Last week, over 2,800 CWA members voted to ratify a contract with Catholic Health System, a healthcare provider serving predominantly Western New York State.

In a joint statement from CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor, CWA Area Director Debora Hayes, CWA Local 1133 President Brian Magner, and CWA 1168 President Cori Gambini, the group writes, “After months of tough negotiations, we are extraordinarily proud to have ratified a strong new contract with Catholic Health System. Our members, including frontline nurses, technical, service, and clerical workers at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Kenmore Mercy Hospital, and Sisters of Charity Hospital-St. Joseph Campus, devote their lives to the Buffalo community, and this contract is a testament to their dedication not just to improving their working conditions but also to improving patient care.”

Understaffing was a central issue for members, potentially impacting their ability to ensure high-quality patient care. The new contract addresses that concern with pay scale increases, a 3% raise for each year of the contract, and increases in bonuses provided to employees who work additional shifts.

The contract ratification comes after members at Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital voted to authorize a strike, harkening back to a historic 40-day strike in 2021. “We are both pleased and relieved,” reads the joint statement, “that the negotiations did not come to that eventuality. We salute the determination and fighting spirit of our members, whose strong mobilization, bargaining power, and commitment to this community have yielded a contract that will strengthen quality healthcare for patients, workers, and the Buffalo community.”

In a victory for CWAers in the telecom industry, technicians at unWired Broadband have won union recognition. Even though workers voted overwhelmingly to join CWA in June, the company refused to recognize the union. The company's frivolous appeals were rejected by the NLRB, and earlier this month, the Board certified the union election victory. CWA Local 9333 is now in discussions with management to begin bargaining in November.

“This victory is about respect, fairness, and a shared commitment to building a better workplace,” said CWA Local 9333 President Elaine Savaiki. “UnWired employees stood together for their rights—and now, we’re ready to bargain for the fair pay, healthcare, job security, and dignity every worker deserves.”

“We’ve worked hard to get here, and this win proves that our voices matter,” said Aaron Lean, an unWired installer from Fresno, Calif. “We’re not just employees—we’re the ones who keep unWired running every day, and now we finally have a seat at the table.”

At the 80th CWA Convention in Pittsburgh this summer, delegates passed a resolution committing our union to a ten-year project to unionize our fellow frontline workers in telecommunications. Our union is facing a very different industry than we did 50 years ago. The telecom industry was 60 percent union in 1980 with a single dominant employer, the regulated monopoly of the Bell System; now less than 15 percent of industry workers are union members.

UnWired workers organized their union to improve safety on the job and address unjust firings and favoritism. They have rallied support from local elected officials and community members in their campaign for a union voice. CWA looks forward to expanding relationships with workers throughout the company.

Earlier this month, in a first for the publication, members of the Los Angeles Times Guild (TNG-CWA Local 39213) voted to authorize union leadership to call a strike if such a step is necessary to reach a new contract. As of this writing, no strike has been scheduled.

TNG-CWA and Times management have been bargaining over a new contract for more than three grueling years. During that period, the newspaper has endured multiple rounds of layoffs and buyouts, leaving the L.A. Times Guild with slightly more than 200 members, down from about 450 in 2022. The newsroom’s remaining journalists have gone four years without a cost-of-living increase, even as inflation pushed the cost of food, rent, healthcare, and other essentials steadily upward.

“These negotiations have dragged on for far too long, and today’s vote results show that our members are fed up,” said Matt Hamilton, Chair of the Los Angeles Times Guild and an investigative reporter. “Now is the time for management to come to the table with a proposal that is truly fair for our members and helps restore The Times.”

Click here for more details from the Los Angeles Times Guild.

In a major milestone for video game workers, nearly 500 Blizzard workers have joined CWA, adding to the growing wave of union formation across Microsoft’s gaming studios and joining over 1,900 Blizzard workers who have taken up the fight for a better workplace.

Last week, more than 100 developers behind Blizzard’s popular games Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble voted in favor of union representation, joining CWA Local 9510 after a majority expressed support for wall-to-wall union representation. This unit includes software engineers, designers, artists, QA testers, and producers.

“Whether we are fighting for layoff protections, security for our remote workers, or reduced wage gaps, the pressures we face are making it harder to create the high-quality work we care about,” said CWA Local 9510 organizing committee member and senior 2D artist Uriah Voth. “Organizing gives us the opportunity to empower ourselves and challenge the instability and unfair conditions that undermine us.”

Days later, nearly 400 workers in Blizzard’s Platform & Technology department who support Battle.net, the company’s online platform, also voted in favor of union representation. The newly represented units include software engineers, project and product managers, graphic designers, and other workers responsible for Blizzard’s online services, website development, in-game purchases, and account management. These units will be represented by CWA Local 9510 in Irvine, Calif., and CWA Local 6215 in Austin, Texas.

“Blizzard workers in Texas are joining a new generation of video game developers who know their worth and are standing up for it,” said CWA Local 6215 President Ron Swaggerty. “Together with our siblings in California and beyond, we’re proving that no matter where you work, organizing is how we make this industry sustainable for the people who power it.”

