CWA remains skeptical of T-Mobile’s unenforceable commitments to states

In response to the news that Nevada and Texas are dropping off the state lawsuit seeking to block the T-Mobile-Sprint merger, Debbie Goldman, Research and Telecommunications Policy Director for the Communications Workers of America (CWA) issued the following statement: 

“We remain skeptical of last-minute pledges and unenforceable commitments from T-Mobile - a company that has proven itself untrustworthy and hostile to workers’ rights. The news out of Nevada and Texas should give little comfort to workers and consumers in either state. T-Mobile continues to rely on unenforceable commitments designed more to generate favorable publicity ahead of the state trial, rather than addressing the substantive antitrust issues and harms to workers and consumers that remain part of this proposed merger.

For example, how will the Nevada AG monitor and enforce the jobs commitments? He can't -- without an independent union representing the New T-Mobile employees. T-Mobile continues to refuse to respect its employees right to organize free from employer intimidation. Until T-Mobile makes that commitment, their jobs promises are without solid foundation.” 

CWA also made the following points of analysis about the new state agreements in Nevada, Texas, and in earlier states.

The state agreements on jobs have no or insufficient enforcement mechanisms and monitoring to ensure compliance, especially given T-Mobile’s continued hostility to collective bargaining and workers’ rights. The state agreements in Nevada and Texas, as well as in other states, lack sufficient enforcement and monitoring capabilities. While collective bargaining would provide an important way of ensuring compliance, T-Mobile has a long track record of being hostile to workers’ rights and employees’ efforts to organize a union. 

CWA analysis of T-Mobile rural deployment commitments made to state AGs and FCC finds that these commitments still leave rural America behind. New CWA analysis of the T-Mobile rural deployment commitments made to state AGs and the FCC finds that these commitments still leave much of rural America behind: even six years after closing the merger, 33 percent of rural households across the United States -- and more than 32 million Americans -- will not have access to the new T-Mobile's mid-band high-speed wireless network. The state AG agreements with T-Mobile still leave large rural gaps: Florida (27 percent), Colorado (26 percent), Nevada (17 percent) and Mississippi (12 percent) will not have access to the new T-Mobile's mid-band high-speed wireless network six years after the deal closes. Rather, as T-Mobile made clear in its FCC filings, New T-Mobile wireless infrastructure in these communities will be similar to what they would have under stand-alone T-Mobile's deployment plans.