CWA adds Portland call center workers

As part of a national wave of unionizing at Cingular Wireless, 444 Portland call center employees will soon have the protection of a national contract bargained by Communications Workers of America (CWA).

The company recognized the union after a majority of employees signed union authorization cards. Such recognition is permitted under the National Labor Relations Act, but most employers prefer that the government conduct an election: This delays the process, and gives the company greater ability to oppose the union. In this case, CWA used its longstanding relationship with Cingular’s parent companies, Bell South and SBC, to negotiate the quicker process for unionizing new units.

In recent months, CWA has brought in 1,134 call center workers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; 418 in Lebanon, Virginia; 390 in Memphis, Tennessee; and 756 in Austin, Texas. Also unionized were Cingular retail sales employees, including more than 400 workers at 75 retail store locations throughout New York; 99 workers at 21 stores in the six Missouri cities; 33 employees at five locations in Oklahoma; and 90 workers at 22 stores in Massachusetts.

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