Court Upholds $675,000 Arbitration Award for 300 Cincy Bell Workers

CWA won a big victory in federal District Court, as the court upheld a $675,000 arbitration decision covering Cincinnati Bell workers that management had refused to accept.

The District Court upheld the force adjustment protections included in CWA contracts with the company.

"This is yet another example of how well our members are being protected from arbitrary management decisions by their CWA contracts," said District Four Vice President Seth Rosen. "The process may have taken a while, but the union prevailed," he said.

In January 2007, the company sharply curtailed working hours for more than 300 workers after failing to reach agreement with Locals 4400 and 4401. Management arbitrarily selected which workers would have their hours cut back, and reduced working hours for the group from 40 to 35 hours a week for three months. The reduction meant a 13 percent pay cut for clerical workers, customer service representatives and technicians.

The company ignored the contract's options for reducing the negative impact of force adjustments.

CWA immediately challenged the company's action, but it was November 2007 before the union's complaint was upheld by an independent arbitrator. The arbitrator said the company's actions violated the contract and ordered Cincinnati Bell to pay the workers more than $675,000 in back wages.

Arbitrators awards are supposed to be "final and binding" according to the union contract," but in January 2008 the company challenged that decision in federal District Court.

A year later, the court denied the company's motion and affirmed the arbitrator's decision. The full monetary award could come close to $1 million when interest for the eight months between the company's violation and the arbitrator's decision is taken into account.