March 15, 2007

CWA, IBT Urge US Airways to Restore Customer Service

Following a meltdown in US Airways' computer reservations system that resulted in long customer lines and other problems at Charlotte, Buffalo, Philadelphia and other airports in early March, CWA and the Teamsters urged US Airways' CEO to restore customer service staffing to levels necessary to relieve an overworked and overburdened workforce.

"We are writing to express the serious concerns and frustrations coming from customer service agents," wrote CWA President Larry Cohen and IBT President James P. Hoffa in a joint letter to US Airways Chairman and CEO Douglas Parker. "The effects of continued short staffing have been wearing enough on US Airways agents," they told Parker, "but the recent computer reservations system switchover has made the situation intolerable for customers and agents." CWA and IBT jointly represent the airline's 8,000 agents.

Within hours of the airline's March 4 switchover to another reservations system, the system imploded, creating interminable delays in the eastern U.S., as agents struggled to access customers' reservations and ticketing records. In addition, nearly three quarters of the airline's entire network of self-service "kiosks" were also shut down.

The agents, whose total workforce at the combined US Airways-America West has fallen from 14,000 to 8,000, worked through their shifts without going to the bathroom, taking breaks, or even getting water. Local managers required agents to continue working into overtime despite being exhausted at the end of their regular shifts.

"I have never seen our people so upset," said Janice Garris, president of CWA Local 3641 and a former US Airways customer service agent. "We had senior people who were so stressed out because they were unable to help their customers. Many agents were literally in tears," she said. Garris said that the agents received three days of training, but were trained "in theory" using manuals and a mock-up of the system, not the actual program.

Some managers actually blamed agents for the breakdown and delays, something Cohen and Hoffa told Parker was unacceptable. "The switchover. . . caused an enormous amount of turmoil at airports across the system," they said, noting, "This resulted in agents who take pride in their professionalism and ability to service customers being unable to do so, yet in many cases they were being blamed by local managers for the meltdown."

The union presidents said understaffing and mandatory overtime are routine at many airports. In Charlotte, for example, there are 38-40 vacancies on a daily basis in airport customer service, with similar short staffing at Philadelphia and other locations, they wrote. The union presidents reminded Parker that union representatives had "raised the issue with management for more than a year, with no results."

Accenture Deal Dead; Local Looks to Rebuild Texas Social Services

The state of Texas ended a multimillion contract to privatize crucial social services programs, including food stamps, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, all work done by members of the Texas State Employees Union, CWA Local 6186. 

The decision to end the contract with Accenture, a $543 million, five-year deal, is a major victory for TSEU. The statewide local has been fighting back against the privatization plan first proposed in 2003 that would have closed 99 human services offices, threatened 2,900 state worker jobs and hurt people most in need of critical social services.

TSEU waged a public campaign against the privatization plan, pointing out that communities and residents who depend on these programs were not being served. More than 12,000 cases are backlogged because Accenture employees could not do the job properly. 

"This development goes a long way toward ending a wasteful and damaging boondoggle," said local President Judy Lugo, but "it does not by itself result in a restoration of quality human services eligibility determination."

For now, state employees will run the Children's Health program and manage Accenture subcontractors until the agency decides who will handle the work. State employees will assume a greater role, though some work will still be done by private contractors.

The local is focused on ending the state's use of contractors and rebuilding social services staff, to ensure the quality services residents need. TSEU recommends adding about 1,000 new positions to restore staff to 2004 levels and creating a program to bring back skilled tenured staff that left the agency. The state also should consider ways to enhance services and work with front-line eligibility workers to do this, TSEU said.

Because of confusion as to who is eligible for CHIPS and children's Medicaid services, TSEU also proposes that the state create a one-stop system so that one worker could determine the best program in which to place applicants.

The Health and Human Services Commission should now concentrate on rebuilding the system, which worked well until the agency tried to dismantle it, TSEU said.

New York Times Editorial Supports Employee Free Choice Act

A strong lead editorial in the New York Times reinforces the need for the Employee Free Choice Act, to counter the unfairness of the current broken system. "There is little doubt that federal rules and regulations for union organizing have also become increasingly hostile to labor. If Mr. Bush were, as he claims, truly concerned about rising income inequality and truly committed to improving the lives of America's middle class, he would support the legislation and urge the Senate to approve it," the New York Times wrote.   

The March 6 editorial followed passage of the Employee Free Choice Act in the House of Representatives by a 241- 185 vote. "The most significant change in the bill is known as a majority signup, which would allow employees at a company to unionize if a majority signed cards expressing their desire to do so," the editorial said. "Under current law, an employer can reject the majority's signatures and insist on a secret ballot. But in a disturbingly high number of cases, the employer uses the time before the vote to pressure employees to rethink their decision to unionize."

Verizon Business technicians in New England and New York, whose choice for union representation was verified by prominent elected officials and community leaders in New England, were featured in a newspaper ad by CWA in the New York Times and the Boston Globe. The ad called on Verizon to respect the workers' choice and recognize their bid for union representation. 

"Other techs at Verizon and workers at companies like ours around the world have bargaining rights," the ad states, explaining that a majority of workers have signed cards seeking a union. "Now it's time for Verizon to do what's right and recognize our right to a union voice and fair contract."

