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CenturyTel Bargaining Local; Solidarity, National
Supported by nationwide mobilization, Local 6171 kicked off bargaining with CenturyTel on behalf of about 200 members on July 21, seeking improvements in wages, health care, pensions and job security. The union is also seeking access to new jobs in the growing company, card check and neutrality to organize new units, and to combine two existing units in the same state.
CWA Representative Jerrell Miller, assigned by District 6 Vice President Andy Milburn to co-chair bargaining along with Local 6171 Sec.-Treas. Linda James, pointed to indications of the rural telephone company's growth from its 2003 annual report:
** A 34.6 percent increase in net cash from operations to over $1 billion.
** An 18 percent increase in the number of long-distance customers.
** A 29.5 percent increase in revenue from long-distance Internet and data transmission.
** The ability last year to buy back $400 million of its own stock.
"We believe our membership along with management played a vital role in the highlighted success of CenturyTel," Miller said. "We fully expect to reach a fair and equitable agreement on time and one that can be ratified by our deserving membership."
The company's proposal, still being reviewed by the bargaining committee, would shift health care premium costs to workers and is retrogressive in almost every area, Miller said.
Mobilization began in earnest on July 8, when the Local 6171 technicians marched into the Jacksonville, Ark., service center wearing red shirts. Members of 16 other locals conducted similar activities. This week, more than 1,500 members wore red, white and blue stickers to work proclaiming, "Solidarity@CenturyTel-Better Together-I support bargaining at CenturyTel-Arkansas."
The preparation for nationwide mobilization and mutual support began in April 2003, when Telecommunications Vice President Jimmy Gurganus convened the first CenturyTel bargaining council in Las Vegas, along with bargaining councils for ALLTEL and Citizens Communications. The union recognized then that all three companies were growing and profitable, and that in the next round of bargaining were likely to try to slash health benefits.
At CenturyTel locations, those benefits were already less than stellar. But in locations the company had recently acquired from GTE/Verizon, workers had the premium benefits that had been provided by the larger companies.
Local 4370 was the first to bargain in this current round, for about 200 CenturyTel workers in Loraine, Ohio. Back in March, Local 6171 members and others wore stickers to work on their behalf. CWA Representative Crystal Roberts and Local 4370 President Harry Williamson and the bargaining committee gained raises of 3 percent in each of three years for workers and held the line on health care premiums that members of the non-GTE/Verizon unit were already required to pay.
But CenturyTel-Arkansas is a former GTE/Verizon unit. Its members have had and expect the kind of health benefits provided by the larger companies, James said.
Job security is also an issue. "Because the industry is changing so much-CenturyTel is moving over to DSL and broadband-our members want to make sure that they get that work," Miller said.
That's a concern with CenturyTel units across the nation, and the locals have shared that information in several conference calls. VoIP-Voice over Internet Protocol-is another consideration. "Any time the cable companies and upstarts can bottle up that service, sell it and bypass the local network, they will," Miller said.
While Local 6171 members have been performing some of CenturyTel's high-tech work, the local suspects a fair amount is being contracted out by the rural telecom provider.
"Our members want to know they will have an opportunity to be part of the team," Miller said.
In addition to the mass walk-in last week, Local 6171 members displayed red balloons next to their cubicles at the Jacksonville service center. They held "lunch for a bunch" at the service center, at central offices in Jacksonville, Cabot and Judsonia, Ark., and at a phone mart in Jacksonville.
With their contract due to expire Aug. 15, members have a full schedule of mobilization planned, and they've got commitments of support from all of the CenturyTel locals, where the issues are much the same.
CenturyTel contracts expire in Wisconsin (Locals 4671, 4672, 4674 and 4675) on Feb. 2, 2005; Alabama (Locals 3971, 3972 and 3974) and Missouri (Locals 6310 and 6312) and at Spectra Communications, a CenturyTel subsidiary in Missouri (Locals 6310, 6311, 6312 and 6373) on March 12, 2005; Northwest Arkansas (Local 6171) on June 12, 2005; and in Washington (Local 7818) on August 31, 2005.
