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CWA Members Vote Strike Authorization at BellSouth
Members of the Communications Workers of America at BellSouth have overwhelmingly voted to give union leaders authority to call a strike if negotiations between CWA and the telecom company fail to reach a fair settlement.
Some 93 percent of voting members approved strike authorization. The contract covering 48,000 employees expires Aug. 8.
CWA Vice President Jimmy Smith said key issues that have yet to be resolved include the company's demand to shift health care costs to retirees; extreme levels of forced overtime, and an opportunity for employees to move into the jobs of the future in new and expanding areas of the company, including long distance.
Smith stressed that excessive, forced overtime was a major concern among BellSouth employees. "The excessive downsizing of several years ago, carried out mostly in an effort to please Wall Street, resulted in a shortage of trained employees. This downsizing occurred just as customer demand for additional phone lines and services, as well as expanded business needs, was exploding," he said. "BellSouth's policies of forced overtime and inflexible scheduling are threatening the quality of service to customers and are subjecting employees to severe pressure and stress," Smith added.
CWA members also are seeking improvements in wages, pensions and benefits in line with the financial success and productivity BellSouth has experienced. BellSouth's second-quarter earnings this year were 15.5 percent ahead of the same period last year, with "excellent growth" in the core telecommunications business and other areas, the company reported last month. CWA members have been the key factor in helping make BellSouth profitable by offering top-quality service, and they want to share in the new opportunities opening throughout the company.
CWA represents BellSouth employees in the these states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
CWA is bargaining on behalf of some 400,000 telecom industry workers this year, and has so far reached agreements with AT&T, Lucent Technologies, SBC Communications and Ameritech.
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Some 93 percent of voting members approved strike authorization. The contract covering 48,000 employees expires Aug. 8.
CWA Vice President Jimmy Smith said key issues that have yet to be resolved include the company's demand to shift health care costs to retirees; extreme levels of forced overtime, and an opportunity for employees to move into the jobs of the future in new and expanding areas of the company, including long distance.
Smith stressed that excessive, forced overtime was a major concern among BellSouth employees. "The excessive downsizing of several years ago, carried out mostly in an effort to please Wall Street, resulted in a shortage of trained employees. This downsizing occurred just as customer demand for additional phone lines and services, as well as expanded business needs, was exploding," he said. "BellSouth's policies of forced overtime and inflexible scheduling are threatening the quality of service to customers and are subjecting employees to severe pressure and stress," Smith added.
CWA members also are seeking improvements in wages, pensions and benefits in line with the financial success and productivity BellSouth has experienced. BellSouth's second-quarter earnings this year were 15.5 percent ahead of the same period last year, with "excellent growth" in the core telecommunications business and other areas, the company reported last month. CWA members have been the key factor in helping make BellSouth profitable by offering top-quality service, and they want to share in the new opportunities opening throughout the company.
CWA represents BellSouth employees in the these states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
CWA is bargaining on behalf of some 400,000 telecom industry workers this year, and has so far reached agreements with AT&T, Lucent Technologies, SBC Communications and Ameritech.
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