Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Striking CWA workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette launched the “Today in Pittsburgh Labor” radio show this week. The first episode aired on Sunday, March 19, on KDKA Radio (1020 AM/100.1 FM) and the show will continue to air on Sundays at 11pm ET. The show, which is hosted by J-Doc and Joe Krause, explores the state of labor unions in the Pittsburgh area and features union leaders from across the community with an inside look at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers’ strike. Upcoming episodes will follow the progress of the Post-Gazette strike and feature the voices of supporters, including elected officials and members of the business community. Journalists from the Pittsburgh Union Progress, the striking workers’ publication, will highlight stories they are covering, and leaders and members from other Pittsburgh-area unions will join “Today in Pittsburgh Labor” to discuss the issues facing working families in the region.

You can listen to the first episode of “Today in Pittsburgh Labor” here.

Florida CWAers Mobilize to Defeat Anti-Worker Legislation

CWA activists in Florida have been working hard to stop SB 256, anti-worker legislation which is designed to circumvent the Florida constitution and destroy Floridians’ right to be union members. The bill targets Florida's public sector unions by banning paycheck dues deduction and decertifying locals below 60 percent membership. Last Thursday, CWA members joined over 100 union activists to speak out against the bill during a committee hearing in the state legislature. On Tuesday, CWAers and other union activists participated in a day of action at the state capitol in Tallahassee and Miami to call on state lawmakers to vote against this harmful bill. The CWA activists are committed to continuing to mobilize along with other labor partners to defeat this bill and hold their state representatives accountable.

CWA activists participated in a day of action in Florida as part of their mobilization to defeat SB 256, anti-worker legislation which is designed to weaken unions and destroy Floridians’ right to be union members.

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CWAers in Minnesota Build Support for Pro-Worker Legislation That Will Ban Mandatory Anti-Union Meetings

CWA and other labor partners, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Minnesota, are mobilizing to build support for new legislation that will ban mandatory anti-union “captive audience” meetings that employers use to prevent workers from forming unions. The legislation, which makes it illegal to retaliate against workers who decline to participate in these meetings that are designed to intimidate workers and weaken their organizing efforts, is co-sponsored by State Representative and AFA-CWA Local 27048 member Kaela Berg, who is a staunch advocate of workers’ rights in the state legislature.

“[W]e were subject to numerous tactics by our employer to try and divide our united group and scare our colleagues. As an open committee member, I expected and experienced hostile management and retaliation. But the captive audience meetings, billed as ‘programming meetings’, was where this was turned onto every employee in our unit right before the vote,” said Michaela Arellano, a worker and organizing committee member at M Health Fairview who testified in support of the bill at a committee hearing last Tuesday. Arellano and her colleagues are organizing to form a union at their workplace with support from CWA and SEIU. In lieu of national legislation to ban captive audience meetings, advancing such legislation on the state level will have a significant impact in curbing anti-union tactics and increase workers’ ability to organize freely.

Michaela Arellano, a worker and organizing committee member at M Health Fairview, testified at the Minnesota State Capitol in support of legislation to ban mandatory anti-union “captive audience” meetings.

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CWAers Build Support for Pro-Worker Candidates in Upcoming Local Elections

In Wisconsin, the election for the open Supreme Court seat is coming up fast on April 7. CWA members, along with a coalition of other pro-labor and pro-democracy activists, are continuing to mobilize to build support for Judge Janet Protasiewicz​, a CWA-endorsed candidate who won her primary election last month. This is a critical election that will determine how the court will rule on issues like worker protections, voting rights, and even how legislative district maps are drawn. Every vote counts to fight back against the anti-labor groups who are spending millions of dollars on this race. Click here to register for upcoming phone banking opportunities and to help turn out the vote.

In Chicago, CWA members are mobilizing to build support for mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, who recently received CWA’s official endorsement ahead of the election on April 4. Johnson is an experienced union organizer, teacher, and county commissioner with a proven track record of supporting workers and communities over corporations. He supports making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share in taxes and is committed to fight for good jobs, fully funded public schools, affordable housing, public transit, and more.

CWA Secretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens joined Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Secretary Treasurer Elissa McBride, and other speakers at a workers’ rights forum hosted by the Workers’ Rights Institute of Georgetown Law as part of Labor Spring 2023, a nationwide series of more than 60 labor teach-ins and events on campuses and in communities nationwide.

Union leaders, organizers, lawmakers, and union member activists discussed workers’ rights and labor law in this moment of sweeping organizing and activity among the nation’s working people, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Participants learned about how already vulnerable workers (especially workers of color) have been made more vulnerable since the pandemic through inadequate wages and safety protections, abusive monitoring causing a proliferation of workplace injuries, surveillance of union activity, unlawful termination, and laws and policies on captive audience speeches designed to coerce, intimidate, and silence of workers’ voices.

Learn more about Labor Spring at www.laborspring.org.

CWA’s new weekly radio show to highlight voices of Pittsburgh’s union workforce

“Today in Pittsburgh Labor” kicked off with an inside look at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strike, where workers have been off the job for over six months

PITTSBURGH - This weekend, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) launched “Today in Pittsburgh Labor,” a radio show airing in partnership with KDKA Radio. The show, which explores the state of labor unions in the Pittsburgh area and features union leaders from across the community, kicked off on Sunday, March 19, with an inside look at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers’ strike. One of the most important labor struggles happening in Pittsburgh today, the Post-Gazette strike shines a light on the broader issues across the labor movement and media industry. The strike started on October 6 after Post-Gazette owner Block Communications effectively cut workers’ healthcare and is now in its sixth month.

