IBEW Local 21 Organizing at Comcast

Comcast Management Says Why Workers Need Unions

Why Comcast Workers Need Unions

June 5, 2011 - Working today at Comcast, there are some workers that think wages, hours, and working conditions are good enough. Soon employees will vote whether or not to be represented by the IBEW. Some workers are tired of the mandatory meetings and wondering about the need for an "outside" union coming in. Heck, that's what all the managers have been telling you as workers anyway, right? That’s the bosses plan, or to be honest, it’s the corporations plan, ordered from the top. See – if you are tired and want it all to go away, the meetings, the talks, the vote, blah, blah. blah. Don’t fall for it. Voting no doesn’t make it all go away. It means everything stays the same and you are powerless to improve anything at work. Comcast doesn’t care about you. Ask any worker that has been at Chicago South during prior organizing efforts. Organizing stops, company treats workers like crap again. It’s back to mandatory overtime, unjust and discriminatory treatment. It’s all driven by profits and greed.

During worker movements, during union organizing, managers are trained to say "the union" like we are some kind of outside organization or something. Why? Because the company doesn't want you to know that a union is made up of the people in it, the union IS the workers! Workers – rank-n-file union members run the union, represent co-workers, negotiate improvements with their employers, and then vote to accept a contract or go back for more, and workers even run for union office in the IBEW. Unlike Comcast, a massive rich multi-billion dollar run corporation that operates for profit, our union, the IBEW is non-profit, and operates for you, our members. Made up of working people, unions are the largest voluntary organization in the United States, with over fifteen million members.

The objects of IBEW Local Union 21 are, and shall be to promote by all proper means the material and intellectual welfare of its members. We pledge ourselves to assist one another in securing a reasonable compensation for service rendered, to use our influence with other organized bodies, to advance the principles and practices of conciliation and arbitration in the settlement of any difference with our employer, to defend our rights and advise our interests as workers by all lawful means, to aid and encourage all honorable efforts that will better the conditions of labor to make our card and seal a certificate of honesty, fraternity, efficiency and reliability.

Why are Chicago South employees voting?

Once a majority of workers shows they want a union, sometimes employers honor the workers’ choice. Comcast refused. Often, the workers must ask the government to hold an election and that's what happened here. If the workers win union representation they negotiate a contract with the employer that spells out each party’s rights and responsibilities in the workplace.

What kinds of workers are forming unions today?

A wider range of people than ever before, including many women, immigrants, doctors and nurses, poultry workers and graduate employees, home health care aides, wireless, high speed internet, entertainment and communications workers, auto parts workers, IT workers and engineers, just to name a few.

How do unions help working families today?

Through unions, workers win better wages, benefits and a voice on the job—and good union jobs mean stronger communities. Union workers earn on average 30 percent more than nonunion workers and are more likely to receive health care benefits and a retirement savings plan. Unions lead the fight today for better lives for working people, such as through expanded family and medical leave, improved safety and health protections on the job, and fair-trade agreements that lift the standard of living for workers all over the world.

What have unions accomplished for all workers?

Unions have made life better for all working Americans by helping to pass laws ending child labor, establishing the eight-hour day, protecting workers’ safety and health and helping create Social Security, unemployment insurance and the minimum wage, for example. Unions are continuing the fight today to improve life for all working families in America.

What challenges do workers face today when they want to form unions?

Today, thousands of workers want to join unions. The wisest employers understand that when workers form unions, their companies also benefit. But most employers fight workers’ efforts to come together by intimidating, harassing and threatening them. Think about it, if companies all cared about their workers, paid them well, workplaces were safe, and retirement was part of the deal, most workers would be happy. But that’s not the way it works. That’s why workers have organized for improvements for the last 150 years. We’re here to help and look forward to working with you to make improvements at Chicago South. Vote Yes for change.

