CWA District 6 Conference Showcases Solidarity and Union Power

Earlier this month, CWA members, retirees, staff, and leadership met in San Antonio, Texas, for the CWA District 6 Annual Conference. Led by CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase, the conference was a chance for CWAers to network, share ideas, and learn new skills. Attendees included new leaders and seasoned veterans from across the District and sectors.

This year’s theme was “Solidarity Ignites Power,” which shone through during the powerful political panel highlighting the hard work our activists are doing to raise money, train volunteers, get out the vote, and elect unionists who share our values. The organizing panel shared details of the work happening right now to strengthen our internal structures and grow our Locals.

“Solidarity ignites power when we put it into action,” said CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase. “Every conversation with a coworker, every new member we organize, and every voter we turn out builds our strength. The challenge now is to take the energy from this conference back to our Locals and turn it into lasting power for working people across District 6.”

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. remarked, “The entire labor movement is at an inflection point. The current war on workers means we cannot sit still. We must either grow or we will be swept away in the current storm. Your commitment to each other and our future is needed now more than ever.

“We survive by digging deeper, branching out, and bringing in new members. Across organizations, we are mobilizing in support of one another. We are opening doors to sustainable wages and safer working conditions for millions of workers, whether they are members or not.”

Other CWA leaders in attendance included CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce; CWA Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton; CWA Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook; CWA Southeastern Region Executive Board Member Vera Mikell; CWA Central Region Executive Board Member Reginald Small; and CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam.

Notable guests included Senate candidate James Talarico and candidate for Texas governor Gina Hinojosa, both card-carrying members of CWA Local 6186, the Texas State Employees Union. Other elected officials included Adrian Reyna (Texas HD 125), Montserrat Garibay (Texas HD 49), and Texas State Senator José Menéndez. Labor advocate and Texas State AFL-CIO President Leonard Aguilar also shared his thoughts with those gathered.

Conference-goers attended sectoral breakout sessions for AT&T Southwest, the Airline Industry, the CWA Retired Members Council, AT&T Mobility, Telecommunications and Technologies, and Public Workers. Workshops included “Our People, Our Ballot” and “Growing Our Union—From the Inside and the Outside.”

 
Senate candidate James Talarico (center) joined CWA members, retirees, staff, and leaders at the 2026 CWA District 6 Conference. He is flanked by (left to right) CWA President Claude Cummings Jr.; CWA District 6 Vice President Derrick Osobase; CWA Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton; CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam; CWA Southeastern Region Executive Board Member Vera Mikell; CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce; and CWA Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook. CWA Central Region Executive Board Member Reginald Small (not pictured) also attended.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.