Today Local 9333 President Elaine Savaiki sent the following letter to California State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. It reads:
June 2, 2025
Speaker Robert Rivas
1021 O Street, 8330
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 470 (McKinnor) – OPPOSE
Dear Speaker Rivas,
I am the President of CWA Local 9333 and am writing you in opposition to AB 470 (Mckinnor). The legislation will end the Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) law in California. If passed, AB 470 will hurt consumers and result in significant loss of union jobs in California.
On behalf of our workers, we ask that AB 470 not move forward this year. This will allow the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to continue with its current proceeding to explore ways to providers, workers, and to expand access to updated technology. This proceeding has already held public access hearings and CWA workers have participated.
As a labor union, We have been fighting for years to preserve good union jobs in California. Yet, AT&T and others continue to eliminate positions, move workers out of state, and to contract with non-union vendors. AT&T’s attempt to end its COLR requirement would be another step in this anti-union, anti-labor campaign.
The Proponents of AB 470 often speak about the need to increase the buildout of the fiber networks and broadband infrastructure. We agree in principle. However, getting rid of the COLR requirement is not necessary to achieve these buildout goals. In fact, AB 470 would undermine universal access and leave some communities, low-income and rural, without or with lower quality connections. The current COLR requirement ensures that telecom companies cannot pick and choose with communities to invest in and which to ignore. Removing this mandate would allow the market to dictate whether lower income communities, for example, would get service. We have already seen the results when businesses seek out of the most profitable investments of service: low- income communities get left out.
We need you to protect our jobs and ensure universal service and buildout of telecom and broadband infrastructure in California. Do not allow AB 470 to move forward this year.
Sincerely,
Elaine Savaiki, President
CWA Local 9333 Modesto, Merced, Monterey
For more information on AB 470, our post titled “Stop AB 470” from March 11, 2025.
