Communications Workers of America
Encyclopedia
Communications Workers of America (CWA) is the largest communications and media labor union
in the United States
representing about 550,000 members in both the private and public sectors. The union has 27 locals in Canada
via CWA-SCA Canada (Syndicat des communications d’Amérique) representing about 8,000 members. CWA has several affiliated subsidiary labor unions bringing total membership to over 700,000. CWA is headquartered in Washington, DC, and affiliated with the AFL-CIO
, the Canadian Labour Congress
, and Union Network International
. The current president is Larry Cohen
, a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council.
. While initially successful at organizing, the union was damaged by a 1923 strike and subsequent AT&T
lockout. After AT&T installed company-controlled Employees' Committees, the Telephone Operators Department eventually disbanded. The CWA's roots lie in the 1938 reorganization of telephone workers into the National Federation of Telephone Workers after the Wagner Act outlawed such employees' committees or company unions . After losing a strike with AT&T in 1947, the federation led by Joseph A. Beirne, reorganized as CWA, a truly national union, which affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations
in 1949. CWA has continued to expand into areas beyond traditional telephone service. In 1994 the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians
merged with the CWA and became The Broadcasting and Cable Television
Workers Sector of the CWA, NABET-CWA. Since 1997, it includes The Newspaper Guild
, and since 2000 it includes Human Rights Watch
's support staff. In 2004, the Association of Flight Attendants
merged with CWA, and became formally known as the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, or AFA-CWA.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
representing about 550,000 members in both the private and public sectors. The union has 27 locals in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
via CWA-SCA Canada (Syndicat des communications d’Amérique) representing about 8,000 members. CWA has several affiliated subsidiary labor unions bringing total membership to over 700,000. CWA is headquartered in Washington, DC, and affiliated with the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
, the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
, and Union Network International
Union Network International
UNI Global Union is a global union federation for skills and services, gathering national and regional trade unions. It was launched on January 1, 2000. Its more than 900 affiliated unions in 140 countries have 20 million members...
. The current president is Larry Cohen
Larry Cohen (union leader)
Larry Cohen is president of the Communication Workers of America, a 700,000 member labor union representing workers in Canada and the United States...
, a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council.
History
In 1918 telephone operators organized under the Telephone Operators Department of the International Brotherhood of Electrical WorkersInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is a labor union which represents workers in the electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Panama and several Caribbean island nations; particularly electricians, or Inside Wiremen, in the construction industry and linemen and other...
. While initially successful at organizing, the union was damaged by a 1923 strike and subsequent AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
lockout. After AT&T installed company-controlled Employees' Committees, the Telephone Operators Department eventually disbanded. The CWA's roots lie in the 1938 reorganization of telephone workers into the National Federation of Telephone Workers after the Wagner Act outlawed such employees' committees or company unions . After losing a strike with AT&T in 1947, the federation led by Joseph A. Beirne, reorganized as CWA, a truly national union, which affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
in 1949. CWA has continued to expand into areas beyond traditional telephone service. In 1994 the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians
National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians
The National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians is a labor union representing employees in television, radio, film, and media production...
merged with the CWA and became The Broadcasting and Cable Television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
Workers Sector of the CWA, NABET-CWA. Since 1997, it includes The Newspaper Guild
Newspaper Guild
The Newspaper Guild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933 who noticed that unionized printers and truck drivers were making more money than they did...
, and since 2000 it includes Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
's support staff. In 2004, the Association of Flight Attendants
Association of Flight Attendants
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA is a union representing Flight Attendants in the United States. In 2011, AFA represents nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants at 24 airlines, making it the world's largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100% on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in...
merged with CWA, and became formally known as the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, or AFA-CWA.
