25 congresswomen call on German Chancellor to protect T-Mobile workers from sexual harassment

In a letter sent Nov. 23, they asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to urge the German government to exert its influence on Deutsche Telekom – T-Mobile's German parent company – to enact meaningful reforms. The German government owns 30 percent of Deutsche Telekom. The signers expressed concern that T-Mobile hasn't yet changed a company-wide policy, which has been found to unlawfully silence employees by requiring them to sign non-disclosure agreements. Under T-Mobile's policy, employees who make a complaint about sexual harassment or other workplace violation are prohibited from talking about the issue, even with other employees. Those who refuse to sign risk losing their jobs.

"We are twenty-five congresswomen who do not tolerate sexual harassment in the workplace and we believe Chancellor Merkel won't tolerate it either. American workers deserve to be protected in the workplace and we urge Deutsche Telekom to ensure the highest standards, not the lowest," said Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), who led the effort. "Chancellor Merkel must ensure that her government is not profiting from this unacceptable treatment of working American women or undermining their rights as workers."

The letter has CWA's full support.

"T-Mobile US workers greatly appreciate the efforts of Rep. Betty McCollum and her House colleagues to raise awareness about the mistreatment of women workers and other violations of workers' rights in their workplaces," said Sandy Rusher, CWA's organizing director. "There is no place in the U.S. or any other nation for a company that tries to restrict employees from talking about issues on the job, especially those as dire as sexual harassment."

Read the full letter here.