March 20, 2008

CWA Gains Tentative Pact at Century Tel Missouri

CWA reached a tentative three-year agreement with Century Tel of Missouri which strengthens job security provisions and safeguards seniority – two key issues in the talks – and boosts wages, among other gains.  The pact covers about 350 workers, members of CWA Locals 6301, 6310, 6311, 6312 and 6373.

Contract explanation meetings are being scheduled and the bargaining committee has unanimously recommended ratification of the tentative settlement.

 
CWA Local 6171 mobilizes at Century Tel Arkansas.

Meanwhile, the fight for a fair contract continues for CWA Local 6171 members whose contract at Century Tel Arkansas expired last August. The 169 workers are fighting back against the company's attack on seniority and recall rights, among other issues. Century Tel Arkansas presented a "final offer" to members that was overwhelmingly rejected by the membership, and the members fully support the efforts of the bargaining committee, said CWA Telecommunications Vice President Jimmy Gurganus. The committee continues to stand firm against management's demands and more mobilization actions are in the works.  

The tentative Century Tel Missouri settlement provides for a 6.5 percent wage increase over the contract term, plus improvements in in-charge pay, night differential and compensated availability pay. For workers in some job titles, the wage increases will be paid as annual lump sum payments. 

The agreement also protects workers' seniority rights and improves recall rights and force adjustment procedures in the event of a layoff.  Current health care coverage, including retiree health care, was maintained. The pension plan for current workers remains unchanged; new hires as of March 12, 2008 will be covered under the Century Tel Retirement Plan.

The bargaining committee said the agreement "could not have been reached without the mobilization efforts of Century Tel members and locals." Bargaining committee chair and CWA Representative Mark Franken praised committee members for their "long hours and determination to win a fair agreement."  In addition to Franken, members were Gene Whitfield, Local 6310; Danny Rice, 6312; and Gary Kolb, 6373.

Employee Free Choice Act Critical to 'Taking Back America'

"Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is essential to setting a political agenda that benefits working Americans after the 2008 elections," CWA President Larry Cohen said in an address to more than 1,000 participants at the "Take Back America" conference in Washington, D.C., this week.

"Passing EFCA and restoring workers' collective bargaining rights is a critical part of any agenda to take back America," said Cohen explaining that "bargaining rights are the key to creating and sustaining a middle class standard of living." He decried the fact that the percentage of Americans with collective bargaining rights is a fraction of what it is in virtually every other industrialized country, and even among newly emerging democracies like South Africa or Brazil.

Participants at the conference, sponsored by the Campaign for America's Future, come from labor unions and other progressive organizations who are developing a policy agenda for Congress and the next president that focuses on the needs of America's working families. Issues high on the group's agenda – affordable health care, fair trade, fair economic policies, quality education, and retirement security – mirror those of CWA.

Stating that labor's success at the bargaining table and in the political arena "have elevated workplace conditions and middle class standards throughout America," CWA's president asked conference participants to pledge to get 10 percent of their members to sign EFCA support cards as part of labor's "Million Member Mobilization for the Employee Free Choice Act."

"These cards are the faces of America and represent a pledge to participate in our movement to rebuild the labor movement," said Cohen. These cards, along with photos of the workers who signed them, will be presented to Congress after the November elections.

'Tale of Two Countries' Video Looks at Health Care in Canada

Canadian members of CWA talk about their country's health care system and how it compares with the costly system in the United States in a video that the Canadian Media Guild produced for last year's CWA convention in Toronto.

The video is now available online on at www.healthcarevoices.org/canada. The Health Care Voices website features hundreds of stories, ideas and concerns of CWA members and their families as part of the union's fight for health care reform in the United States.

The March/April issue of the CWA News, which goes in the mail next week, explains CWA's campaign for reform and looks at differences between the publicly-funded systems of Canada and Europe and the insurance-driven system in the United States.

In the video and in other interviews, Canadians indicate they don't understand why Americans cling to a staggeringly expensive system that leaves so many people without health care.

