October 11, 2007

Verizon Condemned for Trampling Rights in Independent Report

A blistering report from American Rights at Work (ARAW) denounces Verizon for interfering with workers trying to organize, taking a "low-road" approach to what were once good jobs, and letting service quality deteriorate for millions of customers.

"Broken Promises: Verizon Neglects Its Commitment to Provide Good Jobs and Quality Service," details how the company uses aggressive and illegal tactics to stop workers from exercising their rights to associate and organize.

"This report documents the lengths to which a corporation will go to trample its employees' rights, even to the detriment of quality service to millions of its customers and the future of good jobs in the industry," CWA President Larry Cohen said. Read the report at www.americanrightsatwork.org.

ARAW will be sending the report to members of Congress, all the presidential candidates and politicians around the country that have expressed support for the Employee Free Choice Act and have condemned Verizon's actions.

The report by the independent workers' rights group provides first-hand accounts of management's abusive and intimidating behavior from Verizon Business technicians who have tried to organize through CWA and the IBEW. It describes how a technician at a Verizon Business facility in Monsey, N.Y., was disciplined and made an example of for posting a pro-union advertisement. To keep an eye on the worker, the company assigned a manager to sit directly behind his desk.

"I remember sitting in the parking lot, horrified, my stomach turning. . . My manager is sitting right behind me. I gotta worry if I hit the wrong key stroke. It was a horrible experience," described the worker, Christopher Bloncourt. Verizon faces NLRB hearings shortly for its anti-union tactics in this and another Verizon Business location in Pennsylvania.

Verizon's assault on workers was so fierce at an Orangeburg, N.Y., Verizon Wireless worksite in 2003 that management banned employees from talking about the union even while on lunch breaks. The NLRB later found the company guilty of that and other abuses. In Long Beach, Calif., where 170 DSL technicians were determined to organize in early 2007, a senior executive flew in from New Jersey just before the vote. The night before and day of the election, the official went cubicle to cubicle telling workers -- illegally -- that there'd be no raises if the union came in.

Verizon's threatening — and following through on threats — to shut down worksites if employees organize is a common tactic, the report found. In 2001, Verizon said it would close down its Woburn, Mass., call center if the workers voted to unionize. Faced with NLRB charges over these threats and other illegalities, Verizon settled the case and posted a notice agreeing not to break the law. Yet soon afterward, it shut down the facility and moved the work to South Carolina. The report said the company closed down two other call centers where workers were organizing – in Orangeburg, N.Y., and Morristown, N.J. – moving the work to South Carolina, North Carolina and Arizona, all states with  "right-to-work" laws that weaken unions.

The report says Verizon management has followed a "textbook example of 'double-breasting,'" since its creation in 2000, to keep workers in its union-represented division separate from workers at Verizon Business and Verizon Wireless. The company refuses to honor the card-check results that show at least 65 to 75 percent of Verizon Business's technicians in New York and New England want to organize.

ARAW found that the company's customers aren't treated much better, stating that Verizon management has "shirked its responsibilities as a public utility, pursuing a race-to-the-bottom, low-road business model that is detrimental to both employees and customers." The report criticizes Verizon for failing to maintain or upgrade service for its landline operations while it is diverting its resources to the more profitable fiber optic, or FiOS network. It also slams the company for threatening future service quality to millions of its existing customers by selling off its rural landline access lines.

"Under Verizon's current business model, tens of thousands of secure, well-paying jobs are at the risk of disappearing," ARAW concludes. "The consequences of Verizon's actions go beyond its workforce, as communities lose good jobs, and customers suffer poor service while missing out on the benefits of high-speed broadband."

Prime Focus of IUE-CWA Talks with GM is New Production

As IUE-CWA opened negotiations with General Motors on Oct. 8 on behalf of 2,300 members employed at the Moraine, Ohio, plant, Industrial Division President Jim Clark set the stage by stating in his opening remarks:  "The biggest question is what is the future of the Moraine plant. That question is in the hearts and minds of every person, whether they are dues payers or salaried," Clark said.

He and IUE-CWA Automotive Conference Board Chairman Willie Thorpe have indicated that bringing in new production is a major concern as some current lines of SUV's made at the plant are due to be phased out in future years.  The plant makes the Chevy TrailBlazer and Trailblazer SS, GMC Envoy and Envoy Denali, Saab 9-7X and the Isuzu Ascender.

Clarke acknowledged that health care issues were a major aspect of recent GM talks with UAW, and said, "We will have to deal with it here."  But he also noted that the solution to rising health costs "does not lie on the negotiation table.  We will not allow this national problem to be laid at the feet of workers. We need to fix the health care crisis legislatively and politically.  I ask that you continue to work with us."

Clarke pointed out  that Local 84798 members at Moraine have worked with GM to contain costs over the years.  "We don't want this to become a situation of 'what have you done for me lately' where you forget what has been done all these years," he told GM negotiators.

"Our plan is to leave negotiations with a commitment of what we will be producing for years out, what will replace what we have today. Make no mistake about it. We expect to have a clear vision and hope we can get it without major disruption.  Our members' future needs to be clear."

IUE-CWA's current four-year pact for the Moraine plant expires on Oct. 15. The parties have extended to allow more time for bargaining, with a provision for 72 hours notice to revoke.

House Subcommittee Unanimously Backs Broadband Data Bill

CWA applauded the unanimous vote by the House Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee to approve the Broadband Census of America Act of 2007.

"In order for our country to move forward to ensure that a 21st century Internet is available for all, we need key information and better data to help us get there. This measure will greatly improve the quality of that information and we commend Representative Edward J. Markey, who chairs the subcommittee, for his efforts to move this forward," said CWA President Larry Cohen.  

