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First Combined Operator & Marketing Conference
More than 300 operators and customer service representatives from throughout the union came together for CWA's first combined National Operator and Marketing Conference, Sept. 24-27, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Telephone operators and service reps, US Airways reservations agents, newspaper ad sales workers and public employees found common ground in the work they do and the challenges they face - particularly corporate globalization and the offshoring of jobs.
They heard from CWA President Morton Bahr, Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling and Executive Vice President Larry Cohen as, in keeping with the conference theme, they charted "Today's Goals, Tomorrow's Achievements."
In plenary sessions they explored: Keeping and Growing Bargaining Unit Work; Monitoring Statistics and Unreasonable Sales Objectives; Fighting Global Outsourcing of Customer Service Work; Job Redesign to Reduce Stress and Improve Customer Service.
And they prepared to participate in a Global Customer Service Professionals Day, set for Oct. 8, by wearing solidarity stickers in the workplace, and to encourage employers to promote "high-road" customer service.
Bahr spoke of the solidarity of members nationwide, the AFL-CIO's commitment to a change-carrier campaign and the outspokenness of public officials that led to the successful conclusion of Verizon bargaining.
"We know who our friends are in public office," Bahr said, "and we've got to elect more of them. Most important for jobs and the economy, we've got to defeat George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election."
"It doesn't matter where we work, or for what company," Easterling said, "the work is the same, and the challenges we face are the same."
Cohen outlined the current situation and goals established by the CWA convention:
"Threats of outsourcing are faced by customer service professionals regardless of where they work. The stress, monitoring, relentless sales quotas, scheduling problems, health and safety issues, lack of time to catch up and to breathe are issues faced around the globe. Our response must be global as well," Cohen stressed.
He urged members to promote "high-road," professional customer service - value added by friendly, courteous service and the ability to sell bundled services - as the alternative to "low-road" service, characterized by scripting and pressure to quickly get the customer off the phone.
Communications unions around the world participating in Union Network International will urge employers to adopt high-road customer service by wearing solidarity stickers in the workplace throughout Call Center Workers' Global Action Week, Oct. 6-10.
Another strategy for keeping customer service jobs in the United States, Cohen said, is to promote legislation at the state level such as a "right-to-know" bill up for vote in the New Jersey Assembly in November. The bill would require call center reps to identify the company that actually employs them, where they work and, if they are not using their real name, their alias. A call center college in Delhi, India, actually trains reps to make small talk in English and to use names like Jerry or Mary.
Rosemary Batt, of Cornell University, outlined future trends such as online customer service. AT&T is already experimenting with "e-care" and "e-chats" via a web page, in some cases linked to India. "Whether we do that work and how it is shaped is a management choice. The union needs to get involved to make sure management makes the right choice," she said.
Foreign guests addressing the conference highlighted the global pervasiveness of low-road outsourcing and outlined steps their unions are taking to combat it. Andrea Snowden, executive board member and customer service chair of the United Kingdom's Communication Workers Union, talked about the "Pink Elephant Campaign" her union is running to let people across England know how many British Telecom jobs are being outsourced. Irene Moggan, of the Community and Public Sector Union in Australia, told how her union has fought back by organizing an outsourcing company, Teletech, bringing the jobs into the union.
Workshops included a union response to attendance problems, Family and Medical Leave Act, joint committees to relieve stress, and negotiating commission and incentive plans.
District 6 Vice President Andy Milburn and host Local 6201 President Denny Kramer, welcomed the conferees and praised the hard work of the host committee and its chair, Ellen Wakefield.
Dina Beaumont, executive assistant to Bahr, led the final discussion as members summarized what they had learned.
"We're no longer talking about a desperate effort to save the jobs of a few," Beaumont said. "This is about putting all our employers on notice. Our customer service workers are professionals, worth every penny the companies pay them."
Telephone operators and service reps, US Airways reservations agents, newspaper ad sales workers and public employees found common ground in the work they do and the challenges they face - particularly corporate globalization and the offshoring of jobs.
They heard from CWA President Morton Bahr, Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling and Executive Vice President Larry Cohen as, in keeping with the conference theme, they charted "Today's Goals, Tomorrow's Achievements."
In plenary sessions they explored: Keeping and Growing Bargaining Unit Work; Monitoring Statistics and Unreasonable Sales Objectives; Fighting Global Outsourcing of Customer Service Work; Job Redesign to Reduce Stress and Improve Customer Service.
And they prepared to participate in a Global Customer Service Professionals Day, set for Oct. 8, by wearing solidarity stickers in the workplace, and to encourage employers to promote "high-road" customer service.
Bahr spoke of the solidarity of members nationwide, the AFL-CIO's commitment to a change-carrier campaign and the outspokenness of public officials that led to the successful conclusion of Verizon bargaining.
"We know who our friends are in public office," Bahr said, "and we've got to elect more of them. Most important for jobs and the economy, we've got to defeat George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election."
"It doesn't matter where we work, or for what company," Easterling said, "the work is the same, and the challenges we face are the same."
Cohen outlined the current situation and goals established by the CWA convention:
"Threats of outsourcing are faced by customer service professionals regardless of where they work. The stress, monitoring, relentless sales quotas, scheduling problems, health and safety issues, lack of time to catch up and to breathe are issues faced around the globe. Our response must be global as well," Cohen stressed.
He urged members to promote "high-road," professional customer service - value added by friendly, courteous service and the ability to sell bundled services - as the alternative to "low-road" service, characterized by scripting and pressure to quickly get the customer off the phone.
Communications unions around the world participating in Union Network International will urge employers to adopt high-road customer service by wearing solidarity stickers in the workplace throughout Call Center Workers' Global Action Week, Oct. 6-10.
Another strategy for keeping customer service jobs in the United States, Cohen said, is to promote legislation at the state level such as a "right-to-know" bill up for vote in the New Jersey Assembly in November. The bill would require call center reps to identify the company that actually employs them, where they work and, if they are not using their real name, their alias. A call center college in Delhi, India, actually trains reps to make small talk in English and to use names like Jerry or Mary.
Rosemary Batt, of Cornell University, outlined future trends such as online customer service. AT&T is already experimenting with "e-care" and "e-chats" via a web page, in some cases linked to India. "Whether we do that work and how it is shaped is a management choice. The union needs to get involved to make sure management makes the right choice," she said.
Foreign guests addressing the conference highlighted the global pervasiveness of low-road outsourcing and outlined steps their unions are taking to combat it. Andrea Snowden, executive board member and customer service chair of the United Kingdom's Communication Workers Union, talked about the "Pink Elephant Campaign" her union is running to let people across England know how many British Telecom jobs are being outsourced. Irene Moggan, of the Community and Public Sector Union in Australia, told how her union has fought back by organizing an outsourcing company, Teletech, bringing the jobs into the union.
Workshops included a union response to attendance problems, Family and Medical Leave Act, joint committees to relieve stress, and negotiating commission and incentive plans.
District 6 Vice President Andy Milburn and host Local 6201 President Denny Kramer, welcomed the conferees and praised the hard work of the host committee and its chair, Ellen Wakefield.
Dina Beaumont, executive assistant to Bahr, led the final discussion as members summarized what they had learned.
"We're no longer talking about a desperate effort to save the jobs of a few," Beaumont said. "This is about putting all our employers on notice. Our customer service workers are professionals, worth every penny the companies pay them."