Organizing Update

Maximus

On Monday, workers at Maximus, who are organizing with Call Center Workers United/CWA, announced the launch of a new solidarity fund to support their fight for better working conditions. The fund was launched with hundreds of thousands of dollars in initial pledges to aid workers at different Maximus call centers if they ever need to go on strike, without jeopardizing their housing or ability to cover critical expenses like medications.

Workers at two of Maximus’ largest call centers went on their first-ever strike on the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act in March to protest Maximus’s anti-union campaign and demand pay parity with other federal contractors. In May, workers at some sites staged a two-day strike to call for more affordable healthcare and higher wages. CWA members, other union members, and community allies, who have stood in solidarity with Maximus workers throughout their organizing campaign, are making individual contributions as a show of continued support. Click here to make a contribution and help strengthen the power of workers at Maximus.

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Verizon Wireless

Hannah Borstel, a Consultant at Verizon Express in Portland who is organizing with her co-workers to form a union with CWA, was the featured guest for 90.7 FM KBOO’s Labor Radio program. In the episode which aired on Monday, Hannah explained why she and her co-workers are organizing a union including the working conditions that led the workers to want to organize and fight back. During the interview, Hannah also highlighted how being part of the national wave of organizing among retail workers who face similar challenges has been inspiring for her and her co-workers to keep the fight going. Hannah ended her interview by calling on community members to support the workers’ organizing efforts and sharing the various ways they can do so through social media and other means.

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The Atlantic

Workers overseeing the tech infrastructure and business operations of The Atlantic announced they are forming a union with The NewsGuild of New York (TNG-CWA Local 31003). Their union covers 130 workers including data scientists, analysts, software engineers, product managers, project managers, assistants, designers, and employees of the in-house creative studio, sales and marketing department, and customer care department. Workers are calling for more equity and diversity in the workplace, fair compensation, and meaningful professional development and growth opportunities for employees, particularly junior staff. Workers are also calling for a stronger say in the company’s digital and revenue strategy, particularly when it comes to advertisers. The tech and business workers will be joining their colleagues on the editorial team, who won voluntary recognition and joined The NewsGuild-CWA in June 2021.

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Tender Claws

Workers at the Tender Claws game studio announced last week that they are forming the Tender Claws Human Union-CWA. All of the eligible workers have signed union authorization cards, and management has agreed to recognize TCHU-CWA.

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More Organizing Updates

Workers at the Everett Herald formed the Everett NewsGuild, part of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild (TNG-CWA Local 37082), to represent the newsroom workers at the Washington state publication.

Workers at Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center, who have been fighting for a voice on the job for themselves and their animal patients, voted last week to join CWA Local 1168.