Posted: March 1, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: Announcement, Bargaining |
Brothers and Sisters, as we all know at this point District 6 is declaring that the AT&T Southwest Tentative Agreement has passed. I don’t think anyone should be surprised by this announcement; when our leadership declared that they had a ‘new’ TA which contained only two minor changes, and that they were going to spend tens of thousands of dollars to modify how votes were cast and counted it was very clear that they were attempting to manipulate the vote.
District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings stated that his intent was to make sure that more people voted, as ‘very few’ votes caused the first tentative agreement to fail. At the time of this writing (3/1/2013) District 6 has made a brief announcement that the new agreement passed, but is either unwilling or unable to provide any vote total information. This should come as no surprise; Vice President Cummings has been uncommunicative about vote specifics in the past. This lack of transparency has long been a point of concern. Here at CWA Local 6203, we announce yes and no vote totals to our members whenever there’s a vote; we feel that the members are entitled to this information.
We also make it easy to vote at CWA Local 6203; our Secretary-Treasurer traditionally visits each job site, verifies the identity and membership status of a member and then allows that member to cast a secret ballot. We also make voting available at the union hall, and our officers volunteer a lot of extra time to make sure that everyone interested in casting a ballot has the ability to do so.
Let’s compare that to this new contract. District 6 had ballots mailed out directly to members. Those who did not receive a ballot were instructed to call Scott Boswell of the American Arbitration Association during a three hour window by 2/21/2013. This announcement was posted to Facebook on 2/14/2013, giving members six total opportunities to request a ballot; all of them during regular work hours. I don’t suppose District 6 was intending to pay lost time to members who had no choice but to take time away from their job duties to request a ballot. Keep in mind that the rules stated that the only person who could request a ballot was the member who had not received a ballot; our membership was specifically barred from seeking assistance from our locals on this important matter.
On the one hand, we have a member-friendly approach to voting, one that allows members the choice to either vote before or after work, on a break, or during lunch at their place of employment and also affords members the ability to vote off-site at the local itself. On the other hand, we have mail in ballots which may or may not have been mailed out and an extremely short time frame for requesting a ballot should one not arrive in a timely manner. This is pretty classic vote suppression. It seems like Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings are of the same mind when it comes to voting rights.
Now, a lot of people are talking about what should be done about this. District 6 has recently purged the vast majority of comments from their Facebook page and posted a ‘commenting policy’ to explain it. It’s a sad comment on the state of things that District 6 is more interested in censoring the Facebook comments of its members than it is in bargaining with AT&T Southwest.
Before the great purge, there were several calls to either leave or attempt to decertify the union. Look folks, AT&T Southwest would like nothing more than for us to take these actions. So-called “Right To Work†laws are designed specifically to bankrupt unions so that we have no job protections whatsoever. Decertification of the union would be the end of the contract, and I am sure that AT&T Southwest would lose no time in eliminating pensions, destroying benefits and slashing pay. These are not the answers.
The answer is our leadership. We need leaders with a good grounding in what a union is supposed to be, one who will fight tirelessly for our membership. We need people who understand – truly understand – that generations of workers who came before us literally fought and died for things like an 8 hour work day. Everything we have was paid for in blood, and it’s so easy for uncaring leadership to throw it all away.
National President Larry Cohen often talks about coalition and movement building; we’re often told that we’re just not in quite good enough a position to hang onto everything we have. Wrong. The companies we work for are enjoying year after year of record profits. The CEO’s of America’s companies make more money than every single American Union Worker combined. It shouldn’t be this way.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is reported to have made over $22 million dollars in 2011 – and his healthcare is paid for, too. Does Randall Stephenson deserve a good salary? Absolutely. He runs a great company, and he runs it well. Can Randall Stephenson and AT&T afford to take far, far better care of its employees? Absolutely. Easily. Would executive multi-million dollar pay packages suffer if they did? Probably. If an executive has to make ends meet with a few million less dollars per year so that the people at the bottom can both put food on the table each day and go see a doctor once a year then that’s a fair trade.
