November/December 2002 Newsletter

The President’s Corner
by Clay Bowlby

The end of the year 2002 is upon us and it has been a difficult year for all in the Company. I hope that 2003 is a better year for us all. The new management team led by Mr. Notebart seems to be headed in the right direction but the legacy left by the former CEO and his band of thieves will be difficult to overcome.

As you know the Company is once again offering VSPP for employees wishing to leave. I wish that I could tell you that this is not a precursor to another round of surplus announcements. I can’t give that guarantee. The financial picture is not good, and additional write-downs have been identified. This is straining the already thin revenue stream and forcing the Qwest to look for ways to trim expenses. What the effect will be to this Local we do not know, and I for one do not want to speculate on the possibilities. I will try to continue to be as optimistic as possible.

The new year also brings the end of our current bargaining agreement in August. There are no promises to make on the negotiations with Qwest but I will as always tell you that you must be prepared for a strike. If you have not started a strike fund it must be priority for there new year. If we are not prepared for the possibility of a work stoppage then the Company will be in control of the negotiations and we will live with what they offer. Don’t’ be foolish, be prepared. I also hope to impress upon you that you should not be afraid of the impending negotiations of the possibility of a strike that is what the company is counting on.

Stories in this issue:

• President’s Corner

• Secretary’s Report

• Final Election Results

• No More Dish!

• Losing my stake in the economy

On Tuesday Nov. 19, 2002 the local elections committee met to count ballots for the election of local officers and executive board. I want to thank the members of the committee: Doug Daniels, Sheila Chaput, Laurie Gonce and Vince Torres for their hard work and time. I hope you all take the opportunity to participate in the Local the way these individuals have. There is a satisfaction in helping the local you understand only when you participate. The election results can be found elsewhere in this newsletter. They will be posted on union bulletin boards and are available through the Local’s office. Again, thanks to the members of the committee.

The elected local officials will be sworn at the December meeting. Rick Sorenson of the area office will do the honors. Following what is traditionally a short business meeting we will have our holiday party for members, family and retired members. I hope you will all attend as it is a great time to visit and see people we don’t have daily contact with. The party will be catered by our office secretary, Pam Collins, and she spares nothing in providing great food for the occasion.

In closing I want to wish you and your family a great holiday season and new year. There are challenges for the upcoming year but they are no insurmountable. We can get through the tough times if we stick together and keep our common goals in sight.

sincerely, Clay Bowlby
Pres. C.W.A. Local 7804

Related story: Necessary Tactics for Dealing with Sedgewick

Secretary’s Report

By Randy Grams

QWEST:

Enclosed in this edition of the newsletter, you will find an insert related to Qwest Bargaining. Please take a look at this form and give the subject some serious attention. As you may well know, we will be back at the bargaining table with Qwest early this summer. If you have particular articles within the current agreement that give you serious heartburn, submit a proposal to remedy that article. Please be specific and site the article in question. If you have background information to support your take on the issue, include it on a separate sheet of paper. Give it to an officer, Ex-Board member or steward. Fax or e-mail it to the Local. The numbers and addresses are in this publication.

For example, you are not satisfied with the language dealing with Temporary Upgrade (180 Calendar days of less), Daily Differential, Article 7, i.e. 7.3 page 26,27.

“While the Company may work an employee in a lower rated job title, the employee’s pay will reflect their regular wage rate. When an employee is temporarily assigned to perform the work of a higher wage scale, (change the following to read) the employee will receive the wage rate of the higher wage scale.”

This language change eliminates the daily differential of the prior agreement for that portion of article 7, and gives that employee more wages for the temporary assignment.

Remember this is only an example. There are many other instances that could use some attention. Please have these back to the Union office no later than January 5. We must compile and prioritize these proposals and have them in to the District 7 office no later than January 24. You the member, are the union. The more members we have speaking in unison on these issues, the stronger our bargaining committee is at the table. The agreement with Qwest expires August 16.

Also at Qwest: The company and the union have entered in to a letter of agreement regarding changes to the Upgrade and Transfer Plan outlined in Article 21. These negotiated changes are in connection with the planned occupational information migration and conversion to PeopleSoft. The company will implement a Post and Bid process which will involve “web based” self nomination to the currently “posted” open positions versus prenomination via transfer request.

You will continue to receive communications regarding the new self-nomination process, guidelines, and system through the end of the year. If you have any questions please contact Scott Miller at smmill2@qwest.com.

Avaya:

To our members at Avaya, be looking for a mailing from our office regarding several changes related to your Savings Plan Vesting, and the Avaya Stock Purchase Plan. It will be happening in early December, the 2003 ESPP replaces the current plan, which will terminate on December 31, 2002.

If you have internet access, the information is at the Comtech website. The Comtech website is: www.cwa-comtech.org.

I would expect that your employer will also be doing a mailing concerning the upcoming changes.

Randy Grams, Secretary-Treasurer

Final Election Results

• President—– Clay Bowlby
• Vice-President—–Dennis Garrett
• Secretary/Treasurer—Randy Grams

Executive Board

Jake Williams; Mike Nord; Kevin Lathrop; Suzie Schenck, Tom Alsup, Rick Beaver.

These results are certified by the local election committee of Doug Daniels, Sheila Chaput, Laurie Gonce and Vince Torres. Please check the Union bulletin boards or with the Local’s office for complete vote totals. Thanks for your participation in the election process.

No More Dish!

Echo Star/Dish has shown a blatant disregard for its workers and for the law of the land. The company will stop at nothing, including breaking the law, to make sure that its employees are not able to exercise their legal right to form a union.

The National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against Echo Star's Dish Network for multiple violations of labor laws during an organizing effort in the San Francisco Bay Area. Let Echo star CEO Charles Ergen know that you won't buy from a company that doesn't support its workers by sending him a fax today!

Losing my stake in the economy

The following guest op-ed appeared in the New York Times and was written by Robert Hemsley, an Everett resident and member of the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers Union:

Last year the C.E.O. of my company made 592 times more than I did. I wonder if that makes me underpaid or the C.E.O. overpaid. Recently management told hourly employees at my mill to make concessions or risk losing our jobs. We made the concessions last autumn, but last spring the C.E.O. received a stock "gift" worth $1.4 million. This isn't capitalism, it's avarice. I am not naïve. I know about the robber barons of the late 19th century and others throughout history who have abused the system. But never has the gap between executives and employees been greater. This disparity threatens the capitalist system itself. When employees make concessions while executives take bonuses, the bonds of common purpose are broken.

Contrast this with the Marine Corps, which is structured so that enlisted personnel and officers work together for a common purpose. The Marine Corps commandant runs an organization with 172,600 men and women, oversees an annual budget of some $13.2 billion and is paid $163,177 annually — just 13 times more than the pay of a new private in boot camp. The system is successful because of a tradition of shared risks and rewards. All employees want their company to succeed, and I am proud to work where I do. I imagine my concern about my company's share price is as great as my C.E.O.'s; a portion of my 401(k) is in company stock. I recognize my job depends upon my company making a profit. But I wonder if corporate executives appreciate the role workers play in their success. Free enterprise is a system of risks and rewards. As it now stands, employees suffer most of the risks, while executives enjoy most of the rewards.