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ComTech Leadership Conference Sets Bargaining Goals
This year's upcoming contract negotiations with Avaya and AT&T topped the agenda for local union officers and staff at the CWA Communications and Technologies Leadership Conference.
The conference brought together local unions representing workers at AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Avaya, Furukawa OFS and Agere Systems. Delegates adopted goals for negotiations with Avaya this spring and elected the bargaining team for contract talks later this year with AT&T.
Vice President Ralph Maly told participants that the union's solidarity has been a high point in the turmoil surrounding Lucent, AT&T and other companies. "The downsizings, the movement of our work, the inability of managers to really manage - through it all, the one constant has been our union," he said.
In his remarks, CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen hit on the crisis in the telecommunications industry that has affected workers in the United States and globally. He outlined "Telecoms for the Long Run," the program adopted by the global telecom union UNI - Union Network International - to stop the meltdown and restore quality service.
The three-point plan calls for corporate transparency and accounting reform for the industry; national and international policies to promote universal service, not only for voice but for Internet and other digital services; and the restoration of quality service and quality jobs which have been hit hard by "low road" contracting out, Cohen said.
CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach urged delegates to focus even more attention on political action - the third leg of the CWA triangle that also includes collective bargaining and organizing - so workers can keep the legislative and political gains we have made over the years.
He cited Republican efforts in Congress to restrict card check recognition in organizing campaigns as just one example of the need for strong union political action.
Also attending were CWA vice presidents Andy Milburn, District 6, and John Thompson, District 7.
Participants attended workshops covering mobilization, grievance and arbitration, health care, pensions, and organizing, as well as a session with Alliance, health care and other program coordinators.
Many participants echoed the sentiments of CWA Local 2252 President Sean Linehan, who called the meeting "relevant and well organized" and expected that it would inspire action and mobilization.
Contract Talks with Avaya
Bargaining with Avaya will get underway in mid-April, Maly reported, noting that this will be the first round of contract talks with the company since it was spun off from Lucent in October 2000.
Bargaining goals adopted by Avaya delegates covered key issues of employment security; strengthened organizing rights and recognition; improvements in wages, benefits and pensions; job conditions and education and training.
"We must protect our members from future dramatic cost-cutting that management will try to impose as it attempts to take 'the cost out of doing business,'" the goals statement said.
Gaining enforceable limits on outsourcing is one of the top priorities. "Retaining work in-house will allow Avaya to rebuild coordinated and synchronized sales, installation, maintenance and servicing capabilities, a feature that customers value," the bargaining resolution stated.
The conference brought together local unions representing workers at AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Avaya, Furukawa OFS and Agere Systems. Delegates adopted goals for negotiations with Avaya this spring and elected the bargaining team for contract talks later this year with AT&T.
Vice President Ralph Maly told participants that the union's solidarity has been a high point in the turmoil surrounding Lucent, AT&T and other companies. "The downsizings, the movement of our work, the inability of managers to really manage - through it all, the one constant has been our union," he said.
In his remarks, CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen hit on the crisis in the telecommunications industry that has affected workers in the United States and globally. He outlined "Telecoms for the Long Run," the program adopted by the global telecom union UNI - Union Network International - to stop the meltdown and restore quality service.
The three-point plan calls for corporate transparency and accounting reform for the industry; national and international policies to promote universal service, not only for voice but for Internet and other digital services; and the restoration of quality service and quality jobs which have been hit hard by "low road" contracting out, Cohen said.
CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach urged delegates to focus even more attention on political action - the third leg of the CWA triangle that also includes collective bargaining and organizing - so workers can keep the legislative and political gains we have made over the years.
He cited Republican efforts in Congress to restrict card check recognition in organizing campaigns as just one example of the need for strong union political action.
Also attending were CWA vice presidents Andy Milburn, District 6, and John Thompson, District 7.
Participants attended workshops covering mobilization, grievance and arbitration, health care, pensions, and organizing, as well as a session with Alliance, health care and other program coordinators.
Many participants echoed the sentiments of CWA Local 2252 President Sean Linehan, who called the meeting "relevant and well organized" and expected that it would inspire action and mobilization.
Contract Talks with Avaya
Bargaining with Avaya will get underway in mid-April, Maly reported, noting that this will be the first round of contract talks with the company since it was spun off from Lucent in October 2000.
Bargaining goals adopted by Avaya delegates covered key issues of employment security; strengthened organizing rights and recognition; improvements in wages, benefits and pensions; job conditions and education and training.
"We must protect our members from future dramatic cost-cutting that management will try to impose as it attempts to take 'the cost out of doing business,'" the goals statement said.
Gaining enforceable limits on outsourcing is one of the top priorities. "Retaining work in-house will allow Avaya to rebuild coordinated and synchronized sales, installation, maintenance and servicing capabilities, a feature that customers value," the bargaining resolution stated.