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Lucent Talks Open with Health Care Challenge
Lucent Technologies' attacks on retiree health care took center stage as joint bargaining opened Oct. 7 in Washington, D.C., and as CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen and a local officer addressed a throng assembled outside the Cleveland headquarters of SBC - a Lucent customer - for Health Care Action Week.
"Lucent's proposal was far worse than what they proposed at early bargaining in June," said Ralph Maly, CWA vice president for Communications and Technologies. "By 2007, the average retiree who has a pension of $920 would be looking at a $700 monthly premium for a pre-65 family of two. Lucent has made a determination to abandon its union-represented retirees."
In opening remarks, CWA Representative Mary Jo Sherman accused management of running a company and its employees into the ground. "'Lucent Technologies - we make things that make communications work.' Except they don't anymore. Lucent's bad business decisions and ever changing strategies, despite what the company says, have left Lucent without its core competencies.
"Factories have been sold, businesses spun off, and manufacturing outsourced - expanding services while shedding its historically value-based installers. Our occupational work force has been forced to move from one side of the country to the other, or to quit a company that has benefited from their years of service. Thousands of people have been laid off or forced into early retirement."
"CWA and IBEW come in unity," Sherman concluded. "We come united in common goals of job security, a fair and equitable contract and protections for retiree health. Without these, your future and ours is at stake."
In Cleveland, Local 4390 President Art Wiskoff, who is also president of CWA's Lucent Installation Council, addressed a crowd of 300, including Jobs with Justice supporters, CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach, and local union leaders from throughout District 4.
Wiskoff attacked Lucent CEO Pat Russo for accepting a compensation package estimated at $44 million for the last two years, while continually downsizing, subcontracting and refusing to face up to retiree commitments.
Wiskoff said he expected Russo's compensation would improve further with the company "...attempting to take chemotherapy treatments away from retirees during talks with the union, seeking to take away all health care from retirees down the road, and shifting as much health care cost as possible onto active employees' backs.
"We built this company and we will not go gentle into the night," he vowed.
Cohen challenged Lucent and all CWA employers to "join with us in working for real health care reform in the USA."
"Our country is spending 14 percent of its Gross Domestic Product on health care, twice the average of all other democracies, yet 45 million Americans have no health insurance," he pointed out. "If management would work with us, we could move health care costs from the balance sheet to the public treasury and improve health care quality and access. Yet employers like Lucent are reluctant to join broad-based health care coalitions, preferring to leave reform to others while increasing the health care burden on our members.
"Our answer is simple," Cohen said. "Join with us for health care reform or admit that your demands for health care cost-shifting are just another example of American management leading the race to the bottom."
CWA's contract with Lucent expires Oct. 31. Also at the table for CWA were CWA Representative Gerald Souder, Local 1062 President Brian Reilly, Local 1366 President Marcie Vincent, Local 3790 President Tom Bruhn, Local 4090 President Mike Klein, and Local 7790 President Chuck Mitchell.
"Lucent's proposal was far worse than what they proposed at early bargaining in June," said Ralph Maly, CWA vice president for Communications and Technologies. "By 2007, the average retiree who has a pension of $920 would be looking at a $700 monthly premium for a pre-65 family of two. Lucent has made a determination to abandon its union-represented retirees."
In opening remarks, CWA Representative Mary Jo Sherman accused management of running a company and its employees into the ground. "'Lucent Technologies - we make things that make communications work.' Except they don't anymore. Lucent's bad business decisions and ever changing strategies, despite what the company says, have left Lucent without its core competencies.
"Factories have been sold, businesses spun off, and manufacturing outsourced - expanding services while shedding its historically value-based installers. Our occupational work force has been forced to move from one side of the country to the other, or to quit a company that has benefited from their years of service. Thousands of people have been laid off or forced into early retirement."
"CWA and IBEW come in unity," Sherman concluded. "We come united in common goals of job security, a fair and equitable contract and protections for retiree health. Without these, your future and ours is at stake."
In Cleveland, Local 4390 President Art Wiskoff, who is also president of CWA's Lucent Installation Council, addressed a crowd of 300, including Jobs with Justice supporters, CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach, and local union leaders from throughout District 4.
Wiskoff attacked Lucent CEO Pat Russo for accepting a compensation package estimated at $44 million for the last two years, while continually downsizing, subcontracting and refusing to face up to retiree commitments.
Wiskoff said he expected Russo's compensation would improve further with the company "...attempting to take chemotherapy treatments away from retirees during talks with the union, seeking to take away all health care from retirees down the road, and shifting as much health care cost as possible onto active employees' backs.
"We built this company and we will not go gentle into the night," he vowed.
Cohen challenged Lucent and all CWA employers to "join with us in working for real health care reform in the USA."
"Our country is spending 14 percent of its Gross Domestic Product on health care, twice the average of all other democracies, yet 45 million Americans have no health insurance," he pointed out. "If management would work with us, we could move health care costs from the balance sheet to the public treasury and improve health care quality and access. Yet employers like Lucent are reluctant to join broad-based health care coalitions, preferring to leave reform to others while increasing the health care burden on our members.
"Our answer is simple," Cohen said. "Join with us for health care reform or admit that your demands for health care cost-shifting are just another example of American management leading the race to the bottom."
CWA's contract with Lucent expires Oct. 31. Also at the table for CWA were CWA Representative Gerald Souder, Local 1062 President Brian Reilly, Local 1366 President Marcie Vincent, Local 3790 President Tom Bruhn, Local 4090 President Mike Klein, and Local 7790 President Chuck Mitchell.