Serving the greater Tacoma area, including Bonney Lake, Sumner, Puyallup, Spanaway, Graham, Roy, Ft. Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, Lakewood, University Place, Federal Way, and Fife, Washington.
The Communication Workers of America in the Tacoma local was first organized under it's charter in 1947. Prior to that time, telephone workers belonged to the National Federation of Telephone Workers, which was founded and spearheaded by activist Joseph Anthony Beirne. Beirne had traveled the nation by Greyhound Bus, relying on the activists in each area to provide his fare and lodgings in their homes. It was tough going; the antiunion propaganda of AT&T was hard to overcome. Through his long and arduous efforts the NFTW was formed on November 17, 1938.
The new union grew steadily despite poor finances and many problems. There was trememdous infighting in the federation, as each local insisted on complete autonomy. Many male employees did not believe telephone women should be part of the union., but Joe insisted they be included. Time would show that the strength of the operators was the main thing the company feared.
Labor-management relations deteriorated during World War II. The war ended and fed-up workers threatened a nationwide strike in 1946. The strike was averted thirty-five minutes before the deadline. A year later AT&T and its companies resisted all compromise, flatly refusing any wage increase. On April 7,1947, the first nationwide Bell System strike began.
At the June 1947 NFTW convention in Miami a new national union was born: the Communication Workers of America. At the convention in Spokane a year later, AFL or CIO affiliations was considered. The CWA joined the CIO on May 9, 1949
The CWA has met new problems with creative solutions. In 1965 it commissioned a pioneer study of automation's impact on industry. In response to infation in the early 1970's, the CWA negotiated one of the first COLA, or cost of living adjustments, in a contract. In 1970 the first male operator was hired in Tacoma, and two years later a female installer-lineman was on the job. CWA women helped found the national coalition of Labor Union Women in 1973. The CWA has remained dedicated to free trade unions and democracy worldwide. A suggestion from founder Joseph Beirne led the the creation of the AFL-CIO's Americn Institue for free Labor Development.
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