Letter from Local President David Patton

DECEMBER 31 , 2012

DEAR LOCAL 6203 MEMBERS,

WE ARE ABOUT TO COMPLETE ANOTHER YEAR AND ANOTHER CONTRACT WITH AT&T CORE. WHAT AN INTERESTING YEAR IT HAS BEEN, ESPECIALLY THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. OUR REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING HAS BEEN CHANGED TO JANUARY 8TH, 2013 DUE TO THE HOLIDAY. PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING SEVERAL ISSUES, INCLUDING THE TEMPORARY AGREEMENT (TA) REACHED DECEMBER 22, 2012 BY OUR BARGAINING TEAM AND AT&T (CORE). THIS TA IS POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE, AS WELL AS THE COMPANY’S AND BOTH SAY THE SAME THING.

FOLLOWING ARE A FEW FACTS THAT WE HAVE CONCERNING THE TA;

1. IT WAS BARGAINED BY OUR BARGAINING COMMITTEE AND THE COMPANY BETWEEN DEC 8^th AND DEC 21^st 2012
2. MYSELF AND OTHER DELEGATE(S) (TBA) FROM OUR LOCAL WILL ATTEND AN EXPLANATION MEETING IN DALLAS JAN 7^th,2013 WHERE WE SHOULD RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION AND GET SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
3. THE CURRENT TA IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY THE NEW CONTRACT AND MUST BE VOTED ON BY THE MEMBERSHIP OF DISTRICT 6. THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE, AND THE COMPANY WANT THIS VOTE IN BY JAN 30^th2013.
4. THE CURRENT TA THAT WE RECENTLY RECEIVED SEEMS TO CLOSLY RESEMBLE THE CONTRACT OF DISTRICT 3, THIS IS BASED ON THE LIMITED INFORMATION THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE CONCERNING OUR TA. THIS CERTAINLY DOES NOT MEAN THE CURRENT TA IS GOING TO BE OUR CONTRACT, NOR DOES IT IMPLY THAT OUR COMMITTEE AND THE COMPANY ARE TRYING TO PATTERN BARGAIN THE DISTRICT 6 (OUR) CONTRACT TO RESEMBLE THE OTHER CONTRACTS ALREADY RATIFIED. I HAVE FAITH IN OUR BARGAINING COMMITTEE, AND I AM SURE WE WILL RECEIVE AN EXPLANATION OF WHY ALL THE INFORMATION FROM EVERY DISTRICT SEEMS TO BE SO UNIFORM. THIS TOPIC WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE EXPLANATION MEETING 1/7/13 IN DALLAS. MYSELF AS WELL AS THE OTHER LOCAL 6203 DELEGATES WILL SHARE ALL OF OUR FINDINGS AT THE MEMBERSHIP MEETING 1/8/13.

Please email any questions you would like to ask concerning the TA to the Union Hall, @ local@cwa6203.org . We will endeavor to present them to the bargaining committee and get an answer. The meeting on 1/8/13 will not be the Local explanation/ratification vote meeting, but you will be provided all of the information we learn from the meeting in Dallas the day before. With the information we currently have there is no way to make an educated vote. After the District explanation meeting 1/7/13 and the membership meeting 1/8/13 we will have the Local Explanation/Ratification vote meeting approximately 10-12 days later in the hopes we will all have sufficient information to make a well educated vote. Visit our website frequently for any new information that may arise.

Please come to the membership meeting prepared to ask questions and express concerns relating to any local issues, rumors or other occurrences you may want to address or discuss. Myself, the local officers and e-board will be available to provide feedback and or answers. We will then discuss the core contract, the TA, and the findings and new information from the Dallas meeting.

Sincerely,

David Patton Pres. CWA Local 6203

website– cwa6203.org

Anyone with concerns or questions may call me anytime @806 543 5355 dp