Personally, I work for AT&T Mobility and am not directly affected by this contract, but I cannot sit idly by while my fellow members and our community are hurt like this. Offsetting raises with rising healthcare and spiraling retirement hurts the community at large. Solidarity isn’t just a catch phrase; we are literally all in this fight together, from the member who hired on yesterday all the way to the top.
We need leaders who understand and live the union vision and life. Vice President Claude Cummings has proven that he is not such a leader. I’m not sure what would motivate our leadership to endorse this contract, but it’s clear that the good of the members was not on their minds. Let’s make sure that when we have the chance to select our leaders, we select leaders who will consistently put the membership first. In the meantime, there are actions we can take to make sure we are heard on this contract. The CWA Constitution has provisions for filing a complaint against the union or its officers. The rules state that all complaints must be in writing, signed and submitted to the president of the union within sixty days of the time the complainant becomes aware of an alleged violation. I feel that ignoring the voice of the membership and taking steps to force the ratification of an unwanted contract is a violation and that complaints are warranted. If you agree, take the time to file a complaint. Get together with other members of your local and file complaints as a group. Be heard!
If there’s anything I can do to help, please feel free to contact me any time.
In actual solidarity,
Curtis R. Martin
806-786-5192
Posted: February 18, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: News |
My name is Curtis Martin, and I serve as a Steward for CWA Local 6203. Additionally I serve as the local’s Legislative Coordinator, Mobilization Coordinator and President of the Lubbock Central Labor Council. Apparently, titles matter to some people. I’d like to take some time to talk about this tentative agreement, which is largely unchanged from the TA District 6 already resoundingly voted down.
Brothers and Sisters, does our bargaining committee truly believe that 5 additional days of early bargaining is the best they can do for the members of District 6? What motivates the committee, along with District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings to try to frighten and bully the membership into changing their votes from no to yes? Why is District 6 using vote suppression techniques, mailing individual ballots out to what they “think†are the current addresses of our members, rather than allowing members to vote through their locals? Why does Vice President Cummings and his bargaining committee feel that our members don’t deserve a fully engaged team who are willing to go the distance and bargain for substantial gains?
District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings writes “I believe that we have negotiated a solid contract. I also believe that AT&T Southwest will attempt to “take back†the positive improvements we have made in this tentative agreement if we seek to return to the bargaining table.†Mr. Cummings, I disagree that we have negotiated a solid contract. At CWA Local 6203’s explanation meeting for the previous TA, a member asked Staff Representative Charlie Torres if he felt that TA was better or worse than the 2009 agreement. Mr. Torres stated, when asked, that the TA was worse than then 2009 agreement. This TA is largely unchanged from that TA, and is absolutely worse for the membership than the 2009 agreement. Mr. Cummings, when you say you ‘believe’ that AT&T Southwest will attempt to ‘take back’ the positive improvements in this TA should we go to regular bargaining, are you trying to frighten or intimidate the members you were elected to serve? Of course AT&T Southwest’s bargaining committee will negotiate the best deal for AT&T that they can – it’s their job. It’s our bargaining committee’s job to do the same thing for our members, and I strongly feel that they can do far better than they’ve bothered to do thus far.
Bargaining Committee member Chad Barnhill writes “Ask you neighbors, people you attend church with or family members what they are currently paying for healthcare.†He seems to believe that our Union should accept massive increases in healthcare because our non-union neighbors pay more for healthcare than we do. Mr. Barnhill should be ashamed of himself. Mr. Barnhill, please take the time to learn even just the basics of the history of the Union Movement. Our parents and grandparents did not fight their entire lives for you to surrender what little they’ve gained so readily.
Bargaining Committee member Joshua Kayser writes, in reference to returning to regular bargaining, “there will be no $1000 signing bonusâ€. Mr. Kayser, who cares about a $1000 lump sum payment when faced with the prospect of raises that don’t even attempt to keep up with the rising cost of living? That lump sum is nothing more than a bribe designed to trick the membership into selling out their own futures.
