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I have rewritten this article twice to reflect the QWEST/MCI
debacle so here is a watered down synopsis since with the failure of the
MCI/QWEST buy out most financial as well as general conversation from this
meeting has lost all credibility.
First Day – 8th Feb – 2 P.M.
Travel and a CWA Caucus at 2PM
MCI –
Much talk around MCI purchase now of no significance except to say
QWEST will be hard pressed to be a major communications player without a
partner although MCI was not considered the savior by the financial market.
Bargaining –
LeRoy and Annie said that Dick Notebaert and company asked for a
CWA show of interest in an approximately March 1st early bargaining and a 4 to
5 year contract. After making it known that no active or retiree medical plan
changes (unless of a very positive nature) were to be on the table, the group
ok’d wages, successorship clause revision, job security, pension, and more
entitlement were to be presented. The consensus was that we gave our pound of
flesh for the “good of QWEST” in ‘03’ so let’s go
ahead and feel out the waters but after 30 days, if no progress was made, we
would withdraw and run with regular bargaining.
That was Tues P.M. but guess what? As of noon Wednesday we were
informed that Notebaert and company had a full blown hissy fit when the no
medical on table at early bargaining stipulation was mentioned and yelled
“no early bargaining” and strutted away
If QWEST reconsiders their position LeRoy will contract all Locals
for an early bargaining O.K.
- Executive Work Council
- The Portland Trial, return locates to QWEST employees trial
was deemed a success and will be pushed forward. Good news. Jobs back to
us.
- Cingular/AT&T
- There are now 1000’s of former non-union AT&T
workers now under the CWA friendly Cingular umbrella who can now be
organized.
- QWEST Pension Fund
- Has increased $1 billion as of 2004 even with the many
VSPP’s and other retirements.
Day Two 9 Feb – 8AM
At this session QWEST presented their dog and pony show with
Notebaert, Allen, Shaffer, Tregemba and Kok doing quick in and out
presentations.
There was a definite “attitude” being exhibited by them
all. A CWA consensus was that this was the RAH! RAH! presentation designed for
the management teams but watered down for us. I am not going to identify any
one statement with the speaker as they all repeated in their own words what had
already been said. To begin:
- 2004 – DSL sales were great with 1,000.000 new
installations
- Long distance saw a 43% increase – good
- Bundles and packages good
- Wireless was down. Why? ineffective packages and coverage.
- Pots is still down but is leveling off.
- Voice over being offered to businesses not residential due to a
programming problem.
- Financial bonuses are not called for but Dick said that he will
go to the Board of Directors to find some funding as we deserve something
(probably dead now since no early bargaining)
- Shaffer showed that QWEST has gotten out of the cellar and the
cash flow vs. debt has actually shown a +.1% positive growth. But great care is
still needed.
- Barry Allen spoke of the need for Managers needing to get off
of their “asses” and remove roadblocks not marry the computer.
- He stated that $130 million in O.T.; in “04”
wasn’t acceptable when one figured that 20% was probably unnecessary due
to non productive roadblocks.
- No force reductions were projected for ‘05’
(we’ve heard that before)
- Non – productive managers and craft will be weeded out.
- It is realized that management created the problems that QWEST
is enduring but we all need to be focused and hustle. We need 1 more job and 1
more hour’s work within an 8 hour day through productive use of assets.
- Work needs to be returned from vendors.
- We need to reinstall “turfing”.
- Return to night gassing of vehicles
- Mandatory O.T. is a waste – we don’t want it –
need to stop it.
- Tregemba stated that we are near 12% in “we install”
DSL up from 6% but need to strive for 30% in ‘05’
- Allen and Tregemba both said GPS is not a discipline tool and
they want to know the specifics if it is done.
Basically the customer base and revenue from a successful MCI
buyout was very much desired and needed by QWEST. We cannot survive alone.
Massaging of QWEST resources has just about reached the limit
QWEST needs customer revenue – period.
