Earlier this month, CWA members and retirees in New Jersey, in partnership with other public sector unions, including AFSCME and the American Federation of Teachers-Council of N.J. State Colleges, reached a landmark agreement with the State of New Jersey to avert catastrophic healthcare cost hikes for State workers.

The agreement balances modest increases in out-of-pocket costs with commitments on longer-term governance and cost containment reforms, improving a plan covering hundreds of thousands of working families. The deal also calls on the State Legislature to rescind the budget resolution that initiated these negotiations and to ensure that future budgets respect existing healthcare agreements. The campaign will continue, however, as Local Government employees who are not covered by this agreement still face potentially crippling healthcare increases.

The State Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) premiums were projected to rise over 17 percent in 2026, which would cause a double-digit increase in paycheck contributions. Key wins in the agreement include zero increases to member contributions for 2026; protected current copays for primary care, specialist, and urgent care office visits; and a reverse auction to secure a pharmacy benefit manager contract, projected to save hundreds of millions of dollars.

"This agreement is a hard-won victory for the 100,000 state workers and retirees who were facing catastrophic healthcare cost hikes," said CWA District 1 Assistant to the Vice President Billy Gallagher. “It proves that when we sit down at the table through the proper channels, we can find solutions that protect working families and control costs for the state. This deal not only rescinds a dangerous precedent of bypassing our contracts but also establishes a collaborative path forward to tackle the root causes of rising healthcare costs. It is a powerful testament to what we can achieve through collective bargaining and good-faith dialogue, and it ensures our members' voices are heard in shaping the future of their healthcare."

Click here to read more details in the CWA District 1 member update.

CWA members from across N.J., in partnership with other public sector union allies, won a landmark victory in the fight for affordable healthcare.

Last month, a coalition of consumer organizations, local government entities, first responders, digital equity advocates, and many other groups, spearheaded by CWA members and retirees, successfully stopped AT&T’s latest attempt to leave rural customers without landline telephone service. As the current “carrier of last resort” (COLR) in California, AT&T is obligated to maintain landline communication access for customers in rural areas where other options like satellite may not be available or reliable in an emergency.

AT&T spent more than $5 million lobbying in favor of AB 470, a bill that would have resulted in job losses across the state for CWA members. CWA District 9 staff and members made calls to legislators, signed opposition letters, and showed up in person multiple times at California’s state capitol in Sacramento to express their opposition to the measure. Members and allies testified in several legislative hearings and met with state legislators and their staff to outline how AB 470 would hurt union workers and customers.

Though narrowly passed by two legislative committees and one floor vote, the CWA-led coalition was able to stop the bill in the California Senate Appropriations Committee. This victory, in what is considered one of the biggest political fights of the year in the state, is the result of relentless advocacy by CWA and our allies for working-class people and against corporate greed.

CWA District 9 activists took action to protect rural communities and save union telecommunications jobs by holding AT&T to its mandate as “carrier of last resort.”

Last week, a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—which includes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection—from brutalizing journalists, legal observers, and protesters.

Members of The NewsGuild-CWA, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Press Club, three journalists, two individual protesters, and a legal observer, filed suit against DHS for the retaliatory violence DHS inflicted in violation of their constitutional rights to protest, observe, and report on government actions.

In a 45-page opinion, Judge Hernán Vera of the Central District Court of California determined that “under the guise of protecting the public, federal agents have endangered large numbers of peaceful protestors, legal observers, and journalists—as well as the public that relies on them to hold their government accountable.” Judge Vera added, “The First Amendment demands better.”

“Journalists are the workers who shine a light on our democracy and hold power to account,” said NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss. “This order makes clear they have a right to do their jobs safely to bring us the news we deserve without government interference.”

Among other actions, the preliminary injunction prohibits DHS agents from:

• Dispersing, threatening, or assaulting the press or legal observers unless they have probable cause to believe an individual has committed a crime unrelated to failing to obey a dispersal order;
• Using chemical, projectile, and auditory weapons against members of the press, legal observers, and protesters who pose no threat of imminent harm to a law enforcement officer or another person;
• Firing tear gas canisters or auditory weapons so as to strike any person, or firing weapons at the head, neck, groin, spine, or other sensitive areas, unless that person poses an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury.

