Organizing Update

AT&T In Home Experts

Last week, a majority of AT&T In Home Expert (IHX) workers in Washington voted to join CWA. They join IHX workers in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, Nevada, and Arkansas in building power with hundreds of thousands of workers at AT&T to bargain for good jobs and strong contracts.

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Tower Climbers Union/CWA

Wireless tower technicians organizing to form a union with CWA released a powerful video describing the struggles faced by workers in the industry and calling on tower climbers, everywhere, to come together, join the union, and take action.

The video, featuring members of the Tower Climbers Union/CWA, provides a vivid window into the lives of tower climbers who take pride in the work they do connecting millions of Americans, but often have to make the difficult choice between risking their safety and lives or taking on jobs under dangerous conditions. The workers discuss the difficulties of living paycheck to paycheck while major carriers at the top, who farm out the work to subcontractors, reel in record level profits.

The video also features Kathy Pierce, a mother who courageously shares the story of her son, Chad, who fell 180 feet to his death after expressing his reservations about the climbing conditions. “They said he should have never been up there that day. There was ice on top of the tower. He thought he's gonna lose his job and that's why he climbed. The carrier didn't do anything. They said they weren't responsible,” shares Pierce. She adds, “I just hope that the tower climbers go union in the memory of my son.” Read more here.

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Integral Care (Austin-Travis County Mental Health Authority)

After organizing for a year and a half, 900 workers at Integral Care, the Austin-Travis County Mental Health Authority, won their fight to join CWA. Last Thursday, the Integral Care Board of Trustees voted to officially recognize the union. Workers were motivated to organize a union by key issues including staffing levels, pay, safety, and a voice on the job.

Despite management's attempts to weaken the union, the workers, led by a strong and incredibly hard-working organizing committee, actively organized their co-workers and leveraged their political power to successfully pressure agency leadership. Their success provides a blueprint for future organizing at similar agencies such as the Harris County Mental Health Authority.