Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
ComTech Locals Take Up Avaya, AT&T
Local union officers representing workers at AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Avaya, Furukawa OFS and Agere Systems, along with CWA staff, met Jan. 27-Feb. 2 for the annual CWA Communications and Technologies Leadership Conference.
Delegates adopted goals for this year's negotiations with Avaya and elected the bargaining team for contract talks later this year with AT&T.
Ralph Maly, C/T vice president, reminded participants that in all the turmoil that has surrounded 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." By working together we will make the difference, he said.
The telecom industry's global slump requires a united response from the world's unions, said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen. He outlined "Telecoms for the Long Run," the three point program adopted by Union Network International to restore quality service and jobs and stop the mindless deregulation and competition that threatens to undermine universal high quality, high speed Internet services.
Cohen also cited CWA's call to restore workers' organizing and collective bargaining rights and stressed that this is the only way workers will build power to deal with employers over health care, job security and other issues.
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.
Lucent local representatives attended a contract explanation meeting on their tentative agreement; the ratification deadline is Feb. 7. Participants also 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.
Bargaining with Avaya will get underway in mid-April, Maly reported, noting that this will be the first round of contract talks with that company since it was spun off from Lucent in October 2000. CWA's bargaining goals at Avaya "are based on both the current economic reality at Avaya and its future prospects," the bargaining resolution said.
"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,'" and we will fight against layoffs and attacks on benefits, the statement said. Safeguarding employment and retirement security and health care benefits are key goals, along with improvements in compensation, Avaya delegates said.
Delegates adopted goals for this year's negotiations with Avaya and elected the bargaining team for contract talks later this year with AT&T.
Ralph Maly, C/T vice president, reminded participants that in all the turmoil that has surrounded 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." By working together we will make the difference, he said.
The telecom industry's global slump requires a united response from the world's unions, said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen. He outlined "Telecoms for the Long Run," the three point program adopted by Union Network International to restore quality service and jobs and stop the mindless deregulation and competition that threatens to undermine universal high quality, high speed Internet services.
Cohen also cited CWA's call to restore workers' organizing and collective bargaining rights and stressed that this is the only way workers will build power to deal with employers over health care, job security and other issues.
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.
Lucent local representatives attended a contract explanation meeting on their tentative agreement; the ratification deadline is Feb. 7. Participants also 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.
Bargaining with Avaya will get underway in mid-April, Maly reported, noting that this will be the first round of contract talks with that company since it was spun off from Lucent in October 2000. CWA's bargaining goals at Avaya "are based on both the current economic reality at Avaya and its future prospects," the bargaining resolution said.
"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,'" and we will fight against layoffs and attacks on benefits, the statement said. Safeguarding employment and retirement security and health care benefits are key goals, along with improvements in compensation, Avaya delegates said.