Comcast's Labor Practices Criticized
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 8/5/2004
American Rights at Work, a workers' rights group based in Washington D.C., recently released "No Bargain: Comcast and the Future of Workers' Rights in Telecommunications," a report documenting complaints of unfair labor practices at the cable giant.The report includes findings from a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) review and records and interviews with Comcast employees.
"No Bargain" reveals that employers mistreat Comcast workers nationwide. Instances of mistreatment include employees having to increase work performance without comparable increases in compensation; employees working in unsafe conditions; and employees suffering unfair evaluation processes. According to the report, when workers confront employers about forming unions or negotiating new contracts, they often are terminated or made to wait for contract negotiations, which in turn freezes wages and benefits for years.
"This report documents appalling practices that are routine at Comcast," said American Rights at Work Chair David Bonior. "The cable giant is making enormous profits at the expense of its workers, and blocking unions that could prevent this exploitation from continuing."
According to the report, in the Chicago area, Comcast managers moved 195 jobs from a union-represented facility to non-union locations. In Salt Lake City, Comcast gave pay increases to all employees except for those in unions. In the Washington D.C. area, the NLRB received six "Unfair Labor Practice" charges against Comcast for terminating five workers and discriminating against one for union participation.
Comcast employs 68,000 workers in the United States and serves 35 states including the District of Columbia. The company has earned a reputation for providing higher paid, semi-skilled jobs and offering long-term security to its workers, but as it grows, labor rights advocates say, it needs to remember that workers deserve to bargain in good faith. By doing so, advocates say, Comcast will continue to grow and at the same time preserve quality jobs and high labor standards.
"We are calling on Comcast to live up to their promises and public praise," said Mary Beth Maxwell, American Rights at Work executive director. "Respect the right of workers to form unions. Begin to bargain diligently with your union representatives. It is the right thing to do, an economically feasible thing to do, and, most importantly an inherently American and democratic thing to do."