The ad is part of CWA's campaign pressing employers to recognize the rights of workers to make a free and fair choice about union representation and to bargain a fair contract.

The ad also points out that leading elected officials are supporting the Employee Free Choice Act and the campaign by the former MCI technicians for a union voice.

CWA and the IBEW are working together to force Verizon to "Tear Down the Wall" it created between the union-represented and non-union parts of the company.

See the ad on CWA's homepage at www.cwa-union.org. Read the New York Times editorial at http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca/.

More than 600 CWA Activists Head to Washington, D.C.

In CWA's version of a triple play, union activists will converge on Washington, D.C., next weekend to immerse themselves in the annual legislative, women's, and safety and health conferences.

The Employee Free Choice Act will be center stage at the Legislative and Political Conference, beginning March 25, and will be a key issue that more than 600 CWA members from across the country will discuss in meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

House members have passed the organizing and collective bargaining bill; the bill now moves on to the Senate. 

"The business lobby is spending tens of millions of dollars to try to defeat our effort to restore basic workers' rights through the Employee Free Choice Act," CWA President Larry Cohen said. "We're not going to let that happen. We're fighting back against the CEOs who demand contracts for themselves but refuse to recognize workers rights."

Healthcare for all, pensions and retirement security and quality jobs also are key issues on the agenda.

Activists attending the Women's Conference, March 24-25, will come away with a lot of practical experience while learning about many vital union issues, including the Employee Free Choice Act, the Stewards Army and health care. Seminars will discuss everything from domestic violence and identity theft to advice on running for office and retirement planning.

The Occupational Safety and Health Conference, March 23-25, features a full slate of seminars, with a special emphasis on electrical hazards for telecom technicians. In the past year, four Verizon technicians have been killed in electrical accidents, others have been injured and even more have reported close calls.

The risks will be examined in a four-hour refresher course on electrical safety, as well as a panel discussion and strategy session  Other panels and seminars will look at hazardous materials, indoor air quality, the Family and Medical Leave Act and Americans with Disabilities Act, workplace ergonomics and more. A full schedule is available online at http://www.cwa-union.org/issues/osh/articles/page.jsp?itemID=28214000.

To learn more about the legislative conference, click on http://www.cwa-legislative.org/conference/2007-conference.html.

Did Big Business Have a Change of Heart Over FMLA?

Claiming it wants to "protect the integrity" of the Family and Medical Leave Act, a coalition of business groups calling itself the National Coalition to Protect Family Leave has asked the Labor Department to make changes in the legislation so the law is "available to those employees Congress intended to cover."

The coalition believes that companies face too many problems in trying to figure out when to grant leave and would prefer to limit the law's benefits, according to a news report published by the Bureau of National Affairs.

But the campaign launched by corporate America last year to weaken or outright eliminate FMLA, which has helped an estimated 50 million working Americans since it became law in 1993, shows the group's true colors. "Changing FMLA is our No. 1 priority right now in terms of labor issues," the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has said.

Two of the new coalition's leading members are the National Association of Manufacturers and the Chamber of Commerce. The coalition is trying to repackage its opposition to the law – which is critical to the well-being of working families -- in a "family friendly way." Even the web site sounds worker friendly: www.protectfamilyleave.org.

The coalition's – and big business's major target – are provisions of FMLA which enable workers to take family and medical leave on an "intermittent" basis. Currently, workers can exercise FMLA for part of a day or on an occasional basis. This provision has enabled thousands of workers to get the medical treatment they or their families need, without risking their jobs.

CWA and other unions are fighting to save the law, and CWA has filed a response with the Labor Department regarding its plans to revise the law and make it harder for workers to take FMLA leave.

IN BRIEF:

  • Alcatel Lucent workers marched through the streets of Paris this week in a continuing worldwide protest by workers against the company's plan to cut 12,500 jobs.

    Joining the 3,000 French demonstrators were Alcatel Lucent workers from Italy, Germany, Spain and other countries where the company is threatening to cut jobs.

    CWA Vice President Ralph Maly, Communications and Technologies, sent a message of solidarity and support, calling the company's actions "anti-worker and anti-community."

    Alcatel Lucent is pressing to get rid of union workers wherever it can as it follows what clearly is a flawed business plan that has resulted in the failure to make needed investments; weakening of critical research and development capabilities; outsourcing increasing amounts of production to low-wage countries; an ever growing list of laid-off workers and absurdly high executive pay and perks, Maly said.

    "Our ability to successfully resist the destructive strategy that Alcatel-Lucent is pursuing depends on united action and mutual support. We stand with you in solidarity and know that you stand with us as well," he said.

  • Flight attendants at US Airways and America West Airlines, members of AFA-CWA, picketed outside US Airways? corporate headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., this week, expressing their frustration over the slow pace of contract negotiations.

    Bargaining to merge the two flight attendant contracts began in January 2006, with little progress to date, and no discussion at all of economic issues, said Gary Richardson, president of the America West Master Executive Council. Delays are causing endless problems for both flight attendants and passengers, he added.

    Mike Flores, president of the US Airways Master Executive Council, said "management must begin to treat flight attendants and our loyal customers as assets rather than liabilities," adding that management needs to keep its promises.