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Midwest - Unions
and Consumers
Battle Comcast
Truth Squad Exposes Comcast V.P. at Chicago Club Luncheon
Joe Stackhouse, Comcast's Senior Vice President, is a
man about town in Chicago. Lately, however his entourage has included
some angry union members who aren't cutting him any slack during his
public appearances. In Illinois and northwest Indiana, IBEW members
have teamed up with community organizations, religious groups and
consumer activists to open up Comcast's policies to public scrutiny.
On May 11,
Stackhouse was the guest speaker at a Chicago City Club luncheon held at
a local restaurant. As he arrived, he was greeted by a large inflatable
rat with his name scrawled across it, accompanied by IBEW
members and activists in the Comcast Truth Squad. They were joined by
members of the Chicago Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), UFCW, UNITE/HERE
and others.
Activists
handed out copies of No Bargain-Comcast and the Future of Workers'
Rights in Telecommunications, a hard-hitting study and
analysis compiled by the American Rights at Work organization to
arriving guests. (LINKS)
The restaurant offered Stackhouse no refuge. IBEW members and others,
who had purchased tickets to the luncheon, rose to ask him, during
question and answers , why a large rat was outside the building with his
name on it. An observer says that Stackhouse turned "candy-apple red" as his
picture was taken by media photographers with demonstrators providing
the backdrop.
Comcast's Captive
Audience Meeting Goes Awry in Indiana
On May 18,
Comcast called a meeting for workers in the company's southern region at
U.S. Steel Stadium in Gary, Indiana. As Vice President Joe Stackhouse
rose to address the gathering of organized and unorganized Comcast
workers, he was once again greeted by an inflatable rat. In this
captive audience meeting gone awry, non-union employees could be seen
laughing at the rat, taking its picture and applauding the IBEW truth
squad.
The president
of the Northwest Indiana Federation of Labor stopped by to offer the
support of union members across northwest Indiana to Comcast workers.
Joe
Stackhouse came unglued. He assigned one of his subordinates to call
IBEW Business Representative Jerry Rankins, to ask him "what he was
trying to accomplish." Local 21 President Ron Kastner heard the
question and wondered out loud whether Comcast still isn't getting the
message from the troops: WE WANT A FAIR CONTRACT AND WE WANT IT NOW!
Comcast Rolls Out New Products--Unions Roll Out Workers Rights Coffin
On May 26,
Comcast rolled a large truck, outfitted with the latest
telecommunications technologies, into the parking lot of its
Merrillville, Indiana, facility to demonstrate new services to the
surrounding community. A local radio station broadcast live from the
site.
The
telecommunications giant was upstaged once again as members of the IBEW
Truth Squad, accompanied by members of the Northwest Indiana Federation
of Labor carried a "Workers Rights Coffin." They spread the message that
Comcast employees' wages are well below the industry standard, despite
rate increases at three times the rate of inflation by the company over
the last five years. Activists raised their voices to demand that
Comcast representatives answer for their banner, which read,
"Comcast--Focused On The Community." They chanted, "We're Fired Up and
We Won't Take It Anymore!"
Is Comcast
"focused on affordable health care and fair wages," a union speaker
asked, as working family supporters drove in cars decorated with signs
saying, "Comcast Does Not Care," beeping their horns.
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