If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my Union Representative or Steward be present at this meeting. Until my Representative arrives, I choose not to participate in this discussion
We met with ADT Labor Relations Director James Nixdorf over two long sessions – in person this time - in south Minneapolis Thursday, October 24th , and Friday October 25th.
We opened our meeting confronting the company with new data confirming what we had previously warned them about: ADT’s Minnesota pay scales were causing enormous turnover in the bargaining unit. 40% of ADT Techs in Minnesota had left the company in the last 90 days!
We later presented our 7th compromise wage proposal, further moving the rates in the company’s direction – but also including a $600 signing bonus for every MN ADT Tech upon ratification of the contract.
ADT remained unmoved – instead of a serious response to our reasonable offer, Nixdorf climbed down some rabbit holes researching how many ADT Techs who quit, later come back to the company. He tried to minimize the turnover issue by claiming that 269 Techs had come back to the company in the last 4 years. An impressive number – but when we pressed him on the total number of Techs who quit in the last 4 years he had to admit that the returning 269 represented only 1% of those who had left!
While 90% of the contract is agreed to – including big wins like Overtime pay after 8 hours, and a members’ grievance process – the minimum salary wage scale remains a sticking point. Nixdorf’s position is unreasonable and insulting – we will need to up the pressure on the company to see some movement. More to come . . .
MN Video Game Workers to Rally for Health Accommodations
Date: Friday, October 25th 2024 Time: 12 Noon-1:00pm
Location: 7699 Anagram Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
This Friday employees at the Activision quality assurance department in Eden Prairie MN will rally for the right to Work-from-Home accommodations. Since January of this year Activision and its new parent-company, Microsoft, have enforced a strict Return-to-Office policy despite more than two years of successfully working from home entirely or in hybrid with in-office
The employees, who work on the famous Call of Duty games, (including the brand new Black Ops 6 Campaign), are particularly outraged that Activision is even refusing work-from-home accommodations for workers with ADA-certified medical conditions. Many Activision workers believe that the company is refusing accommodations as a way to force them to quit, "a layoff wolf in return-to-office sheep’s clothing", as Fortune magazine described similar policies at other corporations. https://fortune.com/2023/06/15/at-t-office-mandates-disguised-layoffs/
Despite multiple requests from the Union representing the video-game workers, Activision and Microsoft have been unable to articulate why specifically they are insisting workers must work in the office - even those with serious medical conditions and doctor's recommendations to work from home.
The workers aren't waiting however. Earlier this month over 300 Activision employees signed a petition demanding the return of work-from-home options, and workers in Texas and California will support their colleagues by rallying on Friday at their own offices. This past March, workers at Activision's quality assurance division voted overwhelmingly to join the Communications Workers of America union, forming one of the largest video game workers unions in the world. https://cwa-union.org/news/releases/quality-assurance-workers-activision-establish-largest-certified-union-us-video-game
Media Contacts:
Allen Junge,CWA 7250 Steward, Activision employee 507-993-4065
Andrew Snell, CWA 7250 Steward, Activision employee 612-309-7053
Kara Fanon, CWA 7250 Steward, Activision employee 301-404-1780
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The results are in - from the first ever CWA Local 7250 Straw Poll on a U.S. Presidential Election!
Results
CWA 7250 members from AT&T, Activision, DirecTV, Sassafras, and CWA Staff registered there response to the question "WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO SEE UNIONS SUPPORT IN THE 2024 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?" with the following results:
63%Kamala Harris/Tim Walz (Democratic Party)
15% Donald Trump/JD Vance (Republican Party)
14%None of the Above
(Unions Should Build an Independent, Militant Movement Against & Outside of the Political System)
3%No Preference
1% Jill Stein (Green Party Write-In)
1%Jesus is My Lord (Write-In)
While not as many of our members participated as we would have liked (just over 15% in a short window), we believe this is a meaningful sample of our Local membership's preferences. We were also not able to host a Town-Hall Zoom, as we had originally planned, due to scheduling conflicts of members willing to present for their preferences
The Local's Executive Board discussed the results and unanimously voted not to endorse any candidate, but instead to inform the CWA Minnesota State Council's political coordinator of the results, and allow the State Council to recruit volunteers from CWA 7250's membership for the Fall Campaign.
Any Local member that is interested in participating in campaigns for the national union's endorsed candidates can contact the CWA MN State Council here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
No CWA Local 7250 funds from dues will be used for electoral campaigns.
(Small d) democratic Process for the Membership
We believe our modest efforts at conducting a member-driven democratic decision-making process for choosing which candidates the union should (or shouldn't) support can serve as a positive counterexample to a process where only the highest leaders in the union make a decision. We believe that decision-making in the Union at the Local, State, District, and International levels should be bottom-up - not top-down.
We plan to share our example with State, District, Sector,and International leadership - and encourage the Union to welcome and encourage democratic debate and decision-making.
Thank You!
Thanks to all who participated - we appreciate everyone's contribution to this effort. Please get in touch if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas you'd like to share.
