CODE-CWA Newsletter: December 6, 2024

CWA Files ULP Against Sony for Violating Labor Law After Flyering Action

This week, CWA filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Santa Monica Studio, a Sony subsidiary based in Los Angeles, Calif., alleging that Sony limited protected organizing activities on their property in violation of Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. 

On November 21, CWA members visited Sony video game studio locations throughout California and across the country and in Canada to talk to Sony employees about the reasons a growing number of workers in the industry are forming unions. When workers arrived outside Santa Monica Studio, building management kicked members off a public sidewalk facing the property and threatened to call the police. 

Sony’s attempt to limit workers’ right to distribute leaflets—a form of concerted activity—continues a pattern of low-road behavior from the industry giant amid recent Sony studio layoffs and growing disparities between Sony workers and leadership executives. Workers at Sony who are interested in learning more about unions and their legal right to organize should visit code-cwa.org/organize.

Join us on Saturday, December 7, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET for an introduction to unions and organizing conversations training. Please note – this will be the last training of 2024. All levels of experience are welcome and encouraged!

Check out the CODE-CWA organizer training program for even more upcoming trainings!

Forbes Journalists Walk Out on Magazine's Biggest Day of the Year

On December 3rd, union-represented staff at Forbes (Forbes Union) held a one-day work stoppage in protest of the business magazine’s continued intransigence at the bargaining table and repeated labor law violations, on the same day as the launch of the magazine’s most important issue of the year, “30 Under 30.” 

The Forbes Union organized with The NewsGuild of New York in 2021 and for nearly three years workers have been fighting for a first contract, only to be met with disrespect and illegal, union-busting tactics by Forbes management. 

Critically important issues for Forbes Union include: 

• Wages, including setting strong and fair salary minimums for every position
• Reductions in Force, which guarantees protections in the event of a layoff 
• Severance language that establishes minimums and provides healthcare coverage. 

Read more here. 

CWA Helps Launch Clean IT Worker Training Initiative in Partnership with The Urban Institute 

The booming clean energy industry demands skilled information technology (IT) workers to stabilize the grid, develop energy management software, and secure the nation’s energy supply. The workers entering these jobs face challenging work conditions and often don't know their rights or how to organize collectively. 

On Tuesday, December 10 at 1PM EST, join CWA, the Urban Institute, Per Scholas, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) for the launch of the Clean IT project, which is funded by a federal grant to provide cost-free skills training for young people interested in entering IT roles in the clean energy sector. The program emphasizes recruiting from under-represented communities and making the tech sector more representative of our communities. CWA is the worker voice partner for the project and will provide a one-day workers' rights training as part of the larger pre-hire training program.

During this event, we’ll explore how industry-recognized tech training can equip workers with the skills they need for IT careers in the renewable energy sector with the following speakers:

• Nell Geiser, Director of Research, CWA
• Grace Duginski, Worker Rights Trainer, CODE-CWA
• Joshua Boyce, Managing Director, Per Scholas 
• Deborah Kobes, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute (Project Director)
• Richard Lawrence, Senior Director, Workforce and Industry Engagement, IREC
• Michael Terrell, Senior Managing Director, Per Scholas North Carolina
• Cathy Wabenga, Alumni, Per Scholas

To register for this virtual event, please visit this site. 

December 1, 1955 – In Montgomery, Ala., activist Rosa Parks was jailed for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man, in violation of the city’s racial segregation laws at the time. In response to Park’s arrest, the NAACP and other activists immediately called for a bus boycott. 

December 5, 1955 – The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the two largest labor federations, merged to become the AFL-CIO. 

Source.

Source: AFL-CIO