Letter of Support from Onondaga County Legislature Democratic Caucus

We are writing to express our strong support for the organizing rights of the Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) workers who are seeking to unionize and join the Communications Workers of America.

As employees, CSD Telecommunications Relay Service Operators provide an essential communication service for d/Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Their work fulfills CSD’s mission to advance opportunities for d/Deaf and hard of hearing communities. Issues workers are raising are fair wages and raises, job security, and a voice at work.

It is our understanding that the workers have formed a union—CWA-CSD Workers United, and are now asking for legal recognition to bargain with CSD management to institute binding structures that address existing and future workplace challenges.

We hope that management respects the workers right and desire to form a union and ensures a free and fair union election process by signing a neutrality agreement and recognizing the union when an independent third party verifies that a majority have signed union authorization cards. Management should not create any unnecessary obstacles to these workers having a voice in their workplace.

Respectfully,

Christopher Ryan, District 8 

Linda Ervin, District 17 

Mary Kuhn, District 7 

William Kinne, District 15

Charles Garland, District 16

Peggy Chase, District 9