Angela Guillory
What kind of company is the new AT&T? Over the past year, I have starting
wondering if we are just the old AT&T trying to convince everyone that the
company has changed. We definitely do not handle our business anything like we
did when we were SWBT, a very successful business. The company has one
reorganization after another moving people and changing the way departments are
handled. It is almost as if they are experimenting with how to handle the
company.
They are so untrusting of the employees that they are doing everything they can
to micro manage the business. These are the same employees that built SWBT into
a company that has managed to buy out all the others that make up the new AT&T.
Now the company does not feel they can trust us to take care of the company and
make it successful. Profits are sky rocketing and they still say they cant be
profitable paying our wages and benefits. If that were true how was their
profits in the billions this past year.
The largest issue right now for our local is the way that company is handling
the Mobility raises that were just negotiated in their new contract. As usual
the company did not seem to know how to implement the raises. Next, they decided
that the CSRI ‘s at top pay was given to large of a raise. After, the contract
was ratified the company said that the way the raises were explained at the
bargaining table was not their intent. Our district Union reps have met the
company they have no intentions of correcting the pay. A grievance has been
filed and hopefully we will be able to prevail.
Negotiations for the Mobility Health Care will start on June 3. Hopefully the
company will negotiate this contract in good faith. We will be asking members to
participate in some organizing activities.
On the landline side of the company we are gearing up for contract negotiations
next March. This is going to be a tough one, probably the roughest most of our
members have ever seen. We have been told that AT&T is planning to ask for
multiple tiers of job titles. By doing this they intend to cut the majority of
our members pay by half. Benefits will also be on the butcher block.
We have also been informed that the company is in the process of training
managers and other people to do our jobs. They are already preparing for us to
go on strike. In twenty-five years with the company I have never heard of the
company doing this a year in advance.
Our company is not the only one attacking the jobs of CWA members in this
country. Our national union present’s employees in hundred of different careers
and the issues seem to be the same in almost every contract. It is now more
important than ever that we stand united and together and back each other. Like
the saying an injury to one is an injury to all. Every time a company gets away
with taking away from their employee’s it makes it even harder for us to keep
ours. It is time for our unions to show our unity and strength if anyone in this
country wants to keep decent jobs with decent benefits.
Our national union along with most of the union’s in the United States is asking
their members to sign a pledge to support the Employee Free Choice Act. Their
goal is have at least a million pledges to send to whom ever our next president
will be.
Remember no matter which part of AT&T you are a part of you we need to support
one another. CWA is saying to the company One Union, One Fight, One Future. We
need keep alert and watch every thing the company does. If you see something
happening that does not seem right please notify a steward. It will take all of
us to show AT&T that we mean business and that we will stand behind our brothers
and sisters.
Taken from CWA website
The right of workers to organize and bargain collectively is a
longstanding American value. It has so helped build a strong middle class and a
strong nation, that it is a now principle enshrined in international agreements.
It is a core standard that the United States uses to measure adherence to
democratic norms throughout the world.
Yet across America, workers are being stripped of this basic freedom.
Each year, more than 20,000 workers are illegally fired or discriminated against
for exercising attempting to organize. Many employers make an art of it - hiring
union busting "consultants" to help defeat organizing drives. And even if
employees overcome all the odds, in one-third of all union election victories,
workers still do not have a collective bargaining agreement two years after the
election.
42 million workers who are not in a union have say they would like to be
represented by one. 42 million workers - more than three times the number of
workers presently represented by unions in the United States. 42 million workers
who are unable to exercise their rights.
It is in the name of those workers that CWA is fighting for the Employee
Free Choice Act. EFCA provides for the certification of a union as the
bargaining representative if the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finds
that a majority of employees in an appropriate bargaining unit have signed
written forms designating the union as its collective bargaining agent
EFCA also speeds along the process of bargaining between employer and employees
for their first contract by obligating both parties to reach an agreement,
through escalating procedures of mediation and arbitration, if necessary.
EFCA requires stronger penalties against employers for engaging in unfair labor
practices while employees are attempting to organize or obtain a first contract.
