unWired Technicians Win Union Recognition

In a victory for CWAers in the telecom industry, technicians at unWired Broadband have won union recognition. Even though workers voted overwhelmingly to join CWA in June, the company refused to recognize the union. The company's frivolous appeals were rejected by the NLRB, and earlier this month, the Board certified the union election victory. CWA Local 9333 is now in discussions with management to begin bargaining in November.

“This victory is about respect, fairness, and a shared commitment to building a better workplace,” said CWA Local 9333 President Elaine Savaiki. “UnWired employees stood together for their rights—and now, we’re ready to bargain for the fair pay, healthcare, job security, and dignity every worker deserves.”

“We’ve worked hard to get here, and this win proves that our voices matter,” said Aaron Lean, an unWired installer from Fresno, Calif. “We’re not just employees—we’re the ones who keep unWired running every day, and now we finally have a seat at the table.”

At the 80th CWA Convention in Pittsburgh this summer, delegates passed a resolution committing our union to a ten-year project to unionize our fellow frontline workers in telecommunications. Our union is facing a very different industry than we did 50 years ago. The telecom industry was 60 percent union in 1980 with a single dominant employer, the regulated monopoly of the Bell System; now less than 15 percent of industry workers are union members.

UnWired workers organized their union to improve safety on the job and address unjust firings and favoritism. They have rallied support from local elected officials and community members in their campaign for a union voice. CWA looks forward to expanding relationships with workers throughout the company.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.