House Members Urge Deutsche Telekom to Respect U.S. Workers' Rights

Hard work by CWA activists was key to getting 26 Democratic members of the House Education and Labor Committee to sign on to a letter calling on Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-Mobile USA, to protect and respect workers' rights in the U.S.

Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) and Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.), who chairs the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions subcommittee, circulated the letter to the 30 Democratic members. The letter now is being circulated among Republican members.

The Democratic House members told Deutsche Telekom CEO René Obermann that he needs to treat American workers with the same respect as its German workers, who are able to join unions without interference.

T-Mobile has used many tactics to try to stop workers from organizing, even hiring private security guards to interfere with organizing drives, the letter noted. "These reports paint a troubling picture of a company that appears far out of sync with Deutsche Telekom's stated commitment to respect workers' rights."