October 26, 2007
CWA
and Verizon Agree to Early Negotiations
Verizon Communications has approached CWA with a
request to begin early bargaining for the Verizon “East”
contract which expires next August.
After consultation with all Verizon locals, a
consensus was reached to begin negotiations in November,
with a meeting and presentation by the company. A
deadline for the early talks will be set at a later
time. CWA will have an unrestricted agenda in these
early negotiations and the discussions will cover the
ability of our members to have access to the jobs of the
future, in the growth areas of the company, among other
critical issues. The three CWA vice presidents
representing Verizon members in the Northeast and
Mid-Atlantic – Chris Shelton, District 1, Pete Catucci,
District 2 and Jim Short, District 13 -- will lead these
negotiations for CWA. Once again, CWA will bargain
jointly with the IBEW.
The Verizon “East” contract covers 55,000
CWA-represented workers.
Unity Rallies for AT&T Internet and Video Services
Members
CWA members in four districts rallied, handbilled and
made management see red on Oct. 18 in support of
bargaining on behalf of workers in AT&T's Internet
Services and Video Services divisions. The Internet DSL
tech support workers and Video field technicians have
been without a contract since late summer.
By far the largest of several "Unity Rallies" took
place in San Antonio, Texas, where more than 700 members
marched through downtown to demand fair wages, benefits
and employment security for the two units. Members came
by bus from Dallas-Fort Worth, Corpus Christi and Tyler,
Texas, and drove from Oklahoma and Missouri.
Chanting "No contract, no peace," most in the crowd
wore red shirts as sign of solidarity, as did many at
rallies elsewhere in Districts 3, 4, 6 and 9 and at
company locations throughout the four districts.
"In CWA, we stand together," proclaimed flyers
members distributed. "We're here to tell AT&T, you can't
divide us. In this family, an injury to one is an injury
to all."
The Internet Services bargaining unit includes 1,780
members and Video Services, about 100.
Small Local, Big Win: NABET-CWA Saves Jobs in
Harrisburg
In a victory worthy of David vs. Goliath status, a
small unit of PBS workers in Harrisburg, Pa., stood up
to a management team whose contract demands could have
spelled the end of their union.
"I think they saw 20 members, a small local, and
figured we couldn't put up a fight and they were going
to roll right over us," NABET-CWA Representative Bill
Murray said of the contract talks at WITF radio and TV.
"They got a big surprise."
The Local 58213 members recently approved a new
contract that not only preserves job security, it
requires management to fill four full-time positions
that have been vacant. Union jobs at WITF include
engineers, announcers, reporters, videographers,
directors and audio technicians.
Originally, Murray said the station launched an
assault on the union's jurisdiction and "came in seeking
to eliminate one person a year – unless they ran into
financial problems, then they could eliminate even
more."
But the local fought back. Members and their
supporters in the south central Pennsylvania area began
putting pressure on the station, going to board
meetings, writing letters to PBS financial supporters,
leafleting at any WITF event and squeezing the
non-profit affiliate's ability to fundraise. On nights
when volunteers were answering phones to accept
donations, scores of community members called and said
they wouldn't donate until management changed its tune.
The station typically takes in $10,000 to $20,000
during a night of phone-banking, but on two nights when
union supporters were active, it raised just $500 and
$825, according to Local President Joe Grazen.
CWA leaders called the victory an inspiration and
praised workers for standing up to a management team
that was bigger than their entire local. The station has
26 managers for its 100 union and non-union workers, and
10 of the managers are high-paid vice presidents.
"Your story will be told and retold as an example of
what our union can do together," CWA President Larry
Cohen said. District 13 Vice President Jim Short said,
"Every local in CWA should and could learn from what you
all have accomplished."
The victory "goes to show that when a group is strong
and united, anything is possible, despite the odds,"
NABET-CWA President John Clark said.
Speak Up for America's Workers as a Convention
Delegate
One of the best possible ways to make working
America's voice heard loud and clear is for union
members to be delegates to the Democratic or Republican
national conventions in 2008.
CWA is encouraging members to run for seats as
delegates and fight to make such vital issues as health
care, good American jobs and the Employee Free Choice
Act are part of the parties' platforms and candidates'
campaigns.
As an incentive to run, CWA will help members who are
selected as delegates cover some of their expenses. The
Democratic convention will be held in Denver Aug. 25-28
and the Republican convention will be in Minneapolis
Sept. 1-4.
There are several ways to become a convention
delegate, and methods vary, too, by state. Would-be
delegates can run for election at the local
congressional district level, they can be chosen as
"at-large" delegates by their state party, or be
selected by the presidential candidate they support.
CWA leaders say one of the best ways to be considered
as a delegate is to begin volunteering with the
presidential campaign of your choice, and make your
desire to be a delegate clear.
More details are available on the parties' convention
websites:
http://www.dnc.org/a/convention_2008/delegate/ for
Democrats and
http://www.gopconvention2008.com/ for Republicans.
Another handy website with election dates and a wealth
of other details is offered by the League of Women
Voters at
www.vote411.org.
Institutional Investors Press Verizon to Implement
'Say on Pay'
Seven major institutional investors that hold more
that $790 million in Verizon Communications stock
pressed Verizon to implement the shareholder proposal on
executive compensation that received a majority vote at
the 2007 annual meeting.
The "Say on Pay" proposal called on Verizon to allow
shareholders to vote for or against the compensation of
its top executive officers at each annual meeting. The
vote would be non-binding but would give shareholders a
voice on executive compensation and encourage meaningful
conversations between the Board of Directors and
institutional investors.
"A majority of Verizon shareholders has spoken and
has demanded a voice in setting executive compensation
at Verizon," said CWA Executive Vice President Jeff
Rechenbach. "CWA urges Verizon to implement this
proposal to demonstrate good corporate governance."
Verizon has said publicly that it is continuing to
evaluate the proposal.
Shareholders in the United Kingdom, Australia, the
Netherlands, and Sweden already have the ability to
weigh in on executive compensation in a non-binding
vote. The evidence from the U.K., in particular, is that
"Say on Pay" appears to moderate pay increases, enhances
the ability of compensation committees to stand up to
insider pressure, and adds legitimacy to the executive
compensation process.
For more information on corporate governance issues
at Verizon, go to
http://investor.cwa-union.org/verizon.
IN BRIEF:
- Noting in a video message that CWA is
unique among unions and other membership
organizations in asking members about their choice
for president of the United States, President Larry
Cohen urges all members and retirees to cast their
vote in CWA's online "E-Poll." View his message at
http://www.cwavotes.org/cwavotes/content/cwa_president_larry_cohen.
And cast your E-Poll ballot today at
www.CWAVotes.org. The voting deadline is Nov.
9, 2007.
- Imogene Wood, a career telephone worker
who was a founding officer of the national CWA
Retired Members' Council, died of cancer Oct. 23 at
a Washington, D.C., hospital. She was 93.
Born in New Hampshire, Wood came to
Washington in 1935 as a governess for the children
of Sen. Henry Keyes (R-N.H.). She was hired by C&P
Telephone in 1942 as an operator and worked until
1979, retiring as a service observer.
A former vice president of CWA Local 2300, Wood
remained active in the union long after retiring.
For many years she served as president of CWA's
Washington Metro Retiree Chapter. She also helped
found the national CWA Retired Members' Council and
served as council vice president in District 2 from
1988 to 2002. She lobbied on behalf of retirees and
helped CWA raise money for COPE to support all
workers and retirees.
She is survived by a son, Ernest Wood, of Indiana,
seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
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