On December 10, Hyundai Rotem workers at the South Philadelphia railcar plant ratified a first contract by an 88 percent margin. The contract, negotiated by a team led by President John Johnson, Jr., established job security, a grievance procedure, and included gains in wages and benefits.

As International Rep. Jerome LaFragola, who has bargained numerous first contracts, said at the ratification meeting, “This is better than good…it establishes a framework for going forward.”

The contract came after a long struggle to establish the union and win respect for Hyundai workers. After winning their NLRB election in August 2010, the union had to overcome poor working conditions, worker frustration with bargaining delays and disrespectful treatment by management. The lack of drinking water in the summer heat prompted a walk out in June. In December 2010, just before Christmas, nice workers were fired without just cause. The union filed a case with the NLRB winning back their jobs with $95,000 in full back pay.

The biggest obstacle to overcome in ratifying the contract was the peculiar employment structure at the plant. TTAP, a contractor in the mass transit and railcar business, supplied workers to Hyundai. Under the terms of the contracting agreement, Hyundai-Rotem workers would be laid off when the SEPTA contract to build Silverliner rail cars is completed in late 2010. Once completed, the workers could not be rehired by Hyundai for at least a year.

This was resolved by Hyundai-Rotem, paying over a million dollars to TTAP to gain the right to continue employing the existing workers. TTAP no longer will be in the collective bargaining picture at the plant.

Attorney Clay Newlin, who helped negotiate the contract called this “a huge victory.”

Without it all the workers would have lost their jobs before the end of 2012.

Contract highlights are:

Job Security: Besides the resolution of the problem with TTAP, the contract requires the return of eight categories of work transferred to other employees and a clause that insures the union and the contract stay in place if the plant is moved within a 50 mile radius.

Wages: Wages will be increased over the 3 year life of the contract by 13.3% to 16% with lowest paid workers getting the biggest increases. To compensate for the absence of past increases a ratification bonus of 3% of gross earnings in 2011 is included in the deal. Overtime for over 40 hours worked or paid for and shift deferential pay round out the picture.

Health Coverage: Premiums for company supplied health insurance were cut substantially, more than halved for single coverage and cut by a third for full family coverage. Four paid sick days have been added and a safety committee created.

Vacations and Pensions: An additional personal day and holiday, pay for up to 5 days of Jury duty, up to 5 days of additional vacation and a 401K pension plan with an employer match.

Due Process and Dignity: A grievance procedure including arbitration, defined job classifications, a no discrimination clause, layoffs by seniority with an 18 month right of recall. Discipline can only be for just cause and with the record wiped clean after 18 months for routine offenses.

(For a more detailed summary and a before and after comparison visit the Local 234 website.)

Most workers at the ratification meeting saw the contract as a big step forward, citing the job security gains and the foundation for bringing improved wages and conditions as their grounds for support. Damar Jones, a mechanical engineer on the interior team, said, “We were on the bottom and it can only get better from this point on.” Darren Burke, who works on under floor wiring, added, “I’m good with it. I’ll have my job when the SEPTA contract runs out.”

A few workers voiced dissatisfaction with the wage gains. Negotiating Committee members all acknowledged that workers deserved more but pointed to the costs of the TTA buy out and the hostile climate for collective bargaining in today’s economy as limiting factors. Clay Newlin pointed out that the contract represented a 26 percent increase in overall compensation. “You show me any contract over the last few years that accomplished that,” he added. Angelique Long, a shop rep on the committee, was optimistic that with the contract in place, wages could be addressed in the next contract. “We’ll come together and continue to build on this,” she said.

After an open discussion and a question and answer session where all the members present had the opportunity to review the agreement and share their thoughts on it, both pro and con, they voted overwhelmingly in favor of the agreement.

At the end of the meeting workers eagerly lined up to get TWU 234 t-shirts. Rob Golden, who got a job at Hyundai Rotem in February after being unemployed for two and half years, expressed his satisfaction. “I’ve talked to a lot of people in other unions. They all say stick with the TWU.”

For a short video with highlights of the meeting go to the Local 234 website.

TWU Local 252 members overwhelming voted to ratify a new contract with Veolia Transportation Inc., the company responsible for the new Nassau Inter County Express (NICE) bus system in Nassau County as of January 1.