"We've got to show support for each other," James said. "CenturyTel was a nonunion company. They still don't like us. If we can make a showing across the country even with locals that aren't bargaining, that's a big plus."
CWA Representative Jerrell Miller, assigned by District 6 Vice President Andy Milburn to co-chair bargaining along with Local 6171 Sec.-Treas. Linda James, pointed to indications of the rural telephone company's growth from its 2003 annual report:
** A 34.6 percent increase in net cash from operations to over $1 billion.
** An 18 percent increase in the number of long-distance customers.
** A 29.5 percent increase in revenue from long-distance Internet and data transmission.
** The ability last year to buy back $400 million of its own stock.
"We believe our membership along with management played a vital role in the highlighted success of CenturyTel," Miller said. "We fully expect to reach a fair and equitable agreement on time and one that can be ratified by our deserving membership."
The company's proposal, still being reviewed by the bargaining committee, would shift health care premium costs to workers and is retrogressive in almost every area, Miller said.
Mobilization began in earnest on July 8, when the Local 6171 technicians marched into the Jacksonville, Ark., service center wearing red shirts. Members of 16 other locals conducted similar activities. This week, more than 1,500 members wore red, white and blue stickers to work proclaiming, "Solidarity@CenturyTel-Better Together-I support bargaining at CenturyTel-Arkansas."
The preparation for nationwide mobilization and mutual support began in April 2003, when Telecommunications Vice President Jimmy Gurganus convened the first CenturyTel bargaining council in Las Vegas, along with bargaining councils for ALLTEL and Citizens Communications. The union recognized then that all three companies were growing and profitable, and that in the next round of bargaining were likely to try to slash health benefits.
At CenturyTel locations, those benefits were already less than stellar. But in locations the company had recently acquired from GTE/Verizon, workers had the premium benefits that had been provided by the larger companies.
Local 4370 was the first to bargain in this current round, for about 200 CenturyTel workers in Loraine, Ohio. Back in March, Local 6171 members and others wore stickers to work on their behalf. CWA Representative Crystal Roberts and Local 4370 President Harry Williamson and the bargaining committee gained raises of 3 percent in each of three years for workers and held the line on health care premiums that members of the non-GTE/Verizon unit were already required to pay.
But CenturyTel-Arkansas is a former GTE/Verizon unit. Its members have had and expect the kind of health benefits provided by the larger companies, James said.
Job security is also an issue. "Because the industry is changing so much-CenturyTel is moving over to DSL and broadband-our members want to make sure that they get that work," Miller said.
That's a concern with CenturyTel units across the nation, and the locals have shared that information in several conference calls. VoIP-Voice over Internet Protocol-is another consideration. "Any time the cable companies and upstarts can bottle up that service, sell it and bypass the local network, they will," Miller said.
While Local 6171 members have been performing some of CenturyTel's high-tech work, the local suspects a fair amount is being contracted out by the rural telecom provider.
"Our members want to know they will have an opportunity to be part of the team," Miller said.
In addition to the mass walk-in last week, Local 6171 members displayed red balloons next to their cubicles at the Jacksonville service center. They held "lunch for a bunch" at the service center, at central offices in Jacksonville, Cabot and Judsonia, Ark., and at a phone mart in Jacksonville.
With their contract due to expire Aug. 15, members have a full schedule of mobilization planned, and they've got commitments of support from all of the CenturyTel locals, where the issues are much the same.
CenturyTel contracts expire in Wisconsin (Locals 4671, 4672, 4674 and 4675) on Feb. 2, 2005; Alabama (Locals 3971, 3972 and 3974) and Missouri (Locals 6310 and 6312) and at Spectra Communications, a CenturyTel subsidiary in Missouri (Locals 6310, 6311, 6312 and 6373) on March 12, 2005; Northwest Arkansas (Local 6171) on June 12, 2005; and in Washington (Local 7818) on August 31, 2005.
"We've got to show support for each other," James said. "CenturyTel was a nonunion company. They still don't like us. If we can make a showing across the country even with locals that aren't bargaining, that's a big plus."