District 1 Representatives Speak on Fighting Back Against Union-Busting at the CWA PHEW Conference

Hundreds of CWA members from across the union gathered in Atlanta in early May for the first in-person Public, Healthcare, & Education Workers Conference in four years. The CWAers met to exchange ideas, learn essential union-building skills, and celebrate solidarity. 

In a video address, CWA President Chris Shelton highlighted recent mobilization efforts and important wins for public workers in New Jersey, California, and Michigan, and ongoing battles in Florida, Texas, and Minnesota. He also called out corporate executives and anti-worker politicians for pursuing their agenda of privatizing and eliminating public services, saying, “They are committed to exploiting every opportunity, including the pandemic, to pursue their agenda” and are blocking federal legislation to give all public sector workers the right to form a union and collectively bargain. “I am counting on each and every one of you to ensure that we are building power by consistently strengthening our mobilization in every workplace, every local, and every district.” 

CWA Local 1040 President Michele Long-Vickers, CWA Local 4502 President Susan Wilson, and CWA District 1 Political Director Hae-Lin Choi held a plenary session on fighting back against the so-called “Freedom Foundation,” an organization dedicated to stripping workers of their union rights. The panelists spoke about the power of public sector workers standing together and the importance of ensuring that every worker understands their rights and why anti-union forces want to weaken us - and what we’re doing to fight back.