The contract was ratified by a tally of 400 “Yes” votes 29 “No” votes by fixed route drivers and mechanics, and 50 “Yes” votes to 39 “No” votes by paratransit drivers and mechanics, and takes effect immediately.

“We all worked very hard under a very tight timeline to reach a new agreement,” said Patricia Bowden, president of TWU Local 252, representing nearly 800 workers at the new company. “This contract is a major step forward in protecting jobs, health care and retirement. It’s a winning scenario for everybody to have TWU members, with years of experience, on the job doing all we can to provide quality service to our passengers.

The new contract includes pay raises in every year of the agreement: Three percent in 2012, 2013 and 2014, 3.5 percent in 2015 and four percent in 2016.

Former LI Bus employees will retain their seniority at the new company, and the contract includes a grievance procedure, which requires “just cause” in the case of employee discipline.

Veolia Transportation will pay 80 percent of the cost of employee health care under terms of the new agreement, with employees contributing 20 percent. The company will also contribute to a 401(K) retirement savings plan for all eligible employees.

Last year, 2011 will be known as the year people stood up to anti-union legislation and governors, corporate greed and forming solidarity across the nation against the attacks on workers’ rights.

Here are the 11 most promising events from 2011.

1. Occupy Wall Street Inspires the 99 Percent to Fight Back

The birth of the Occupy Movement and its spread across the country and around the world was a hugely important development for all working people in 2011. TWU members can take pride that their union was one of the first to support this historic movement. Inspired in part by the Wisconsin uprising this protest of economic and social injustice fostered by corporate greed changed the focus of public dialogue to where it needs to be: on the needs of the middle class, working families, and poor and marginalized people -- the 99 percent.

Although some occupiers have been evicted and their encampments destroyed, the protesters are right when they say no one can destroy an idea whose time has come. Millions more Americans now understand that the 1 percent have rigged the system to capture a larger and larger share of the world's wealth and power, while the middle class and poor face unemployment, soaring student debt burdens, homelessness, and the disappearance of their retirement savings. Not only do people get it, they are doing something about it. As it becomes clear that neither corporate CEOs nor national political leaders have solutions to today's deep crises, thousands of grassroots activists are working together to make the change we need. The Occupy Movement, which is often called "leaderless," is actually full of emerging leaders who are building the skills and connections to create the economic and social changes that will benefit working families for decades to come.

2. Hard work by union members leads Ohio voters to repeal union-busting SB 5

When an anti-union Governor and legislature passed a law that would all but outlaw public sector collective bargaining, Ohio union members and their allies didn’t mourn, they organized. In only 90 days, TWU and other Ohio activists collected 1.3 million signatures, which filled a semi-truck, to repeal the union-busting SB 5. Once the referendum was on the ballot, unionists from all over the country united to defeat it. And defeat it we did. Ohio voters overwhelmingly voted to repeal the law, 61 to 39%. This important win built momentum for the Walker recall in Ohio and the 2012 elections. More importantly, it showed once again that when workers are united and strong, we win.

3. Wisconsin Leads the Way

When newly elected Koch Brothers front man Scott Walker pushed through the first law to effectively ban public sector collective bargaining, Wisconsinites immediately fought back. Thousands of young people put their lives on hold and occupied the State Capitol for weeks, inspiring all 14 Assembly Democrats to unprecedented discipline, principle and unity, and becoming a model for the nationwide Occupy movement. The so-called “Wisconsin 14” courageously left their homes and families and stayed out of state for the rest of the legislative session to try to prevent this assault on workers’ rights from becoming law.

Meanwhile, TWU members and hundreds of thousands of other workers’ rights activists from around the country descended on Wisconsin in the dead of winter to protest the measure. When the Governor and his allies in the State Senate failed to get the message and used legislative dirty tricks to ram the measure through, “Workers Rights are Human Rights” activists turned to the ballot box. Last summer, activists successfully recalled two of the leading union-busters in the State Senate. As soon as Walker became eligible for recall last November, activists went to work again, gathering over half a million signatures to recall the anti-union Governor in only a month of canvassing.

