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Sprint Presidents Plan for Organizing, Political Action
Delegates from 17 CWA locals emerged from the union's annual Sprint presidents' meeting in Las Vegas, Oct 20-21, committed to growing stronger at the bargaining table through organizing and political action.
"We laid the groundwork to develop a strategic plan to strengthen our locals' position in bargaining and, hopefully, to improve labor relations," said Jimmy Gurganus, CWA vice president for Telecommunications.
Over the past year, CWA has successfully bargained contracts for 3,500 Sprint workers in nine states. But contracts have been slow in coming for 80 technicians in Martinsville, Va., 197 call center workers in New Berne, N.C., and another 225 at a call center in Fayetteville.
In Virginia, Local 2277 members have continued bargaining past their contract expiration, May 31, battling company proposals to gut worker protections. Local 3881 in New Berne and Local 3680 in Fayetteville have been hamstrung by Sprint proposals to cut pay and benefits.
CWA District 2 Vice President Pete Catucci said the National Labor Relations Board in late October found merit with CWA's unfair labor practice charges over the company's failure to provide information on subcontractors, as requested in bargaining. The NLRB is expected to issue a complaint.
"We certainly welcome the news that the board found Sprint's tactics to be in violation of the law," Gurganus said.
CWA Representative Karen Murphy told the local presidents that working conditions at Sprint's North Carolina call centers, where workers face increasingly unfair sales quotas, adherence rules and monitoring, are worse than at many other companies.
The Sprint presidents heard an analysis of the company's business and financial condition from CWA Research Economist Tony Daley and a presentation on strategic campaigns by Andy Banks of the AFL-CIO's Labor Studies Center.
"We laid the groundwork to develop a strategic plan to strengthen our locals' position in bargaining and, hopefully, to improve labor relations," said Jimmy Gurganus, CWA vice president for Telecommunications.
Over the past year, CWA has successfully bargained contracts for 3,500 Sprint workers in nine states. But contracts have been slow in coming for 80 technicians in Martinsville, Va., 197 call center workers in New Berne, N.C., and another 225 at a call center in Fayetteville.
In Virginia, Local 2277 members have continued bargaining past their contract expiration, May 31, battling company proposals to gut worker protections. Local 3881 in New Berne and Local 3680 in Fayetteville have been hamstrung by Sprint proposals to cut pay and benefits.
CWA District 2 Vice President Pete Catucci said the National Labor Relations Board in late October found merit with CWA's unfair labor practice charges over the company's failure to provide information on subcontractors, as requested in bargaining. The NLRB is expected to issue a complaint.
"We certainly welcome the news that the board found Sprint's tactics to be in violation of the law," Gurganus said.
CWA Representative Karen Murphy told the local presidents that working conditions at Sprint's North Carolina call centers, where workers face increasingly unfair sales quotas, adherence rules and monitoring, are worse than at many other companies.
The Sprint presidents heard an analysis of the company's business and financial condition from CWA Research Economist Tony Daley and a presentation on strategic campaigns by Andy Banks of the AFL-CIO's Labor Studies Center.