CWA
History
1918-1923: World War II-The Government Takes Control of the Telephone System
During World War I, on July 22, 1918, under a Presidential order, the telephone and telegraph system was placed under the control of the federal government and the Postmaster General Albert S. Burelson. In 1919, Burelson was faced with a strike by the IBEW that virtually tied up phone service in New England and threatened to become nationwide. In an attempt to end the strike, Burelson issued a government bulletin acknowledging the rights of workers to bargain through committees “chosen by them, to act for them.”
1910-1919: Early Organizing Efforts in the Telephone Industry
Unionization of the telephone industry during the first three decades of this century was confined to a few scattered pockets of organized workers. The first union to attempt to organize telephone workers—the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers(IBEW)—achieved limited success during these years. These early organizing efforts did not include women who worked in the telephone industry. It was not until 1912 that the IBEW accepted telephone operators—generally women—as members. In 1919, IBEW’s telephone department claimed 200 telephone locals with 20,000 members.
1983: CWA Strikes the Bell System
In 1983, only months before the Bell system was to be broken into separate companies, CWA opened national contract negotiations. Not surprisingly, it was a difficult round of negotiations. AT&T was demanding givebacks from workers and seeking substandard job titles. 700,000 CWA members went out on strike on August 7 for better wages, employment security, pension plan changes and health insurance improvements. The strike lasted 22 days when the telephone industry agreed to meet the union’s demands.
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