Human Rights Day Activities Target Cable Companies
During the week leading up to International Human Rights Day (Dec. 10), members of CWA and IBEW joined with tens of thousands of union members across the country to focus attention on strengthen-ing Americans' rights to organize a union, bargain a contract, and have a voice at our workplace — without employer intimidation or coercion.
"Workers' Rights Are Human Rights" rallies were held in more than 70 cities, with union members joining with religious and community leaders in calling on Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (S 842, HR 1696), which would restore and strengthen workers' right to freely choose union representation and to bargain a fair contract. A key feature of the legislation would help Comcast and other workers who face unfair management bargaining practices that are designed soley to prevent them from every getting a first contract.
Under the legislation, workers' first contract bargaining would go before an independent arbitrator if they are not able to attain an agreement after a reasonable amount of time. The arbitrator would impose a settlement if no agreement can be reached between the parties. This would prevent companies from dragging out negotiations, or offering unreasonable demands, to prevent employees from ever getting a union contract.
Workplace democracy in the U.S. is at its lowest point since workers' right to organize was acknowledged with the 1935 passage of the National Labor Relations Act. Employers are doing everything they can to take away these rights, and U.S. labor laws have been weakened to the point that bargaining and organizing rights are inferior to virtually every other democracy.
CWA and IBEW held demonstrations supporting cable workers at Comcast, Time Warner and other companies. Human Rights' Day commemorates Eleanor Roosevelt's fight in 1948 to get the United Nations to adopt a declaration that recognized workers' right to organize and bargain as fundamental human rights.
