The $5.8 million grant will enable CWA District 9 to facilitate training for California workers as fiber technicians, raise industry labor standards, and connect underrepresented populations to high-quality employment opportunities amid statewide broadband buildout

CALIFORNIA — Amid California’s multi-billion dollar broadband buildout, the Communications Workers of America District 9 (CWA), in partnership with Chabot-Las Positas Community College District (CLPCCD), has been awarded a $5.8 million grant to expand its apprenticeship training programs for fiber technicians at its existing training center in San Jose and three additional sites across California. Through the U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Building America grant, CWA and CLPCCD will raise labor standards in a fragmented labor market in which broadband construction and maintenance is often subcontracted to low-road contractors that put worker safety and service quality at risk.

CWA’s grant comes as California is set to allocate more than $5 billion for a state-owned middle-mile fiber network and subsidies to providers for last-mile broadband connections to homes, businesses, and community institutions outlined in Senate Bill 156, signed into law in July 2021. California will also receive hundreds of millions of dollars more under the Infrastructure Act Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program for last-mile deployment. This large-scale public investment will require a statewide workforce of well-trained fiber technicians, which CWA aims to expand by offering high quality training and financial support for apprentices.

“Our apprenticeship program has provided a pathway for Californians to access good-paying union jobs,” said CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce. “With this funding, we have an opportunity to significantly scale apprenticeship in the broadband sector and ensure a focus on recruiting underrepresented and underserved communities to good jobs building communications networks serving California.”

With labor-management apprenticeship programs proving more effective at graduating workers and connecting them to high-quality jobs than employer-only programs, CWA will seek employer partners who see value in raising standards and investing in California communities. CWA will use this funding to build three new labor-management apprenticeship programs, located in the northern, central, and southern parts of the state, and expand the existing apprenticeship program in the Bay Area.

These programs will increase awareness and adoption of the apprenticeship model as a viable pathway for training skilled workers in the fiber optics field while expanding the number of diverse applicants entering the programs by exceeding a threshold of at least 20 percent young people, people of color, women, and veterans in each of the programs over the four-year period.

"CLPCCD's Apprenticeship Program has served as the Local Education Agency for the Communications Workers of America District 9's apprenticeship program since 2010, supporting the college-credit earning classroom learning portion and creating a career pathway to an associate degree for their apprentices,” said Julia Dozier, District Executive Director of Economic Development and Contract Education with CLPCCD. “CWA District 9 apprentices will obtain skills for a lifelong career while working in a paid job from Day 1. We are excited to expand our partnership to serve CWA apprentices throughout the State of California through this program that will bring broadband equity to all."

In order to address worker retention across the industry, CWA District 9 plans to build an educational ladder so that apprentices will have the opportunity to continue their education through an associate’s degree. CWA’s apprenticeship program will also create direct incentives for employers to invest in a well-trained workforce by covering critical training and equipment costs for apprentices. This includes paying all instructional costs not covered by California’s Related and Supplemental Instruction funds during the course of the grant and providing all apprentices with required tools and personal protective equipment. The grant will also offer an employer boot camp program as a recruiting tool, where prospective employers can experience the apprenticeship program. CWA is also pursuing funding to reimburse employers for apprentice wages and benefits while in training.

As California gears up to connect unserved and underserved communities to high-speed broadband, CWA will partner with public agencies, educational institutions, community organizations, and other stakeholders to support a locally-based, diverse workforce ready to build the fiber future.

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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, and manufacturing.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion

About Chabot-Las Positas Community College District: CLPCCD serves students in the San Francisco East Bay Area, particularly southern Alameda County, through its two colleges: Chabot College in Hayward and Las Positas College in Livermore. CLPCCD is governed by a seven-member board of trustees which is responsible for all policy decisions. Board members are elected from trustee areas by the registered voters of nine communities: Castro Valley, Dublin, Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Sunol, and Union City, California.

www.apprenticeship4you.com

Nearly 2,000 CWA members at Frontier Communications in California went on strike last Friday protesting the company’s continued subcontracting of work in violation of their collective bargaining agreement. The workers walked off the job after several failed meetings with management to resolve a grievance filed over the issue. The company admitted it was in violation of the subcontracting limit but refused to provide the union with information about current subcontracting levels.

