Thursday, August 16, 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Gerry Horgan. Gerry was a CWA member and Chief Steward for Local 1103, a "natural born leader" in Westchester County was on the front lines fightling alongside his CWA brothers and sisters during the 1989 NYNEX strike. The strike was just two weeks old when a car, driven by the dughter of a company manager, drove through the picket line and struck Gerry, killing him.
On the day of his funeral a line of CWAers wearing red stretched for a mile along the route to the church.
Since 1989, it has become custom CWA members to show their solidarity and honor Gerry's memory and his sacrifice by wearing red on Thursdays - a custom that now spans across the country and has continued to this day.
The red shirt brings together all CWA members on one day a week. It gives a visual statement to management of our solidarity and our strength. It gives us a sense of unity, and reminds those around us that we are strong and united and will fight for our rights as workers.
So whether it's a shirt or hat or tie or scarf - IF IT'S THURSDAY, WE WEAR RED! We wear red to honor Gerry, and we wear red to show that we are CWA STRONG!