CWA District 3 Annual Conference: Leading the Fight

In August, CWA District 3 members and retirees met in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for networking, education, and to refocus on the theme, “Leading the Fight for Working Families.” The conference included industry- and bargaining unit-focused breakout sessions, committee meetings, and workshops on topics including “Broadband Organizing,” “Empowering Legislative Victories,” and an overview of the Department of Labor.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. delivered remarks to those gathered. He was accompanied by CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase; CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce; CWA Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton; CWA Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook; NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss; CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam; and CWA Retired Members Council President Gwen Parker.

Members also heard from Assistant to the President and CWA Senior Director of Organizing Tom Smith and CWA Director of Human Rights, Education and Health & Safety, Angie Wells.

President Cummings highlighted the tremendous sacrifice and solidarity CWA District 3 members showed during their AT&T Mobility Black Contract strike in 2024, saying, “You didn’t just talk about striking and solidarity and determination; you showed AT&T executives and the entire nation that those are more than just pretty words. And that work has paved the way for recent contract negotiations, which have gone much easier since AT&T now knows we don’t play and we don’t make empty threats. Thank you again for your sacrifices. I know that strike took a lot. But the contract and the reputation you won are worth it.”

Conference attendees also took part in a protest outside of ADT headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., calling on management to “Respect Your Workers and Respect Our Union.” CWA District 3 showed solidarity with ADT members in Districts 4 and 7, set to begin bargaining at the end of the year.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.