Bargaining Committee member Gerald Murray writes that he supports this tentative agreement without saying anything of substance other than to assert that he has leadership skills. I’ve seen no evidence, Mr. Murray.
Bargaining Committee member Jason Peavler writes, in addition to the same song and dance about a ratification bonus “The Leverage Service Representative Sales committee meeting was increased from 2 to 4 meetings a year with 2 additional Leverage Reps on the committee.†Great start. Let’s get back to the table and make sure that this committee has the ability to actually accomplish positive change for our members!
Bargaining Committee member Glynne Stanley writes “This agreement has better wage increases, less medical premiums, and better protections for our Customer Service Technicians and Service Representatives than the previous three CWA-ATT Contracts ratified in 2012.†We have heard the bargaining committee and District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings talk repeatedly about how our medical premiums are lower than the other districts that have ratified contracts. What they like to omit is that our premiums are lower by $5 per month. Now five dollars is a great start, I’ll admit it, but it’s far short of the heroic victory this bargaining committee seems to think it is. Get back to the table and bargain!
District 6 Staff Member Mike Neumann writes more of the same; there’s a one time $1000 bonus, the premiums are lower (lower by $5), etc. He says nothing of substance whatsoever. The same can be said for Staff Member Charlie Torres’ flaccid endorsement of this tentative agreement.
Finally, District 6 Staff Member Tony Shaffer writes “I say shame on you that have questioned the integrity of your fellow brothers that are dues paying members and have to live with the same contract.†and “Bargaining is about getting the best contract for all the members, not just a certain title.†Agreed, Mr. Shaffer. Shame on the elected officials and staff of District 6 who tell stories about ‘know nothing kids with three months service’ and don’t deserve better than they have. Bargaining is, indeed, about all members. Mr. Shaffer also writes “These CEO’s are all on each other’s board of directors and work on their bonus’ and salaries along with how to union bust. They have implemented a top-down mentality with corporations having the same business model. I have sat on Verizon’s bargaining table twice, Dish Network, Comcast several times and now with ATT. All of their philosophies are almost identical. They post record profits quarter after quarter, but come to the table and say how much they are losing in certain areas, except in the bottom line, PROFIT. “ Mr. Shaffer, the fact that companies are behaving more and more aggressively when it comes to unions and bargaining does not mean that we should rush to settle for poor and mediocre deals; now is the time for us to redouble our efforts and fight the good fight.
Mr. Shaffer also writes “I have also been to a few contract explanations that frankly, appalled me. One in particular didn’t even show respect enough to hear the explanation. They voted before it started. Not sure why, but it spoke volumes.†Mr. Shaffer, when these explanation meetings consist of staff reading, verbatim, the explanations that have already been e-mailed out, it’s no surprise when some members elect to vote and move on with their lives. It may surprise you, but we do know how to read.
Let’s return briefly to Mr. Cummings, who writes “Some members raise the possibility of going on strike. We all need to think long and hard about that. How long could we sustain a strike? Would it be effective? How long are you willing to stay out? A strike among 22,000 workers is a huge responsibility for all involved, with no guarantee of a positive outcome.†Mr. Cummings, why are you working harder to protect the CWA Strike Fund than you are your members?
Posted: February 11, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: Announcement, Bargaining |
Reminder: The town hall call for our current TA will be held on Tuesday, February 12th at 7:00 PM. Join us at the union hall or register to listen elsewhere at The District 6 Website.
Posted: February 7, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: Announcement, Bargaining |
In looking through the new final bargaining report released by District 6, we noticed that page 2 of the PDF contains the following language, also found on page 4 of the PDF from the failed tentative agreement: “If the agreement is ratified on or before January 31, 2013, a ratification bonus of $1000 will be paid to each eligible employee.”
