Dear Member,
Hope springs eternal, and with that thought we have a tentative agreement for our members at AT&T. Not all of the information is out on the agreement but the first reports show a decidedly different format in the duration of the agreement and increments for wage and pension increases. Importantly, there appear to be no give-backs in the contract, which is a tribute to the bargaining committee, as everything put on the table prior to the tentative agreement was take-backs. We will contact our AT&T members as soon as all of the information and explanations are completed. The tentative agreement will still need to be ratified by the membership and we will arrange a meeting for you prior to that vote.
The picture at Qwest is much more confusing. Just when local management appears ready to go soft on the surplus numbers Big Joe Nacchio announces that another 2,000 employees will be leaving the payroll. C.W.A. District 7 has been informed that 500 of those will be bargained-for employees. Where and what titles has yet to be decided, and, frankly, I am sure that the decision has not been made. Joe also announced that parts of the Company are up for sale. The most attractive part is Dex, but he has stated that other parts such as cellular and rural exchanges are on the block as well. This is an attempt to raise cash to lower the debt of the Company and keep the business alive. Truly, this seems to parallel a couple of other companies in the news lately, namely Enron and Global Crossings. The good news is that we are not going to turn off the phone in fourteen Western States and walk away. There will still be employees to keep communications working. Again, this is similar to Enron in locations where they are the power supply company, those companies are still there and working. We will be also, long after Big Joe has cut a deal for a fat payday and left town.
Recently, Sec-Treas. Randy Grams and I attended District 7 conference in Spokane. The conference was hosted jointly by the Washington and North Idaho State Council and Local 7818 of Spokane. This was my third District 7 conference and the most well-run and organized event so far. The host committee deserves congratulations on their hard work to pull off the event without a hitch. The most valuable part of the convention for me as always were the workshops. They are a never-ending supply of new and changed information that helps us to represent the local on issues like health care, legal, grievances, C.O.P.E., and bargaining. The knowledge gained was worth the cost in time and money for the convention.
In closing I would like to wish a happy retirement to all of those members who chose to leave the company. We appreciate your support and help over the years and hope that you will stay in contact with the local. It is important that you keep up to date with what is happening here and keep an accurate address on file with the local so that we can contact you when and if it becomes necessary. Remember your retirement benefits are still tied to bargaining and the current contract expires next August, 2003. Hence, it is in your best interest to stay in touch with us.
In Unionism,
Clay Bowlby
It shouldn't hurt to go to work. But in 1998, nearly 6 million U.S. workers were injured at work or became sick because of their jobs.
Experts agree that if you are injured on the job, you should: Notify your supervisor, the personnel department and your union steward. Get the medical treatment you need. You may be required to see a doctor selected by your employer. If you are injured on the job, your employer's insurance company is obligated to pay for reasonable and necessary medical treatment. If your employer has written an "incident report," get a copy of it. Your union steward and the employer should obtain the names of workers who witnessed your injury or assisted you afterward, as you may need this information if you seek workers' compensation benefits.
You also may be entitled to temporary or permanent disability benefits or vocational rehabilitation benefits. If you file a claim for benefits and it is rejected, you may appeal the ruling, even to the courts. Experts recommend seeking legal advice.
The U.S. Department of Labor advises that private-sector and state and local government workers injured on the job should contact their state workers' compensation board. The department's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs also has specific information for federal workers, coal mine workers and longshore and harbor workers.
Imagine not being able to read street signs, use the telephone book, fill out an application, or read your child a bedtime story. 24% of Pierce County residents need basic literacy education. You can volunteer to make a difference in someone’s life
The Tacoma Area Literary Council provides free Basic Literacy and English as a Second Language assistance through the use of volunteer tutors. Potential tutors need not be professional teachers, just have desire to help others learn to read. Teaching in the Laubach teaching method and on-going support is provided.
