Bargaining Updates Around CWA - SEGA, Comcast, Transdev, and more

CWA Members Reach Landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement at SEGA

CWA Local 9510 members at SEGA of America voted to ratify their first collectively bargained contract on Tuesday. The contract covers 150 full-time and temporary employees across a range of job titles, including designers, translators, editors, producers, quality assurance testers, marketing managers, and more.

"This is a watershed moment for workers in the video game industry. We've proven that a collectively bargained contract with substantial improvements and protections is possible even when management takes an initially hostile stance toward worker organizing. We’re hopeful that in the midst of extensive layoffs, workers across the video game industry will see organizing as a pathway to improve working conditions for all of us,” said Local 9510 member Jasmin Hernandez, a Short-Form Animation Production Manager at SEGA.

The ratified contract includes raises that ensure equitable compensation across titles and departments, layoff protections, requirements to provide notice of planned use of AI, and more.

"Workers in the video game industry have contributed to the success of multiple games and companies that have become household names. Yet, that hasn’t translated into the fair wages, job stability, or career trajectories they deserve. Workers at SEGA of America have just shown what is possible by standing together to demand the respect their hard work has earned," said CWA Local 9510 President Peter O'Brien.

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CWA District 2-13 Reaches Dual Tentative Agreements with Comcast

Members of CWA District 2-13’s bargaining teams have been hard at work negotiating a pair of contracts with telecommunications and media conglomerate Comcast.

The Alle-Kiski group (CWA Local 13000), comprised mainly of line maintenance and service technicians, has been at the bargaining table since late April of last year. Earlier this month, the two sides reached an agreement, which has since been ratified. This agreement comes after workers successfully defeated a decertification campaign, won with overwhelming support to retain CWA as their union representative. The bargaining team fought tenaciously not only to maintain job security and wages but also to improve on both. They also won improvements to working conditions. The new agreement comes with full retroactivity dating back to May 2023.

The South Hills group (also CWA Local 13000) similarly defended itself against an aggressive decertification campaign. The workers in this group are mostly maintenance workers and service technicians. The bargaining team won an extension in November and was finally able to reach an agreement earlier this month. Just as with the Alle-Kiski group, workers won better job security, improved wages, and safer working conditions. Workers are also leaving the table having won yearly general wage increases, improved wage progression for new hires, increased schedule flexibility, and a ratification bonus. The agreement was ratified on March 27 and will also be retroactive.

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NewsGuild-CWA Members at Law360 Stage 24-Hour Solidarity Walkout

NewsGuild-CWA workers at LexisNexis-owned Law360 (TNG-CWA Local 31003) took to the streets last week with a 24-hour work stoppage in protest of recent layoffs that violate labor law. Despite the company showing impressive revenue growth, management announced the termination of 26 union members. CWA Unit Chair Hailey Konnath said, “This walkout is an unequivocal demonstration of solidarity for our co-workers who lost their jobs. The success of Law360 is due in no small part to us and the work we produce. Today we are showing the company that we—including those who lost their jobs—are Law360.”

CWA Workers at Law360 have been without a contract since 2022, and negotiations have been ongoing since then to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement. Changes to workplace terms and conditions after a contract has expired, including layoffs, must be negotiated and agreed to by the NewsGuild. Failure to maintain the workplace status quo is a violation of labor law and is the basis of an unfair labor practice charge filed by The NewsGuild of New York on behalf of Law360 Union earlier this month.

“Our entire union stands in solidarity with the workers who have been laid off,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “If management continues to refuse to bargain in good faith and reverse these unlawful layoffs, labor peace will be difficult to come by at Law360.”

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CWA Workers at Transdev Celebrate Tentative Agreement Gains

CWA Local 7777 members at Transdev, the largest private operator and integrator of public transportation in the United States, are doing a victory lap after negotiating a new contract. According to CWA Local 7777 Vice President Marlene Jimenez, the bargaining team won considerable gains, including improved healthcare coverage, additional pay for those training new hires, and annual wage increases over the course of the three-year contract. In addition, workers are now eligible to apply for Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) offered in the state of Colorado.

 
The bargaining team from CWA Local 7777 has reached a tentative agreement with Transdev. Pictured here (left to right) are CWA Local 7777 President and Chair of Negotiations Anthony Scorzo, Co-Chair of Negotiations and CWA Local 7777 Vice President Marlene Jimenez, with CWA Local 7777 members Debra Torango, Jorge Ayala, and Marcelino Lazano.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.