April 22, 2010

CWA: Qwest-CenturyLink Deal Must Focus on Jobs, Investment in High Speed Broadband

CenturyLink has announced plans to buy Qwest Communications in an all-stock deal.

CWA has stressed that in its discussions with management of both companies, we will focus on the employment security and rights of our members and continued critical investment in high speed broadband.

CWA represents about 15,000 workers at Qwest in District 7 and about 3,700 at CenturyLink, formed by the merger of Century Tel and Embarq.

CWA pointed out to reporters and analysts that Wall Street terms like "merger synergies" used in these deals are often just shorthand for job cuts or pay cuts. President Obama's job summit and recent legislation put jobs front and center, not just at a conference but in all governmental decision-making.

The Federal Communications Commission's broadband plan calls for a one gigabit build-out to anchor institutions in every community and by 2015, a build-out of 50 megabits down and 20 megabits up to 80 percent of households. 

CWA will work with management, and with the FCC and state regulators, to make sure that this merger offers specific commitments to meet these goals.

CWA District 3 Reaches Tentative Agreement at AT&T Mobility

CWA's District 3 bargaining team reached a tentative four-year agreement at AT&T Mobility that provides wage increases of 10 percent, upgrades job titles and includes other improvements.

The tentative agreement, reached just before the April 16 contract expiration, covers more than 11,200 workers. The bargaining committee unanimously recommended ratification; members will be voting on the proposed agreement.

A full bargaining report is posted here.

"Given the still tough economic times, our bargaining team achieved a good economic package, plus job upgrades and other improvements important to Mobility members," said CWA District 3 Vice President Judy Dennis.

The settlement provides for a 2.75 percent wage increase in the first contract year, retroactive to March 26, and increases of 2.25 percent in 2011 and 2.5 percent in both 2012 and 2013, along with a $500 ratification bonus.

Three new job titles in call centers mean upgrades for more than 800 workers, and the wireless technician I title was upgraded to wireless technician II. AT&T has agreed to meet to discuss other job title upgrades.

In other gains, on-call pay was increased from $20 to $34 per day, and retail store workers assigned to perform managerial closing or opening duties will be paid a 10 percent differential.

Workers would gain some flexibility in taking time off; new language provides that excused days with pay can be taken in one-hour rather than two-hour increments.

Severance pay was increased to $16,000, and AT&T Mobility will provide CWA with a 60-day notice before announcing force adjustments that affect units of 50 or more employees.

The company also agreed to revise call quality observation language, basing it more on coaching and development.

NJ Public Workers, Indiana Telecom Workers Join CWA

Workers in Berlin Township, N.J., who work for the public works department, won union representation with CWA Local 1040 through majority sign up.

Fearing possible layoffs and cutbacks in health care, the unit of 19 workers contacted CWA after talking with union members in nearby Berlin Borough.

Despite widespread worker support, township management contested the workers' right to a union and tried to challenge the authenticity of the cards. Managers used threats to scare workers, warning them that layoffs would occur and a bonus would be rescinded if the union was voted in.

The state's Public Employee Relations Council rejected management's claims and recognized the bargaining unit.

In Indiana, telecom workers at Hancock Telecom and Central Indiana Telecom, two small companies with the same owner, voted for CWA representation in separate NLRB elections. The workers will be represented by CWA Local 4900. Three years ago, the owner divided the company to prevent workers from forming a union.

More Media Consolidation is Bad News for Journalism, TNG-CWA Tells FCC

Advocating for media diversity, good jobs and the survival of quality journalism, TNG-CWA President Bernie Lunzer cautioned the FCC this week against lifting what's left of the ban on cross-ownership of a community's newspapers and broadcast media.

Merging newsrooms and sharing content among once-independent papers, radio and TV stations and now Internet sites does not serve the public, Lunzer said, testifying at an FCC hearing in Tampa, Fla. Similar to what's happening in many markets, one company already controls a third of Tampa's media and collectively four companies control 73 percent of it.

"Most consolidations are being done for efficiencies and that means less content, fewer journalists and less diversity in both content and staff," Lunzer said.

He said Guild members understand better than anyone that their industry and their jobs are changing, and have embraced high-tech training and efforts to find new ways to fund newspapers and news-gathering operations.

"Experimenting with mixtures of media, like those being discussed here today, is important," Lunzer said. "But if all the FCC does is lift the cross-ownership ban entirely, it will have done nothing to preserve or promote quality information. In fact, it will speed up the demise of journalism while preserving a cash flow for some."

CWA Honors Legacy of Civil, Women's Rights Pioneer Dorothy Height

Read CWA President Larry Cohen's statement on the life and accomplishments of a true human rights pioneer, Dr. Dorothy Height:

The passing of civil and human rights pioneer Dorothy Height at age 98 calls on all of us to remember and honor a life lived with passion, purpose and achievement.

As a civil rights advocate in the early 1930s, Dr. Height took on the segregated institutions of that time and worked to make her vision of a just society a reality.

