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CWA in Tough Talks at Avaya, OFS
CWA members are involved in tough bargaining with Avaya and OFS and negotiations are going down to the wire as the May 31 contract expirations loom.
As the vote was being counted May 23, it appeared that CWA members at Avaya will approve strike authorization by a wide margin, in response to the company's demands for health care givebacks and other retrogressive proposals. The bargaining unit includes about 5,000 workers.
At OFS, members of Locals 3263 in Norcross, Ga., and 1365 in Sturbridge, Mass., approved strike authorization by a 73.3 percent vote. The two locals represent about 600 OFS workers.
Avaya's concession demands include shifting millions in health care costs to employees, as well as increasing co-pays, deductibles, prescription drug costs, and out of pocket maximums, reported CWA Vice President Ralph Maly, Communications and Technologies.
Avaya, formerly the Enterprise Network Group at Lucent Technologies, provides communications systems-including voice/data, networking, and messaging and cabling services-for business, government agencies and other groups. Avaya began operating and trading as a separate company in October 2000.
CWA and OFS began early bargaining in December 2002, but it has been slow and difficult going, said Bob Richhart, administrative assistant to Maly.
CWA Local 1365 President Gary Nilsson pointed out that OFS was even taking a hard line with the mobilization activities the local was pursuing. OFS suspended several workers without pay over the "Whistle at Work" campaign, which had workers periodically blowing whistles at work to show support for contract negotiations.
OFS filed a lawsuit against CWA and the local, and obtained an injunction against the local to end the whistle blowing action. CWA has filed unfair labor practice charges against the company with the National labor Relations Board.
As the vote was being counted May 23, it appeared that CWA members at Avaya will approve strike authorization by a wide margin, in response to the company's demands for health care givebacks and other retrogressive proposals. The bargaining unit includes about 5,000 workers.
At OFS, members of Locals 3263 in Norcross, Ga., and 1365 in Sturbridge, Mass., approved strike authorization by a 73.3 percent vote. The two locals represent about 600 OFS workers.
Avaya's concession demands include shifting millions in health care costs to employees, as well as increasing co-pays, deductibles, prescription drug costs, and out of pocket maximums, reported CWA Vice President Ralph Maly, Communications and Technologies.
Avaya, formerly the Enterprise Network Group at Lucent Technologies, provides communications systems-including voice/data, networking, and messaging and cabling services-for business, government agencies and other groups. Avaya began operating and trading as a separate company in October 2000.
CWA and OFS began early bargaining in December 2002, but it has been slow and difficult going, said Bob Richhart, administrative assistant to Maly.
CWA Local 1365 President Gary Nilsson pointed out that OFS was even taking a hard line with the mobilization activities the local was pursuing. OFS suspended several workers without pay over the "Whistle at Work" campaign, which had workers periodically blowing whistles at work to show support for contract negotiations.
OFS filed a lawsuit against CWA and the local, and obtained an injunction against the local to end the whistle blowing action. CWA has filed unfair labor practice charges against the company with the National labor Relations Board.