Given that CWA changed its position,. have you even thought that maybe CWA extracted pro-worker concessions based on their previous campaign against the merger? CWA currently has a full-scale union organizing campaign at AT&T Broadband based on a neutrality agreement negotiated with AT&T in the last contract. One of their major goals has been to force Comcast to honor that neutrality agreement in contract negotiations coming up at AT&T Broadband as the merger goes through. CWA has a very successful record of using merger reviews to force companies to agree to stop union-busting as a condition of CWA support for any telecom merger. They have also used such reviews to block mergers of anti-union companies (such as the MCI-Sprint merger a few years ago), while encouraging mergers where companies with pro-union neutrality agreements merge with non-union companies, as long as the neutrality agreement extends to the non-union sector.
As for Breaux-Nickles, current law encourages non-union ISPs to take union jobs away from union Bell companies, while putting no interconnection burdens on largel non-union cable companies in the broadband sector.
Lots of non-union Internet companies oppose Breaux-Nickles and oppose the CWA-AT&T merger, so it's just bullshit to play an inter-capital battle as some white hat fight. CWA is fighting for the right of workers to unionize without union busting terrorism, and they have been very skilled in using merger fights and regulatory review to extract concessions for workers and to expand unions into the high-tech sector of cable broadband and wireless telephones.
This is one of the only unions that has made headway into the expanding unionization into the technology sector and you sit pissing on them?
Nathan Newman nathan at newman.org http://www.nathannewman.org http://www.nathannewman.org/log/ (News & Views WebLog)
----- Original Message ----- From: "budge" <budge at el-pleasant.org>
The buisness of America is business, so obviously the buisiness of American Labor is business, right?
------ Forwarded Message
// From: Jeff Chester <jeff at democraticmedia.org>
Communications Daily: FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2002 VOL. 22, NO. 115:
"CWA did about-face on proposed merger of Comcast and AT&T Broadband. After raising concerns, CWA announced Thurs. that it was supporting merger. Union said merger would expand access to high-speed Internet services and "lead to the creation of quality jobs in the industry." CWA said that after "extended discussions" with Comcast and AT&T officials, union leaders determined that workers would gain greater opportunities under merged company, including more positive labor relations."
"AFL-CIO sent letter to senators urging passage of Breaux-Nickles Broadband Regulatory Parity Act of 2002 (S-2430). Letter said bill would "bolster the U.S. economy at an especially critical time." AFL-CIO said more than 250,000 jobs were lost in telecom sector during current recession and competition between cable and telephone companies on broadband would help jump-start Internet economy, with positive spillover effects throughout broader economy. AFL-CIO said proposed AT&T-Comcast merger would create a cable monopoly with "virtually exclusive access to 40% of U.S. households and would likely precipitate further consolidation in the cable industry." Letter said inequitable regulatory treatment has made telephone companies reluctant to invest in expansion of broadband network. USTA praised letter and Pres. Walter McCormick said: "The AFL-CIO's support for the Breaux-Nickles broadband bill is another strong indication of the tremendous benefits this bill brings to the nation's economy." -
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