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NLRB Upholds Bargaining Units for Verizon Wireless Retail Stores
The National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., has ruled that a small cluster of Verizon Wireless stores in California constitute an appropriate unit for collective bargaining, District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler reported.
"This is a significant victory for future organizing," CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said. "It means that all over the country, wherever there are Verizon stores, we can go in and organize them. We don't have to have statewide units."
Two years ago Local 9416 organized 29 retail sales workers in three Bakersfield, Calif., Verizon Wireless stores. The regional director for NLRB Region 3 ruled then that the three stores were an appropriate unit.
But on April 19, 2002, the NLRB granted the employer's request for a review and impounded the ballots. Only three of the workers who voted remained when the ballots were tallied April 7 for a loss of 11-15. The result was not unexpected, said Virginia Rodriguez-Jones, administrative assistant to Bixler. "The employer put a lot of pressure on the workers right before the election."
Most who voted in the election have since moved on to other jobs, but the district will redouble its efforts to organize Verizon Wireless stores in light of the NLRB decision, Rodriguez-Jones said.
In deciding the case, the NLRB said the Bakersfield stores "represent an appropriate retail store unit based on the geographic proximity of the stores, the substantial autonomy invested in each store manager, the regular contact between the employees at the Bakersfield facilities, the common terms and conditions of employment, the shared overflow inventory, and the evidence of permanent transfers."
"This is a significant victory for future organizing," CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said. "It means that all over the country, wherever there are Verizon stores, we can go in and organize them. We don't have to have statewide units."
Two years ago Local 9416 organized 29 retail sales workers in three Bakersfield, Calif., Verizon Wireless stores. The regional director for NLRB Region 3 ruled then that the three stores were an appropriate unit.
But on April 19, 2002, the NLRB granted the employer's request for a review and impounded the ballots. Only three of the workers who voted remained when the ballots were tallied April 7 for a loss of 11-15. The result was not unexpected, said Virginia Rodriguez-Jones, administrative assistant to Bixler. "The employer put a lot of pressure on the workers right before the election."
Most who voted in the election have since moved on to other jobs, but the district will redouble its efforts to organize Verizon Wireless stores in light of the NLRB decision, Rodriguez-Jones said.
In deciding the case, the NLRB said the Bakersfield stores "represent an appropriate retail store unit based on the geographic proximity of the stores, the substantial autonomy invested in each store manager, the regular contact between the employees at the Bakersfield facilities, the common terms and conditions of employment, the shared overflow inventory, and the evidence of permanent transfers."