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Bargaining Council Meeting Unites on Key Issues
One important event during the Leadership Conference in Jacksonville was a meeting of the Frontier Bargaining Council on March 6 which was organized by the CWA Telecommunications and Technology office. The majority of the bargaining units were well represented at the meeting.
The meeting was vital on two fronts: it helped the Verizon and legacy Frontier employees to become united as one group, and it ensured all the locals were on the same page for the upcoming bargaining talks.
“The whole point of this meeting was to bring together the two groups (Verizon and legacy Frontier employees) so that they could work together effectively during the upcoming bargaining negotiations across the country,” said CWA Vice President Jimmy Gurganus. “They may have walked into the meeting as two groups, but they left united as one group, supporting one another.”
Attendees reviewed books complied by CWA detailing a range topics from Frontier’s recent quarterly financials to standing contracts to current and future bargaining demands. Members voted to all work to change some of the contracts to include “evolving technology” language. CWA is now in the process of drafting the new language which will be passed at all future contract negotiations.
“The main issues for most of our bargaining units are jobs and job security,” said CWA Administrative Director Lois Grimes-Patow. “In the wake of the merger there has been a lot of tension and nervousness about the future. The newly negotiated transfer plan in West Virginia helps with some of that. Elaine Harris (Dist. 2 Staff Rep.) did a good job.”
CWA District 2 Vice-President Ron Collins and District 3 Vice-President Judi Dennis spent the day with the group along with Staff from around the country. After attending the session Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Richard Maly added, “By coming together and uniting around key issues, we will be in a much better position to stand up to Frontier’s attempts to take away hard-won gains and to let management know we will fight in a coordinated way for the improvements we need.”