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IBEW & CWA UNITE EFFORTS AT COMCAST
"Our strategic plan is rooted in common sense, in
the proven, battle-tested theory that labor is
stronger when we work in solidarity. As Comcast rips
off consumers and taxpayers across our nation, they
have handed us a golden opportunity to link our
struggle for justice and safety on the job with
their customer’s right to quality service. Our
potential allies number in the millions." --
President Ed Hill, IBEW
Predators are in trouble when their victims unite.
July 14, 2004 will forever mean trouble for Comcast, a
leading foe of telecommunications unions and of
quality-conscious consumers. On that day, Edwin Hill,
President of the IBEW and Morton Bahr, President of the
Communications Workers of America (CWA) will host a
conference call of organizers across the nation to boost
their joint efforts to force Comcast to live by the rules of
corporate responsibility. The Comcast campaign, marking an
important step into the difficult frontier of cable
organizing, targets 50 cities, covering 9 IBEW districts.
COMCAST--ANTI-UNION AND ANTI-CONSUMER
When Comcast acquired AT&T Broadband in 2003, Comcast
Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and his father, the company’s
founder, Ralph Roberts, also took over direction of workers
in different towns and cities who were members of the either
the Communications Workers of America (CWA) or the IBEW.
As owners, they had two choices. They could recognize and
respect the worker’s unions and their right to organize. Or
they could play hardball and declare war on workers who
believe that justice on the job is the cornerstone of
balanced labor relations and successful companies. Brian and
Ralph Roberts declared war.
They delayed contract negotiations, fired pro-union
workers and eventually succeeded in de-certifying 16 out of
22 bargaining units. Currently the IBEW has contracts with
Comcast covering 13 bargaining units. In Chicago, IBEW Local
21 has been fighting for 4 years to negotiate a new
agreement.
As Comcast increased its market share, the company
leveraged city and county governments across the country
into one-sided "franchise agreements" that deny the
municipalities and their tax-payers of a fair share of
profits from the company’s growing array of technological
applications. Customer complaints have gone through the roof
as Comcast speeds up the pace of work, leaving homeowners
and workers in physical danger from ungrounded wires and
other violations of safety standards.
Read and circulate the excellent pamphlet, "No
Bargain-Comcast and the Future of Workers’ Rights in
Telecommunications" by American Rights At Work. (http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/resources/resources.cfm)
STRATEGIC CAMPAIGN AIMS TO WIN
There’s an old saying that "repression breeds
resistance." Comcast’s hostile acts have ignited worker
protests across the country and have been the catalyst for
the coordinated, strategic campaign by the CWA, the IBEW and
cable consumers of Comcast. The campaign will also target
Verizon Wireless, another firm that has resisted
unionization with blatantly illegal tactics.
Martha Pultar, Director of the Telecommunications
Department and Mary Bouffard, an International
Representative, recently assigned to the International
office, are leading IBEW efforts in the strategic campaign.
The unions have already achieved some impressive milestones:
The unions have called Comcast to task for the
company’s refusal to comply with Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) guidelines on making their files
available to the public. Union members who visited
Comcast’s office to request information discovered the
violations. The IBEW’s Martha Pultar and Debbie Goldman
from CWA, along with communications lawyer Joe Van
Eaton, met with Comcast attorneys, but Comcast was
unwilling to admit their guilt and pay damages. The FCC
has sent Comcast a notice of inquiry asking for more
information.
The unions encouraged members to attend the Comcast
Shareholders Meeting on May 26th. Kevin
Beallis, a member of IBEW Local 21, delivered a powerful
statement (www.cwacable.org/news.asp?ID=304
) to the shareholders, accompanied by 100 members of
CWA Local 13000 in red shirts. The unions joined a
lively debate and vote on a proposal for a "one-share,
one-vote" provision for corporate governance.
CWA and IBEW Participated in the June 2nd
Jobs With Justice first National Workers Rights Board
hearing in Washington, D.C. The Board heard testimony
from workers at Comcast and Wackenhut Security. The
report is available at
www.jwj.org.
The CWA won a hard-fought Comcast organizing campaign
in Pittsburgh on June 16th. They credit
Senator John J. Kerry, Democratic presidential
candidate, for his support. Kerry sent a letter to
Comcast CEO Roberts, pledging his support for their
organizing efforts. (www.comcastwatch.com/workplace/kerry_10-10-03.pdf)
Strategic campaigners are showing a hard-hitting
slide show on the cable industry at city and county
council meetings in areas where Comcast has, or is
trying to establish, franchise agreements. (
www.cwa-union.org/issues/telecom/cable/cable_industry_economics_files/frame.htm
)
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