CWA, IBT Urge US Airways to Restore Customer Service
Following a meltdown in US Airways' computer
reservations system that resulted in long customer lines
and other problems at Charlotte, Buffalo, Philadelphia
and other airports in early March, CWA and the Teamsters
urged US Airways' CEO to restore customer service
staffing to levels necessary to relieve an overworked
and overburdened workforce.
"We are writing to express the serious concerns and
frustrations coming from customer service agents," wrote
CWA President Larry Cohen and IBT President James P.
Hoffa in a joint letter to US Airways Chairman and CEO
Douglas Parker. "The effects of continued short staffing
have been wearing enough on US Airways agents," they
told Parker, "but the recent computer reservations
system switchover has made the situation intolerable for
customers and agents." CWA and IBT jointly represent the
airline's 8,000 agents.
Within hours of the airline's March 4 switchover to
another reservations system, the system imploded,
creating interminable delays in the eastern U.S., as
agents struggled to access customers' reservations and
ticketing records. In addition, nearly three quarters of
the airline's entire network of self-service "kiosks"
were also shut down.
The agents, whose total workforce at the combined US
Airways-America West has fallen from 14,000 to 8,000,
worked through their shifts without going to the
bathroom, taking breaks, or even getting water. Local
managers required agents to continue working into
overtime despite being exhausted at the end of their
regular shifts.
"I have never seen our people so upset," said Janice
Garris, president of CWA Local 3641 and a former US
Airways customer service agent. "We had senior people
who were so stressed out because they were unable to
help their customers. Many agents were literally in
tears," she said. Garris said that the agents received
three days of training, but were trained "in theory"
using manuals and a mock-up of the system, not the
actual program.
Some managers actually blamed agents for the
breakdown and delays, something Cohen and Hoffa told
Parker was unacceptable. "The switchover. . . caused an
enormous amount of turmoil at airports across the
system," they said, noting, "This resulted in agents who
take pride in their professionalism and ability to
service customers being unable to do so, yet in many
cases they were being blamed by local managers for the
meltdown."
The union presidents said understaffing and mandatory
overtime are routine at many airports. In Charlotte, for
example, there are 38-40 vacancies on a daily basis in
airport customer service, with similar short staffing at
Philadelphia and other locations, they wrote. The union
presidents reminded Parker that union representatives
had "raised the issue with management for more than a
year, with no results."
Accenture Deal Dead; Local Looks to Rebuild Texas
Social Services
The state of Texas ended a multimillion contract to
privatize crucial social services programs, including
food stamps, Medicaid and the Children's Health
Insurance Program, all work done by members of the Texas
State Employees Union, CWA Local 6186.
The decision to end the contract with Accenture, a $543
million, five-year deal, is a major victory for TSEU.
The statewide local has been fighting back against the
privatization plan first proposed in 2003 that would
have closed 99 human services offices, threatened 2,900
state worker jobs and hurt people most in need of
critical social services.
TSEU waged a public campaign against the privatization
plan, pointing out that communities and residents who
depend on these programs were not being served. More
than 12,000 cases are backlogged because Accenture
employees could not do the job properly.
"This development goes a long way toward ending a
wasteful and damaging boondoggle," said local President
Judy Lugo, but "it does not by itself result in a
restoration of quality human services eligibility
determination."
For now, state employees will run the Children's Health
program and manage Accenture subcontractors until the
agency decides who will handle the work. State employees
will assume a greater role, though some work will still
be done by private contractors.
The local is focused on ending the state's use of
contractors and rebuilding social services staff, to
ensure the quality services residents need. TSEU
recommends adding about 1,000 new positions to restore
staff to 2004 levels and creating a program to bring
back skilled tenured staff that left the agency. The
state also should consider ways to enhance services and
work with front-line eligibility workers to do this,
TSEU said.
Because of confusion as to who is eligible for CHIPS and
children's Medicaid services, TSEU also proposes that
the state create a one-stop system so that one worker
could determine the best program in which to place
applicants.
The Health and Human Services Commission should now
concentrate on rebuilding the system, which worked well
until the agency tried to dismantle it, TSEU said.
New York Times Editorial Supports Employee Free
Choice Act
A strong lead editorial in the New York Times
reinforces the need for the Employee Free Choice Act, to
counter the unfairness of the current broken system.
"There is little doubt that federal rules and
regulations for union organizing have also become
increasingly hostile to labor. If Mr. Bush were, as he
claims, truly concerned about rising income inequality
and truly committed to improving the lives of America's
middle class, he would support the legislation and urge
the Senate to approve it," the New York Times wrote.
The March 6 editorial followed passage of the Employee
Free Choice Act in the House of Representatives by a
241- 185 vote. "The most significant change in the bill
is known as a majority signup, which would allow
employees at a company to unionize if a majority signed
cards expressing their desire to do so," the editorial
said. "Under current law, an employer can reject the
majority's signatures and insist on a secret ballot. But
in a disturbingly high number of cases, the employer
uses the time before the vote to pressure employees to
rethink their decision to unionize."
Verizon Business technicians in New England and New
York, whose choice for union representation was verified
by prominent elected officials and community leaders in
New England, were featured in a newspaper ad by CWA in
the New York Times and the Boston Globe. The ad called
on Verizon to respect the workers' choice and recognize
their bid for union representation.
"Other techs at Verizon and workers at companies like
ours around the world have bargaining rights," the ad
states, explaining that a majority of workers have
signed cards seeking a union. "Now it's time for Verizon
to do what's right and recognize our right to a union
voice and fair contract."
