Frank Mathews, Administrative Director of the Communications Workers of America District 4, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the union's recent Legislative-Political Conference. He also discussed their member action day on Capitol Hill and the union's impact on the BEAD program.
Mathews recently attended the CWA Legislative-Political Conference in Washington, D.C. He talked about the interaction between members of different Locals and the educational sessions that were offered. Mathews also discussed the impact of having Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, among others, speak at the conference.
While at the conference, CWA members spent a day visiting with their local members of Congress to discuss policy that matters to them. Among the topics was the desire to pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2023 (PRO-ACT). Mathews explained the importance of CWA members discussing policy matters with members of both political parties.
Finally, Mathews discussed the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD). The federal program provided over $42 billion to expand high-speed Internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Mathews explained the work that the CWA has been doing with their broadband committees in each state to ensure workers have a seat at the table. He said that most states have worked with the CWA to ensure jobs created by the program lead to jobs for high-road contractors.
To hear more from Mathews, please listen to the show above.