The bill mandates that the NLRB must seek a federal court injunction against
employers whenever there is reasonable cause to believe that the employer has
discharged employees. Or if they have discriminated against or engaged in
John Richie
It has been a while since I have written
but there has been a lot of work being done. As all of you know, we were in
bargaining and we ratified an agreement that proves to be good in the aspect of
wages and pensions. While there are some issues with the company on the
individuals at top pay, overall it was a good contract. We have bargaining
beginning again in June for health care and that will be a tough fight. The year
does not end there; we have an election year to address as well.
Bargaining was contentious and rigorous but we were able to get a contract for
the members to ratify on time and it will put money in the pockets of the
members. We do have an issue that we are fighting with company on concerning the
top pay issue. We will be taking that issue to arbitration but do not expect a
quick fix. Arbitration cases can take a year to be heard. The issue is that the
company is telling us they did not intend to give those at top pay the bump that
was described but the Union is in possession of documentation that says
otherwise. This documentation was used to make the examples for each member to
review before voting. As more information comes up we will pass it along but we
would ask for your patience. Know this; we will fight the company on this issue
to the bitter end. We could hope for the company to find the error of their ways
and offer to settle this issue before getting to arbitration. I do not see this
happening any time soon.
Healthcare bargaining starts June 3, 2008 in Atlanta. There are some things to
remember; first, we will not be going on strike because of healthcare because we
will not be able to. Second, there are only so many days that bargaining will
take place then we will have to go through mediation. If a compromise cannot be
reached in mediation then the Union and the company will be at “impasse”. Once
we are at impasse a third party arbitrator will be assigned to either order a
compromise, side with the company’s position or the Unions position. We will be
doing some work place actions to show the company that they need to leave our
healthcare alone unless they are going to make it more affordable. We work for a
company that posted, yet again, record profits for another quarter. A Company
that has a net profitability of 4.5 Billion
dollars can surely afford the healthcare it is already paying
for. All market indicators show that these numbers will not go down anytime soon
and AT&T Mobility is said to be the leader in wireless service. Leaders should
lead and the company is no exception. As the leader, the company should tell the
rest of the business world that they are not going to forsake their employees
for a quick buck. Wait, I think I had a Hollywood moment because the truth is we
are going to have to fight and scrape for anything and everything we get. I am
ready and sure hope you are.
With the discussion of healthcare costs and corporate America thinking it can do
whatever it pleases with its’ workers, this is an election year. I am asking
each of you to look into the candidates and their records with respect to labor
issues. There are many places you can do this research but do it. It is time the
working people of this country vote their pocket book and their own interests
rather than those picked for them. We have many issues that need to be addressed
and must be addressed or the corporate greed that exists today will only
continue. We need sensible answers to the healthcare crisis in this country. We
need a President to stand up and tell corporate America that it is time for them
to take care of their workers and provide good jobs in America. What I mean by
good jobs I am talking about jobs with good fair wages, funded and secured
pensions, safe and functional work locations and good affordable healthcare.
That may seem like what Unions are there to fight for and protect and you are
right. However, a Union can only be able to continue to do those things if we
have a president and a legislature that are on the same page with Unions. I am
not about to tell you who to vote for in the upcoming election, well not here
anyway, but I am going to tell you to research and vote for the person that can
best deliver these things to you and the rest of us.
Finally, it is good to be home and back with all of you and I want to thank you
for all the hard work and solidarity you had during bargaining. It was important
to those of us on the committee. The Stewards and Chief-Stewards did a great job
and I thank them. It is tough work being a Steward, Chief-Steward or an Officer
for the Local and those that have taken up the call to assist our members really
did a great job. I thank all of them for the work that was done.
Under the Supreme Court's Weingarten decision, when an investigatory interview occurs, the following rules apply:
RULE 1:
The employee must make a clear request for union representation before or during the interview. The employee cannot be punished for making this request.
RULE 2:
After the employee makes the request, the employer must choose
from among three options. The Employer must either:
• Grant the request and delay questioning until the union representative arrives
and has a chance to consult privately with the employee; or
• Deny the request and end the interview immediately; or
• Give the employee a choice of (1) having the interview without representation
or (2) ending the interview.
RULE 3:
If the employer denies the request for union representation, and continues to ask questions, it commits an unfair labor practice and the employee has a right to refuse to answer. The employer may not discipline the employee for such a refusal.
Taken from CWA website
More families than ever in modern times
are facing economic instability because of erratic income patterns in recent
years, according to a new study by the Economic Policy Institute.