Training for volunteers tutors to teach basic literacy and English as a Second Language will be held starting on Tuesday, April 300, 2002 for five lessons. And continue twice a week through June 9th. The sessions will be held at the United Church I University place, located at 3912 Grandview Drive West, University Place, WA 98466.
The Sessions are:
To register or to find out about other opportunities or future sessions, please call the Council on (253) 272-2471.
President Clay Bowlby and myself recently attended the District 7 Conference, which began with the Introduction by Annie Hill, Assistant to the Vice President. CWA opening speakers included John Thompson, Vice President, Barbara Easterling, Secretary-Treasurer, Larry Cohen, Executive Vice President, and TO. Moses, Vice President, Telecommunications. Morton Bahr, CWA President addressed the General Session on Tuesday.
There were 185 delegates and guests in attendance. Delegates participated in Bargaining Unit meetings and various workshops. The workshop held were Organizing and Mobilizing the Multi-Generational Membership, and COPE. Sector and District 7 Counsel Richard Rosenblatt held a workshop on NLRB Issue Spotting Hypotheticals. There was also an Economics workshop done by David Osterberg, Associate Professor of the University of Iowa.
National Committee reports were given, these included: the Retired Members Club, The Civil Rights & National Committee on Equity, the Defense Fund Oversight Committee, and the National Women's Committee.
To see more and view pictures go to the District 7 website, www.cwa-union.org/district7.
Randy Grams, Secretary-Treasurer
In the past most people wouldn’t have said the picture on the right represented a CEO or a board member of a major corporation, though most of us would, of course, say that now. No, most people would have identified the picture as that of a pirate with a sack of stolen loot. How has this change in perception come about? I would like to submit that it has happened because corporate leaders have begun to see their goals, their expectations, and their lifestyle as parallel to that of the ancient pirate.
Somehow the corporate executive has stopped seeing himself as a part of society, a useful, creative part, but instead sees himself as an outlaw, a cowboy of sorts, who is out to get what he can anyway he can.. Now, is this because he has been submitted to too many Burger King commercials about “having it your way” or shampoo commercials saying you are “worth it” or was it just one too many trips to Disneyland to ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean? It is difficult to say. But nonetheless, our modern CEO looks more like Captain Kidd than a captain of industry. Polly want a cracker? Argggh!
Anniversaries: James Kemp, 36 years; Mary Swanson, 35; James Ensey, 34; Lawrence Schneider, 34; James Sholseth, 34; John Kirkland, 32; Robert Arenburg, 32; Don Kornegay, 31; Judith Crew, 31; Keith Beigh, 31; Barbara Hawkinson, 31; Robert Harris, 31; Bruce Larson, 31; Bruce Summers, 29; Gary Disch, 29; Randy Grams, 29; Alan Ferguson, 28; Philip Beyers, 27; Lynne Clevenger, 27; John Burger, 26; Kenneth Thomason, 25; Garry Curtiss, 25; Clay Bowlby, 25; Alan Nash, 25; James Lea, 25; Keith McClements, 24; James Reynolds, 24; Larry Gillen, 24; Leamay Heib, 24; Eddie Stratton, 24; Terry Cupp, 23; John Mazetier, 23; Robert Sims, 23; James Fukuyama, 23; David Carrier, 23; Gary Hunt, 23; Robert Shannon, 23; Stephen Lampman, 22; Ronald Jones, 22; Frank Brock, 21; Beverly Wilson, 21; Ben Villaruz, 20; Jay Peers, 19; David Overbo, 11; Ricky Harris, 6; Gerald Schmidt, 6; Kin Allen, 6: David Curtin, 5; Larry Wood, 5; William Brandenburg, 5; Ryan Egnew, 5
Retired: Gary Merrill; Robert Wiltshire; Frank Parks; Lee Queen; Edward Borhek; Lury Williams; Jane Blakely (March VSPP); Ace Tague; Terrance Warren; Katherine Hoyt; Judith Costello; Karla Rothermel; Harold Lumley; Steven Lee; Ron Ziemer; Robert Schmidt.
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