Workers Covered by Collective Bargaining Agreements Make 26% More

It takes a strong union to win justice on the job

More than 630,000 workers in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico belong to CWA - the Communicatons Workers of America.       Our union is the leading voice in the workplace for professional and technical workers employed by America's telecommunications, information and media industies.  CWA members work for some of the nation's largest corporations, including AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, ABC/Disney, Comcast, Bell Atlantic, SBC, Dow Jones, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, as well as, US Airways.  CWA also represents more than 120,000 workers in state, local and county government.      No matter where we work or what we do, we all have one thing in common--we make our jobs better through CWA representation.       Before, we had no union at all and had little or no say in our workplace.  Our pay, benefits, hours, and working conditions were always determined at the whim of management.  Now, we represent ourselves and speak with a strong and united voice.  Employers must listen to our concerns, and they must abide by the contracts we negotiate with management.

Workers Covered by Collective Bargaining Agreements are 4 Times More Likely to Have Defined                       Pension Benefit

A union experienced in  improving our workplace

CWA Bargains on an equal footing with some of the world's largest corporations.  Because of our union's negotiating experience, we can bargain effectively with any employer.  Here are just some of the gains that we've negotiated. > Guaranteed pay increases and cost-of-living adjustments to help us keep up with     inflation. >  Guaranteed extra pay for shift work, weekend work, and overtime. >  Additional paid time off for vacations, holidays, and sickness and disability. >  Training to keep us abreast of changes in jobs in our industry. >  Strong pension and 401k plans to help ensure a secure retirement. >  Upgrading of job classifications to increase our pay in recognition of the work we do. >  Improved medical and dental coverage and sick pay to protect us and our families in     case of illnesses and injuries. >  Protection against arbitrary treatment, harassment, and discrimination. >  Employee safety and health committees to identify and reduce on-the-job ergonomic     hazards. More that 97 percent of the time, we have been able to win our workplace improvements at the bargaining table - without having to resort to strike.  A major reason why is the high degree of activism by our membership. Another reason is the Defense Fund that CWA maintains to provide financial support to members who are forced out on strike. CWA members do not engage in strikes unless such action is supported by a majority vote of the affected members.