobs, and public programs losing their accumulated skills. President Biden’s Executive Order requires contractors to reduce turnover by keeping workers in their roles when taking over a contract from another organization. Furthermore, this new Executive Order builds on a previous Executive Order signed by President Obama and provides additional protections for workers including location continuity, which eliminates a loophole that existed in the previous Executive Order that allowed contracting agencies to replace workers from the predecessor contract by changing locations. This added protection provides job security and peace of mind for workers. Additionally, it will save taxpayer dollars and make federal procurement more efficient by reducing worker turnover and ensuring there will be a reliable supply of experienced and skilled federally-contracted employees. “I’ve worked for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services through multiple companies, and there are always questions about what will happen during those transitions,” said Annie Pelfrey, a Tier 2 Customer Service Representative at Maximus Federal Services' Winchester, Ky., call center. “Workers like me are counting on President Biden to ensure that this Executive Order applies to federal call center contracts like ours as quickly as possible so that we and our families can have peace of mind about the stability of our jobs going forward and we can focus on providing great customer service to Americans with questions about their healthcare.” “Despite dealing with difficult circumstances including low wages, job insecurity, harassment, discrimination, and more, federally-contracted workers have continued to provide services that are essential for our government to function. Taxpayers rely on the services these experienced and skilled workers provide. But for far too long, their fate has been determined by the contracting companies who seek to exploit them for more profits,” said CWA President Chris Shelton. “This Executive Order, the latest in a series of actions taken by the Biden-Harris Administration to protect workers, is a great step towards strengthening workers’ rights. We will continue to work with the Administration to ensure workers remain a priority.” ### About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields. cwa-union.org @cwaunion — Nov 18
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Organizing Update Politico and Essential Energy and Environment News (E&E News) Last Tuesday, workers at Politico and Essential Energy and Environment News (E&E News) won voluntary recognition a mere ten days after announcing the formation of the PEN Guild (TNG-CWA Local 32035). The workers attribute this win to their strategic and positive organizing campaign and the support of an overwhelming majority of the newsroom. The organizing committee members have begun informing their coworkers on the new rights and protections voluntary recognition brings and are eager to negotiate with the company for a first contract. Read more here. ### Point Park University Last Wednesday, full-time faculty at Point Park University, members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh (TNG-CWA Local 38061), ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement in a unanimous 72-0 vote. The three-year deal includes minimum salary increases, progressive yearly salary increases for all faculty over the course of the agreement, new policies on leave for the Juneteenth federal holiday and other religious observances, and the addition of paid time off for parental leave. The agreement also gives faculty a greater role in shared governance at the university, as well as more input into health and safety matters. Read more here. ### University of Florida On Monday, workers from the University of Florida (UF) gathered on campus to announce the launch of a new union, United Campus Workers of Florida (UCW-CWA of Florida). Other unions on campus are specific to faculty members and graduate assistants; this new union will be for UF staff and adjunct professors not included in the others. During the announcement, several staff members shared their stories of the challenges they face and low wages they receive and how they hope to change that with collective worker action. — Nov 18
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Bargaining Update New York Times On Tuesday, workers at the New York Times (NYT), members of the NewsGuild of New York (TNG-CWA Local 31003), rallied outside the NYT office in protest of management's anti-union tactics. The members are engaged in a fight with the New York Times that directly impacts three bargaining units (the newsroom, tech workers, and Wirecutter). Management is denying workers at Wirecutter a fair contract, slow-walking bargaining with Times Guild members over fair pay and safe working conditions, and fighting the union of hundreds of NYT tech workers. The three units are standing together with one clear message: Stop union busting. Respect our union. Despite sitting on almost $1 billion in cash, the company has only offered workers at Wirecutter an unacceptably low 0.5% annual salary increase. Wirecutter Union members, who have been bargaining for their first contract for two years, have organized a job action set to begin on Black Friday and continue through Cyber Monday. They’re calling on supporters to honor their “digital picket line” and stop shopping through Wirecutter if a deal isn’t reached before then. Click here to learn more and pledge your support. Members of three New York Times bargaining units and supporters protested against management's anti-union tactics outside the company’s offices. ### Frontier Connecticut Last week, Frontier workers in Connecticut, members of CWA Local 1298, held an informational picket calling on Frontier Communications to negotiate a new contract that includes job security, fair benefits, and access to the jobs of the future expanding Frontier’s network. Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) joined the picket in support of the workers, over 97% of whom have voted to authorize a strike if Frontier refuses to bargain a fair contract. Issues on the bargaining table include eliminating two-tier medical plans and two-tier work rules, getting a bridge to Medicare for retirees post expiration, and correcting the wage theft committed by the company to leverage sales reps. The workers are determined to keep mobilizing until their demands for a fair contract are met. CWA Local 1298 members held an informational picket to get their message out to the public and fight for a fair contract. ### ABC Last week, NABET-CWA’s Network Negotiating Committee participated in another round of negotiations with ABC. The bargaining committee pushed for enhanced benefits including expanded sick leave, child bonding leave, bereavement leave, paid jury duty leave, and extending payments in lieu of vacation to all daily hires. In addition, the union and the company came to a tentative agreement to add four new covered platforms (ESPN+, ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, and SECN+) into the Sports Event Agreement. Bargaining will resume on January 10th with sessions in Los Angeles. — Nov 18
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Worker Power Update Build Back Better Act CWA activists have been mobilizing to ensure the passage of the Build Back Better Act. Last Wednesday, members of CWA Local 1104 and other coalition partners rallied in front of Congresswoman Kathleen Rice’s (D-N.Y.) office calling on the congresswoman to stand with workers and support the Build Back Better Act. Today at 6pm ET/ 5pm CT/ 4pm MT/ 3pm PT we'll be hosting a phone bank to contact the handful of House Democrats who are attempting to weaken the bill and slow its passage. Click here to join and tell these members of Congress that working people and retirees can’t afford to wait any longer for affordable child care, lower prescription drug prices, and protections when they speak out at work to improve their wages and working conditions. — Nov 18