CWA Slams Western Union Plan to Close U.S. Facilities

CWA is condemning Western Union Financial Services Inc., for its announced plans to close three facilities in Missouri and Texas and shift that work to non-union and overseas operations.

Some 640 workers in Dallas, Texas, and Bridgeton and St. Charles, Missouri, members of CWA Locals 6377 and 6178, were told they will lose their jobs over the next five months.

"It's apparent to me that Western Union has determined that it would prefer to operate as a union-free enterprise," said District 6 Vice President Andy Milburn.

"CWA will do everything legally possible to stop these centers from closing and stop Western Union from moving our work to non-union operations, both in the United States and overseas," said CWA Staff Representative Mike Neumann, who heads the Western Union bargaining team.

Last month, CWA Local 6377 filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Western Union, charging that company managers have tried to coerce union members and subvert the bargaining process. The local also charged that earlier layoffs announced by Western Union – of 150 workers in Bridgeton and Dallas – were an act of retaliation against the workers and the union for refusing to engage in concessionary early bargaining.

Western Union said it plans to transfer the work to non-union locations including Denver and offshore facilities in Costa Rica, Manila, Mexico City and Mexicali, Mexico.  

"Western Union is an American icon. Today, it has turned its back on the very employees who built the company into a multinational enterprise," said Earline Jones, president of CWA Local 6377.

Olivia Espinosa, president of CWA Local 6178 in Dallas, said "Western Union is a greedy, profitable company that doesn't seem to care about the excellent customer service our CWA members now provide. And that's bad news for customers."

Two Groups Honor Speed Matters Website for Excellence

CWA's Speed Matters website, a critical part of the union's campaign to push for affordable high-speed internet access nationwide, has been honored by two organizations with awards for its content, design and usefulness.  The site was built with funds from CWA's Speed Matters Strategic Industry Fund.

"We are proud to be recognized for our campaign and for the exceptional work of our webmasters to bring it to life online," CWA President Larry Cohen said.

The American Association of Political Consultants, in its annual Pollie Awards, gave a Silver Medal to the Speed Matters site for "Best Use of Search Engine Marketing" and awarded it an honorable mention for "Best Landing Page."

"The AAPC is the world's largest organization of political and public policy professionals and the Pollie Awards are the organization's signature annual event," the AAPC says in materials about the contest. "Each year the prestigious Pollie Awards recognize the best in political and public affairs communications in 175 different categories."

The Institute for Policy, Democracy & the Internet named the Speed Matters site as a finalist in its Golden Dot Awards for "Best Website – Issue Advocacy Campaign."

"This year was a great success for the Golden Dot Awards as we democratized both the nominating and voting process, bringing it to the public via the Internet," the IPDI said. "There were over 100 nominations and saw 4,000 votes in only a 5 business day-long time period."

CWA's site did extremely well in the contest against tough competition: The winner in the issue advocacy category was www.TeamDarfur.org, the website of a coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about the Darfur crisis and bringing an end to it.

The Speed Matters website is at www.speedmatters.org. Its features include a speed test to determine your own internet connection speed and a state-by-state report on average speeds nationwide.

CWA Mourns Retired District 13 Assistant Frank Wentzel

Frank S. Wentzel, retired assistant to two District 13 vice presidents, who helped facilitate the merger of the independent Federation of Telephone Workers of Pennsylvania into CWA, died March 6 at age 84.

"Frank was one of the kindest, most trustworthy people I ever knew," said retired District 13 Vice President Vincent Maisano. "You could always rely on him. He had a wealth of knowledge and enjoyed sharing it."

Wentzel joined FTWP when he went to work for Bell Telephone of Pennsylvania in 1947 as a station installer and PBX repairer. He rose through the ranks of FTWP's Local 44 and eventually became president of the federation's Pittsburgh Division. He worked with Maisano – by then president of the Philadelphia Division – and others to effect a merger of the 14,000-member union with CWA in August 1984, forming the union's District 13.

Following the merger, Wentzel became assistant to District 13 Vice President Bill Wallace and stayed on in that position under Maisano when he was elected District 13 vice president at the 1986 convention. He retired Nov.1, 1988.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret, of Pittsburgh.