Democrats press T-Mobile on labor issues

A group of 20 Democratic lawmakers have asked T-Mobile’s German parent company to respond to questions about the wireless provider's labor practices.

“We are writing to you to express our continued concern about the record of Deutsche Telekom’s subsidiary, T-Mobile, in its treatment of its U.S. workforce,” the lawmakers said in a letter. “Your July 14th response to the letter that we sent you on June 29th seemed to indicate that you are not taking this issue seriously, so we were seeking additional information about your familiarity with the American legal issues at stake with your politics and practices regarding labor complaints.” The lawmakers asked Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges whether he had reviewed a March decision from a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge finding that the company had engaged in labor violations. They also asked if the company had policies in place for dealing with labor law violations committed by subsidiaries in other countries. The lawmakers took issue with the company's response that there were "no indications that T-Mobile US is not treating its workers in a legal, fair and respectful manner." The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and signed by several other House Members, including Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).