What will it take to convince every Local 7804 member that safety rules and regulations, be they USWest, WISHA or OSHA apply to them? In less than a year WISHA has cited CWA/USWest employees for improper utility hole ventilation procedures; improper use of or complete failure to use OSHA mandated aerial lift harnesses and lanyards; improper work area protection and wheel chocks; failure to be wearing hard hats or safety glasses or orange vests. Click to continue »
February, 2000
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Safety Corner February, 2000
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2000USWEST UPGRADE AND TRANSFER PLAN
Tuesday, February 1st, 2000By Randy Grams
This is a notice and/or reminder for the procedure surrounding transfers. The Upgrade and Transfer Plan, which can be found in Company Instructions RPP1200, can be accessed by telephone using EZTouch or via the company internet site. Click to continue »
The President’s Corner
Tuesday, February 1st, 2000by Clay Bowlby
Pension Plan:
We have received information from District #7 concerning the USWest Pension Plan and what effect the Q-West merger will have. As reviewed by C.W.A.’s pension attorney the plan is in compliance with employee retirement income security act (ERISA). Additionally there are provisions in the plan which leave little incentive for any company to attempt to take over the plan in order to get at excess assets. For a complete copy of this information contact the Union hall. Click to continue »
Seattle is Location for Non-ad Call Center
Tuesday, February 1st, 2000Seattle has been named the third location for the new bargained-for sales channel dedicated to selling USWest’s Dex’s full product line to non-advertisers that is being launched this year. This internal channel brings back to the sales organization responsibility for 70% of the non-advertiser “convert” revenue and 50% of the non-advertiser accounts in contiguous, competitive, or large metro markets. Click to continue »
Victory for Dislocated Workers!
Tuesday, February 1st, 2000From the WSLC legislative update, 1/28/2000:
The Unemployment Insurance Retraining bill, SHB3077, passed the House Commerce and Labor Committee by an 8-0 vote Thursday, and the House by a 96-1 vote Friday (1/28/00). This is a major victory for dislocated workers, assuring passage in 2000 for a measure that was one of many killed last year in the political stalemate of the evenly-split house. Click to continue »
2000 Union Counselor Class
Tuesday, February 1st, 2000The class is sponsored by the Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO and the United Way of Pierce County. The topics include United Way Helpline; substance abuse and treatment; workplace violence; consumer credit; workers’ compensation; disabled and senior services; child and spousal abuse; contemporary labor issues; plant closings, layoffs and strike assistance. Click to continue »
Al Gore Walks the Union Walk
Tuesday, February 1st, 2000Vice President Al Gore brought coffee and donuts to striking Teamsters on the picket line in Londonerry, N.H., last month, highlighting their struggle for a contract with Overnite Transportation Co. Gore characterized Overnite as “one of the most relentless anti-union companies in history.” Click to continue »
Plan Ahead: Contract Expires in August, 2001
Tuesday, February 1st, 2000The agreement with USWest and the CWA will expire in August of 2001. While there is no reason to believe there will be a strike, history should certainly be our teacher in understanding the future.
While the mention of a strike is unsettling, it is certainly a possibility. To avoid discomfort and anxiety later, it would be prudent to begin to save now. If you began saving now, it would be almost painless to put away enough to hold you through a month or longer.
There will be many changes confronting us in the coming years. Planning will help us meet them unafraid.
In My Opinion: Vanishing Pensions, the Cruelest Betrayal
Tuesday, February 1st, 2000October 1999
By Morton Bahr
CWA President
This past July, IBM Corp. changed its traditional pension benefit plan to a cash balance account plan in a manner that slashed the expected benefits of tens of thousands of mid-career employees by 20 percent to as much as 50 percent. Click to continue »