Union Message to Workers
IBEW Union Plus Benefits at No Cost

June 3, 2011 – Comcast has tried to convince you that by voting yes, you will lose money by paying union dues and you won’t receive anything for it. The fact is they lied. No dues are collected until you vote to accept a contract. Plus, included in this mailing is a four page list of IBEW Union Plus Benefits that are provided to you immediately, at no cost, ever, simply by Voting Yes and joining IBEW Local Union 21. We understand your life doesn’t end when you leave work each day. That’s why union members and their families automatically get these money-saving Union Plus Benefits and services. Our goal is to improve your life at work, and at home. [More]

Chicago Comcast Workers File Petition to Join IBEW Local Union 21

April 29, 2011- Comcast employees working at the company’s facility located at 721 E. 112th Street in Chicago’s historic Pullman Neighborhood filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to become members of IBEW Local Union 21. The workers have been meeting for the past year to learn about joining our Union. They successfully collected authorization cards from a majority of their coworkers expressing their desire to be represented by IBEW Local Union 21.

IBEW 21 Business representative Dave Webster and Susan Hurley Executive Director of Chicago Jobs with Justice hand delivered a letter to Comcast managers offering them the opportunity to grant the wishes of a majority of their employees by voluntarily recognizing the workers union as IBEW Local Union 21, as allowed under current Federal labor law. If management declines the request, the workers will be forced into the prolonged NLRB election process. [More]

To read the letter delivered to Comcast management click on the image below.

Comcast workers in Chicago, in the suburbs, and throughout Illinois and NW Indiana are organizing, uniting and taking a stand against Comcast Corporation to improve their wages, hours, and working conditions in work locations throughout the Greater Chicago Market. Hundreds of employees are already represented by our union, enjoying the respect, dignity and benefits provided by a negotiated collective bargaining agreement with their employer.

Contrary to what Comcast management says, union membership at Comcast is not just about pay and benefits. Its way of life, a belief that you can accomplish more by standing together with your coworkers to improve conditions at Comcast. Think for a moment how powerful you can be if all 4000 plus Comcast employees join together in solidarity, demanding improvements in your wages, scheduled work hours, and other benefits. You have the power to create change when you unite. By joining the IBEW you will gain respect and dignity at work, have safer working conditions and a larger voice in deciding how your job is performed.

The Union is about you. You play a fundamental role in its success or failure. When company executives and local managers hand down detrimental decisions affecting you and your family on issues of pay, benefits, working conditions or even job security, by challenging those changes as group you will be more successful rather than facing them alone as an individual. One of the greatest benefits of being a union member is the right to have union representation when in meetings with management. These rights are called Weingarten Rights. One of the most vital functions of a union stewards is to prevent management from intimidating employees. Nowhere is this more important than in closed-door meetings when supervisors, security personnel or guards, often trained in interrogation techniques, attempting to coerce employees into confessing to wrongdoing. Union members enjoy the benefits of a negotiated grievance/arbitration procedure, so workplace disputes between workers and their managers are resolved peacefully, fair and without favoritism or discrimination.

There is a lot of misinformation being spread by others about Unions. Comcast bosses have been trained to convince you that you don’t need a union, and that you will do better without one. The straight forward truth is the improvements in wages and benefits over the last few years are because of the continued union organizing throughout the Greater Chicago Market. Management wants you to believe that Comcast gave you the increases, and that Comcast cares. The truth is - companies like Comcast pay more during union organizing efforts so workers will hopefully forget why they wanted a union in the first place. If the improvements over the last few years are because the IBEW is actively organizing here, just think of the improvements workers can enjoy once they join. We believe the best way to understand what being a union member is about is by talking to representatives and other members of our union.

Click here to request more information about IBEW Local 21 representation at Comcast.

Click here for tools, resources, reports, and educational links for Comcast Workers.

Click here with any comments or information that you have about Comcast. You can tell us what is happening in your workplace and what the current issues are where you work. Your e-mail address will be kept confidential.