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Comcast Workers UnitedNews from IBEW Local 2322 www.ibew2322.com
December 15, 2011
Aggressive management interferencefrustrates techs bid for union
through NLRBprocessFall River, MA -- Comcast technicians at the
Fall River and Fairhaven Massachusetts garageshave been working
together for over a year to win union recognition and the right to
sit down
with management to discuss improving their wages and working
conditions.
Knowing how successful management has been across the country at
destroying majority support
for collective bargaining, the techs in Southeastern Mass.
pursued an alternative route also
sanctioned by the National Labor Relations Act: voluntary
recognition from management. (SeeSection 7 of the NLRA.)
The workers signed up about 65 percent of their co-workers to
form a union with IBEW Local
2322. Congressman Stephen Lynch and Fall River Mayor William
Flanagancounted the cardsto verify their majority.
However after a year of fruitless attempts to meet with
management, frustrated union supporterssought an NLRB supervised
election. By winning a majority vote, federal labor law would
compel management to finally begin the long sought after
negotiations.
But Comcast management knows too well how to play the union
election game. As in mostother bids by workers to form unions, it
used its near complete access to employees and its
power over their work lives to chip away at their confidence in
the strength of sticking togetheras a group and the benefits of
collective bargaining.
Once the union petition was filed on November 4, management used
the intervening six weeks to
wear the techs down with misinformation about unions and pleas
for a second chance to fixproblems without a "third party."
When the vote finally took place on Dec. 14, the Comcast workers
lost their election 42 to 50.The final count was held at the
Comcast office on Warren Street in Fall River.
"We just wanted to win one for the little guy, said Christine
Dexter, who has worked atComcast for nine years. We want to achieve
a little bit of security and the opportunity to share
in Comcast's success. While losing the vote was discouraging,
you can't let it get you down. We
are going to keep educating our co-workers and fighting the good
fight."
"The techs from Fall River and Fairhaven were supported by other
Comcast workers across the
country," said IBEW organizer Steve Smith. "Script writers on
Comcast-owned TV shows
united in the Writers Guild of America Westwrote a strong letter
of solidarity, as did Comcasttechs from both IBEW and CWA locals in
Pennsylvania. Comcast members from IBEW Local
http://www.nlrb.gov/national-labor-relations-acthttp://www.nlrb.gov/national-labor-relations-acthttp://ibew2322.com/http://ibew2322.com/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNCLD_12ebQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNCLD_12ebQhttp://www.americanrightsatwork.org/publications/general/no-bargain-comcast-and-the-future-of-workers-rights-in-telecommunication.htmlhttp://www.wga.org/http://www.wga.org/http://ibew827.com/http://www.nlrb.gov/national-labor-relations-acthttp://ibew2322.com/http://ibew2322.com/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNCLD_12ebQhttp://www.americanrightsatwork.org/publications/general/no-bargain-comcast-and-the-future-of-workers-rights-in-telecommunication.htmlhttp://www.wga.org/http://ibew827.com/
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827 in New Jersey travelled to Massachusetts twice for meetings
to encourage their co-workers
to vote yes."
Representatives Bill Keating and Barney Frank also wrote letters
encouraging the Comcast techs
to support collective bargaining in the December 14 vote.
Union supporters have shared a number of concerns about
management's conduct over the last
six weeks and are considering filing unfair labor practice
charges.
For updates about the Comcast workers union, visit the Comcast
Union Bulletin Board at:
http://comcastunion.blogspot.com or call (978) 302-3690.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss
of enthusiasm."
-- Winston Churchill
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