Group of 20 members of the US House of Representatives ask parent Deutsche Telekom for answers
Following up on grievances aired by T-Mobile US union labor, a group of 20 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have asked the CEO of parent company Deutsche Telekom for an explanation.
The Communications Workers of America, the union for the T-Mobile US employees in question, called out the carrier for scheduling policies that were ultimately changed, a move CWA labeled a “huge success.”
But that wasn’t enough for federal lawmakers. In a July 31 letter to Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges, the elected officials asked the company to take “swift and immediate action” to address workers’ rights complaints.
Earlier this year an administrative law judge ruled that T-Mobile US committed 11 labor violations as a function of corporate policy. T-Mobile US appealed two of those rulings and responded that there was “no indication” of violations, but the representatives weren’t satisfied with the response.
“Since that [administrative law judge] ruling, at least four additional complaints have been filed with the [National Labor Relations Board] regarding T-Mobile,” the letter noted. “Though these cases are still pending, the sheer volume of new cases raises concerns about the possibility that these violations of American labor law are ongoing.”
Referencing DT’s lack of comment on the merits of the case, the lawmakers pose two questions.
First, “Have you personally reviewed the [administrative law judge] ruling? Given that your response did not address the merits of the ruling in any way, we are attaching a copy of the ruling to ensure that you have the opportunity to review it.”
Second, “Does Deutsche Telekom have specific policies and practices regarding how to address violations of labor laws by its subsidiaries operating in other countries?”
T-Mobile US and Deutsche Telekom have yet to publicly answer.