The Senate Commerce Committee earlier voted unanimously on a similar measure, the Broadband Data Improvement Act, S. 1492, introduced by Senator Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

The House bill incorporates key provisions supported by CWA as part of the union's "Speed Matters" campaign, which calls on Congress to establish a national Internet policy to improve the quality, availability and affordability of high speed broadband service to every community. 

Earlier this year, Cohen testified before the House Subcommittee, stressing that the United States "desperately needs a national Internet policy to reverse the fact that our nation, the country that invented the Internet, has fallen to 16th in the world in high-speed Internet penetration."

"Unfortunately, we don't know the full extent of our problem because our data is so poor. We don't know where high-speed networks are deployed, how many households and small businesses connect to the Internet, at what speed, and how much they pay. Without this information, we can't craft good policy solutions. So we continue to fall farther behind," he told the subcommittee.

CWA to Honor Vets, Armed Forces in D.C. Parade Nov. 10

To honor the continuing sacrifice of members of the U.S. armed forces, CWA will be sponsoring a float in a Nov. 10 Anniversary Parade in Washington, DC. The parade, part of the weekend's Veterans' Day celebrations, will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial ("The Wall"). Some 50,000 participants are expected at the parade and day's events, hosted by the Vietnam Veterans of America and the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund.

Hundreds of CWA members and veterans from the area and neighboring states are expected to attend the event and march with CWA's contingent in the parade down Constitution Avenue. Districts 2, 3, 4, and 13 have volunteered to provide transportation to and from the event. CWA Local 13000 has already reserved one bus. "It's something we need to do to show our appreciation for their sacrifice," said Local EVP Tom Crawford, who chairs the local's veterans' committee. "We have members, friends, and family serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other hot spots, and many of us served in Vietnam." Locals interested in participating are encouraged to contact Bill Bates at CWA headquarters at bbates@cwa-union.org, or by calling 202-434-1333.

"It's so important that members of the armed forces know they are supported back home," said CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling, who is spearheading CWA's participation in and support for the event. "No matter what we happen to feel about the war in Iraq, it's our sons and daughters who are paying the ultimate sacrifice, and they need to be honored. I encourage everyone to participate," she said.

CWA members will be staging at CWA headquarters at 8:00 a.m. where box lunches will be distributed. The parade begins at 11:00 a.m. following opening ceremonies on the National Mall which are set to begin at 10 a.m. Click here to print out an informational handout on the day's events. A full program can be reviewed at http://vva.org/25thEvent/event_info.htm.

CWA has a history of support for veterans and is supporting the efforts of Vietnam veteran Jim Mayer, a double amputee, who, as the "Milkshake Man," has been visiting injured troops at Walter Reed and other veterans' hospitals on a almost daily basis for the past 16 years. To support Mayer's efforts click here.

Elected Officials, Community Rally Behind L.A. Interpreters

California Senator Gloria Romero, chair of the State Senate's Public Safety Committee, has scheduled a public hearing for Oct. 15 in Los Angeles to investigate the problems that Los Angeles residents are experiencing because of the Superior Court's refusal to bargain a fair settlement with court interpreters.

Some 400 members of the California Federation of Interpreters, CWA Local 39521, have been on strike since Sept. 5, following months of bargaining for fair treatment by the Court. Interpreters have held weekly rallies and have built strong support across the diverse Los Angeles area.

Romero is among dozens of elected officials and community leaders who have expressed their concerns that justice is being denied to thousands of residents who rely on court interpreters for assistance in legal, housing, employment and other disputes.

Local news media has reported that the courts are "in chaos" without qualified interpreters attending hearings. Accused defendants have been released from jail and others in custody have had their jail time extended.

More than 53 percent of Los Angeles households don't use English as their primary language; the Census Bureau reported. That makes the role of court interpreters a critical part of the justice system. "But instead of bargaining fairly, the Court is refusing to come back and negotiate and is turning a blind eye to the thousands in our community who depend on interpreters for equal access to justice," said Silvia Barden, president of the interpreters unit.

IN BRIEF:

  • CWA leaders want to hear your views on which candidate the union should endorse for president.  It's easy to vote in CWA's Presidential E-Poll – just go to www.CWAVotes.org and click on the ballot box graphic.  You can read responses from seven of the leading candidates on CWA key issues – jobs and trade policy, health care and workers' rights.  And you can also sign up to receive periodic e-mails from CWA on political news. 

    CWA locals are being urged to get out the word about the E-Poll through all of their communications channels and set a goal of at least 10 percent participation by their members.  CWA will periodically send out updates to locals listing how many of their members voted.

  • The new website for CWA communicators – "The Source" – is up and running at www.cwa-union/source.  Local union editors and webmasters can download news stories, photos and artwork, look up how-to information on a variety of subjects, and post questions in "Ask the Experts" about anything regarding journalism, publishing and electronic communications.  Check it out and give the CWA Communications Dept. your comments and suggestions by clicking "Contact Us," at the site.


  • The Mine Safety and Health Administration and the owners of the Utah mine where six coal miners and three rescuers were killed in August are fighting the news media's request for open hearings in the investigation.

    The federal agency and the owners claim that public access to the process would keep witnesses from being candid and risk confidential business information. MSHA is also balking at a subpoena from the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee for information relating to the tragedy.

    The committee, chaired by George Miller (D-Calif.), is holding its own -- open -- hearings. Last week family members of the dead miners tearfully told their stories and pleaded for changes in safety rules to ensure that other families don't suffer.

    "Our lives have changed forever," testified Steve Allred, a disabled coal miner whose brother died in the mine. He said the lack of oversight by MSHA and the fact that workers at the mine didn't have a union were factors in the disaster, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.