News

The United States government is set to bring a case against telecoms giant T-Mobile for violating U.S. labour law.

The National Labor Relations Board announced that they would bring a case related to the illegal dismissal and disciplining of two T-Mobile workers - Josh Coleman and Ellen Brackeen - because of their union activity. The government only takes such an action when there is reasonable cause to believe that the case has merit.

UNI ICTS, the global union for the telecoms sector, is backing its affiliates CWA and Ver.di in their campaigns to improve workers’ rights at T-mobile and its parent company Deutsche Telekom.

CWA President Larry Cohen said, “The General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board has taken an important step in prosecuting T-Mobile US on the discharge of Josh Coleman, as well as discipline against Ellen Brackeen,”

“The NLRB will also reopen the charge related to destroying Josh's notebooks documenting discrimination for union activity at the site.”

Such action by the General Counsel is rare and speaks to the systematic abuse of workers’ rights by T-Mobile US and the hands off approach by the Deutsche Telekom, a German corporation that owns 75 percent of T-Mobile US.

Alan Tate, Head of UNI ICTS, said, ‘It is clear that Josh Coleman was singled out because of his union activity. It is yet another example of T-Mobile US’s harassment, intimidation and animus toward workers who want union representation. 

Ver.di, the union that represents Deutsche Telekom workers in Germany has held nationwide protests in support of Josh Coleman. Ver.di  leader Lothar Schröeder has repeatedly called for Coleman’s reinstatement.

Earlier this year several thousand Deutsche Telekom workers in Germany wore shirts to work and other public events that said, ‘We are all Josh.’

In the US, a worker brings his or her claim about illegal dismissal to the National Labor Relations Board, which then conducts an investigation.  The government brings a formal case only when there is reasonable cause to believe that the case has merit.  The government's complaint then goes to a trial, before a judge. 

The decision again exposes T-Mobile US management’s harassment of workers who only want a voice in their workplace.  German workers have bargaining rights and union representation, and Deutsche Telekom publicly acknowledges the value of its relationship with ver.di. But in the United States, T-Mobile US management has stepped up a campaign of fear, intimidation and harassment against U.S. workers who want the same union voice.

Coleman worked for three and half years at a T-Mobile customer call centre, where he was a top performer, receiving many promotions, performance awards and written commendations. He also was selected to train newly hired employees.  That all changed as Coleman continued to voice his support for union representation on the job. He said, “I was an active and vocal supporter of having a union and getting a voice on the job for my co-workers and myself. I was targeted and ultimately fired for this activity, despite the fact that none of the allegations made against me were true.”