Broadband Brigade Update - October 2023

Broadband Brigade Update

District 1's Broadband Brigade, made up of telecom workers throughout New York and Connecticut, is growing by the week with more and more members joining the fight to expand broadband access in our communities built with union labor! 

In New York, Broadband Brigade members are on a mission to ensure that the nearly $1 billion in State and Federal funding that NYS is getting for broadband buildout is used for:

• Fiber-optic technology wherever and whenever possible!
• Prioritization of high-road employers who have:
  • Robust in-house training
  • Locally based workforce
  • A directly-employed workforce
• Transparent and enforceable workforce plans

We have a petition signed by nearly 2,500 CWAers demanding that the State include these provisions in their buildout plan, while Brigade members are coordinating a broadband legislator breakfast for members of the NYS Legislators in our areas to discuss the need for strong labor standards that ensures good union jobs and quality work. As of this week, we have 28 signatures from local government legislators and 67 signatures from state legislators on letters to the Governor's ConnectALL office, which is overseeing this project, advocating for strong labor standards.