2005 goals are:
- Improve Service
- Improve Asset utilization
- Improve Cost Structure
- Manager Will Manage or Be Gone.
- Techs Need To Push For Excellence
Anytime CWA can interact with QWEST in any forum it is a plus.
This forum allows a lot of interaction but in this case most issues discussed
were of no consequence. I.E. bargaining, MCI, projected financials what is a
fact the brunt of stabilizing Qwest will be placed on the backs of us the
worker bees.
As far as the future – who knows.
Dennis Garrett
Vice President
THE FOURTY NINE-HOUR RULE AND OTHER OVERTIME
ISSUES AND MYTHS
By Clay Bowlby
Over the last several months Local 7804 has been engaged in
defending our local agreements with Qwest Corporation management in the State
of Washington. We have argued and still maintain that we have a valid agreement
with the company that precludes the implementation of the forty-nine hour rule
as described in the collective bargaining agreement.
Our local agreement was negotiated in good faith, with the company
understanding at that time all of the implications contained within. They did
not see the need for inclusion of the rule at the time of negotiations but now
seem to believe that they have the right to manage overtime as if they had
bargained for the clause to be included in the local agreement. They claim this
even while admitting they did not see the need for the rule to be included at
the time of local negotiations. Although we are not sure what course the
company will take to achieve their stated goal we will not agree to change our
overtime agreement and will defend it through the grievance and arbitration
process, and will be filing National Labor Relations Board Charges against
Qwest Corp.
. I ask you in advance to track any and all overtime that is
denied you should the company decide to implement any scheme that is not in
compliance with our bargained agreement. You will need dates and times so that
we can pursue monetary compensation for you after the fact. Please make a
steward aware of any and all shortages you incur in a timely manner. This
should be done in writing, and your steward can provide you with a form for
that purpose.
Do not attempt to argue any decision with management as you could
be setting yourself up for an insubordination charge. Do not attempt to
negotiate a special agreement for yourself with the company you do not have the
right to do so. We must all live with the contract and maintain the integrity
of the document, even if the company is attempting to circumvent it.
On another subject of relatively recent nature the company has
again moved employees from one work group and job function to another to cover
employee shortages. Please remember that the employees moved were not
volunteers. They are not there to take your job; they are there at the
Company’s discretion and deserve your help and respect. These employee
shortages are of the Company’s making not ours, even though we must live
with the consequences. Remember, you could be in the same position next year
depending on the next poor decision of the Company. This is not about running
the business on our part: it is about the right of the Company to manage or
mismanage the business on their part.
. Frankly, we have given the Company advice against this move and
input on decisions that we believe would have better suited the customer and
our members and the Company has chosen to ignore almost all of our advice. That
is their right, even if it is a bad decision, in our opinion.
I want to discuss another subject that has me confused. Where in
the contract is anyone guaranteed overtime? I have heard some members make the
claim that it is my overtime as if there were a specific clause with their name
on it accruing them of a set amount of overtime.
The other common misnomer is that it is my work and he/she is
taking it away from me. Again I can find no clause in the contract that is
specific to certain individuals and what work they will or won’t perform.
There seems to be a delusion of self-importance with some members and their
ability to create dial tone or pipe it to our customers.
I would remind you that there is not one individual in this
R.C.A., including yours truly, who is indispensable to the operation of this
corporation. I would argue that as a Local we are indispensable to the Company
and we gain our bargaining strength as a whole not as small, self-ingratiating
groups It is this mentality that makes us vulnerable every two to three years
when our contract expires. We need to stand together as a Local for the good of
the Local and all of the members within. I repeat there is no member more
important than another and urge you to remember this fact.
