Vote No on Issue 1, election day is here for Ohio

Administrative Director of the Communication Workers of America District 4, Frank Mathews, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the Ohio special election and some changes voters need to know before heading to the polls. Mathews also discussed the union’s efforts to save a call center in Michigan.

Mathews expressed cautious optimism that the outreach and education efforts by several within organized labor about Ohio’s special election may have worked. However, it won’t be until the end of Aug 8 that anyone will know the true outcome. Many of the voters Mathews spoke to about voting no on Issue 1 expressed concern about the future of Ohio’s democracy. It’s not just a party affiliation issue, it is everyone’s problem if Issue 1 passes, Mathews said.

This is the first vote since changes were made to the requirements for in-person voting in Ohio, and it is organized Labor’s responsibility to educate voters, Mathews said. Polls will be open until 7:30 p.m. If you are in line, you will still be allowed to vote. However, you must make sure you have your state-issued identification, he stated. For more information on Issue 1 or what you’ll need to vote, visit UnionStrongOhio.com

AT&T has announced they are closing several call centers in the United States, and one in Michigan has drawn the ire of Mathews and the CWA. Despite being one of the most productive call centers in the country, AT&T wants to close the call center and outsource the jobs to another area. According to the research, Mathews said, customers don’t want to speak with customer service agents, and these operations often lose customers. To help get the word out, the CWA has created an initiative called “AT&T You’re Blowing It.” For more information, visit www.cwad4.org/ATT.

To hear everything Mathews had to say, press play to hear the whole episode.