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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.
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