“Today in Pittsburgh Labor” is hosted by J-Doc and Joe Krause and airs on Sundays at 11pm ET on 1020 AM/100.1 FM. It comes as Pittsburgh sees a major uptick in union activity and calls for corporate accountability. You can listen to the first episode of “Today in Pittsburgh Labor” here.

“Pittsburgh has a long, proud history of worker activism, and this show will honor that by putting workers’ voices front and center,” said CWA District 2-13 Vice President Ed Mooney. “This is a community that supports workers rights, and our members at the Post-Gazette are proof of that. We’ve been on strike for over six months, and our friends, families, and elected officials in Pittsburgh have been there for us every step of the way. This city does not stand for corporate greed and the anti-worker behavior of companies like Block Communications, and we’re excited to be able to raise these important issues on this weekly show.”

CWA Locals 14842 and 14827 represent Post-Gazette production, distribution, advertising, and accounts receivable workers and The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, TNG-CWA Local 38061, represents journalists at the paper. Post-Gazette workers with Teamsters Local 205/211 and Pressmen’s Union GCC/IBT Local 24M/9N are also on strike. In addition to workers at the Post-Gazette, CWA represents Pittsburgh-area telecommunications, healthcare, higher education, advertising, passenger service, hospitality, brewing, and manufacturing workers.

"Unfortunately, the owners of the Post-Gazette, the Block family, aren't logical people,”
The NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss told “Today in Pittsburgh Labor.” “They would rather spend millions of dollars crushing workers who are just trying to support Pittsburgh with community news through the Post-Gazette website and through the newspaper, and the company would instead rather spend millions of dollars than settle for what would be tens of thousands of dollars to restore health insurance that’s affordable to all the workers in the production facilities and to go back to the contract that was negotiated by the workers in the newsroom three years ago.”

Future episodes will follow the progress of the Post-Gazette strike and feature the voices of supporters including elected officials and members of the business community. Journalists from the Pittsburgh Union Progress, the striking workers’ publication, will highlight stories they are covering, and leaders and members from other Pittsburgh-area unions will join “Today in Pittsburgh Labor” to discuss the issues facing working families in our region.

“The workers at the Post-Gazette have been on strike for months, I mean, these guys and gals have been out there standing up for a basic thing every worker in this country has earned, some dignity on the job, and they've gone more than 15 years without a pay raise,” Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17) told “Today in Pittsburgh Labor.” “I've been supporting those workers and standing with them. I had one of those folks, Hutchie VanLandingham, [was my guest] at [the] State of the Union address. I got him down in Washington a couple months back to take their fight to the national stage where I think they need more attention across the country, what's going on here in Western PA.”

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications,  customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org | @cwaunion

SEATTLE, Wash. — In a major victory for workers, Verizon Wireless has reached a settlement with Seattle-based retail worker Jesse Mason following the company’s illegal termination of Mason last year. The settlement includes Mason’s reinstatement at his Seattle and Shoreline stores as well as compensation for back pay and damages. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Verizon Wireless in April 2022 after the company illegally fired Mason for his engagement in union activities. In November 2022, the NLRB formally issued a complaint alleging the telecom giant broke labor laws and terminated Mason as an act of retaliation for his union activity.

In addition to offering Mason immediate and full reinstatement to his former position, the settlement provides nearly $15,000 in back pay and about $8000 in stock, 401k contributions, and other compensation. The settlement also requires Verizon Wireless to put up posters at the Northgate and Aurora Village locations informing employees of their rights to form a union, along with commitments to not interfere with these rights or terminate employees who engage in union activity. Mason is scheduled to return to work on March 20. 

“Verizon thought that they could shut me up by firing me. Not only am I getting my job back, but I get to walk into my old stores with my head held high, knowing I beat Verizon’s union-busters. Between all the money Verizon spends on union-busters, lawyers, and the $23,000 in compensation they’re giving me, they could have saved a lot of money and hassle by firing those union-busters instead of me,” said Jesse Mason. “This isn’t just a win for me, it’s a win for everyone across the country who is organizing. To anyone who wishes they had a union, but doesn’t want to get fired for organizing: don’t be afraid. One way or another, you will win.”

Verizon Wireless terminated Mason from his position as a Specialist after Mason attempted to organize his colleagues and attended Verizon Wireless workers’ union vote count at nearby Everett and Lynnwood stores in solidarity. Mason had received no prior disciplinary actions during his time working at the Northgate and Aurora Village retail locations.

Mason’s return to work marks another major victory for Verizon Wireless workers, who have been organizing at stores across the country to secure living wages, better working conditions and staffing levels. Verizon retail workers first organized at three stores in Brooklyn, NY in 2014 and have since been gaining momentum, organizing and forming unions in Washington, Oregon and Illinois.  In August 2022, Verizon Wireless retail workers in Everett and Lynnwood successfully ratified their first union contract after facing years of poor working conditions, including understaffing and unlivable wages, along with aggressive union-busting efforts. 

The settlement serves as an example of the importance of watchdog agencies like the NLRB to enforce labor laws and hold major corporations accountable.  Since his unlawful termination in April, Mason has been an advocate for labor rights and has been speaking out about the importance of a fully funded NLRB and has called on the Senate to bolster worker rights by passing the PRO Act, which would would make it easier for workers who want to form or join a union to do so.

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