CWA Condemns Western Union’s Announced Closing of Three Facilities in Missouri and Texas

ST. LOUIS, March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Communications Workers of America is condemning Western Union Financial Services Inc., for its plans to close three union-represented facilities in Missouri and Texas and shift that work to non-union and overseas operations.

Some 640 workers in Dallas, Texas, and Bridgeton and St. Charles, Missouri, were told they will lose their jobs over the next five months.

“It’s apparent to me that Western Union has determined that it would prefer to operate as a union-free enterprise,” said Andy Milburn, CWA Vice President for District 6, which covers Missouri, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.

“CWA will do everything legally possible to stop these centers from closing and stop Western Union from moving our work to non-union operations, both in the United States and overseas,” said CWA Staff Representative Mike Neumann, who heads the Western Union bargaining team.

Western Union said it will transfer the work of employees in the three customer service centers and financial operations to locations including Denver, Costa Rica, Manila, Mexico City and Mexicali, Mexico.

Last month, CWA Local 6377 filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Western Union, charging that company managers have tried to coerce union members and subvert the bargaining process. The local also charged that earlier layoffs announced by Western Union – of 150 workers in Bridgeton and Dallas — were an act of retaliation against the workers and the union.

“Western Union is an American icon. Today, it has turned its back on the very employees who built the company into a multinational enterprise,” said Earline Jones, president of CWA Local 6377.

Olivia Espinosa, president of CWA Local 6178 in Dallas, said “Western Union is a greedy, profitable company that doesn’t seem to care about the excellent customer service our CWA members now provide. And that’s bad news for customers.”

Communications Workers of America

CONTACT: Mike Neumann of Communications Workers of America District 6,+1-314-965-9809 (office), +1-314-605-5025 (cell); or Candice Johnson ofCommunications Workers of America Communications, +1-202-415-6566 (cell),cjohnson@cwa-union.org

Web Site: http://www.cwa-union.org/