Letter From Local President David Patton
Posted: October 23, 2012 Filed under: News Leave a comment »UPDATE FROM THE PRESIDENT/ CWA LOCAL 6203
OCTOBER 22, 2012
Greetings everyone, It’s been some kind of crazy year! I have seen so many “firsts†and gotten so many surprises and changes it has been difficult to keep up with. With all that has gone on with the Union and Company we, here at 6203 have fared better than most. For this, I want to thank the officers, and stewards, and most of all the members. In these times when there seems to be a lot of “unknown and unexpected†we have held together well. There are several current events and developments on the horizon that I would like to keep you informed about, as well as add some facts to some things you may have heard.
Union Hall Address 405 50th st – #793-6203 -Davids cell 806-543-5355
- The regular Monthly Meeting has been changed to Monday November 5th 2012; 6:30pm for the membership meeting and 5:30pm for the E-board meeting. This will be a very important meeting and I encourage all to attend.
- The December Monthly Membership/E-board Meeting date had to be changed as well. Meetings times remain the same, but we will be meeting on Tuesday, December 11, 2012. The date changes have been posted on the Union boards also.
- The Success Sharing Plan (SSP) (core employees only) has been confirmed by District 6 should be on the November 30th check. More information can be found in the linked post.
- The current Contract for Core expires April 6th 2013 @ 11:59pm; unless it is extended due to further bargaining, if a new agreement has not been reached. Early bargaining should start soon. This is one of the reasons the next few meetings are so important. We will be discussing mobilization activities and giving updates so again, please try to attend.
- Bargaining Proposals – very important you get these in. Every member is on a team with a strike captain assigned to that team. If you have any questions about this or the bargaining proposal, please call the hall. The proposals you turn in will be voted on by the membership at the next meeting; the Bargaining Proposal is what you submit to request a change or addition to the contract. If you know what you would like to see happen but don’t know how to put it into words, call me on my cell 806 543 5355 and I will give you a hand. These proposals should be very important to the Leveraged Service Rep as well as the Premise Tech. See the 2013 Bargaining Proposals Post for further information.
- AT&T’s big announcement on November 7th 2012: Fierce Telecom Article
- The Voluntary pension contribution from AT&T Mobility to the core fund: My belief is its being done to support and gain favor for the Nov. 7th announcement. AT&T’s Announcement. CWA’s Comment on AT&T’s Announcement
- Retirees benefit cost increase: it appears that premiums will be increasing from $17.50 mo. to $221.25. Call David Patton directly for further information.
- Bargaining Information Around The Nation:
As for me, I still believe we can win any fight and be successful in getting a fair and equitable contract. I have no fear when representing our members and our Local. Thank You for your trust and support. UNITED WE BARGAIN DIVIDED WE BEG- I n Unity; David Patton, President CWA Local 6203
Union Hall 806 793 6203 cell 806 543 5355
Success Sharing Plan
Posted: October 22, 2012 Filed under: News Leave a comment »The following is a quote from a memo from District 6 to Local Presidents:
“We have received several calls from Locals asking about the 2012 Success Sharing Plan award payouts. The company has confirmed that the award will be made to eligible employees on November 30, 2012. The company also indicated that they anticipate having additional information available next week. Once that is made available to us, the information will be disseminated to the Locals.”
The following is an unofficial estimate of what the Success Sharing payout may work out to. These figures are subject to misunderstanding or correction, and should be taken as an optimistic estimate only until an official announcement is made.
The September 28, 2012 closing price of the stock was $37.70. The 10/3/2011 closing prices was $28.16. This is a difference of $9.54$1.75.
$9.54×150 works out to $1431.00. $175×150 works out to $262.50. These total to 1,693.50. After a tax of 30% and the deduction of Union Dues, we estimate that the checks may be between $1100-1200.
CWA Comment on Voluntary Pension Contribution by AT&T
Posted: October 22, 2012 Filed under: Announcement Leave a comment »The following is from a memo from CWA to local Presidents:
“Washington, D.C. — The Communications Workers of America is pleased to see that AT&T is taking steps to further strengthen its defined benefit pension fund. Retirement security is a critical issue for working families, and AT&T’s action means a strong future for the fund.
AT&T’s announcement comes at a time when many companies have moved in the opposite direction, eliminating or underfunding their pension plans and putting workers’ retirement security at risk.
The Department of Labor will review AT&T’s request to ensure compliance with regulations designed to safeguard plan participants.”
AT&T’s Pension Funding Announcement
Posted: October 22, 2012 Filed under: Announcement Leave a comment »From Randall Stephenson, CEO
“AT&T continues to provide retirement benefits, including pensions, to our employees and retirees at a time when only about one-third of Fortune 500 companies provide ongoing pensions. As reported in our annual report, we ended 2011 with $10.2 billion more in pension liabilities than assets in our pension trust, which was largely due to the economic downturn.
To address this deficit, today we announced plans to voluntarily contribute to our pension trust a preferred equity interest in our growing wireless business, valued at $9.5 billion. While we estimate our required funding for 2013 would be only about $300 million, our Board of Directors, my leadership team and I agree it’s important that we continue to strengthen our pension fund to help ensure earned benefits will be there for our approximately 600,000 U.S. employees and retirees. This proposal requires approval by the U.S. Department of Labor.
This contribution will help us significantly improve the funding of our pension, enhancing its strength at a time when many companies have eliminated pensions. And funding the pension this way addresses our pension commitments while giving us the financial flexibility to continue to invest in our business and return value to our investors — including the hundreds of thousands of you who are also shareholders in our company.
I’m proud that we’ve found an innovative approach that will enhance the strength of the pension fund. It’s the right thing to do for our employees, our company and our investors.
Randall”
Election 2012
Posted: October 22, 2012 Filed under: Legislative, News Leave a comment »The AFL-CIO has a comprehensive website available at http://www.aflcio.org/Legislation-and-Politics/Election-2012 with a wealth of information important not only to all union members, but to everyone who works (or worked) for a living.
2012 Success Sharing Plan
Posted: October 22, 2012 Filed under: Announcement Leave a comment »District 6 has informed us that eligible employees can expect the 2012 Success Sharing Plan payout on 11/30/2012. The District is expecting more specific information from the company over the coming weeks, which we will share with our members here as it becomes available.
Soda Can Pop Tops
Posted: October 22, 2012 Filed under: Announcement Leave a comment »Now through the end of 2012, we are collecting soda can pop tops for our local Secretary-Treasurer, Janice Bell. Please save your pop tops and bring them to the union hall or pass them forward to your steward for collection. Thanks!
November E-Board and Membership Meetings
Posted: October 22, 2012 Filed under: Announcement, Events Leave a comment »The November E-Board and Membership meetings will be held on Monday, November 5th. The E-Board meeting will begin at 5:30 PM, with the general Membership meeting scheduled to begin at 6:30. The change of dates is needed due to a scheduling conflict with the November CIF.
OCTOBER EBOARD & MONTHLY MEETING
Posted: September 27, 2012 Filed under: News Leave a comment »This is just a reminder that the Executive Board & Membership Meetings will be held on Tuesday October 2, 2012 at the following times.
Executive Board Meeting 5:30pm
Membership Meeting 6:30pm
Please come and bring any questions, comments or concerns that you may have. We will also provide updates on a few things, as well as other information.
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