Canadian Artist Supported by Sniper Squad DJ's "Special" Makes the Wall Street Journal

[Bonita "Adorable P" Payton]

April 10, 2009, 12:05 PM ET
AT&T Workers Create “Ready to Strike” Ringtone
AT&T and the union representing its workers are still in contract talks, but workers have published a song, with accompanying ringtone, called “Ready to Strike,” just in case.

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Special
The song’s pro-labor lyrics include “Get ready to strike, get ready to walk the line” and “Protect my health care, don’t lower my wages / Realize, recognize, mobilize, stay alive” and even a shout-out to technicians who support U-verse, AT&T’s TV service.

It was co-written by Ray and Rachael Rodriguez, AT&T employees who are active in the Communications Workers of America Local 6222, as well as Riley Wallace, a Toronto hip-hop artist whose stage name is Special.

Ms. Rodriguez, who works as a customer service representative in AT&T’s Houston office, said the idea struck as she and her husband realized that most of the U-verse technicians he works with have been with the company for fewer than two years. “We just felt we had to come up with a creative way to reach this next generation of union workers,” she said.


Mr. Wallace, 26, who also performs the song, got involved a few months ago when a friend of the Rodriguezes contacted his management team. “Ready to Strike” was originally intended for a Local 6222 rally, but word of it spread to other chapters, who shared it on organizing blogs and YouTube, so he recorded a new version three weeks ago that strips out the local references.

The pro-labor message was one that resonated with him. “Even in my past employment, I understand that a union has to stick together,” he said. “The opportunity to take that and put that in a song was a great opportunity.”
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http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/