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CWA and IUE Team Up to Organize Lucent Plant
Who do you trust? With their plant on the auction block, workers at Lucent Technologies’ fiber optics plant in Sturbridge, Mass., overwhelmingly chose to believe CWA and IUE-CWA leaders from five different locals who testified to the advantages of unionization. In a neutrality and consent election completed on April 10, they choose CWA representation 223-87.
“This win, coupled with IUE’s recent victory at Lexington Connectors in Ohio, accounts for almost 700 manufacturing workers,” said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen. “It demonstrates that we can make great progress in organizing the industrial sector.”
CWA District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino congratulated CWA Local 1365, which led the organizing drive. “We are certain we can bring these new members greater security under a written contract,” he said.
The local, under the leadership of President Joe Kanan, has developed a strong organizing committee over the past several years, CWA Representative Steve Early said, noting that the “victory comes in the first major campaign they’ve had.”
Lucent is in the process of selling its fiber optics solutions business worldwide. The Sturbridge plant is expected to bring the company $6 billion to $8 billion. Major bidders are GE, the French firm Alcatel and an Italian multinational, Perelli. Lucent has also put plants up for sale in Atlanta, Denmark, Germany, Brazil, China, Japan and Russia, Early said.
Under language CWA bargained in its last round of negotiations with AT&T and Lucent, the plant became eligible for a fast-track neutrality and consent election on Feb.1, 2001, the one-year anniversary of Lucent’s purchase of the business from SpecTran.
Local 1365 organizers Paul Bouchard and Bob VanWinkle took the lead on the campaign, responding to a query from the Lucent workers via CWA’s website. They helped put together an in-plant committee of about 20 workers and, with help from other locals, countered rumors intended to stave off unionization.
For instance, Bouchard said, Gail Wigley of CWA Local 3263, health and safety coordinator at the Atlanta plant, described “a modern workplace where people work cooperatively with management, for the most part, make great wages and have great benefits under a contract.”
President Jeff Crosby and Trustee Joyce Wallace of IUE-CWA Local 201 in Lynn, Mass., told the Lucent workers of CWA’s support for the IUE local and of the cooperation among various AFL-CIO locals in their area. Wallace is the local’s representative to the North Shore Labor Council.
Other assistance came from Pete Hoyt, organizer for Local 1298, Hamden, Conn., whose Southern New England Telephone local merged with CWA, and Jane Nilsen, chief organizer for Local 1051 in Fairhaven, Mass.
Bouchard said the in-plant committee did the bulk of the work in the fast-paced campaign. He credited several leaders including Scott Tinkien, Shea Inslee, Herb Hart, Jody Donais and Diane Casko.
“They talked with their co-workers, brought them information and empowerment dealing with pay equity issues and getting a contract with some control over their work,” Bouchard said.
“This win, coupled with IUE’s recent victory at Lexington Connectors in Ohio, accounts for almost 700 manufacturing workers,” said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen. “It demonstrates that we can make great progress in organizing the industrial sector.”
CWA District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino congratulated CWA Local 1365, which led the organizing drive. “We are certain we can bring these new members greater security under a written contract,” he said.
The local, under the leadership of President Joe Kanan, has developed a strong organizing committee over the past several years, CWA Representative Steve Early said, noting that the “victory comes in the first major campaign they’ve had.”
Lucent is in the process of selling its fiber optics solutions business worldwide. The Sturbridge plant is expected to bring the company $6 billion to $8 billion. Major bidders are GE, the French firm Alcatel and an Italian multinational, Perelli. Lucent has also put plants up for sale in Atlanta, Denmark, Germany, Brazil, China, Japan and Russia, Early said.
Under language CWA bargained in its last round of negotiations with AT&T and Lucent, the plant became eligible for a fast-track neutrality and consent election on Feb.1, 2001, the one-year anniversary of Lucent’s purchase of the business from SpecTran.
Local 1365 organizers Paul Bouchard and Bob VanWinkle took the lead on the campaign, responding to a query from the Lucent workers via CWA’s website. They helped put together an in-plant committee of about 20 workers and, with help from other locals, countered rumors intended to stave off unionization.
For instance, Bouchard said, Gail Wigley of CWA Local 3263, health and safety coordinator at the Atlanta plant, described “a modern workplace where people work cooperatively with management, for the most part, make great wages and have great benefits under a contract.”
President Jeff Crosby and Trustee Joyce Wallace of IUE-CWA Local 201 in Lynn, Mass., told the Lucent workers of CWA’s support for the IUE local and of the cooperation among various AFL-CIO locals in their area. Wallace is the local’s representative to the North Shore Labor Council.
Other assistance came from Pete Hoyt, organizer for Local 1298, Hamden, Conn., whose Southern New England Telephone local merged with CWA, and Jane Nilsen, chief organizer for Local 1051 in Fairhaven, Mass.
Bouchard said the in-plant committee did the bulk of the work in the fast-paced campaign. He credited several leaders including Scott Tinkien, Shea Inslee, Herb Hart, Jody Donais and Diane Casko.
“They talked with their co-workers, brought them information and empowerment dealing with pay equity issues and getting a contract with some control over their work,” Bouchard said.