From the Desk of the Assistant to the Vice President of CWA District 1

Standing Together on May Day, and Every Day

It’s fitting this week that we’re able to announce and highlight multiple strong contract agreements covering thousands of members — some longtime union members, some winning their very first Collective Bargaining Agreement — just a few days before International Workers Day. 

International Workers Day — May Day — is a day when workers across the world pause to acknowledge and celebrate our power, and recognize what we can do together. It’s a reminder that every step forward we’ve taken as a labor movement throughout history, from weekends to livable wages to safer workplaces and paid sick days has come from collective action, whether it’s at the bargaining table, on the picket line, or in our legislative halls.

Our strength has always been rooted in standing shoulder-to-shoulder and looking past our differences so that we can look out for each other. I’m very proud to be part of a union with such rich diversity in our ranks, and when we support each other across workplaces and industries, our strength becomes even greater. We’ve been able to make real change together — not just for ourselves, but for all workers.

May Day is about workers, and this May Day, our message is that we will not stay silent in the face of a billionaire takeover.

Over the last several years, we’ve seen growing attacks on unions and our collective bargaining rights. Some have been blatant, like attempts to rip up union contracts and end collective bargaining rights for over a million federal workers, while some are more subtle and deceptive, trying to weaken us and convince workers that we’re better off going it alone up against the ultra rich corporate bosses. But we know better than to believe the lies trying to divide us: We’re stronger when we’re united. We can see it in the newly settled Tentative Agreement at AT&T Mobility, in the first union contract for workers at Sanky Communications, in the recently ratified contract at Bergen’s Promise, and so many other areas where we’ve fought and won recently.

I strongly encourage you to join a May Day event in your area on Friday — we have several listed below, and you can find a full list at maydaystrong.org.