From the Archives: CWA and the NLRB Defeat Attempt by AT&T to Decertify Our Union

In May 1949, after CWA members voted to affiliate with the CIO, all of AT&T’s Bell System companies withdrew recognition of the union and impounded our dues. CWA had been founded just two years before, and the company pounced on what it saw as an opportunity to destroy our growing power.

While two units chose to recertify by signing new cards, others chose to challenge the companies’ actions at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and in federal courts. Because of the structure of the Bell System at the time, the challenge involved 35 separate cases. In September 1949, the NLRB ruled against Southern Bell in the final case, sealing an across-the-board victory for our union.

Over the years, corporate union-busting has become more sophisticated, and consultants and law firms rake in millions of dollars each year by finding ways to abuse the system and delay NLRB proceedings. Today, CEOs and billionaires are trying to destroy the NLRB itself. President Donald Trump has illegally fired an NLRB member, preventing the Board from ruling in most cases. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and others are arguing in federal court that the NLRB is unconstitutional.

The generations of CWA members who came before us relied on the NLRB as they fought corporate abuses and greed and built our union​. We must protect the NLRB and other agencies that enforce labor law so that we have all the tools we need to continue the fight. Click here to take action.

The CWA News reported on CWA’s victory against AT&T’s attempt to destroy our union. View a pdf of this article here.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.