Grievances, Gripes, and Groans

When is a grievance a grievance?

This is the $1,000 question. Perhaps a worker complains about unfair distribution of overtime work, while the facts show him or her to be mistaken. Or he or she may feel entitled to promotion, although the seniority clauses in the contract prove him or her wrong. If the worker is mistaken is his facts, it is better for a steward or local officer to discover this than management. One guide to ask yourself are these questions:

1. Has the contract been violated.
2. Has the Company acted unfairly?
3. Has the worker’s health or safety been jeopardized?
4. Has any law been violated?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes” you have a real grievance! As you can tell from the second questions, not every grievance is a contract violation. It is the Union’s duty to handle complaints about working conditions, even if they are not covered in the contract! Know your contract. The fact is that in unity there is strength. The more enthused members we have in CWA the better our contracts will be.

Stories in this issue:

• Grievances, Gripes, and Groans

• Announcing a CWA Cingular Wireless Discount Plan

• Before the CWA the Word was “No.”

• The Avalanche Effect

• Qwest JOB SWAP

• Good and Welfare:

Announcing a CWA Cingular Wireless Discount Plan

CWA members save 15%!

Buy Union! We are pleased to announce a discount from CWA and Cingular Wireless, the most heavily unionized wireless company.

CWA members and employees are eligible for a 15% discount off the Monthly Access Charge on Home, Regional and National rate plans, along with the following:

• Free Nokia 6340i (GAIT) on any plan
• Free Ericsson T226 (GSM) when activated on $29.99 and above plans
• Free Nokia 3595 (GSM) when activated on $29.99 and above plans
• Free Cigarette-Adapter Power Cord
• Free Activations
• No fee to roll over from existing plans - we are allowing those with existing plans to take advantage of this special offer.

Standard Credit Approval Guidelines Apply (credit based on individual rating)

This offer is only available via the web site or phone number.

Follow the link to Cingular or call 1-877-751-7257, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m. central time, and Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. central time.

 (This offer cannot be combined with any other offers or discounted rate plans. The CWA discount is off standard published monthly access charges. *If you have problems getting the CWA deal, please get your customer service rep's name and location, and email paul.o'connell@cingular.com.)

CWA President Bahr Urges Members to Make the Switch to Union Cingular:

Dear CWA Member,

Many wireless phone customers are expected to change carriers after November 24 when new rules went into effect allowing customers to keep their current phone number when they switch. If you aren't presently a Cingular Wireless customer, I urge you to consider switching to Cingular where you will receive the special 15 percent CWA discount while also supporting your fellow CWA members at Cingular.

And please urge your family members and friends to check out Cingular service too. (If they belong to another AFL-CIO union, they can receive a 10 percent discount from Cingular.) Tell them that only Cingular offers Rollover Minutes, allowing customers to keep unused anytime minutes from month to month. Cingular is offering 500 bonus Rollover Minutes to new customers right now in a limited-time offer.

Most important, Cingular is the only wireless company that can, and does, proclaim that it is "Proud to be a Union Company." More than 20,000 CWA members work for Cingular as technicians, customer service representatives and sales employees in Cingular Stores. Cingular takes the high-road approach to labor relations, supporting neutrality and card-check organizing rights, and working with CWA to build a positive partnership.

Go on line to see how much you can save with your CWA discount, and how you can sign up for Cingular service today.

In Solidarity, Mortie

Before the CWA the Word was “No.”

The Avalanche Effect

After nearly 15 years of work and near completion of a national ergonomics standard, on October 29, 2003, the National Safety Council (NSC) surrendered its sponsorship of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Ergonomics Standard (Z365). By withdrawing its sponsorship of the standard and the almost impossible task of finding another sponsoring organization, the standard-setting activity ends. In claiming that the continuation of its sponsorship presented a serious financial burden, the NSC has bowed to the pressures and desires of many employers (such as IBM, Anheuser-Busch companies, Fed-Ex, UPS, and Emerson Electric) and their representative organizations (such as the National Coalition on Ergonomics, The United States Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Association of American Railroads, and the Food Marketing Institute) to not pursue the development and completion of a national ergonomics standard. This decision, which was opposed by the majority of the members of the committee, including all of the labor representatives, has been viewed as short-sighted and solely in the interests of that portion of the business community that has refused to acknowledge the importance of workplace ergonomics. Of particular concern, the NSC’s action brings into the question its degree of commitment to worker safety and health.

The development of the ANSI Ergonomics Standard (Z365) was initiated in 1989. At that time, the National Safety Council, led by its former President and former Assistant Secretary of Labor of federal OSHA, Jerry Scannel, decided to become the sponsoring organization of this process. Due to the representative nature of the ANSI standard-setting process, labor, academia, employer, and government were well represented on the committee. Regarding participation and leadership from the labor movement, in addition to the AFL-CIO, several unions participated in the committee activities. Participating organizations included, CWA, represented by David LeGrand, and the Newspaper Guild (before the merger with CWA), represented by its retired Research and Education Director, David Eisen.

Qwest JOB SWAP

My name is Toby Irons and I am a Network Technician-Cable repair in Albuquerque, NM. I’m interested in a job swap and was wondering if anyone in your local area is interested in a job swap.

I can be reached by phone-cell 505-379-0361, Pager 505-380-0515, or email at irons2000@msn.com

Thank you for your time,
Toby Irons

Good and Welfare:

January: Michael Bye, 25 years; Hugh Smith, Jr., 25; Wayne Carlson,25; Ronald Kinkade, 15; Roy Bennet, 10; Michael Tomter, 10; Robert White, 5; Ronderrick Bonds, 5; David Montgomery, 5; Robert Crews, 5 .

February: Steve Bitner, 35; Uriahn Westlund, 5; Keith Haller, 5; Jason Osness, 5.

Retirements: Congratulations to the most recent retirees at Qwest who took the latest Voluntary Separation Payment Plan option: Gary Henley, Randy Scott, Jim Scott, and Bill Brandenburg.