Alex Hogan
2013 has been another solid year for Comcast, with high profits and a stock value that would be the envy of most corporations.
So, naturally, the hard-working men and women who helped make the company so wealthy are sharing in that success, right?
Hardly. Here are just five ways Comcast has given workers a raw deal in one of its most financially successful years on record.
Labor rights advocates cheered in March when the Philadelphia city council voted for a provision that would allow nearly 180,000 workers to take a sick day without losing pay or their jobs.
But Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed the bill – under pressure from powerful big business interests including Comcast, which was outspoken in its criticisms. In 2011, for example, Comcast spent more than $108,000 in lobbying expenditures, nearly all of which went to fight paid sick day legislation.
Comcast has also contributed tens of thousands to Nutter’s campaign war chest in the past few years. Brotherly love, indeed.
"Employees are going to be paying $452 per month this year for their families' health care," said IBEW organizer Steve Smith, who is working to help organize Comcast employees in the Northeast. "You have to ask yourself - if Comcast is making so much money, why can't they do better for those doing the hard work that helps make the company so successful?"