Lastly, contract expiration is approaching rapidly. If you have
not started your strike fund, it is not too late to do so. Don’t be fooled
into thinking that there won’t be a strike. The issues and the climate are
not as positive as one would believe. Please read Vice-Presidents
Garrett’s report on the presidents’ meeting the week of 2-8-05 and
the discussion on early bargaining that did not come to fruition because (as
usual) the Company wants us to pay a bigger part of our medical benefits. The
next few months look to be difficult for the bargaining committee. Do yourself
a favor and start preparing now.
I look forward to seeing all of you at the regular meetings from
now until the end of the contract, and remind you that’s the best place to
get answers to questions concerning the contract negotiations.
In unionism
Clay Bowlby
President, Local 7804
Bush Budget: Painful for Low-Income Americans
February 11, 2005
From veterans to impoverished children, college students and
vulnerable senior citizens, the $2.57 trillion Bush administration budget for
2006 misses no opportunity to do harm.
And by failing to include the billions needed for the Iraq war and
the trillions to restructure Social Security - should the privatization scheme
pass Congress - economists say the budget will raise the federal deficit,
despite Bush's repeated claims that he'll cut it in a half by 2010.
"The new budget is a statement about national priorities,"
economists at the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities said in an analysis.
"The budget features cuts in scores of programs that middle- and low-income
families rely on, alongside large, additional tax cuts for those at the top of
the income spectrum who have benefited the most from the tax cuts already
enacted."
In fact, CBPP says that by the end 2005, "the cost of tax cuts
enacted over the past four years will be over three times the cost of all
domestic programs" for the same period.
Here are some of highlights - or lowlights - from the proposed
2006 budget:
- The budget would more than double the co-payment many veterans
pay for prescription drugs and would charge some of them a new $250 annual fee
for government health care. Some veterans hospitals would be shut down or have
their services cut back.
- The budget would cut $1.1 billion from the federal food stamp
program over the next 10 years, leaving 300,000 very low-income working
families without aid.
- Medicaid would be reduced by $45 billion over 10 years. The
CBPP economists said that reducing Medicaid when the ranks of the uninsured are
swelling and states already can't afford their share of the program costs
"would almost certainly push states to squeeze Medicaid programs in ways that
further increase the numbers of uninsured children, parents, elderly and
disabled people."
- Some of the 5 million people who depend on energy assistance to
heat their homes may have to choose between eating or staying warm - as Vermont
Sen. Jim Jeffords put it - thanks to a $200 million cut in the program, which
has taken hits every year since Bush took office.
- Among $56 billion in education cuts, Bush wants to end Perkins
loans, which provide low-interest loans to low- and middle-income college
students. The budget also would end Perkins loan forgiveness for members of
military and Peace Corps volunteers. The savings would be redirected to Pell
Grants, but many of the students eligible for loans wouldn't qualify for the
grants.
- Steep cuts - at least $1 billion - in community development
block grants that help cities help low-income residents with everything from
affordable housing to job training and childcare.
CWA, the AFL-CIO and other unions and activist groups are already
rallying to fight the harmful budget proposals. Even among many Republicans,
reaction has ranged from concern to anger, according to media reports.
"The Bush budget moves us closer in the direction of a society in
which economic security for ordinary Americans is at risk, and the neediest
among us will be on their own," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said. "We hope
Congress will have the courage and decency to reject such immoral budget cuts
and demand a budget that fixes its real problems and gives all workers the
support they need to provide for their families."
Good and Welfare
Service Anniversaries Special Recognition to Merle
Eickmeyer 12-02-61, 43 years! 12-23-69, Andy Allen 35 years. (Sorry,
missed you last time Andy!)
January, David Parker 35 years. Nathan Poole 5 yrs., Matthew
Dillon 5 yrs.
February, Doug Brewer 25 years, Doyle Simons, 25 years, Dodd
Tremaine 5 yrs., Jeremy Peek 5 yrs., Eric Bartlett 5 yrs., Kelley Hopkins 5
yrs., William Brady 5 yrs., Steven Goodrich 5 yrs., Gary Kirkpatrick 5 yrs.,
David Thomas, 5 yrs. |