Contracts and strikes
Following is a partial list of contracts and strikes that the Communications Workers of America were involved in:| Year | |Company | | Number of Members Affected | | Duration of Strike | | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Southern Bell Telephone Co. | 50,000 | 72 days | Strike was in answer to management's effort to prohibit workers from striking. |
| 1968 | AT&T AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services... |
200,000 | 18 days | Wage increases to compensate for cost of living, and medical benefits won |
| 1971 | Bell System Bell System The Bell System was the American Bell Telephone Company and then, subsequently, AT&T led system which provided telephone services to much of the United States and Canada from 1877 to 1984, at various times as a monopoly. In 1984, the company was broken up into separate companies, by a U.S... |
400,000 | 1 week | Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) won for workers |
| 1983 | Bell System Bell System The Bell System was the American Bell Telephone Company and then, subsequently, AT&T led system which provided telephone services to much of the United States and Canada from 1877 to 1984, at various times as a monopoly. In 1984, the company was broken up into separate companies, by a U.S... |
600,000 | 22 days | Last contract with the Bell System before its breakup. Bell System sought givebacks Givebacks Givebacks is a Trade union term for the reduction or elimination of previously won benefits.-History:1978: The first known publication of the term giveback in relation to organized labor negotiations was in the New York Times... . The contract resulted in Wage increases, employment security, pension, and health improvements. |
| 1986 | AT&T AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services... |
175,000 | 25 days | COLA clause suspended in contract - former Bell System contracts vary substantially from the AT&T contract. |
| 1989 | AT&T AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services... |
175,000 | n/a | Child and elder care benefits added to contract. COLA clause removed from contract |
| 1989 | NYNEX NYNEX NYNEX Corporation was a telephone company that served five New England states as well as most of New York state, except the Rochester area, from 1984 through 1997.... |
175,000 | 17 weeks | Strike was due to major health care cuts by NYNEX |
| 1998 | US West US West U S WEST, Inc. was one of seven Regional Bell Operating Companies , created in 1983 under the Modification of Final Judgement , a case related to the antitrust breakup of AT&T... |
34,000 | 15 day | Strike was due to overtime demands and forced pay-for-performance plan |
| 2000 | Verizon | 80,000 | 3 weeks | Strike was due to overtime demands- provisions for stress were won. |
| 2011 | Verizon | 45,000 | 13 days | Strike was due to major wage and health care cuts by Verizon, a forced pay-for-performance plan and movement-of-work job security provisions. Contract extended. |
CWA Affiliates
- Association of Flight AttendantsAssociation of Flight AttendantsThe Association of Flight Attendants-CWA is a union representing Flight Attendants in the United States. In 2011, AFA represents nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants at 24 airlines, making it the world's largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100% on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in...
(AFA-CWA) represents over 55,000 flight attendantFlight attendantFlight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
s at 22 airlineAirlineAn airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
s. Established in 1945, it affiliated with the CWA in 2004. - International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers (IUE-CWA) represents over 45,000 manufacturing and industrial workers.
- The Newspaper Guild (TNG-CWA) represents over 34,000 mediaMass mediaMass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
workers at wire serviceWire ServiceWire Service is an American drama series that aired on ABC as part of its 1956-57 season lineup.-Synopsis:Wire Service focuses on three reporters for the fictional Trans-Globe wire service, which was similar to real-life news wire services such as the Associated Press and United Press International...
s, newspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, magazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s, and broadcast newsBroadcast journalismBroadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
. Established in 1933, it affiliated with the CWA in 1995. - National Association of Broadcast Employees and TechniciansNational Association of Broadcast Employees and TechniciansThe National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians is a labor union representing employees in television, radio, film, and media production...
(NABET-CWA) represents over 10,000 workers employed in the broadcasting, distributing, telecasting, recording, cable, video, sound recording and related industries. Established in 1934, it affiliated with the CWA in 1994. - National Coalition of Public Safety Officers (NCPSO-CWA) represents over 16,000 municipal police, correctional officers, emergency medical servicesEmergency medical servicesEmergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
(EMS) workers, communications dispatcherDispatcherDispatchers are communications personnel responsible for receiving and transmitting pure and reliable messages, tracking vehicles and equipment, and recording other important information...
s, probation officerProbation officerParole officers and probation officers play a role in criminal justice systems by supervising offenders released from incarceration or sentenced to non-custodial sanctions such as community service...
s, and firefighterFirefighterFirefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s. - CWA Public, Healthcare and Education Workers represents more than 140,000 workers including social workers, educators, and health care providers.
- Printing, Publishing and Media Workers Sector (PPMWS-CWA) represents over 8,000 workers in a diverse range of occupations in daily newspapers, commercial printing and mailing operations, and graphic design.
Further reading
- Bahr, Morton. From the Telegraph to the Internet: A 60 Year History of the CWA. Washington, D.C.: Welcome Rain Publishers, 1998. ISBN 1-56649-949-6
- Palladino, Grace. Dreams of Dignity, Workers of Vision: A History of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Washington, D.C.: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 1991.
- Schacht, John N. The Making of Telephone Unionism, 1920–1947. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1985. ISBN 0-8135-1136-4