CWA Local 6203 is working to determine whether this means there is not a ratification bonus on the table with this TA, or if in the rush to conclude early bargaining as quickly as possible the bargaining committee simply included information from the failed TA in this TA in error.
Posted: February 7, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: Announcement, Bargaining, News |
Included are the Final Bargaining Report as well as the highlights from this tentative agreement. We are including links to the previous TA, which did not ratify, for ease of access.
Highlights to the Current TA
Highlights to the Failed TA
Final Bargaining Report for the Current TA
Final Bargaining Report for The Failed TA
Posted: February 6, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: Announcement, Bargaining |
At 2:23 PM on February 6th, 2013 CWA Local 6203 President David Patton was notified through e-mail that there would be a conference call for all District 6 Local Presidents at 3:30 PM. On the conference call, President Patton was notified that our Bargaining Committee has reached a new Tentative Agreement with the Company, and have chosen to use Triple A to mail ballots directly to all members. At this time, the Bargaining Committee has chosen not to disclose any information about the pending Tentative Agreement, although we are being informed that the agreement is unanimously endorsed by the Bargaining Committee.
An explanation is to be mailed to each member directly on February 7th, 2013 with ballots following on the 8th. Ballots must be returned by February 25th, 2013 so please plan accordingly. Instructions on how to vote and where to return your ballots should be included with the ballot. District 6 intends to inform Local Presidents of the highlights of the new Tentative Agreement on February 12th. These decisions have been made at the district level without any input from CWA Local 6203, and the district has declined to provide any information about the Tentative Agreement at this time. CWA Local 6203 will make available any information about this tentative agreement immediately as we receive it.
We strongly recommend that in addition to checking this web site, members monitor the District 6 website for possible information on this forthcoming Tentative Agreement, as District 6 has indicated that they intend to make information available through that source as early as today. The District 6 website can be found at district6.cwa-union.org.
CWA Local 6203 is deeply disappointed that our Bargaining Committee has chosen to ignore the ballots from the previous TA, which clearly stated “I understand that a NO vote means CWA/AT&T would engage in traditional bargaining.” and has instead rushed to another Tentative Agreement, seemingly without regard for the desires of the dues-paying members.
President Patton is fully committed to closely monitoring this developing situation and immediately posting all new information as it becomes available. President Patton would like to express his apologies to our membership. He feels that our members should be better informed at this time. When the membership spoke and voted down the previous TA, his recommendation to everyone in District 6 on a Presidents Followup call was to return to the members for additional input on what they would like to see in further bargaining. We regret that District 6 was unable to take the time to meet this request. On that call, District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings expressed his intention to return to early bargaining without delay.
Posted: January 30, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: Announcement, Bargaining |
The District 6 Tentative Agreement did not ratify. District 6 has declined to disclose votes by local, stating that the vote was ‘close’. More information will be posted as it becomes available.
There was a Presidents Call at 4:00 PM on 1/30/2013 to discuss this, at which time our Local President David Patton and others on the call requested time be made available for our members to provide feedback on what changes they would like to see as the contract does not expire until April 6th. At the time of the requests, District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings indicated that the bargaining team intends to return to the table tomorrow and would like to quickly come to a new tentative agreement.
Posted: January 29, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: Announcement, Bargaining |
The official vote total for 6203 is 41 yes votes, 122 no votes.
Posted: January 8, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: Announcement, Bargaining |
District Six has made the following documents available, and CWA Local 6203 feels that it is very important for our members to have a chance to review these documents prior to the upcoming ratification vote.
Final Bargaining Report
Negotiating Report, 1 of 2
Negotiating Report, 2 of 2
Posted: January 3, 2013 | Author: Patton | Filed under: News |
The Texas Democratic Women and Lubbock Community Theatre will be presenting the Texas Premier of If A Door Opens. If A Door Opens is a one-woman play about labor leader Frances Perkins, who worked to improve all of our lives. There will be three showings of this important play, January 24th-26th, each to be held at 7:30 PM.
