Bargaining Update Call Information

Tonight’s bargaining update call was an informative one. For those who missed it, an archive of the call will be available at district6.cwa-union.org/mobilitycall later this week, and you can review the earlier calls as well.

Among the many issues covered, we have been asked to take time to dial 888-877-2040 to express our support for HR 3596, the United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act. Please get involved with supporting this important legislation and ask family and friends to get involved too; this affects everyone you know and could make a real difference for our local community as well.

Also discussed on the call were strike authorization ballots. As mentioned, this does not mean we are on strike, or are voting to strike. We are voting to give the Union authority to authorize a strike in the event that the bargaining committee and the company are not able to come to an agreement on a good, fair contract. It is very important that the bargaining committee be able to demonstrate broad support for this measure from our membership; solidarity on this issue is both the best way to ensure the best contract possible as well as reducing the possibility of an actual strike. The company will want to avoid the possibility of a strike when they see that we are all united on this issue.

For a strike authorization ballot, see a steward. We will be distributing the ballots to stewards as early as tomorrow and expect them to be widely available by the end of this week.

February Meeting Reminder

Local 6203’s monthly meeting is to be held this Tuesday, February 7th. The Executive Board meeting is at 5:30 PM, with the general membership meeting begining at 6:30 PM. These meetings are your forum; they are your opportunity to have questions and concerns addressed, they are your chance to vote on issues including how your dues money is spent. Grab a fellow member or two and make every effort to be here!

Bargaining Begins!

Kicking Things Off

District 6 Bargaining begain at 10:00 AM today, January 31st, 2012. Locally, Cora Ward got us off to a start first thing this morning, signing up new members and helping to provide information to our membership. We had several others on hand to help as the day went by and all in all it was a good start to the process for us.

As of 4:30 PM we have signed up nine new members, a great start to bargaining!

One of our concerns is that the company may push to include a Leveraged Service Representative title in this contract, something we are deeply opposed to. We have reached out to every local in the district to express our concern, and the response has been largely in agreement with our position.

Unfortunately, we have had less luck getting a commitment — or even a response — from the district on this important issue. We have reached out to District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings and are anxiously awaiting a reply.

There will be a special meeting tonight at 6:30 PM for the Core Leveraged Service Reps. Members are welcome to come listen in to find out about the working conditions these members endure and hear about their concerns.

Mobility Bargaining Begins Tuesday, 1/31/2012!

Mobility bargaining begins Tuesday, 1/31/2012. If you work in the Mobility call center, make an effort to wear red tomorrow. We will have stewards available at a table in the hallway throughout the day and out Local President, David Patton, will be present for several hours to address your questions and concerns. If you don’t have one already, stop by to get a red bracelet and remind AT&T that we stand united for a good contract! We will also have sheets for the membership to sign which we will be faxing to the bargaining committee to assist them in demonstrating that we stand behind the bargaining efforts!

Special LSR Meeting

We are hosting a meeting for our Leveraged Service Representatives on 1/31/2012 at 6:30 PM, to be held at the Union Hall at 405 50th Street. While the meeting will be addressing issues of specific concern to Leveraged Service Representatives, all members are welcome to attend.

Conference Call Reminder

As a reminder, members and non-members alike are welcome to join us at the Union Hall, 405 50th Street this Sunday 1/29/2012. We will open the doors at 6:30 PM, the conference call begins at 7:00 PM and is expected to last an hour. We will have discussion afterwards, including some information about Union activities to be held at the call center next week for the start of bargaining.

If you cannot make it to the hall but want to hear the conference call, you have two other options. You can text UPDATE to 69866 from your mobile phone, or you can sign up or listen to the call online at district6.cwa-union.org/mobilitycall.

Come out and see us!