344 More AT&T Mobility Workers Organize in N.C.

Just two weeks after more than a 1,000 of their co-workers organized in Florida, a unit of 344 of AT&T Mobility's retail sales workers in North Carolina gained recognition this week when the American Arbitration Association certified that a majority of the workers supported union representation through CWA's card check and neutrality agreement with the company.

With their latest organizing gains in District 3, 79 percent of AT&T Mobility's retail employees, or 7,600 workers, have organized nationwide, gaining recognition in 35 of the 45 states where the company has retail stores and outlets.

Two AT&T Mobility workers in Winston Salem took the lead in the early stages of the campaign by creating a web presence, and by networking with other retail workers across the state and holding meetings online. Their website is www.cwa4nc.blogspot.com.

It was a statewide effort with many locals helping out in the campaign. Local 3607 Organizer Dave Coker assisted the workers, and local President Gary Hunter made the local's resources available to wherever the workers needed help across the state. Local 3603 President Bonnie Overman and the local's organizers assisted workers in the Charlotte area, with support also coming from Locals 3601, 3602, 3605, 3610, 3611, and 3616.