CWA Reaches Agreement with AT&T
The Communications Workers of America district that
includes Kansas has reached an agreement with . Dallas-based
AT&T (NYSE: T) that covers about 26,000 core wireline
employees in CWA District 6.
Te tentative agreement includes guaranteed annual wage
increases of 3 percent retroactive to April 5 and again on May
1, 2010; an increase of 2.75 percent on May 1, 2011; and an
increase of 2.75 percent and a cost-of-living adjustment on May
1, 2012.
The deal also includes pension band increases of 2 percent on
Jan. 1 of 2010, 2011 and 2012 and of 2 percent with a
cost-of-living adjustment on Jan. 1, 2013.
Read the details of the tentative settlement here. The
District 6 bargaining committee said, "We felt it was important
to stand our ground and push for the best possible contract we
could achieve for the hard working union members of District 6."
The committee unanimously recommends ratification of the
agreement. Contract information materials are being provided to
locals and members, with a ratification vote to be completed
November 11.
CWA President Mildred Montgomery traveled to Dallas to get a
briefing on the agreement. Local meetings will be held to
explain the contract to members.
Rita Rogers Honored at NAACP Banquet
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The first woman to hold the position of Business
Representative in District 70 was honored recently by the
Wichita branch of the NAACP with their Ronald A. Walters Civic
Leadership Award. A long-time member of Local 733 in Wichita,
Rita Rogers currently serves as the Assistant Directing Business
Rep for District 70, with responsibilities that include contract
negotiations, grievance and arbitration hearings, unemployment
compensation hearings, NLRB hearings and FMLA cases.
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The Ronald A. Walters achievement award is presented each
year to an individual who promotes and develops leaders with the
skills needed to tackle the challenges of the 21st century. The
award also acknowledges efforts to improve the overall quality
of life and civic engagement of African Americans.
In addition to her full time duties as a union
representative, Rogers is also a member of CLUW (Coalition of
Labor Union Women), CBTU (Coalition of Black Trade Unionists)
and LCLAA (Labor Council for Latin American Advancement). She
was appointed by former governor Kathleen Sebelius to the Kansas
State Worker’s Compensation Advisory Board and serves on
the United Way of the Plains Labor Participation Board and the
American Heart Association Board.
MORE
SEIU's Schlechtweg Refutes KPERS Scare-Mongering
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A Koch-funded think tank came out with an alarmist report
about the state employees' pension fund. Republican legislators
after years of underfunding pensions and under-paying employees
are talking about switching to a 401-K program. Harold
Schlechtweg of SEIU 513 addressed some of the issues at a recent
USD 259 board meeting. Watch the video here
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2009 Veterans Day Parade
The theme for Wichita's 2009 Veterans' Day parade is
“Remembering the 65th Anniversary of D-Day at Normandy and
all of our World War II Veterans”. The parade will begin
at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, November 7th in downtown Wichita.
The parade route begins at Central & Murdock and goes
south on Main to Douglas. The parade will end on Douglas at
Kennedy Plaza on the north side of Century II. Following the
parade there will be a celebration at Kennedy Plaza and on
Douglas Avenue between Water and Waco. You will have the chance
to meet the parade participants; view vehicles and other
displays; and listen to patriotic music. With this year’s
theme of remembering our World War II veterans, we are asking
any and all organizations in Wichita and surrounding communities
to enter floats or formations to honor these veterans.
For the military, the parade is open to all Active Duty,
National Guard and Reserve. Many unions participated in last
year's parade. The parade committee would especially like you to
identify anyone from your group who is a World War II veteran
and most importantly, any veteran who participated in the
Normandy invasion, so that they can be recognized by name as
your entry passes the parade announcer. Please fill out the
appropriate information on your entry form. Add additional pages
if necessary.
Electronic forms are available at www.wichitajrotc.wichitamoaa.org,
select Veterans Day Parade at the top of the home page.
Two NEW Union Plus programs to help union members save
1) With the Union Plus SuperGuarantee program, you'll
quickly and easily find plumbers, auto mechanics, caterers,
roofers, and more in your area -- plus have the service is
backed by a $750 guarantee.
Info at: http://bit.ly/ZvK6Y
2) The Union Plus
Medical Bill Negotiating Service provides union members with
large out-of-pocket medical bills FREE assistance negotiating
bill reductions with physicians, hospitals and other medical
providers.
The Service -- by Health Advocate --
negotiates with medical providers on the union member's behalf
to lower costs and establish payment plans.
Info at: http://bit.ly/3QvR7f
REMINDER: If you
have large hospital bills not covered by your insurance, you may
also be eligible for $1,000 from the Union SAFE Hospital Grant.
See details on eligibility and apply at: http://bit.ly/LTTlK
This Week in Labor History
October 19 The J.P. Stevens textile company
is forced to sign its first union contract after a 17-year
struggle in North Carolina and other southern states - 1980
October 20 Presidential candidate Ronald
Reagan writes to PATCO President Robert Poli with this promise:
if the union endorses Reagan "I will take whatever steps are
necessary to provide our air traffic controllers with the most
modern equipment available and to adjust staff levels and work
days so that they are commensurate with achieving a maximum
degree of public safety." He got the endorsement. Nine months
after the election, he fires the air traffic controllers for
engaging in an illegal walkout over staffing levels and working
conditions - 1980
October 23 Postal workers Joseph Cursseen
and Thomas Morris die after inhaling anthrax at the Brentwood
mail sorting center in Washington, D.C. Other postal workers are
made ill. Letters containing the deadly spores had been
addressed to U.S. Senate offices and media outlets - 2001
October 24 Strike of Teamsters, Scalesmen
and Packers in New Orleans. City trade is paralyzed; within a
week the walkout becomes a general strike, involving more than
20,000 whites and blacks together, in support of demands for
union recognition and a 10-hour work day - 1892
October 25 25,000 silk dye workers strike in
Paterson, NJ - 1934
In union solidarity,
Stuart Elliott
Webmaster
Kansas
Workbeat
Wichita/Hutchinson Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
3219 W. Central Wichita Kansas 67203
316-941-4061
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