CWA Local 4900 Brothers and Sisters,
As I prepare to begin my assignment, as an elected member, to the Core CWA/AT&T Bargaining Committee; I wanted to share a few thoughts.
First, bargaining commences on March 6th in Chicago. This will be my home away from home until the committee reaches a tentative agreement or a work stoppage occurs. I will be taking vacation next week to mentally prepare for not just the grind of negotiation but also the time away from my family.
Second, we recently fought to achieve a fair contract in the Orange Mobility contract. These negotiations took over a year! In the end, the results added job securities unheard of in the wireless industry! The wireless industry is faced with many of the same challenges we are facing; consumer buying habits changing, technology changes, outsourcing, rising healthcare costs and the attack on living wage jobs. Yet in the face of these challenges, the Mobility CWA members rose up and fought. They fought with mobilization and the first strike in their history!
We have a duty to rise up to the challenge and fight for our very survival also. This is not a statement of inspiration but rather a call to action. The committee is challenged to do our best and nothing but our best. We will never be able to bargain our every hope and dream into the contract but we will eventually reach a tentative agreement that represents the best we can do. It’s up to you to mobilize and fight to give us the ability to gain the best achievements we can before you vote!
We have trained nearly 125 members across the local as Mobilizers. These Mobilizers must lead and you too must join the fight. Stay informed and stay active, even if you take the smallest of actions. Inaction will lead us all to failure with broken hopes and dreams.
Lastly, I am humbled and proud to serve as your President and leader. I believe in fighting for every member and against every injustice. I am proud to be known to the companies we work for as a “stubborn ass”. I will work with any company, to make them successful, as long as we are part of that success and our families are on that journey with us. If we are not part of their success, then a fight they will get. We will begin the fight now for our future and the future of our union movement in the Core agreement. Stand together! I will tighten my bootlaces and get my fighting tools ready for the trip to Chicago and the bargaining table.
I will keep you updated as I can. Please visit the website or download the 4900 app for updates.
Together we are CWA STRONG and UNION STRONG!
In Solidarity,
Tim Strong
Core Contract expires at Midnight on April 14th!