4. New NLRB Rules Help Protect Workers’ Rights

After Congress failed to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, President Obama’s appointees to the National Labor Relations Board used the rulemaking authority they have been granted by Congress to craft new regulations that would make it much harder for employers to use the tried and true tactic of busting unions by delaying elections. Under the old regulations, employers could endlessly delay elections by demanding hearings and pursuing appeals for years even where there was no disputed legal issue. The new rules preliminarily voted on by the Board in December will eliminate this loophole by requiring speedy elections and postponing legal fights until after the vote. Unfortunately, Republicans will probably refuse to confirm the President’s new appointments to the Board, leaving the new rules in legal limbo until after the 2012 elections.

5. New Hampshire Defeats Anti-Union “Right-to-Work” legislation

Last spring, New Hampshire's Republican-controlled state legislature passed so-called right-to-work legislation that would undermine the right to collectively bargain. But Democratic Governor Lynch vetoed the bill, and thanks to the efforts of thousands of workers’ rights supporters who wrote, called and lobbied legislators to uphold the veto and protect the freedom to have a union, conservatives were not able to override the veto. Working people won this vote despite underhanded tactics by state House leaders and big-money lobbying from out-of-state interests. As they did in Wisconsin and Ohio, working people in New Hampshire—union and non-union alike—stood up in support of basic workers’ rights. They preserved good jobs with fair wages and benefits and struck a blow against the anti-worker agenda.

6. TWU wins ILO Ruling that NY Strike Ban Violates Human Rights

In a historic ruling last November, the International Labor Organization (ILO), an independent agency of the United Nations, upheld TWU’s Complaint and found that New York’s law banning all strikes by public sector workers, as well as the harsh punishments it imposes on “illegal” strikes (including fines, loss of dues check off and imprisonment of union leaders), violates the fundamental human right to Freedom of Association protected under ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

The complaint was based on New York’s response to TWU Local 100’s 60 hour strike in December 2005. New York State courts responded to the strike with an array of penalties, including a $2.5 million fine on the union, a penalty of an additional day’s lost pay for each day each worker was out on strike, personal fines on the top three officers, and jail time for the Local President. Most harmfully, the courts ordered an end to Local 100’s automatic dues check off.

But TWU’s flagship Local was not so easy to kill. The ILO said New York’s Taylor Law should be amended to comply with Freedom of Association principles and that the union and its members should be compensated for the fines, the suspension of dues checkoff, and the detention of Local 100’s then-President, Roger Toussaint. International President James C. Little said, “This ruling from the ILO, which pertains to the critical New York City transit sector, could become a spearhead for the American labor movement’s defense of the rights of public sector workers, and eventually spur re-shaping of U.S. law in this area.” Whether and when the New York legislature and courts decide to implement the ILO’s recommendations remains to be seen.

7. TWU wins Allegiant Election, makes progress on first contract

In late December 2010, Allegiant flight attendants voted overwhelmingly for representation by TWU. The hard-working Allegiant negotiating committee dedicated 2011 to negotiating the terms of their first contract, wrapping up their final session of the year just as the 2011 holiday season began. The team has made a lot of progress, with 15 articles signed off on by both sides, and six negotiation dates already set for the first three months of 2012. The parties left two of the harder provisions for last—compensation and hours of service—but TWU’s Allegiant team is excited about the progress they made last year, and optimistic about signing off on their first ever CBA this year.

8. Activism stalls job and climate killing Keystone XL pipeline

Under President Jim Little, TWU has been a leader in advocating for major “New Deal” type investments in infrastructure modernization and repair, public transportation, energy conservation and climate protection as a means of putting people to work and laying the foundations of a more sustainable economic future for the United States. This is a transition that sound science and sound economics tell us we must make today, not in some far off future, in order to prevent irreversible harm to our planet’s climate, and to provide good jobs now for the millions of Americans who desperately need them. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would take us in the opposite direction, increasing our reliance on dirty bitumen sands oil and stalling critical efforts to create the jobs we need to transition to a more sustainable economy.

The pipeline appeared to be on a fast track to approval, but thanks to the efforts of TWU and a handful of other unions allied with millions of climate justice activists, in November the State Department delayed its decision on the project, and President Obama has said that if Republicans again try to force him to make a premature decision by tying the pipeline’s fate to another payroll tax cut extension early in 2012, he’ll kill the project for good.

