The Cablevision War
How Workers and Their Union Won Against a Billionaire
Employees’ grueling but triumphant challenge to corporate power
Cloth – $125
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Paper – $29.95
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eBook – $14.95
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Publication Date
Paperback: 04/13/2027
About the Book
In 2012, Cablevision workers in Brooklyn voted to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The landslide victory for unionization sparked a five-year battle against Cablevision and its over-the-top anti-union tactics.Gay Semel draws on her front-line experiences to provide an insider’s look at this bitter labor fight and its implications for unionization across the country. Unwilling to accept the vote, Cablevision, and its CEO James Dolan, used aggressive and illegal tactics like harassing and firing the Brooklyn workers to weaken support for the union. The CWA responded by mobilizing public pressure to push back. As the conflict unfolded, the union found support among community leaders, politicians, and activists. Semel traces the slow and difficult process of winning a first contract and details how courage, unity, and perseverance triumphed over a powerful company.
Dramatic and compelling, The Cablevision War tells the inspiring story of an important victory for workers and the lessons it offers for a revitalized labor movement.
* Publication was supported by a grant from the Howard D. and Marjorie L. Brooks Fund for Progressive Thought.
About the Author
Gay Semel is a retired labor lawyer. She worked for CWA District 1 as District Counsel for more than thirty years and directed the District’s legal department for twenty years.Reviews
“The Cablevision War is a powerful story of working people who refused to be intimidated, divided, or defeated. Gay Semel shows us the courage of Brooklyn workers who stood together for dignity on the job, and the vital role that unions, communities, and elected officials can play when we stand with workers in their fight for justice. At a time when too many corporations still try to silence organizing and weaken worker power, this book is both a warning and an inspiration: when workers fight for their rights and when public leaders use their voices and offices to support them, justice can prevail.”—Letitia James, New York State Attorney General
“Gay Semel’s first person account of the epic unionization struggle waged by a set of Brooklyn Cablevision workers is compelling and dramatic. A combative and resourceful union-side lawyer, Semel makes clear that victory at the National Labor Relations Board and in the courts can only take place when workers themselves are militant and steadfast. The Cablevision Wars is an inspiring and instructive story that offers unionists and progressives an invaluable set of lessons, on-the-ground and in the hearing room.”
—Nelson Lichtenstein, author of Why Labor Unions Matter
“A vividly told inspirational story of how brave and resilient workers and their committed union, with support from bold community allies, successfully beat back aggressive corporate abuse. This beautifully-written account reflects a true demonstration of Power of the People, who, by coalescing around a common goal and flexing collective muscle through protest and other activities, bettered their lives.”
—Jennifer Abruzzo, former National Labor Relations Board General Counsel
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