After days of striking, the members won an agreement last night in which Frontier has committed to take significant steps to adhere to the limits of subcontracting set in the collective bargaining agreement, including posting job requisitions for at least a hundred Term Cable Splicer positions, meeting regularly with CWA on the status of the postings, offering union jobs in lieu of contract workers, and utilizing the existing referral program for union members to assist the Company in procuring qualified applicants.

“This is a huge victory for CWA members at Frontier who stayed one day longer, one day stronger on the picket line and refused to settle for the company’s excuses and empty promises. It’s proof that we can successfully fight back when we come together, mobilize, and build solidarity,” said CWA Local 9510 Executive Vice President Kenny Williams. CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce added, “I am grateful for all of the members of the community who have been persistently supporting CWA members at Frontier and fighting alongside us to protect good jobs and the quality of service our customers receive. Although the issues relating to this grievance are resolved, we are still fighting for a new contract. I have no doubt in my mind that our members are ready, able, and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that Frontier provides quality service and good jobs for Californians.”

Nearly 2,000 CWA members at Frontier in California, who went on strike to protest the company’s continued subcontracting of work, won an agreement with the company that limits subcontracting.

General Electric

Nearly 200 General Electric (GE) Aviation workers in Auburn, Ala., have launched an historic new union organizing campaign with IUE-CWA, becoming the first GE workers to organize a union in nearly a decade. With strong majority support, the workers, who use cutting-edge technology to build the next-generation of aircraft engines, submitted union cards to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this week. The workers announced their organizing campaign at a rally with support from national and state leaders, including Alabama AFL-CIO President Bren Riley and leaders from Alabama Jobs With Justice and Alabama Interfaith Power and Light.

The workers have faced a wide range of union-busting tactics intended to intimidate them since they began organizing. They report being subjected to mandatory anti-union captive audience meetings, misleading management flyers, unannounced pop-up drug testing, new security cameras to monitor their work, and unlawful threats from managers that their factory will shut down if workers form a union. Despite this, support for the union continues to grow stronger every week.

Kaleida Health

Last week, more than a thousand workers at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, N.Y., participated in an informational picket to demand a fair contract. Nearly 6,300 union workers represented by CWA Local 1168 and 1199SEIU are fighting for wage increases, better staffing levels, and dignity and respect on the job. More than half of the workers are represented by CWA. The workers were joined by other CWA members, community allies, elected officials, and fellow union members on the picket line. During the rally, the members spoke to the media to educate the public about short staffing and poor working conditions. Following the picket, the CWA Local 1168 and 1199SEIU joint bargaining committee unanimously voted to hold a strike authorization vote in a show of solidarity that will send a clear message to Kaleida Health that the workers are ready to do what it takes to protect quality care for patients and residents. Click here for more information.

More than a thousand workers at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, N.Y., participated in an informational picket to demand a fair contract last week.

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Union County Division of Social Services

After a long fight, workers at the Union County Division of Social Services in New Jersey, members of CWA Local 1080, ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. The members, who have been without a contract for slightly more than two years, stayed committed and actively mobilized throughout the bargaining by holding rallies and other workplace actions. The new contract includes wage increases for all employees, rebate payments from the previous year’s healthcare premiums, no increase to employees’ healthcare contributions for the duration of the agreement, a quiet room within the workplace for workers to relax after long intense shifts, new flexible schedules, the addition of Juneteenth as a paid holiday, and more.