9. Movements Build Strength by Connecting Across Borders

In 2011,we saw working people in the US – and the world -- building a “matrix of intersecting and increasingly interconnected movements around the world—the Arab Spring, the Indignados in Spain, ongoing Latin American mobilizations and the most recent, Occupy in the US, among others--transforming the global web of politics,” according to Roberto Lovato, founder of presente.org.

TWU contributed to this development, serving on a Tribunal investigating abuses of workers’ rights by the Mexican government, participating in the UN climate negotiations, and playing a leading a role in the ITF, the global federation of transport unions. In 2011, TWU hosted an ITF strategy meeting in its new DC headquarters for unions of workers employed by the One World air carriers, and aided ITF campaigns in support of transport workers employed by Veolia in the United States and UPS in Turkey, among others.

10. New Protections For The Young And Uninsured

Thanks to one of the major provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act, 2.5 million 18-25 year olds received health insurance in 2011 by being able to stay on their parent’s plans until age 26. Without the so-called dependent provision in the health care reform bill, its likely most of these recent high school or college graduates would have joined the ranks of the uninsured. It’s progress, for sure, but there are still 8 million uninsured 18-25 year olds— either because their parents don’t have private health coverage, their employer doesn’t offer it or they can’t afford it. Young people who can’t continue on their parent’s insurance will get help from the new law in 2014, when many will become eligible for Medicaid and subsidies to help buy private insurance will kick in.

11. Consumers Get A New Watchdog For Their Wallets

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officially opened for business in July 2011. The CFPB was the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren, who was appointed by the President to get the agency up and running. After the financial collapse wiped out nearly $11 trillion of household wealth, much of it tangled up in sub-prime mortgages, the new Bureau was included in the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. The CFPB protects consumers from confusing, and often, predatory financial practices, through rule-making, enforcement and research. Republicans vehemently oppose the Bureau and are seeking to weaken its authority. They’ve pledged to filibuster any nominated director until the teeth are knocked out of the agency’s power, and so far, have made good on their promise.

The Transportation Learning Center (TLC) recently issued its updates for transit frontline training from Cost-Shared Consortium Development of Transit Training,Linking School-Based and Work-Based Learning for Good Careers, Future Direction of the Center: Strategic Planning and Reauthorization of SAFETEA-LU as well as comments from team leaders about the importance and results of the Industry-Wide Training Consortia.

The Transportation Learning Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public transportation at the national level and within communities. TWU has an active role with the nonprofit and is on the board. (James C. Little is on the board)

You can view the updates in detail here.

TWU Local 100 amped up its alliance with Occupy Wall Street (OWS) this past Wednesday by joining the largest demonstration since OWS kicked off last month.

Shoulder to shoulder, nearly 15,000 union members, activists, students and Americans who want an economy that works for everyone united in Foley Square for Community Labor March Wednesday where they heard from numerous labor leaders and activists and then marched in solidarity to Liberty Square, also known as Zuccotti Park to join the OWS participants.

"One is joblessness, which is pervasive, and one is the disparity of wealth, which has continued to grow over the last several decades, and particularly in New York State right now," said Local 100 President John Samuelsen.

Samuelsen and the other speakers all shared the same sentiment as Americans are facing one of the hardest financial times since the Great Depression with high unemployment rates, layoffs and outsourcing while Wall Street received bail outs funded by tax payers.

The crowd’s signs reflected the message with some reading, “We are the 99%”, a theme for OWS in response to the 1 percent of Americans who have the control the majority of the wealth in America.

Others chanted “Banks got bailed out! We got sold out!,”"The people united, will never be defeated. The people united, will never be defeated!" and "Whose street? OUR STREET! Whose street? OUR STREET!"

Members from Communications Workers of America (CWA), Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), United Federation of Teachers and many others also spoke about the need to invest in America’s jobs and to focus on corporate greed’s impact on the nation and the ever-growing financial inequalities.

OWS is now a national movement since it started on Sept. 17, having spread to Texas, Colorado, DC and numerous other states it now has support from numerous organizations, such as MoveOn, AFL-CIO, AFT , TWU and other labor and activist organization.