Last week, CWA healthcare workers with the University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA (UPTE-CWA) Local 9119 rallied in support of twenty researchers abruptly laid off by the University of California (UC). The researchers were advancing potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, multiple system atrophy, and prion diseases. Members rallied at the Mission Bay campus of UC-San Francisco.

Their message was clear: UPTE-CWA members, their allies, and their supporters will not back down in the face of these assaults on lifesaving research and patient care.

UPTE-CWA members continue to battle at the bargaining table with the University of California, fighting for fair wages and improved staff retention to address the critical staff shortages that threaten to negatively impact patient care. Members, retirees, and supporters have engaged in several day-long strikes and have voted to strike longer if necessary.

If you’d like to show solidarity, you can share the UPTE-CWA messages on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, or Bluesky.

UPTE-CWA Local 9119 members, retirees, and supporters rallied in solidarity with twenty researchers laid off by the University of California. Pictured above, UPTE-CWA Workplace Representative and clinical research coordinator Miranda Sullivan helped lead rally-goers.

Following Electronic Arts’ recent announcement about a full company buyout, which would inevitably lead to massive layoffs and studio closures in order to finance $20 billion in debt, United Videogame Workers-CWA Local 9433 published the following statement, emphasizing the need for regulatory oversight and workplace organizing. The consortium of buyers, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, includes Affinity Partners, which is owned by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

“We are calling on regulators and elected officials to scrutinize this deal and ensure that any path forward protects jobs, preserves creative freedom, and keeps decision-making accountable to the workers who make EA successful,” the statement reads. “However, we also recognize that regulators and elected officials alone will not save the video game industry. Only we can truly do that. Organizing is the only thing that guarantees workers a real voice when ownership changes hands, and it’s the only way to ensure that the people who make video games have a say in how they’re run.”

Read the full statement here. EA employees, video game workers, and CWA members who want to help shape a more equitable, worker-driven future at EA can sign this petition to join the fight to make the company better for workers and players alike.

Last week, CWA leaders from across the country met in Iowa City, Iowa, for the Dennis Serrette Minority Leadership Institute (MLI), a week-long leadership training program hosted by the CWA Human Rights Department. During MLI, participants from CWA Districts and Sectors undergo rigorous training in subjects including leadership development, communications, organizing, and legislative advocacy.

CWA Director of Human Rights, Education and Health and Safety Angie Wells provided opening remarks, followed by a welcome from Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague. CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam, IUE-CWA Industrial Division President Carl Kennebrew, and CWA Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos spoke on the importance of MLI to our union. CWA Minority Caucus President Maurice Washington grounded those gathered with a history of the Minority Caucus.

Salaam also opened a panel discussion, moderated by Angie Wells, titled “Paths, Obstacles, and Strategies for Developing Leadership.” Speakers included CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton; Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook; IUE-CWA President Kennebrew; Western Region At-Large Diversity Executive Board Member Keith Gibbs; and Central Region At-Large Diversity Executive Board Member Reggie Small.

Students also met with CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., who discussed the role MLI-trained leaders have played in building our union, as well as the importance of integrity, honesty, and collaboration.

Congratulations, graduates!

Meet the Dennis Serrette Minority Leadership Institute’s Fall 2025 Graduating Class! Top row, left to right: Letizia Maria Zamudio (CWA District 9), Belinda Aguilar (CWA District 6), Shannon Gomes (CWA District 1), Kelese Richardson (AFA-CWA), Antwan Marshall (IUE-CWA). Front row, left to right: Wayne Herring (CWA District 4), Tay Akins (CWA District 7), Andrae Johnson (PHEW), Bill Baker (NewsGuild-CWA), Yvonne Kinston (Telecommunications and Technologies), LeAnder Fleming (CWA District 3).

Last month, Errol Minor, host of the CWA Hour of Power podcast and member of the CWA National Civil Rights and Equity Committee for District 3, served as a guest panelist at the 73rd NAACP Alabama State Convention on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The gathering included civil rights leaders, activists, and community members celebrating the power of collective action and the enduring impact of the NAACP’s work in Alabama.

Minor shared perspectives on the intersection of labor rights, civil rights, and equity initiatives within our union, highlighting the critical role advocacy plays in empowering workers and marginalized communities. A key part of the conversation focused on the importance of educating union members on how public policies directly affect their daily lives, from wages and healthcare access to workplace protections and civil rights. By making these connections clear, unions can help members make informed decisions that strengthen both their livelihoods and their communities.

The NAACP has long been a crucial partner for labor movements, providing leadership and resources. From fighting discriminatory practices in the workplace to advancing policies that protect civil and human rights, their work complements CWA’s dedication to equity, fairness, and empowerment for all workers.

Whether through volunteering, attending events, or supporting initiatives, your participation can strengthen the bond between labor and civil rights advocacy and help create a more just and equitable society for everyone. For more information on how to get involved with the NAACP, visit NAACP.org or connect with your local chapter.

CWA’s Errol Minor participated in a panel discussion with other labor leaders at the 73rd NAACP Alabama State Convention in Tuscaloosa, Ala.