EPISODE · Aug 12, 2026 · 28 MIN
CWA's Frank Mathews on Union History and the Story of Red on Thursday
from America’s Work Force Union Podcast · host BMA Media Group
In August 1989, CWA chief steward Gerry Horgan was struck and killed by a replacement worker driving through a picket line during the NYNEX strike in New York. He was a Marine, a volunteer firefighter, a mountain rescue team member and a family man who gave everything for working people. Since that day, CWA members have worn red on Thursdays in his honor. August 15 marks the 37th anniversary of his death. On today's episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast — part of the Labor 132 series presented by the National Labor Office of Blue Cross Blue Shield — CWA District 4 Administrative Director Frank Mathews traces the history of the Communication Workers of America from its 1947 founding through landmark contract wins, barrier-breaking leadership elections and the member relief fund that removes one of management's most reliable bargaining weapons. He then tells the full story of Gerry Horgan and what wearing red on Thursdays has meant to the CWA family over the past 37 years. Visit cwad4.org for more.
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What this episode covers
CWA District 4 Administrative Director Frank Mathews traces the Communication Workers of America’s history from its 1947 founding through the 1971 AT&T COLA breakthrough, the 1970 discrimination consent decree, decades of growth into gaming and healthcare and the elections of the first Black male and Black female leaders of an international union serving simultaneously. He then tells the story of Gerry Horgan, killed on a picket line in August 1989, and why CWA members have worn red on Thursdays in his honor ever since.
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CWA's Frank Mathews on Union History and the Story of Red on Thursday
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