News

  • Workers at Georgia’s Largest Animation Studio Are Launching a Union With the Communications Workers of America
    (Atlanta, Ga.)—Today workers at Floyd County Productions are announcing the creation of the Floyd County Productions Guild with support from the Communications Workers of America’s CODE-CWA project . It will be the first union open to all workers at Floyd County Productions—the largest animation studio in the state of Georgia. "This union builds upon years of passionate organizing by Floyd County Production workers,” said Margeaux McClelland, 3D Texture Artist at Floyd County Productions. “We are excited to work together as a collective to continue building a workplace where everyone receives their fair share and can thrive in a culture of mutual respect and transparency.” Since its founding in 2009, Floyd County Productions has grown to be the largest animation studio in Georgia. Workers at FCP have been behind leading animated series such as Archer and others. On Monday, March 1 members of the Floyd County Productions Guild requested voluntary recognition of the union from management. The workers will be members of CWA. Union membership will be available to all non-management workers at Floyd County Productions. The union encopases a range of workers including artists, animators, IT workers, editors, systems engineers, background artists, layout artists and more. "Our union will represent all workers at Floyd County Productions in order to ensure everyone receives fair compensation for their work, while also improving transparency around employee benefits and building a culture that reflects the values, diversity and strength of its workers.” said Brenden Lewis, Illustrator at Floyd County Productions. “Our work has brought about many incredibly popular animated shows at Floyd County Productions and so we look forward to voluntary recognition from management as a show of commitment to its workers. By giving us a true voice and seat at the table, we can start collaborating and negotiating for a more equitable workplace.” Georgia has grown to be a hub for film studios resulting in billions invested in the state according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Unfortunately animators in the state have not had access to the job stability, wages and benefits enjoyed by their peers in other states that have a longer history of union membership within the industry. As Atlanta continues to be home to a thriving film industry, the announcement of the Floyd County Productions Guild could signal a trend of increased job quality for workers in this sector in Georgia. This effort mirrors the broader national trend of continued union membership growth in the midst of economically uncertain times. The Floyd County Productions Guild will provide a structure so that workers can actively push for real changes at the company to ensure just working conditions, wages, benefits and transparency.. ### — Mar 1
  • For the People: Removing Barriers to Voter Registration
    To loosen the hold corporate money has on our country, we must build worker power, and to do that, we need the For the People Act. It is one of the most important bills that Congress will be considering, so over the next few weeks we will be sharing information in the CWA eNewsletter about how the For the People Act ensures that eligible voters can participate in elections and reduces the role of large donations in political campaigns. Earlier this month, we highlighted how the For the People Act will give people more choices about where and when they vote. You can read that article here. The For the People Act also addresses the voter registration process, which is one of our nation's greatest election administration hurdles. The outdated process that requires ink-and-paper forms is largely to blame. The For the People Act improves the voter registration process by making secure registration available online and giving voters the opportunity to register to vote on the day of the election. The act protects registered voters by limiting states' ability to purge registered voters from the eligibility list during federal elections. Laws regulating voting, the role of money in politics, and corporate lobbying have not kept up with changes in American politics. But corporate executives want to keep things the way they are so they can keep calling the shots. They're doing whatever they can, including spreading misinformation about the bill, to hold on to their power. We can't let them get away with it. Tell Congress that it is time to update our voting system so that every eligible voter can register​ to vote. Click here to send an email. — Feb 25
  • Solidarity with Locked-Out Teamsters at Marathon Petroleum
    CWA members joined the picket line in support of locked out Marathon Petroleum workers in Minnesota. CWA stands in solidarity with 200 Marathon Petroleum workers, members of Teamsters Local 120, who have been locked out by management after a 24-hour strike on January 22 at the St. Paul Park refinery in Minnesota. In an effort to appease the predatory hedge fund Elliott Management, Marathon Petroleum is trying to cut union jobs and contract work out to push up the company's stock prices. CWA members know Elliott's tactics well from its attempts to extract short-term cash from companies like AT&T and Frontier Communications, and they are disastrous for workers. Marathon's other cost-cutting measures have included increasing workloads on high-intensity positions to the point where union representatives raised safety concerns for both workers and the local community. Marathon should end this lockout now and reject Elliott Management's anti-worker demands. — Feb 25
  • Nurses, Unions, and Allies Urge CDC to Acknowledge COVID-19 Aerosol Transmission to Help Bring Virus Under Control
    CWA is joining 44 allied unions and organizations in urging the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to update its COVID-19 guidance to fully reflect the latest scientific evidence regarding SARS-CoV-2 transmission through aerosols that infected people emit when they breathe, speak, cough, sneeze, or sing. Under the previous administration, the CDC’s refusal to recognize aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 led to weak guidance, leaving workers and the public unprotected from COVID-19. As a result, countless workers in every industry – including health care, grocery, meatpacking and processing, warehousing, food service, education, transportation, and manufacturing – have been infected, hospitalized, and died from COVID-19 because their employers followed weak CDC guidance. Recognizing the scientific evidence and making these changes are essential and necessary steps to bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under control. — Feb 25
  • Organizing Update
    Austin American-Statesman This week, journalists at the Gannett-owned Austin American-Statesman voted to form the Austin NewsGuild. “We’re excited to move forward with a voice in our future and to continue to #KeepAustinInformed,” the organizing committee tweeted when the results were announced. ### Missouri ACLU Employees of the Missouri ACLU announced last week that they are joining the United Media Guild/NewsGuild-CWA Local 36047. “As we continue to build a more perfect union, and in the spirit of the ACLU, we expect our union to be recognized and look forward to beginning the bargaining process,” the organizing committee said in a statement. ### HuffPost Canada Workers at HuffPost Canada and Huffpost Quebec filed for union certification with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) on Tuesday after a majority of staffers signed cards showing support for joining CWA Canada. “In an increasingly unstable industry, we want to solidify what we love about working at HuffPost, as well as improve conditions for both current and future employees,” organizing committee members said in a statement. CWA Canada President Martin O’Hanlon welcomed the group: “These are tough times in the media industry and it is more important than ever that people have a real say in their workplace – for their own good and for the success of the company,” he said. ### Southern California News Group Journalists at 11 daily newspapers owned by the Southern California News Group announced Wednesday plans to join TNG-CWA. The SCNG is owned by Alden Global Capital’s MediaNews Group, the New York-based hedge fund notorious for slashing newsroom budgets to the bone. Last week, Alden Global announced a $630 million deal to buy Tribune Publishing newspapers, even as it refuses to invest in its own newsrooms. “Our journalists have labored for years under increasingly difficult conditions. We intend to reverse that trend,” members of SCNG Guild said in a statement announcing their plans. — Feb 25