District 2-13 Bargaining News: August 2024

American Red Cross – National Addendum

Red Cross negotiations are currently active at Local tables, but national negotiations are scheduled to resume in September. The CWA Local 13000 Bargaining Committee, which represents members in the Greater Allegheny Region (GAR), reported that their bargaining ran throughout August and focused on issues such as market analysis and wages, guaranteed hours, and PTO bidding windows, among others. 

Check out CWA Local 13000’s July-August 2024 newsletter for more information: 

Climate Reality

CWA Local 2336’s Bargaining Committee reported from August negotiations with Climate Reality over the members’ first contract. They reported:

The Union expressed concern about ongoing complaints from members regarding out of area coverage and difficulty in understanding what the healthcare providers preferred network area is if not part of the DC, MD and Northern VA area as well as, bills they receive for services that appear should be covered and how to get accurate information from CareFirst.  We asked if there was a 2024 recording of explanation of benefits employees could access and where was it located. The Union is also seeking additional information about the background check requests employees are being asked to complete.  Clarity on what all the background check could unearth or how it will affect a member’s employment if something was uncovered were part of the request for information.

The Climate Reality Project joined CWA last spring when they signed a Voluntary Recognition Agreement. Stay in touch with Local 2336 for the latest news.

EveryAction/Bonterra

A tentative agreement was reached in late June over mid-contract compensation changes. Check out CWA Local 13000’s July-August newsletter for the full details.

The first contract with EveryAction and Locals 13000 and 2336 was ratified in 2022. The contract was re-opened in the winter to negotiate wages.

Fastmail

Due to unforeseen layoffs at Fastmail, negotiations shifted to effects bargaining in June 2024 to reach an agreement to protect the laid-off employees. After securing an agreement that exceeded the company’s normal lay-off practices, the Committee returned to negotiating the first contract for this bargaining unit.

Fastmail employees voted to unionize with CWA Local 13000 in February 2024, and this contract will be the first of this bargaining unit. 

Piedmont

The Bargaining Committee met with Piedmont on August 20-22. The Committee reported:

The bargaining committee is very frustrated as we can’t make any progress without the Company responding to our proposals. We are committed to take every legal means available to force the company to bargaining, include going to mediation.

Members have been mobilizing across the country, and the Bargaining Team asks that everyone participate to show Piedmont that members deserve a fair contract NOW!

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This month, at the Allegheny County Court, an appellate judge dismissed the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s attempt to bar striking workers from picketing at the newspaper’s distribution center.

Later in the month, the National Relations Board (NLRB) filed for an injunction against the newspaper for unlawful behavior during the strike. The injunction asks for a judge to approve the company’s responsibility to pay health striking members’ health care costs, which were the result of the Post-Gazette’s bad-faith bargaining.

Check out this month’s highlighted members:

Jen Kundrach, member of TNG-CWA Local 38061

Helen Fallon, member of TNG-CWA Local 38061

Members in Locals 14827, 14842 and TNG-CWA Local 38061 have been on strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for over 22 months, the country’s longest running strike.

You can support striking workers by doing any of these three things today:

1. Donate to the strike fund that's used to pay for rent, utility bills, car repairs, groceries, and to keep their pets alive and well.
    
2. Order a T-shirt repping their strike publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress. All proceeds go to the same strike fund.
    
3. Subscribe to the Pittsburgh Union Progress for free news on the strike, the lives of working people in Western PA and beyond, and more.

UPO

CWA Local 2336’s Bargaining Committee reported the expiration of the current contract with UPO was extended to October 31, 2024. Negotiations continued throughout the month.

Windstream

The Windstream contract covering CWA Local 13000 members in Pennsylvania expires on September 30. In anticipation of the opening day of bargaining on September 9, the Bargaining Committee asks members to stay in contact with their Local Reps to find out about the status of negotiations and any mobilization efforts.

Check out CWA Local 13000’s newsletter for the full explanation.