Alcatel-Lucent Breakthroughs

Last December Alcatel-Lucent decided to outsource its entire IT and Finance Operations worldwide.  IT work would be done by HP who subsequently contracted out the functions our members performed in Alpharetta, Georgia and Naperville, Illinois to a company called ADEA.  The finance functions in Alpharetta were contracted to WIPRO.

Our members were offered VTP and offered jobs in the two companies doing the same work, in the same place and carrying over many of their wages and benefits - BUT NOT THEIR UNION.

We demanded bargaining rights of WIPRO and threatened to file charges with the National Labor Relations Board if they did not comply.  We did not have to take that step.  We are happy to report that we have just signed a Contract with WIPRO for those employees, one of the first (maybe only) Union contracts for this company in the United States. WIPRO, based in India, is the third largest outsourcing company in India with operations all over the world.

ADEA refused to bargain with us.  We filed charges with the NLRB and have just received a settlement agreement.  They are posting notices (and emailing them to every employee) reminding workers of their right to be in a Union, recognizing the CWA as the exclusive representative of the workers in this bargaining unit, agreeing to bargain with us and not delay bargaining, and not to interfere in any way with the rights of their employees to be in a Union.  Bargaining will begin soon.

Although the numbers are small, the principle is very important. These workers had a right to keep their Union when Alcatel-Lucent moved their entire offices over to these subcontractors. We pushed the issue and in both cases and our rights were recognized. 

Laura Unger

Staff Representative