Frank Mathews, Administrative Director for CWA District 4, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss two subjects: the status of federal and state legislation to keep call center jobs in the United States and the Communications Workers of America’s voter mobilization effort heading into the Nov. 3 election.
On the legislation, he discussed the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025, introduced by U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and U.S. Sen. Jim Justice as Senate Bill 2495, and Michigan's recently introduced anti-offshoring bills, Michigan House Bills 6069 and 6070, which were the subject of a bipartisan rally outside the Michigan Statehouse last month. He noted that states including Texas, Louisiana and New York have already passed similar legislation.
For the upcoming election, he highlighted CWA District 4's ground game across five states. The effort has included more than 2,000 volunteer shifts, over 16,000 handwritten postcards to Ohio members and retirees, more than 50,000 Battleground Bulletin email contacts in Ohio alone and labor walks and phone banks coordinated through area labor federations, including the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor in the Cleveland area.
Mathews also addressed the impact of billionaire spending in various races, citing Elon Musk's contributions as well as a Wisconsin Supreme Court race in which heavy Musk spending backfired on his preferred candidate.
- The Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 (Senate Bill 2495, introduced by Sens. Ruben Gallego and Jim Justice) does not prohibit corporations from moving call center jobs overseas, but makes companies that do so ineligible for federal grants, loans and other assistance funded by taxpayer money. At the state level, Michigan has introduced companion anti-offshoring bills, following a bipartisan statehouse rally in September. These types of bills have seen broad appeal across the political spectrum, Mathews said, as Texas, Louisiana and New York have already passed similar legislation.
- CWA District 4 is running a voter mobilization program across five states with more than 2,000 volunteer shifts, including labor walks, phone banking and postcard writing. Ohio members and retirees are receiving more than 16,000 handwritten postcards identifying CWA-endorsed candidates, and more than 50,000 Ohio email addresses are receiving the Battleground Bulletin, a CWA publication with brief descriptions of endorsed candidates and notes on those who did not receive endorsements. A second Battleground Bulletin will go out at the end of October as an Election Day reminder, he said.
- Mathews addressed the Wisconsin Supreme Court race from earlier in 2026, in which Elon Musk spent heavily on behalf of his preferred candidate and lost. Musk's involvement reportedly worked against the campaign due to his low approval rating. He connected that experience to the current election, where he said the volume of paid negative advertising and AI-generated imagery in campaigns is building the case for overturning Citizens United. Labor's boots-on-the-ground approach is a more authentic measure of community sentiment than carpet-bombing the airwaves with billionaire money, Mathews added.
The Keep Call Centers in America Act
Frank Mathews opened with an update on federal and state legislation aimed at addressing the offshoring of call center jobs, a trend the CWA has been fighting for years. The federal vehicle is the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 (Senate Bill 2495), introduced by Sens. Ruben Gallego and Jim Justice.
Mathews started by explaining what the bill does and does not do. It does not prohibit corporations from moving call center jobs to other countries. However, it makes those companies ineligible for federal grants, loans and taxpayer-funded assistance. He described the approach as a no-brainer and noted that it has demonstrated bipartisan appeal by framing the issue as protecting American workers rather than restricting corporate activity.
Numerous states have already acted. Texas and Louisiana, not typically associated with labor-friendly legislation, have passed versions of the bill, Mathews said, as well as New York.
Michigan's Anti-Offshoring Bills
At the state level, CWA District 4’s most recent effort is in Michigan, where House Bills 6069 and 6070 were introduced in June. A bipartisan rally was held in September outside the Michigan Statehouse to draw attention to the bills. Mathews described the event as high energy and noted that it indicates the call center issue crosses traditional partisan boundaries. He encouraged Michigan residents to contact their state representatives in support of the bills and offered the CWA as a resource for any state lawmaker interested in co-sponsoring similar legislation.
Two Thousand Volunteer Shifts and Counting
The bulk of the conversation turned to the Nov. 3 General Election and what CWA District 4 is doing on the ground. Mathews described a ground game running across all five states that make up District 4.
The effort has included more than 2,000 volunteer shifts, covering labor walks, phone banking and postcard writing. In Ohio, more than 16,000 handwritten postcards are being sent to members and retirees to identify CWA-endorsed candidates. The handwritten format is intentional. Mathews said retirees, in particular, respond well to handwritten postcards, and they offer volunteers who are not comfortable knocking on doors or making phone calls a way to participate. A postcard in the mail from a fellow union member carries a different weight than paid media, Mathews added.
The digital component is the Battleground Bulletin, an email publication going to more than 50,000 members and retired members in Ohio alone. The first issue, out this week, gives a synopsis of the endorsed candidates and brief descriptions of candidates who did not receive a CWA endorsement. Another Battleground Bulletin will go out at the end of October as an Election Day reminder.
CWA District 4 is plugging its members and retirees into the area labor federation structures in each state rather than running a parallel operation. In the Cleveland area, CWA members are volunteering through the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor. Similar coordination is happening across the other states, Mathews said.
Money, Citizens United and the Wisconsin Lesson
Mathews also addressed the campaign finance side of the election. Elon Musk has reportedly committed approximately $275 million to campaigns across the United States. Mathews said that figure alone should be the textbook case for overturning the laws that allow unrestricted financial support to candidates. The court ruling that allows these massive donations is known as Citizens United v. FEC. It affirmed that money equals speech, but Mathews said it creates a political environment in which a single billionaire can purchase more speech than entire communities of working people can.
He pointed to a Wisconsin Supreme Court race from earlier in 2026. Musk invested heavily in that race on behalf of his preferred candidate. He lost. And there were reports, Mathews said, that Musk's visible presence in the race actually worked against his candidate because of his low approval rating.
He connected that experience to the current election cycle. AI-generated imagery and misleading statements in political advertising are building a record that Mathews said will one day write its own case against Citizens United. The volume and the dishonesty of the paid media, he predicted, will eventually backfire because voters tune it out. What does not get tuned out, he said, is a handwritten postcard from a fellow union member or a neighbor at the door who is volunteering because they believe in something.
More information on CWA District 4 is available at cwad4.org.
Go Behind the Scenes of the Labor Movement
Every victory at the bargaining table starts with workers standing together. From the shop floor to the statehouse, hear how activists are fighting for better wages, safer conditions and a stronger future. Subscribe to the America's Work Force Union Podcast to get the latest interviews with the leaders and organizers building worker power across America.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
