U.S. House Opens the Door to Another Great Recession

Nearly eight years of high-stakes lobbying by the banking industry paid off this week when the U.S. House voted to dismantle regulations that pulled the country out of the Great Recession, put millions of Americans back to work and protected consumers from financial ruin.

NACTEL Offers Advancement Opportunities in Telecom

Are you looking to advance your career in the telecommunications industry?

Fighting for the Working Class:
Brother Paul Feeney Wins Massachusetts Primary

Boston Local 2222 member Paul Feeney won the Democratic primary on Sept. 19 in his special election bid for a seat in the Massachusetts State Senate. He’ll go on to face Republican Jacob Ventura and independent Joe Shortsleeve in the Oct. 17 general election.

‘Never Back Down:’ Friends, Allies Rally in N.Y. to Support Striking Members

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio made clear whose side they are on during a Sept. 18 rally: the 1,800 New York Local 3 members who have been on strike against Charter/Spectrum for six solid months. Both urged the company to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract that’s fair for working families.

Online Education Opportunity for Telecom Professionals

Staying up-to-date on industry trends is important in any job. For telecommunications professionals, the National Coalition for Telecommunications Education and Learning makes it virtually painless.

IBEW Telecom Grads: ‘At the Forefront of Industry Change’

Katie Fasting figured out when she was 4 years old that her mother had a college degree and her father didn’t.

After Nearly Five Months, Local 3 Continues Fight Against Company Trying to ‘Starve Us Back’

Donna Doherty has been a New York Local 3 member for 38 years. She’s worked for Charter/Spectrum and the companies that preceded it as the city’s cable television franchisee, serving as one of the first woman technicians on the job and advancing to foreman in the technical operations department.

‘Union Busting’ Charter Still Refusing to Negotiate Fair Contract with Local 3 Members

Three months into their strike against Charter/Spectrum, and even with public support from many local politicians and surveys that show the company is one of the most disliked in the country, New York Local 3 members find them

IBEW Brother Aims for Higher Office in Massachusetts

Paul Feeney is a little surprised to be a candidate for the Massachusetts State Senate.

IBEW Takes Member from ‘Broken’ to Independent and Honored

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has rescinded an Obama-era rule that allowed union safety experts to serve as employee representatives during OSHA inspections even if the workplace was nonunion.

After Two Months, New York Local Finally Gets Charter to Come to the Table

It took eight weeks and the help of a federal mediator, but negotiators for striking New York Local 3 members finally got a chance to sit down with Charter/Spectrum officials on May 23. 

IBEW Brother Vying for Seat in the Granite State Legislature

In New Hampshire, momentum is building for Kevin Cavanaugh, an alderman and assistant business manager for Manchester Local 2320 who is running in a special election for the state Senate.

IBEW Members Finish Work on World’s Most Powerful Telescope, send it to Texas to Prepare for 2018 Launch

After more than a decade of planning and construction –and watchful attempts at destruction—the most advanced space telescope in history left the hands of members of Baltimore Local 1501 May 7. 

IBEW Finds Labor Peace, Jobs for New Members in AT&T Deal

Long-term harmony between labor and management is difficult to come by in the tumultuous telecommunications industry. IBEW System Council T-3 has found it with one of the nation’s leading companies.

Senators Push Verizon to Negotiate Fairly

Nearly 40,000 IBEW and Communications Workers of America members employed by Verizon gained a powerful set of allies on Mar. 18 when 20 U.S. senators sent a letter to the company’s CEO urging him to put an end to the bargaining roadblock that has dragged on for nearly a year.

With Talks at a Standstill, New York Officials Step Up for Striking Charter Employees

New York Local 3 isn’t getting anywhere with Charter/Spectrum officials in its battle for a fair contract for striking workers. 

Local 3 Members Walk Picket Lines after Talks with Charter Cable Stall

New York Local 3 members employed by Charter/Spectrum Communications had worked under an expired agreement for nearly four years. 

NACTEL– Education is the Gateway to the Jobs of the Future; Virtual Open House Feb. 7

There is a constant demand for telecommunications workers but the best jobs –the ones that become careers-- are only open to people who understand the industry’s rapidly changing technology.

NACTEL: Teaching for the Future

Keeping up with the constantly changing telecommunications industry can easily be a full-time job. Luckily, IBEW members have the National Coalition for Telecommunications Education and Learning to help, and to offer up-to-date training.

IBEW Reaches Agreement with Frontier Communications

Frontier Communications and the IBEW announced agreements on Oct. 2 regarding the company’s planned $10.54 billion acquisition of Verizon’s wireline service in California, Florida and Texas.

First Contract Win for Comcast Sales Reps

Nearly two years ago, Kathy Smith heard from some Comcast direct sales representatives in south Florida that had reached out to the IBEW.

FairPoint, Unions Reach Tentative Agreement

After four months on strike, unions representing thousands of FairPoint Communications employees in New England announced Feb. 19 that they have reached a temporary agreement with the company.

PRESS RELEASE  February 9, 2015: IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill on Proposed Verizon/Frontier Sale

 

This Just In: PLAs Work

A special Massachusetts state commission recently confirmed what the IBEW has been saying for decades: project labor agreements work.

FairPoint Negotiations Continue

Allison Beck, acting director of the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, issued a statement behalf of FairPoint Communications, Inc., the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Communications Workers of America.

FairPoint, IBEW to Begin Federal Mediation

Union leaders representing employees at FairPoint Communications will join the company in talks with mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on Jan 4. in an effort to restart contract negotiations that stalled last October.

Maine Bands to Host Benefit Concert for FairPoint Strikers

Popular musical acts in Maine are teaming up with union activists to help raise money for FairPoint strikers this holiday season.

FairPoint, Unions Return to Mediation Talks

Hundreds of striking workers rallied in downtown Portland, Maine, on Nov. 8, just days before union negotiators and FairPoint executives are scheduled to restart mediation talks.

FairPoint Strikers Stand United

FairPoint Communications employees continue to man picket lines throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont as their strike against the company enters its first week.

New England FairPoint Members Strike

Nearly 2,000 employees of FairPoint Communications in Northern New England went on strike on Oct. 17. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Communication Workers of America, which represents FairPoint workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, cited the company’s unwillingness to bargain in good faith after management walked away from contract negotiations in late August.

FairPoint Walks Away from Bargaining Table

Unions representing nearly 2,000 employees at FairPoint Communications in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are accusing the company of violating labor law by walking away from the bargaining table Aug. 27.

Hundreds of FairPoint WorkersPicket in New England

On Aug. 12, hundreds of IBEW and CWA members staffed informational picket lines in New England, handing out leaflets to inform their communities how replacing union workers with out-of-state and foreign subcontractors would hurt telephone services and the financial health of local economies.

Fla. Comcast Sales Reps Unite for Better Conditions, Pay

More than 700 technicians working for Comcast across the U.S. enjoy better wages and a voice on the job, thanks to the collective bargaining agreements they have negotiated.

Maine Bill Will Protect Call Center Jobs

Less than 200 Maine residents earn their living catching lobsters. But nearly 20,000 state inhabitants work in call centers, like legendary retailer L.L. Bean’s, employing 2,000.

Maine Verizon Business Techs Join IBEW

Verizon Business technicians in Andover, Maine, voted overwhelmingly to join Augusta Local 2327 Dec. 11.