The labor march followed Local 100’s injunction against the NYPD for commandeering four local buses to help transport arrested protestors on Oct 4. The court rejected the injunction last Monday.

Local 100 executive board voted unanimously to support OWS and their goal to reduce inequality and support every American’s right to a decent job, health care, and retirement security.

The Transport Workers Union International Executive Council also voted unanimously on October 5, 2011 to support Occupy Wall Street and similar actions across the country.

In a major breakthrough, members of TWU Local 252 have confirmed the right to preferential hiring and union recognition with Veolia Transportation, selected by Nassau County to be the new private-sector contractor for LI Bus routes and operations.

“This is a huge victory for union solidarity and workers standing together,” said Pat Bowden, president of TWU Local 252, representing more than 930 workers at LI Bus. “Veolia told our members they had to re-apply for their current jobs as individuals. We said, ‘Actually, we’re in this together, and we’re going to apply together – as a union.’”

TWU Local 252 members who work at LI Bus will have preferential hiring rights for jobs with the new county bus service once they submit a completed job application. Applications must be submitted by Tuesday, October 11; the company had previously insisted on a Sept. 30 deadline.

Hundreds of union members have already turned in their applications to Local 252, despite a company demand that applications be given directly to Veolia. “When the company saw that our union had hundreds of applications in hand they realized that working together is the best way to have a qualified workforce to deliver the safe, reliable service that Nassau County residents have come to expect,” said Bowden.

“We look forward to working with Veolia and Nassau County to ensure that bus operations continue to meet the needs of our passengers, in a manner that is fair to workers and our families.”

Under terms of the agreement, reached today at a meeting between Bowden and TWU representatives and senior executives of Veolia Transportation, Veolia agreed that TWU members who are currently LI Bus employees will be hired first, in accordance with current job seniority, before any applications from new hires are accepted.

“All current LI Bus workers,” the agreement states, “will be presumed qualified for their current jobs or comparable jobs,” with exceptions for circumstances such as physical inability to perform the job or inability to comply with statutory requirements.

Veolia also agreed to recognize the decision of TWU members to continue to be represented by their union, upon receipt of 400 job applications from TWU Local 252. The union already has that many job applications in hand, said Bowden.

The parties also agreed to meet beginning on October 27 and 28th to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.

“Our position has been consistent all along,” said Bowden. “We believe our bargaining rights, our jobs, our pay and our pensions are protected by agreements signed by Nassau County officials when they accepted federal funds to acquire and operate LI Bus. We look forward to working with Veolia and Nassau County to discuss how to best implement these legal guarantees.”

Under terms of the agreement signed today, TWU Local 252 “reserves all rights” regarding determination of terms and conditions of employment, including the right to arbitration if necessary.

“Our goal is to reach a fair contract at the bargaining table,” said Bowden. “Today’s agreement is a very positive first step.”

On September 20 TWU members rallied on the steps of capitols and in the streets across the country to tell Congress “Don’t X Out Public Transit.”

As part of a coalition composed of public transit advocates and allies, such as Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and American Public Transportation Association, members participated in events throughout the day at transit stations and stops in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Houston, Miami and New York as Local 171 members released a joint statement with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) system highlighting the importance of reliable public transportation.

The message was the clear- to take a stand against Congress’ threat to cut more than a third of federal funding for public transportation while making the nation know how they will be affected by such drastic cuts.

“We are making the traveling public and transit users aware that without proper funding bus services will be dramatically cut,” said International President James C. Little. “This would prevent workers, or those with no other available transportation, from getting to work.”

Not only are public transportation services in jeopardy, but the careers of those who work for public transportation and those unemployed as funding would increase job growth.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, is in agreement that if this proposal is agreed upon around 141,000-500,000 transit jobs, 360,000 highway and construction jobs across the nation will be lost. This is would be devastating to the nation’s economy at a time when people and families are already struggling.

Now is the time that any proposal made must include public transportation that is dependable and accessible. We should build our transportation infrastructure, instead of cutting it and embrace clean, efficient transportation technology.

It is essential to retain and continue to train transit workers to provide the consistent services and safety assurance that the public relies on every day from public transportation.

