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1,583 former AT&T Wireless Sales Workers in California Organize with CWA at 191 Retail Outlets

Nearly 1,600 former AT&T Wireless retail sales associates gained CWA representation on Oct. 21 following a massive statewide campaign, according to District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler. Just one week earlier, Oct. 13, another 1,616 former AT&T Wireless workers in California -- customer care representatives – organized with CWA at Cingular.

Strong employee inside committees, supported by the coordinated efforts of 21 CWA locals, were key to the workers' gaining union representation. Bixler said that advance preparation and coordination made it possible for CWA to help the workers, spread out over the state in 191 stores, build majority support. Locals worked with the employees to identify leaders and educate their co-workers through literature distribution and one-on-one conversations. The Locals held weekly conference calls to share ideas, experiences and how obstacles were addressed and resolved.

Local organizing coordinators spearheading the drive were: Marcia Betancourt, Jeanne Evans, Jeremiah Greggains, Lynn Johnson, Craig Adams, Tom Runnion, Jackie Wasserman, Jeff
Finley, Marj Terflinger, Frank Rapue, Marco Ramirez, Judy Perez, Jack Metzger, Carol Whichard, Willis Ward, Nadine Cox, Georgia Johnston, Kingsley Chew, Gayle Crawley, Cookie Cameron, Joe Sison, Yonah Diamond, Pam Suniga, Penny Knapp, Jim Frederickson, John Adams, Jr., Cherri Heinze, Steve Hortin, Ellie Benner, Lisa Alden, Rick Delao, Glen Casillas, Dan McCrory, Terri Hughes-Haley, Jeremy Moen, Bob LaRoche, Kathy Requejo, Loretta Lopez, Shari Mims, Eric Villafuerte, Manuel Sanchez, Veronica Manzano, Kenny Williams, Patricia Ann Hudson, Peter O'Brian, Mark Summers, Kimberly Ayala, Domonique Thomas, Ken Crafts and Art Gonzales.

Assisting the Locals and workers were Mark Bixler, Libby Sayre, Nancy Biagini, Virginia Rodriguez-Jones, Cherie Brokaw, Ed Venegas, John Dugan, John Doran, Val Afanasiev and Laura Reynolds.

So far, 9,684 former AT&T Wireless employees at Cingular have organized with CWA in 2005, with 9,406 of them organizing since early August, when the CWA's card check and neutrality agreement with Cingular went into effect for former AT&T Wireless employees at the company. They have been eager to support CWA representation, organizing at a rate of over 100 workers at day. The first group of former AT&T Wireless workers at the company to gain union representation -- 278 customer service representatives in Jackson, Mississippi -- organized with CWA in March.