Customers and community leaders raise concerns about Comcast's respect for workers' rights

Comcast's "Easy Pay" locations throughout Massachusetts were visited on May 11 by their customers and local community leaders concerned about the company's treatment of its employees and lack of respect for workers' rights. Customers and community activists are disturbed about Comcast management's refusal to discuss wages and working conditions with the majority of workers at its Fairhaven and Fall River Massachusetts garages who freely decided to form a union with IBEW Local 2322 last fall. "The workers at these garages have exercised their basic rights to form a union and have requested that management begin good faith negotiations with them " said Eric Hetrick. "Giant corporations like Comcast should respect their civic and moral duty to comply with the law and our community's values." The "day of action" coincided with Comcast's Annual Shareholders meeting in Philadelphia. "While the top bosses are celebrating their huge profits in Philly community leaders are delivering letters asking local managers to communicate our concerns " said Russ Davis director of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. "We need this company to respect workers' rights and begin negotiations for the good jobs that our communities need." Jobs with Justice is one of the groups organizing visits to more than 45 Easy Pay locations in Massachusetts. In many communities community leaders have also been looking to include stronger workers' rights language in their city or town's next cable TV agreement with Comcast. Local city councils or boards of selectmen have passed resolutions calling for their cable franchise agreements to "comply with the National Labor Relations Act and all applicable state and federal wage and hour laws." Cambridge Springfield Nahant and six towns on Martha's Vineyard have already done so. To obtain a copy of the letter that customers and community leaders are delivering to the Easy Pay locations or learn more about Comcast workers struggle for justice visit their "Virtual Bulletin Board" at: http://comcastunion.blogspot.com. Bookmark/Search this post with: Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Reddit Newsvine Facebook Google Yahoo Technorati