TWU will continue to hold our elected officials accountable as part of our “Didn’t You Say” campaign, a response to congressional members regarding their promise robust transportation investments for our future, and supporting the Obama’s Administration’s Jobs Bill as we continue to tell Congress Don’t X Out Public Transit.

Members from New York, Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, New Jersey, Michigan and California lobbied on Capital Hill Sept. 13 to show congressional members they are the faces of workers whose very own livelihood, as well as those unemployed, is in jeopardy if funding was cut or eliminated from transportation and infrastructure.

“ It’s more than just roads, they need to understand our plight,” said TWU Member Harry Wills of New York.

As they wore shirts reading “Didn’t You Say,” a response to congressional members regarding their promise to robust transportation investments for our future, members spent the day visiting over 40 congressional members’ offices to tell them the importance of supporting the investment in transportation to maintain and create jobs.

Placed into 7 teams, members walked into congressional members’ offices announcing who they were and what they wanted. They were armed with their own stories about what they could lose and the devotion to creating jobs for others explaining that now is the time to support Obama’s Jobs Plan of investing $50 billion in transportation.

A member from Ohio told Steven Perrotta, staffer to Sen. Richard Burr(R-NC), how imperative it is to support transit because of the high ridership and the importance of creating good jobs, when America’s unemployment rate is 9.1 percent.

Other TWU members, Delisa Brown and Trent Robinson of Local 171, also had the opportunity to speak to congressional aides and took a lot away with them after lobbying.

“It was good to speak to someone in person,” said Robinson. “ It puts our point across.”

As of Sept. 13 the House passed a 6 month extension for the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill.

Its official- union busting Senate Bill 5 will be on the ballot in November for the citizens of Ohio to overturn. On July 21 state election officials announced that enough certified petition signatures were submitted to get a referendum.

After delivering a semi-truck full of petitions, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced that 915,456 valid signatures were collected by the We Are Ohio coalition; only 231,147 signatures were required to get a referendum on the bill. The coalition of unions, community groups, churches, environmentalists and students got the required amount in each of Ohio’s 88 counties.

TWU members in Ohio were busy collecting thousands of signatures and are now ready to mobilize and educate voters to repeal the legislation pioneered by Gov. John Kasich and his CEO funders who are sure to put up a fight. However, grassroots energy and boots on the ground will be more powerful than millions of dollars.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll revealed that the majority of Ohioans support repealing the bill, 56%, while only 32% want to keep it.

“Now we have to get the message out to go and vote on Nov. 8 to repeal the bill,” said Andrew Jordan, President of TWU Local 208, at an anti-SB 5 rally in Columbus, OH.

Watch video of People's Parade delivering the petitions.

Over 30 women from TWU Air and Transit Division locals are attending the three-day Working Women’s Committee meeting this week in Cocoa Beach, Florida hosted by TWU Local 525.

Participants are discussing issues facing women on the job and working families as well as getting a tour of the Cape Canaveral base and launch pads thanks to Local 525 officers and President Kevin Smith who invited the WWC to Florida.


On Tuesday, July 19, 2011 guest speakers Roger Toussaint, International Director Strategic Planning, and Alex Garcia, International Director COPE and Political Field, explained the seriousness of the anti-worker legislation blossoming across the country and called on TWU members to be involved at all levels to fight back against the organized decimation of the working class. Toussaint stressed the important time line labor faces moving towards the 2012 elections and told the audience, “this assault is well planned and the other side has done their homework.”

Legislative Field Representatives Terry Daniels and Gwen Dunivent explained TWU’s State Conferences program. The conferences have been a success among TWU members across the country and continue to grow in popularity in all divisions. Select geographic locations focus our member’s strengths to effectively lobby and fight back against the legislative attacks against middle class workers. In Florida for example, Andrew Rangolan, Vice President for Local 570 in Miami, is working with Daniels and Garcia to stem the constant stream of legislative attacks taking place in Florida.

Local 525 was chartered in June 1957 and is referred to as the “guided missile” local because of their lengthy history with the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Pan Am workers were the first to gain government contracts working at the military base and space center that developed submarine launched guided missiles and eventually communications satellites for the U.S. government and private telecommunications companies.