CWA Opposes Proposed Merge Between Sprint and T-Mobile

To the chorus of voices chiming in on Sprint Corp.’s bid to merge with T-Mobile, add the Communications Workers of America–the national labor group today announced its opposition to the deal.

• The CWA submitted comments the Federal Communications Commission, listing four objections to the merger as it is currently structured:
• First and foremost, it would result in the loss of more than 28,000 jobs across the country. Nearly 24,000 of those jobs would be eliminated by closing retail stores, and about 4,500 jobs would be nixed due to duplicated headquarter positions. The merger would also combine two companies that have storied histories of labor and law violations.
• Second, combining T-Mobile and Sprint would eliminate the competition that currently exists between the companies and unfairly raise the cost of products, the union said.
• Third, it argued, there is no substantial evidence proving the public would benefit from the merger.
• Finally, the CWA opposes the union because it raises national security concerns due to foreign equipment utilized by Sprint.  

“As currently structured, the proposed T-Mobile and Sprint merger is against the public interest,” CWA President Chris Shelton said in a news release announcing the union’s position. In addition to the job losses, he said, the merger offers “no countervailing benefits for the public. Unless the companies make a binding commitment not to eliminate jobs in their proposed merger, to stop violating federal labor laws, and to fully respect workers’ rights, the FCC should not approve this merger.”