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Puerto Rican Local Takes Off
One year ago more than 400 installers on the island of Puerto Rico who worked as subcontractors for companies that installed telephones for GTE/PRTC, now Verizon, began a 56-day strike as they struggled to organize.
On Feb. 25, they celebrated their success in forming a union as District 3 Vice President Jimmy Smith presented them with their charter as CWA Local 3010.
Having already attained a first contract at one of the companies, JAF, and with negotiations nearly completed at a second, Prime Teleconstruction, the local now is in full organizing mode. They continue to negotiate with two more companies that do installations for Verizon, they have their sights set on cable and contractors, and they have an officer — Vice President Jorge Rodríguez — assigned full-time to CWA’s national campaign at American Eagle Airlines. The small-plane subsidiary of American has its second largest hub in the center of the island.
Accompanied by Carrie Biggs-Adams, CWA representative for international affairs, and Yvette Herrera, assistant to CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, Smith congratulated the new local.
“The struggle they went through to become a union (see June/July 2000 CWA News) would have defeated most, but they kept on fighting, stuck together and won," Smith said. “Through their actions they have earned the respect of the more established labor movement on the island. They’ve really got their hearts in what they’re doing.”
Because they have a contract at JAF, Local 3010 President Angelo Andújar said 160 members are employees of the company, no longer subcontractors. Where they previously had no benefits, they now have 12 vacation days, six sick days, nine holidays and a grievance and arbitration procedure.
At CWA News press time, the local was in negotiations for 200 installers at Prime Teleconstruction and had filed for a National Labor Relations Board election for 220 workers at EMEC, where they already won $165,000 as settlement of unfair labor practice charges filed in conjunction with their strike.
They continued to organize for 110 installers at Bermudez & Longo, the most entrenched and anti-union of the Verizon installation contractors.
About 60 members of the new local joined Smith at the charter presentation, along with representatives of UPAGRA (TNG-CWA Local 33225), AT&T Local 3150 and the local Teachers union. José Juan Hernández, president of Puerto Rico’s Independent Union of Telephone Workers which represents Verizon employees, also addressed the workers.
The new local’s headquarters is painted the CWA colors of purple and gold, and the meeting hall inside is dedicated to Eduardo Diaz, CWA’s director of international affairs, who worked closely with the local in its organizing campaign shortly before his sudden death last July.
Said Andújar, “Eduardo was like a godfather to our union. Because of him, we got a strike fund and pins for our campaign. He helped us talk to the press. Because people heard him talking, we knew we were not alone — we had (CWA President) Morty Bahr, Larry Cohen and the whole CWA structure. When people see his name on the wall, they’ll ask and we’ll tell them what Eduardo did for us.”
On Feb. 25, they celebrated their success in forming a union as District 3 Vice President Jimmy Smith presented them with their charter as CWA Local 3010.
Having already attained a first contract at one of the companies, JAF, and with negotiations nearly completed at a second, Prime Teleconstruction, the local now is in full organizing mode. They continue to negotiate with two more companies that do installations for Verizon, they have their sights set on cable and contractors, and they have an officer — Vice President Jorge Rodríguez — assigned full-time to CWA’s national campaign at American Eagle Airlines. The small-plane subsidiary of American has its second largest hub in the center of the island.
Accompanied by Carrie Biggs-Adams, CWA representative for international affairs, and Yvette Herrera, assistant to CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, Smith congratulated the new local.
“The struggle they went through to become a union (see June/July 2000 CWA News) would have defeated most, but they kept on fighting, stuck together and won," Smith said. “Through their actions they have earned the respect of the more established labor movement on the island. They’ve really got their hearts in what they’re doing.”
Because they have a contract at JAF, Local 3010 President Angelo Andújar said 160 members are employees of the company, no longer subcontractors. Where they previously had no benefits, they now have 12 vacation days, six sick days, nine holidays and a grievance and arbitration procedure.
At CWA News press time, the local was in negotiations for 200 installers at Prime Teleconstruction and had filed for a National Labor Relations Board election for 220 workers at EMEC, where they already won $165,000 as settlement of unfair labor practice charges filed in conjunction with their strike.
They continued to organize for 110 installers at Bermudez & Longo, the most entrenched and anti-union of the Verizon installation contractors.
About 60 members of the new local joined Smith at the charter presentation, along with representatives of UPAGRA (TNG-CWA Local 33225), AT&T Local 3150 and the local Teachers union. José Juan Hernández, president of Puerto Rico’s Independent Union of Telephone Workers which represents Verizon employees, also addressed the workers.
The new local’s headquarters is painted the CWA colors of purple and gold, and the meeting hall inside is dedicated to Eduardo Diaz, CWA’s director of international affairs, who worked closely with the local in its organizing campaign shortly before his sudden death last July.
Said Andújar, “Eduardo was like a godfather to our union. Because of him, we got a strike fund and pins for our campaign. He helped us talk to the press. Because people heard him talking, we knew we were not alone — we had (CWA President) Morty Bahr, Larry Cohen and the whole CWA structure. When people see his name on the wall, they’ll ask and we’ll tell them what Eduardo did for us.”