Mobilize for Sprint Workers

November 1, 2003

Wow! I am grateful to know that CWA is starting this publication for our Sprint CWA members. This will be a great avenue to share stories, vent our anger, strategize or maybe even nominate a manager or supervisor for the "Idiot of the Month" award. Take for example our last manager who came in with this great idea to do away with our rehab team. In his words "such a waste of time and money." I really can't be mad at this person, for he has done so much to cause our locals to become better mobilized.

Speaking of mobilization, in past years I had never really seen a need to do a lot of mobilization. Well, would somebody please slap me? Sprint did just that thing. They slapped us, they sucker-punched us, and they woke us up. Since 1993, upon Sprint's merger with Centel, Carolina and other phone companies, Sprint employees have seen and felt the need for solidarity, unity and mobilization at Sprint. We are coming to recognize that our future lies in our abilities to pull our mobilization efforts up to a higher standard than we have ever tried to attain. Wearing badges, red on Thursdays, informational pickets, all these activities are good and necessary, but we need to go to a more intense level. We must strive to educate our members on the importance of showing solidarity through meaningful mobilization efforts! We must communicate the atrocities that this company continues to force on its employees. A strong mobilized workforce is the one key ingredient in earning respect and fairness in the work place.

I would like to share with you my favorite motto. It reflects our struggles as CWA members. "Remember it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." With this thought in mind, I encourage all members when called upon by their mobilizers to stand up and do so with a new found enthusiasm.

Submitted by Gary Barlow, CWA Local 3672