"Where they might have expected to make a gradual but steady ascent up the
income ladder, more Americans are finding themselves on an economic roller
coaster," said study co-author Jacob Hacker. "Instead of being able to plan for
their future, they're left worrying about when the next big dip is coming."
The study, "The Rising Instability of American Family Incomes, 1969-2004,"
documents indicators of growing income volatility. For instance, the share of
working-age people experiencing a loss of half or more of their household income
rose from less than 4 percent in the early 1970s to nearly 10 percent in the
2000s.
Making the problem worse, income volatility is compounded today by dwindling
health and pension coverage, job loss, rising household debt, bankruptcy and
mortgage foreclosures, and the erosion of public benefits for American workers.
Taken together, the authors write, "these long-term trends point to serious and
growing threats to the economic security of American families." The study is
available online at
www.epi.org.
Taken from CWA website
Home foreclosures are at record rates,
and home values have dropped 10 per cent in one year. Gasoline and food prices
are hitting new records along with CEO pay yet a smaller percentage of American
workers today earn the equivalent of $20 an hour than in 1979.
The U.S. trade deficit even with a crashing dollar remains at over $700 billion
and the answer from our president is a one-time $600 tax rebate — nothing to
promote jobs or address a single one of these problems. We all like getting a
check but this must be a wake up call that the middle class is crashing and that
CWA must help lead the fight back.
This issue of the CWA News focuses on these and other basic economic issues. All
too often we think these issues are out of our reach while the economists who
deal with them usually work for management and prefer to talk about consumers
rather than workers. We all realize that our role as a consumer is directly
linked to our employment and that our union rights on the job are directly
linked to our ability to consume.
So who will fight for our families and who will fight for the middle class if
not us? The history of our union and our movement is that we "faced the future,"
not just consuming whatever we could. Those who built our union would not have
been bought off with a rebate check; they didn't believe that they could just
depend on management but knew they had to depend on each other not only for
their own sake but for the future of their children.
For nearly a year we have been focused on four issues that would bolster the
middle class and turn the economy around:
• Employee Free Choice Act
• Health Care
• Jobs and Trade
• Retirement Security
These issues cut across the five main sectors where nearly all our members work
— public and private sector, telecom, airline, manufacturing and media.
Union Plus tailors its programs to the needs and interests
of working families. When union members are faced with special circumstances, we
are here to help. Once we verify your special situation, we're committed to
providing the assistance you need.
If you currently are a union member who participates in a Union Plus program and
are laid off or on a prolonged strike, you're eligible for special benefits.
Read about the unique ways we assist union members:
Go to
www.unionplus.org/benefits/unique
• Accident Insurance
• Auto Insurance
• Credit Cards
• Credit Counseling
• Education Loans
• Health Savings
• Legal Service
• Life Insurance
• Mortgage and Real Estate
• Personal Unsecured Loans
• Safety net for disabled workers and other cardholders facing financial
hardship
Membership
Meeting
Tuesday June 10,
2008
7:00p.m.
Dinner served
Mobility Steward Meeting
Tuesday June 17, 2008 7:00 p.m.
Stay informed by attending your meetings. We have Mobility Health Care Bargaining starting on June 3, 2008. The Landline side will start mobilizing for our contract negations next March. These negotiations are going to be extremely hard and important to our future. It’s time that we all stand united and do what needs to be done.
Part Eleven
1963: General Telephone of California Workers Demand Equal Pay for Equal
Work.
In October 1963, CWA members went on strike against General Telephone of
California for wages and benefits comparable to those enjoyed by Bell employees
in the state. At the time, it was possible for a General Telephone worker and a
Bell worker to be doing the same type of work across the street from each other,
but the General Telephone employee would be receiving considerably less
compensation for the job than his/her Bell counterpart.
1965: The Triple Threat Program—Organizing Growth
Resolution #1.
In 1965, convention delegates, at President Beirne’s urging, adopted CWA Growth
Resolution #1, which endorsed the Triple Threat program and clearly stated that
organizing was a top priority of the union. It was Beirne’s program for
broadening the membership base and expanding CWA’s influence in the areas of
politics and legislation as well as collective bargaining. For Beirne
believed—and it has remained CWA’s philosophy—that all these activities are
mutually dependent and equally vital to CWA’s overall success in representing
its members.
Angela Guillory
Cookie Barton
Walter King
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