| January
13, 2006
Contract talks resumed this week between CWA and Verizon
Information Services for four days, but CWA bargainers
reported frustration at the company's continuing "bait and
switch" tactics. No new negotiations are scheduled.
The unfair labor practice strike, covering some 300 New
York VIS workers, members of CWA Locals 1105, 1118 and 1122,
has been underway for nearly 11 weeks.
Meanwhile, CWA members in Harrisburg, Pa., beat back an
effort to decertify their union at the VIS operation there,
keeping their union voice. "This is an important victory
against Verizon's aggressive anti-worker strategy," said CWA
Organizing Director Ed Sabol.
Over the past days of bargaining, VIS continued the tactics
that led to the start of the unfair labor practice strike on
Oct. 31, by refusing to bargain in good faith over
compensation.
"Once again, VIS bargainers engaged in illegal 'bait and
switch' tactics, stating verbally their intention to address
the union's need for clear contractual protection of workers'
compensation during the life of the agreement, but refusing to
translate those verbal agreements into actual contract
language," bargainers reported.
CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton said, "We are
sick and tired of VIS's stubborn refusal to bargain in good
faith for a new contract," and he stressed that the
"remarkable solidarity" of the VIS workers would see them
through to a new contract. He thanked the bargaining team and
CWA staff "for their incredible hard work and perseverance
over the last several days."
Locals are stepping up their mobilization and unfair labor
practice strike actions. Also continuing are the successful
"Dump the Book" rallies across New York State, where
CWAers collect telephone directories to return to
Verizon, because the products now are produced by scabs.
Updates and more information are available at
www.cwa-union.org/verizon.
CWA and the Pension Rights Center have launched a new
website to give management and non-represented workers at
Verizon Communications a way to voice their outrage about
Verizon's assault on their retirement security, and to keep
public attention focused on this disastrous decision.
On the site,
http://www.verizonretirementwatch.com/,
employees and their supporters will be able to tell the world
how the company's action threatens their future by betraying
the promises Verizon made to thousands of employees. The
effort will help direct media and public attention to
Verizon's action and provide a means for employees to mobilize
to persuade the company to reconsider the terms of its
decision.
The site includes information on executive pay and benefits
— the supplemental plan covering executives that will not be
frozen — and sets up an ongoing forum for employees and others
to talk together and send a message to the company. It also
provides specific information as to how the changes will
affect employees of various ages and service.
Verizon has said it will freeze all pensions of management
and non-represented employees at the end of June 2006. That
could mean a loss of 21 percent, or more, of an employee's
pension security.
CWA President Larry Cohen said Verizon's action was
outrageous, given the company's profitability and its
fully-funded pension plans. "Verizon's action, like that of
IBM and others, sends a chilling signal not just to current
workers who have lost their retirement security, but to the
future generation of workers who will be penalized before they
ever start their first job."
The Washington, D.C.-based Pension Rights Center is a
nonprofit organization that works for policies that promote
retirement security for working families.
- As the nation prepares to celebrate the birthday
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, union leaders are
decrying the vast gulf between King's ideals and the reality
today as the Republican-led Congress gets ready to vote on a
budget bill that will gravely harm America's low-income
families.
The bill slashes health care funding for the poor,
reduces enforcement for parents who fail to pay child
support, makes the biggest cut in history — $12.7 billion —
in the federal student loan program, forces states to cut
child care aid to hundreds of thousands of low-income
working families and cuts foster care funds.
"In his commitment to social and economic justice, Dr.
King envisioned a nation in which all men and women could
share the bounties of America and enjoy the opportunity to
turn their dreams into reality," the AFL-CIO's Working
Families Network says. "But today, powerful, reactionary
forces are standing in the way of those dreams."
The AFL-CIO is asking all union families to call their
U.S. representative's office and speak out against the
budget bill and its attack on working families and the poor.
House members will be voting upon their return at the end of
January. Call toll free: (800) 393-1082.
- As embattled United Airlines seeks approval for
its reorganization plan, AFA-CWA is raising strenuous
objections to proposed executive bonuses — perks management
wants at the same time it's asking to reserve the right to
reject the flight attendants' contract once the company
emerges from bankruptcy.
"Clearly, this bonus scheme does not reflect either sound
business judgment or good faith, much less respect for the
enormous sacrifices flight attendants and other employees
have made to keep United flying," said Greg Davidowitch,
president of AFA-CWA United Master Executive Council.
Davidowitch said at the beginning of the bankruptcy
process, United management promised to "share the pain" with
workers. Instead, he said, employees have sacrificed over $4
billion in pay, pensions and health care, and have accepted
unfavorable changes in work rules.
- In the wake of the West Virginia mining tragedy,
USA Today has determined that the federal Mine Safety and
Health Administration has collected only 28 percent of $9.1
million in fines levied against mining companies over the
past seven years.
The report in the paper's
Jan. 10 edition said some fines have been reduced or
eliminated by appeals and bankruptcies but others are simply
delinquent. During the same seven years, 206 accidents have
killed 234 coal miners.
The paper said MSHA's largest
fines were often reduced by judges or through negotiations
between the mine operator and Labor Department lawyers, a
process critics say lets mine owners "wriggle out of severe
penalties that are in place to keep workers
safe."
"It hurts safety immensely," Dennis O'Dell,
head of health and safety for the United Mine Workers, told
USA Today. "If I'm a coal operator and I get $10,000
in fines and I know I can get those reduced to $250,
naturally I'm not going to take it as
seriously."
- United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard says
President Bush has again turned his back on American
workers, this time by refusing to place limits on
Chinese-made steel pipe imports flooding the U.S.
market.
"Our pipe workers and their families
were delivered a stunning blow by President Bush in his
refusal to enforce America's trade laws," Gerard
said.
China's currency manipulation, rebate programs
and subsidies to steel pipe manufacturers, along with its
lack of workers' rights and environmental rules, enable the
country to export the pipe at prices below the cost of raw
materials, according to Gerard and seven steel pipe
manufacturers. As a result, U.S.-made pipe prices have
fallen, threatening thousands of American jobs.
|
