TU (union)
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TU, the international union for T-Mobile workers is an international labor union that represents T-Mobile employees. It is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (ver.di), a large German service-sector union.
History
T-Mobile USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, the largest telecommunications company in Europe. Through its subsidiary companies, Deutsche Telekom has operations in around 50 countries worldwide. In Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, employees are represented by trade unions.
When Deutsche Telekom purchased VoiceStream Wireless in 2001, CWA helped the company gain approval for access to the U.S. market, with the expectation that Deutsche Telekom would be open to letting employees freely choose union representation in the United States.
The relationship between CWA and T-Mobile USA has since eroded. Since it entered the American market in 2001, T-Mobile has been repeatedly criticized for its employment relations by CWA, ver.di, and other groups. Likewise, American Rights at Work[1] and [[Human Rights Watch] have issued studies of union intolerance at the company’s facilities.[2]
In April 2008, CWA and ver.di formed a joint union for T-Mobile workers named TU. The new organization was "formed with the goal of overcoming the double standard of Deutsche Telekom recognizing labor rights in Germany but ignoring them in the U.S. This new global union is an effective answer to cross-border investment and the globalization of work."[3]
When CWA and ver.di created the joint union, they originally named it “T-Union”. However, Deutsche Telekom threatened to sue the organizations for copyright infringements, since they had copyrighted the letter “T” (as they did with the color magenta[4]). So, CWA and ver.di had to re-name the union TU for T-Mobile Workers Union.[5]
TU Affiliates
Ver.di represents 2.2 million workers in Germany, including Deutsche Telekom employees. Ver.di was formed in 2001 when the German Salaried Employees' Union (DAG) merged with four unions of the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB). Ver.di members work in financial services, utilities, health, social services, education, science and research, federal government, media, printing, telecommunications, postal services, logistics, and transport, among other sectors.The headquarters of the trade union is in Berlin.
The Communications Workers of America
CWA represents 700,000 workers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The union was established in 1947 and affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1949. CWA represents workers in telecommunications, publishing, the airline industry, public safety, healthcare, education, social work, and broadcasting, among many other industries. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Further reading
- Compa, Lance, "A Strange Case: Violations of Workers' Freedom of Association in the United States by European Multinational Corporations." New York: Human Rights Watch, 2010.
- Logan, John. "Lowering the Bar or Setting The Standard. Deutsche Telekom’s U.S. Labor Practices." Washington, D.C.: American Rights at Work Education Fund, 2009.
References
- ^ Press Release American Rights at Work, 2009.
- ^ Logan, John: Lowering the Bar or Setting the Standard. Deutsche Telekom’s U.S. Labor Practices,Washington, D.C. (2009); Compa, Lance: A Strange Case: Violations of Workers' Freedom of Association in the United States by European Multinational Corporations, New York, (2010)
- ^ TU Website: http://www.tuworkers.org/about-the-unions
- ^ http://www.freemagenta.nl/?page_id=121
- ^ Video to Kornelia Dubbel's address at the 72nd CWA convention: http://www.loweringthebarforus.org/video/entry/ado_wilhelm_and_kornelia_dubbel_address_the_72nd_cwa_convention
External links
Offical websites
- TUworkers.org - Website for T-Mobile workers
- Communications Workers of America
- ver.di
Other Sources
- LoweringTheBarForUs.org - Website with news and information about T-Mobile USA