Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 4 Administrative Director Frank Mathews joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed a recent White House meeting between CWA lead organizer Alex Speidel, President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and other union, who talked about the importance of organizing and how it helps America’s working families.
Besides Speidel, other labor leaders who attended the Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment Meeting were Christian Smalls of the Amazon Labor Union and Laura Garza from Starbucks Workers United, Rachel Gitlevich of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Jaimie Caldwell from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and Damien Sowell of United Food and Commercial Workers-Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
The meeting serves as further proof Biden is the most pro-union president in most people’s lifetimes, Mathews said. This is a president who wakes up in the morning thinking about working families and understands the importance of having a union workforce where workers have a voice on the job, he added.
Mathews also spoke about CWA’s Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE). The goal of CODE is to unionize tech workers across the country. As a result of the campaign, Raven Software employees and Apple retail workers will soon hold their first union elections, he noted.
Lastly, Mathews discussed the Affordable Interconnectivity Program, in which 20 internet companies agreed to offer $30 monthly plans for high speed connections to lower-income households. Those making no more than 200 percent of the poverty line will be eligible for $30 monthly subsidies, essentially gaining access to free internet. The program is proof we finally have an administration who understands the importance of bridging the digital divide in order to provide economic and educational opportunities to all Americans, he added.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.