News

A Petition to Push German Government to Investigate T-Mobile Union-busting

16 Jul, 2015

ver.di, the German union representing 2 million employees, is organizing a petition drive to collect signatures in an effort to focus attention in the German Bundestag on union busting and other lawless conducts by Deutsche Telekom's U.S. subsidiary, T-Mobile US.

All four German political parties debated publicizing the petition and determined unanimously that it should be posted. It is unprecedented for this kind of issue to be raised at this level.

"For more than 10 years, we have tried to connect the role of the German government as principal owner of Deutsche Telekom to the outrageous intolerance of their U.S. controlled subsidiary T Mobile," Former CWA President Larry Cohen said. "They have hidden behind one defense after another but now they are revealed before their own congress. Our global work and our amazing partner ver.di has led to this great step forward."

CWA members and allies can download and sign the petition here.

ver.di members have been supporting the fight by T-Mobile's U.S. workers for justice and to have a voice in the workplace. Deutsche Telekom is majority owned by the German government and is the parent company of T-Mobile. They have been keeping up the pressure on T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom, calling on the company to recognize the rights of U.S. workers to have a union and a workplace free from intimidation.

CWA members and allies all over the country are collecting signatures. AT&T Mobility workers in Austin, TX, have collected over 200 signatures in their call center within 2 days. Meanwhile, says Chris Greer of CWA Local 6402, members in Wichita collected 111 signatures this week and expect more.

"There will be more to come," Greer said. "We have gone to our AT&T Wireless stores, Cricket corporate stores, other unions that we have relationships with, the AT&T Tech garages, and also asking while hand billing at the T-Mobile call center."

Please print out copies of the petition here and mail them back to CWA headquarters no later than August 1st:

CWA
Attn: Louise Novotny
501 Third Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001