N.J. Workers First in Nation to Ratify Comcast Contract
 |
The 75 workers at Comcast in Fairfield, N.J., made history again last night by becoming the first Comcast worksite in the country to ratify a first contract. Last year, the workers were the first Comcast employees to form a union, voting for Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 827.
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO congratulated the workers, saying in a statement the victory:
could not have been achieved without the dedicated commitment of both IBEW 827 and their new members. We thank everyone who poured their hardest efforts and countless hours into this campaign.
By and large, working people recognize that a path to the middle class is achieved through having a voice at the workplace. The fact remains that collective bargaining is the only vehicle which allows workers to exercise that voice.
CWA: Comcast-NBC Merger Bad for Workers and Consumers
 |
||||
|
||||
The proposed merger between cable TV giant Comcast and NBC-Universal (NBCU) would lead to job cuts, reduce competition in the cable industry and restrict consumer access to online video content, a senior leader of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) told lawmakers.
On top of all that, Comcast has a long record of violating workers’ rights, CWA Vice President James Weitkamp told a field hearing of the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month. After its last big merger, with AT&T Broadband in 2002, Comcast immediately set about crushing AT&T’s unions, he said. Comcast also pays its workers about a third less in wages and benefits than unionized telecom companies.
Comcast Repair Techs Choose IBEW
Installation repair technicians at Comcast in Fairfield, N.J., withstood a strong anti-union campaign by the employer and voted last week to join Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 827.
The vote, which was administered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), signals a change in the way the company’s installation repair technicians are standing up for their rights on the job, said Local 827 Organizing Chair Jason D’Errico:
The win is groundbreaking for these workers. This is their first step toward gaining a collective bargaining agreement. The Comcast workers have stood strong against this multibillion-dollar giant.
