Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
CWA Charges Verizon and Two Officers with Wiretap Law Violation for Spying on Union Conference Call
Washington, D.C. – The Communications Workers of America today filed suit against Verizon Communications, Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) and two Verizon officers charging that the company officials violated federal anti-wiretapping laws by accessing an invitation-only CWA teleconference with reporters on August 13.
The complaint, filed in federal district court in the District of New Jersey, charges that Verizon Senior Vice President for Investor Relations Thomas Bartlett and Executive Director of Investor Relations Dominic Di Bucci violated Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act through their unauthorized monitoring of the call.
CWA had invited 27 specific journalists to hear about the union's negotiations with Verizon as well as plans by the AFL-CIO to support CWA members' bargaining efforts. The conference call was led by AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka and CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, and reporters were invited to ask questions of the two leaders.
After the call, CWA learned that the two Verizon executives had gained access to the toll-free call-in number, which had been provided privately to the invited reporters, and listened in without announcing their presence, subsequently reporting the content of the conference to other company officials.
"This is an outrageous throwback to the old days of labor turmoil before the Wagner Act of 1935 finally outlawed the practice of management infiltration and spying on union activities," said CWA President Morton Bahr. "Such behavior by senior management officials at a critical time in our negotiations is not helpful to the process. It's an insult to all of our members at Verizon and cannot be tolerated."
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the Verizon officials' actions violated the law, that Bartlett and Di Bucci be enjoined from further such conduct, and that the union be awarded punitive damages.
###
The complaint, filed in federal district court in the District of New Jersey, charges that Verizon Senior Vice President for Investor Relations Thomas Bartlett and Executive Director of Investor Relations Dominic Di Bucci violated Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act through their unauthorized monitoring of the call.
CWA had invited 27 specific journalists to hear about the union's negotiations with Verizon as well as plans by the AFL-CIO to support CWA members' bargaining efforts. The conference call was led by AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka and CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, and reporters were invited to ask questions of the two leaders.
After the call, CWA learned that the two Verizon executives had gained access to the toll-free call-in number, which had been provided privately to the invited reporters, and listened in without announcing their presence, subsequently reporting the content of the conference to other company officials.
"This is an outrageous throwback to the old days of labor turmoil before the Wagner Act of 1935 finally outlawed the practice of management infiltration and spying on union activities," said CWA President Morton Bahr. "Such behavior by senior management officials at a critical time in our negotiations is not helpful to the process. It's an insult to all of our members at Verizon and cannot be tolerated."
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the Verizon officials' actions violated the law, that Bartlett and Di Bucci be enjoined from further such conduct, and that the union be awarded punitive damages.
###