Political power and influence helps us win for CWA members!
Our legislative and electoral work allows the union to build the kind of power that leads to big victories for workers throughout the country. It's about power in numbers, and how we work together to elect pro-labor, pro-working families candidates to office and kick out politicians who support big corporations and the ultra-rich over working people. Through our political action work we've been able to make real, lasting change for our members and working families throughout the country.
Political Action Victories
Here are just a few of our recent legislative victories:
2025 (NY) Protecting our work from anti-union “One Touch Make Ready” by requiring other companies to identify their make-ready work and equipment, requiring the Public Service Commission to create a complaint form for violations of the law, and creating a penalty structure to hold companies who violate the law accountable through fines and stop work orders.
2025 (NY) Shortening the waiting time for striking workers to collect Unemployment to just one week.
2025 (NY) Created new safety standards and transparency in the Tower Climbing Industry by requiring contracts between tower companies and NYS to include certified safety trainings for tower climbers, and for companies to share details about the contractors and subcontractors employing tower climbers, including any previous labor law violations.
2025 (NY) Protecting press freedom and emergency services transparency by ensuring emergency services organizations and journalists have real-time access to encrypted radio communications—it’s vital in order for our NewsGuild-CWA members to do their jobs.
2024 (NJ) Strenthening mass transit by requiring ultra-rich corporations to pay their fair share in taxes, with the revenue going exclusively to NJTransit.
2024 (NJ) Legislation to overhaul the process for affordable housing construction, making it easier to build homes in areas close to jobs, businesses, transit hubs
2024 (NY) Protecting local journalism by creating a payroll tax credit allowing news organizations to receive a 50% job creation tax credit on the first $50,000 of a local journalist’s salary.
2024 (NY) Protecting call center workers by requiring that workforces of Government-contracted call centers be retained if the contract is re-bid and awarded to a new contractor.
2023 (NJ) Increasing workers’ bargaining power by decreasing the wait time for striking workers to collect Unemployment from 30 days to just 14.
2022 (NY) Legislation to protect our jobs blocking proposed dangerous, anti-union "One Touch Make Ready" regulations.
2022 (NY) Helped secure billions of dollars for hospital funding to support healthcare workers, including bonuses for healthcare workers who worked through the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022 (NJ) Passed the Responsible Collective Negotiations Act to strengthen collective bargaining rights for New Jersey workers.
2021 (CT) Helped pass legislation to ban anti-union "Captive Audience Meetings" to protect workers, strengthen our union rights, and help stop union-busting by employers.
2021 (CT) Passed an Act to Concerning Call Center & Notice of Closure to protect our call center jobs form being shipped out of the state.
2021 (NY) Successfully took on the powerful Hospitals lobby to pass two major bills in our fight for Safe Staffing, creating labor/management staffing committees that ensure real consequences for understaffing.
2019 (NY) Passed legislation to decrease the wait time for workers on strike to apply for Unemployment Insurance from 7 weeks to just 2, strengthening our bargaining and striking power.
Defending Our Right to Vote
Mobilized thousands of CWA members from Florida, North Carolina, Texas, New Jersey, New York and other key states to beat back attempts by anti-democratic, corporate-funded campaigns to deny voting rights and poll access for some of our nation’s hardest-working communities.
Fighting Bad Trade Deals
Delayed passage of Fast Track for the bad TPP trade deal by driving an international coalition to expose anti-worker lies told by politicians and corporate lobbyists. We are now engaged in a fight to kill the deal for good and save more American jobs.
The Cablevision Fight
When 22 Cablevision employees approached the vice president at their company depot to ask if the company was serious about organizing with the union, they were all wrongfully fired on the spot. CWA responded and rallied the support of prominent regional politicians. Through the combined efforts of CWA members and pro-worker candidates, the workers were reinstated and negotiated a fair contract. This victory would not have been possible without the political power gained through the Political Action Fund.
Pro-Worker and Progressive Elected Leaders
Our political action work - including Political Action Funds raised - over the last few years have had a huge impact on changing the face of our political landscape and ushering in elected leaders who will truly put working people first. New leadership in states throughout District 1 have not only unblocked years of stalled legislation, but championed efforts to lift up working families and strengthen unioins. The Political Action Fund is being used to support campaigns for candidates who actively fight – not just talk – to make corporations and the ultra-rich pay their fair share.