She was an acknowledged leader, standing side-by-side with the Rev. Dr.  Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph and other civil rights leaders in the fight for racial equality and justice.

With Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan and other leaders of the women's movement, she helped found the National Women's Political Caucus and worked to close the economic and opportunity gap that women face. She continually sought to build allies within both the civil rights and women's movements. 

Dr. Height was the longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women, and beginning in 1994, she served as chair of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation's premier civil and human rights coalition. There, working with current LCCR President Wade Henderson, she directed many successful legislative campaigns, including the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act in 2006.

Dr. Height worked to overcome adversity, in her own life and for others. As a young woman, she was accepted to Barnard College, but was barred from attending that school because it had already met its "quota" of black students. Dr. Height went on to earn the first of several degrees at New York University. Eight decades later, she witnessed the inauguration of America's first African-American president.

The Communications Workers of America was proud to call Dr. Height a friend and ally, and we were honored to have her speak to CWA activists at our 2008 National Equity Conference. She inspired all of us with her recollections of the early days of the civil rights movement and with her assessment of the work still to be done to achieve economic and social justice for all. In her memory, we will continue to work to advance the cause of freedom and equality for all.

Electrocution Kills AT&T Technician in Detroit, Michigan OSHA Investigating

Kevin James, an AT&T splicing technician and member of CWA Local 4100, was fatally electrocuted April 15 while working on a telephone pole in Detroit. The accident is under investigation by Michigan OSHA.

James' death comes as CWA and other unions are preparing for Workers Memorial Day, April 28. Local 4100 President Greg Wynn, noting the deep affection members had for James, said the tragedy will be the focus on his local's activities next week.

The Detroit AFL-CIO made special mention of James, 41, in a Workers Memorial Day e-mail this week. The father of two girls was an active school volunteer and a Marine Corps veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm. "To give you an idea of what type of guy Kevin was, he would grow his hair out so he could donate it to young cancer patients in the Locks of Love program," the Detroit AFL-CIO said.

CWA Occupational Safety and Health Director Dave LeGrande said electrical hazards have been a major concern for his office and local safety activists, who have held workshops and met with employers to work together to reduce risks.

A Local 4100 steward is accompanying OSHA investigators as they try to determine what happened. James was on a ladder, belted in, to work on telecom lines hanging at least 15 feet below electrical wires, Wynn said. One of the electrical lines came loose. James was found deceased when a barking dog alerted  its owner that something was wrong.

To focus on electrical hazards for Workers Memorial Day, or other safety issues, contact LeGrande at legrande@cwa-union.org and check the AFL-CIO's website for materials you can download. Go to www.aflcio.org/issues/safety/memorial/.

Hazards Training Focus of OSHA Retreat for Districts 4, 7, 9

There's still time to register for CWA's Districts 4, 7 and 9 Occupational Safety and Health Retreat being held in two weeks in Phoenix, where sessions will focus on hazardous materials training and general hazards awareness.

The OSHA sessions will begin at midday Wednesday, May 5, following the District 7 conference, and will end at midday May 6.

Click here to go to CWA's OSHA website for more details and the registration form. You may also contact CWA Safety and Health Director Dave LeGrande at legrande@cwa-union.org or (202) 434-1160.

CWA is holding a block of $99 rooms at the Wyndham Phoenix Hotel. To get the rate, reserve your room by Friday, April 23. Call (800) 359-7253 and let them know you're attending the CWA conference.

NLRB: Albany Newspaper Layoffs Violated Labor Law, Hearing Set for May

The National Labor Relations Board has charged the Albany, N.Y., Times Union newspaper with breaking labor law by abruptly dismissing workers last summer while TNG-CWA was negotiating over layoffs.

Tim O'Brien, president of TNG-CWA Local 31034, said the union knew the company broke the law and now the NLRB agrees. "This is no longer an argument between the newspaper management and the union. This is the equivalent of an indictment of the newspaper's management," O'Brien said.

Last July, managers showed up at the desks of a dozen workers in the newsroom and advertising and circulation departments and walked them to the personnel office, where a security guard was stationed.

An administrative law judge will hear the case May 17. The paper could be ordered to rehire the employees and resume good-faith negotiations.

Don't Forget CWA's First Annual Photography Contest

CWA's First Annual CWA Photography Contest is looking for quality photos and photographers, so turn your creative eye to CWA members on the job, on the picket line and in action, and submit what could be a winning photo.  

Winning photographs will be displayed at the CWA convention and may be published in the CWA News as well as in local newsletters.

Be creative, be dramatic, be funny. Look for good candid pictures and interesting ways to take group or other posed shots. Digital or film photos will be accepted, but digital photos must be high resolution.

Read more for categories, rules and requirements, including how to make sure your photos will be high rez. 

The deadline for submitting pictures is June 18, 2010. Questions? Please contact Janelle Hartman in the CWA Communications Department at Jhartman@cwa-union.org. Please put "CWA Photo Contest" in the subject line.