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TIME Magazine

Workers at TIME, members of the NewsGuild of New York (TNG-CWA Local 31003), voted unanimously last week to ratify a new contract after three years of bargaining. This is the first contract that covers all TIME editorial employees, ending the divide between the print side of the magazine and TIME digital and TIME for Kids workers who organized to join the union in 2019. The agreement is the first Guild contract to secure language protecting reproductive and gender-affirming health care. In light of the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the workers also secured the right to re-open bargaining to address reimbursement for travel expenses once legalities around this issue become clearer. The contract also includes wage increases and strong equity, diversity, and inclusion language. Read more here.

CWA-Endorsed Candidates Win Big in Florida and New York Primaries

Florida and New York held primary elections this week for national, state, and local offices.

In Florida, the CWA-endorsed candidate for Florida’s 10th Congressional District, Maxwell Frost, won his primary election against several prominent Democratic candidates, including two former members of Congress. After a careful review of the candidates’ records, CWA was one of the first major unions to endorse Frost, a young Afro-Cuban leader, community organizer, and longtime advocate of the working class. He has stood with CWA members and other union members on picket lines, protests, rallies, and has demonstrated his commitment to keep fighting for working people in Congress. CWA activists across the state who were highly engaged in garnering support for Frost played an instrumental role in his victory.

CWA members in Florida mobilized to build support for Maxwell Frost, who won the Democratic primary for Florida’s 10th Congressional District.

CWA-endorsed candidates Charlie Crist, who is running for Governor; Val Demings, who is running for U.S. Senate; and Annette Taddeo, who is running for Congress from Florida’s 27th Congressional District, also won their Democratic Primary races. Taddeo has been a longtime supporter of CWA and played a crucial role in defeating one of the most anti-union pieces of legislation in the state legislature. CWA members actively supported these campaigns and are committed to continuing to support these champions for working people through the general election.

In the race for Congress in Florida's 28th District, CWA-endorsed candidate Robert Asencio won the Democratic primary. Asencio is a former state representative who helped introduce the CWA-supported Call Center legislation and has repeatedly supported CWA members on picket lines and beyond. Other CWA-endorsed candidates, including candidate for state Senate Lauren Book and candidate for state House Juan Fernandez Barquin, also won their primaries.

CWA members mobilized to build support for Pat Ryan, who won the special election in N.Y.’s 19th Congressional District.

In New York, Ulster County executive and CWA-endorsed candidate for Congress Pat Ryan won a special election in New York’s 19th District. Throughout the campaign, Ryan consistently championed the rights of all working families and reiterated his commitment to defending them in Congress. In addition, 21 out of the 22 candidates endorsed by CWA District 1 in New York won their primaries this week. This includes CWA-endorsed congressional candidates Laura Gillen, running in the 4th District; Sean Patrick Maloney, running in the 17th District; and Josh Riley, running in the 19th District. CWA members across the state mobilized to build support for all of the endorsed candidates, helping most of them fight off tough primaries.

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North Carolina CWAers Meet with Legislators

CWA members from various locals in North Carolina, including Locals 3611 and 3640, met with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democratic State Senator and CWA-endorsed Congressional candidate Wiley Nickel, and State Representative Rosa Gill to discuss key CWA legislative priorities as pro-worker legislators in Washington, D.C., and Raleigh continue the push for lowering cost of living and raising wages for working people.

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IUE-CWA Members Supporting Pro-Worker Candidates

Members and retirees from IUE-CWA Local 81201 participated in a canvass by going door to door to talk to voters and build support for state House candidate Terri Tauro. Tauro, who serves as the President of IUE-CWA Local 81776, is running for State Representative in the 8th Essex District, Mass. If elected, she would be the second IUE-CWA member in the Massachusetts State House.

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Jaime Harrison, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and Charles Booker, candidate for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, who is endorsed by CWA District 3 and IUE-CWA, participated in a labor roundtable discussion with IUE-CWA members including Kindre Batliner, President of IUE-CWA Local 83761, and IUE-CWA Campaign Lead Ashley Snider. The members highlighted key union priorities and discussed other critical issues affecting working people in the state.