Transnational Labor Relations

Posted in Events

On November 18, 2009, the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, in partnership with the the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, sponsored a forum exploring the problems created for workers when transnational corporations which bargain collectively with unions overseas refuse to do so in the United States.  The forum explored the case of Deutsche Telekom and its American business T-Mobile and their conflict with the Communications Workers of America. The forum was held at the Equality Center of the Human Rights Campaign, 1640 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.

Participants included President Larry Cohen of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), T-Mobile workers, representatives of German unions, and KI director Joseph A. McCartin.  The forum discussed a report prepared by John Logan, Director of Labor Studies at San Francisco State University.  That report, titled, “Lowering the Bar or Setting the Standard? Deutsche Telekom’s U.S. Labor Practices,” is available here.