The ad is part of CWA's campaign pressing employers to
recognize the rights of workers to make a free and fair
choice about union representation and to bargain a fair
contract.
The ad also points out that leading elected officials
are supporting the Employee Free Choice Act and the
campaign by the former MCI technicians for a union
voice.
CWA and the IBEW are working together to force
Verizon to "Tear Down the Wall" it created between the
union-represented and non-union parts of the company.
See the ad on CWA's homepage at
www.cwa-union.org. Read the New York Times editorial
at
http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca/.
More than 600 CWA Activists Head to Washington, D.C.
In CWA's version of a triple play, union activists
will converge on Washington, D.C., next weekend to
immerse themselves in the annual legislative, women's,
and safety and health conferences.
The Employee Free Choice Act will be center stage at the
Legislative and Political Conference, beginning March
25, and will be a key issue that more than 600 CWA
members from across the country will discuss in meetings
with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
House members have passed the organizing and collective
bargaining bill; the bill now moves on to the Senate.
"The business lobby is spending tens of millions of
dollars to try to defeat our effort to restore basic
workers' rights through the Employee Free Choice Act,"
CWA President Larry Cohen said. "We're not going to let
that happen. We're fighting back against the CEOs who
demand contracts for themselves but refuse to recognize
workers rights."
Healthcare for all, pensions and retirement security and
quality jobs also are key issues on the agenda.
Activists attending the Women's Conference, March 24-25,
will come away with a lot of practical experience while
learning about many vital union issues, including the
Employee Free Choice Act, the Stewards Army and health
care. Seminars will discuss everything from domestic
violence and identity theft to advice on running for
office and retirement planning.
The Occupational Safety and Health Conference, March
23-25, features a full slate of seminars, with a special
emphasis on electrical hazards for telecom technicians.
In the past year, four Verizon technicians have been
killed in electrical accidents, others have been injured
and even more have reported close calls.
The risks will be examined in a four-hour refresher
course on electrical safety, as well as a panel
discussion and strategy session Other panels and
seminars will look at hazardous materials, indoor air
quality, the Family and Medical Leave Act and Americans
with Disabilities Act, workplace ergonomics and more. A
full schedule is available online at
http://www.cwa-union.org/issues/osh/articles/page.jsp?itemID=28214000.
To learn more about the legislative conference, click on
http://www.cwa-legislative.org/conference/2007-conference.html.
Did
Big Business Have a Change of Heart Over FMLA?
Claiming it wants to "protect
the integrity" of the Family and Medical Leave Act, a
coalition of business groups calling itself the National
Coalition to Protect Family Leave has asked the Labor
Department to make changes in the legislation so the law
is "available to those employees Congress intended to
cover."
The coalition believes that companies face too many
problems in trying to figure out when to grant leave and
would prefer to limit the law's benefits, according to a
news report published by the Bureau of National Affairs.
But the campaign launched by corporate America
last year to weaken or outright eliminate FMLA, which
has helped an estimated 50 million working Americans
since it became law in 1993, shows the group's true
colors. "Changing FMLA is our No. 1 priority right now
in terms of labor issues," the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
has said.
Two of the new coalition's leading members are the
National Association of Manufacturers and the Chamber of
Commerce. The coalition is trying to repackage its
opposition to the law – which is critical to the
well-being of working families -- in a "family friendly
way." Even the web site sounds worker friendly:
www.protectfamilyleave.org.*
The coalition's – and big business's major target – are
provisions of FMLA which enable workers to take family
and medical leave on an "intermittent" basis. Currently,
workers can exercise FMLA for part of a day or on an
occasional basis. This provision has enabled thousands
of workers to get the medical treatment they or their
families need, without risking their jobs.
CWA and other unions are fighting to save the law, and
CWA has filed a response with the Labor Department
regarding its plans to revise the law and make it harder
for workers to take FMLA leave.
*PROTECT?
IN BRIEF:
- Alcatel Lucent workers marched through
the streets of Paris this week in a continuing
worldwide protest by workers against the company's
plan to cut 12,500 jobs.
Joining the 3,000 French demonstrators were Alcatel
Lucent workers from Italy, Germany, Spain and other
countries where the company is threatening to cut
jobs.
CWA Vice President Ralph Maly, Communications and
Technologies, sent a message of solidarity and
support, calling the company's actions "anti-worker
and anti-community."
Alcatel Lucent is pressing to get rid of union
workers wherever it can as it follows what clearly
is a flawed business plan that has resulted in the
failure to make needed investments; weakening of
critical research and development capabilities;
outsourcing increasing amounts of production to
low-wage countries; an ever growing list of laid-off
workers and absurdly high executive pay and perks,
Maly said.
"Our ability to successfully resist the destructive
strategy that Alcatel-Lucent is pursuing depends on
united action and mutual support. We stand with you
in solidarity and know that you stand with us as
well," he said.
- Flight attendants at US Airways and
America West Airlines, members of AFA-CWA, picketed
outside US Airways? corporate headquarters in Tempe,
Ariz., this week, expressing their frustration over
the slow pace of contract negotiations.
Bargaining to merge the two flight attendant
contracts began in January 2006, with little
progress to date, and no discussion at all of
economic issues, said Gary Richardson, president of
the America West Master Executive Council. Delays
are causing endless problems for both flight
attendants and passengers, he added.
Mike Flores, president of the US Airways Master
Executive Council, said "management must begin to
treat flight attendants and our loyal customers as
assets rather than liabilities," adding that
management needs to keep its promises.
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