Congratulations to the legal observers, peaceful protestors, and brave NewsGuild-CWA journalists for their courageous fight to protect the freedoms we hold dear.

Click here to read more.

Last month, UCW-CWA members alongside student workers at Berea College in Berea, Ky., won a victory after the college administration announced a policy providing sick leave. As a Work College, all students at Berea work on-campus jobs for at least 10 hours per week doing everything from serving food to maintenance and repairs.

Members of United Campus Workers-CWA (UCW-CWA) at Berea identified the lack of available sick leave as an issue in 2023, created literature to educate student workers in the fall of 2024, and formally began their campaign in February of this year. More than 1,500 student workers employed at Berea College will now have a clearly documented system to take time off for sickness, mental health reasons, parenting responsibilities, or bereavement. Previously, there was no written policy, and workers say they were often directly or indirectly pressured to work in these situations.

“Sick leave was a loosely defined policy that was granted in instances few and far between,” said UCW-CWA member and lab assistant Daphne Floyd. “Nearly everyone I meet feels the pressure that if you don’t show up to work sick, you’ll get behind on your labor contract, get put on labor probation, or even get kicked out of college. By denying us sick leave, Berea encouraged us not to rest while sick and to risk getting others sick.”

Student workers at Berea also won protections against unpaid work, protections against doing work not included in their job contract, and the ability to work an off-campus job without facing disciplinary action.

UCW-CWA members in the Student Workers Organizing Committee fought for these wins by circulating a petition, holding meetings, tabling and canvassing across campus, and regularly reaching out to President Cheryl Nixon about the issue throughout the Spring 2025 semester.

A Student Director of Community Engagement and proud UCW-CWA member, Rhea Clayton, said, “Student organizing works. We’ve been working on this campaign for months, and it’s an exciting moment to see the results of our organizing. We will continue to fight for students' rights within the workplace, including paid sick leave.”

On September 9, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. addressed coalition allies during a call to announce a boycott of T-Mobile. The company is facing backlash for its aggressive union-busting, for cancelling its diversity programs to curry favor with the Federal Communications Commission, and for funneling billions of dollars to Elon Musk through its partnership with his Starlink service.

“T-Mobile has been among the worst labor law violators over the past 15 years,” said President Cummings. “Now T-Mobile is showing everyone what they really stand for. Not only is the company in business with a billionaire CEO who supports authoritarian governments around the world, but it also recently ended its diversity initiatives to appease the Trump regime so the administration would fast-track approval of two major acquisitions.” He added, “To win this fight, we must make it clear to corporations that being in bed with Donald Trump is bad for business.”

Other speakers included U.S. Representative Mark Pocan, President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, Bekah Hinojosa of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network and Evan Sutton with the Tesla Takedown Movement.

CWA members will be distributing flyers at T-Mobile store locations to inform customers about the boycott.

Click here to sign the pledge to boycott T-Mobile.

From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, honoring the contributions of workers of Hispanic descent to the rich tapestry of the United States. This month, the AFL-CIO has singled out CWA Local 8586 Steward Esthela Hernandez.

Hernandez began her career in 1993 as a zero operator in GTE’s (now Verizon) first bilingual Spanish services group, launching a 32-year journey through major telecom companies, including a return to Verizon in 2025. She rose through various departments while adapting to industry changes and earned a bachelor's degree in business management. A dedicated union advocate, she has served as a union steward at three locals and contributed to numerous CWA committees, including the CWA National Women’s Committee as the CWA District 9 representative.

Click here to read more profiles of Hispanic labor leaders.

CWA Local 8586 Steward and CWA National Women’s Committee representative Esthela Hernandez has been highlighted by the AFL-CIO for her years of service and dedication.

Last month, CWA members across CWA District 4 reached out to their communities through their annual Peanut Butter and Jelly Food Drive, coordinated by the CWA District 4 Human Rights Committee. Locals came together to collect food and donations that will help families facing food insecurity. The effort not only provided vital supplies but also highlighted the shared values that bring us together. Members affirmed that caring for families and strengthening communities is at the heart of who we are.