UNIT 3

AVP John Seeley

john.cwa7019@gmail.com

February 2, 2015

NOTICE!!!!!

UNIT 3

MEETING

AREA VICE PRESIDENT: John Seeley

There will be a Unit 3 meeting held to nominate and elect Area Rep(s) for Area(s) 1, 2, 3 and 4

If for some reason you are unable to attend the meeting for nominations and elections you should have two letters on file with the Secretary/Treasurer of Local 7019. One letter from a member in your area to nominate you as a candidate with a second signature from another member in the area as the second to the nomination.  The second letter should come from you the candidate accepting the nomination.

The meeting will be held:

DATE:          Wednesday  February 11, 2015

TIME:           6:00pm        

PLACE:        Hilton Hotel  - 20 E Thomas

Nominations will be from 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Voting will be at 7:00pm

PLEASE ATTEND THIS IMPORTANT MEETING!

30

  afl-cio

April 9, 2014

Brothers and Sisters

We have seen quite a few changes since the last report. We have seen a lot of growth both in our unit and other units. We have also seen our repair center close and so this growth is at best bittersweet. We have a lot of new members and have been very successful signing up new hires. We also have seen that there has been a lot of misinformation and the training experience has been uneven at best for our new classes. We have had VSPP offers in the SSS offline support center and the Tempe data center. We also have seen a lot of hiring for English CMC, Offline support SSC groups and at AT&T retail.

Offline support – our biggest challenge is the equal and fair implementation of the Ensemble Winback work. When we received this work from the Centurylink unit, we were behind thousands of orders and as a result we have seen 8 hours forced overtime each week, and it has definitely taken a toll in its workgroup. The good news is that we have caught up, and are keeping even with the work, the problems remain are still bad or nonexistent process, and the work is not being fairly distributed throughout the workgroup. We have had many discussions with the company and as a result they have 5 additional reps in training, and are starting to rotate the inbound and offline work more fairly. We will continue to monitor this and make sure that there is parity in the distribution of the work assignments. Also this week the Overtime was dropped from 8 hours to 6 hours so we are seeing progress there.

In offline support it has been busy but fairly quiet. The company has been not been disciplining for performance, but has been watching the use of electronic devices, especially tablets and smartphones. Please be careful, the managers are watching (at least those that actually watch). There also has been some coach movement with a few teams swapping places. We will see more movement as we are going to have every seat filled on 14 and 15

CMC units (Cobros, English, Escalation, and Small Business) - We have had a lot of growth in the CMC units and a lot of changes for some groups. The company decided that the Escalation team should be on their own vacation calendar. This decision was made by the company and without agreement from the union. There are some positives and negatives in having a workgroup separated as far as vacation goes but we feel that down the road it weakens the unit overall and always want our groups as large as possible not only to protect against a surplus but to make sure we can maximize vacation options.  We have seen a small amount of bilingual Ensemble work come into the escalation group, and originally were going to have Saturday hours. Saturdays have been put on hold indefinitely. Cobros has been very stable, we did have some volunteers leave cobras to join the English team, and we were able to accomplish this without anyone being forced. At this time there are no plans to work Saturdays in the Cobros unit. Where we have seen our greatest growth is in the English CMC. We are saddened that some of this growth was the result of small CMC centers being closed, however we are always willing and able to take on additional work here in Phoenix. Our CMC English group has blossomed from 6 employees to over 110 with more still coming in through follow your work options and street hiring. Included in that total are 26 repair employees who were able to stay on payroll after their center was closed. We are delighted to welcome our new members, and returning members to the unit. Our biggest issues in the English CMC are ones that are normal when there are massive new hire classes - Attendance and Tardy infractions. I want to be very honest here a 15 minute break is 15 minutes and as most of us know the company has very little mercy or compassion  if you violate the rules. They also don’t care why you are absent, but they strictly adhere to the absence policy. This is non-negotiable and the company makes their decisions without regards to performance achievement. It is very important that if called to a disciplinary meeting that you take a steward with you, as we have found issues that we can correct, but if we are not aware of the issues we cannot assist you.

AT&T Wireless Retail There has been some serious issues that we as a union have discovered and put an end to regarding racial intolerance and sexual harassment. We have also been working to build relationships with store managers, but as is usual for retail stores managers seem to come and go on a regular basis. We have not seen discipline since August for RSSM, and most of the discipline focuses on the 5 key behaviors and COBC. We have seen rollouts of 2 different comp plans and see that AT&T is pushing digital life and the managers continue to roll camera film with an emphasis from walking away from your store tablets and inventory errors.

Centurylink Retail – we did have a break in at one of our locations please always be careful and we do see retail stores transition from Kiosks to actual retail stores.

Orion Workgroups – It has been business as usual other than the VSPP offer. We continue to watch the impact of the transition of the operator work to vendors, but do not see center impact at this time.

In Unity

John Seeley
Area Vice President

February 2014

 Brothers and Sisters

If you only skim the report at least read this section. On February 12th at 730 here at the Hall we are going to have a very important meeting. There are several large changes to the contract that are going to be affecting our members especially surrounding  overtime,  sick pay, wage replacement time, call monitoring and  the administration of FMLA.  If you want to be informed about these changes please make it a point to come to our Unit meeting. THE COMPANY WILL NOT TELL YOU ABOUT THESE CHANGES – DON’T BE A VICTIM BE INFORMED

I will also buy dinner for everyone at the meeting; I appreciate how valuable your time is

Centurylink
We have seen a lot of change over the last month, and we probably are going to see even more soon, based on the way things have been going.  We have seen something that we haven’t seen in a while in both the RSC and Collection centers, New Hires. Please look around and if you see a new face say hello and welcome your fellow brother or sister. I am pleased to say that the vast majority of our new employees are also new members. I hope that you will join me in welcoming them aboard.  We also have had a VISP offer in the RSC; hopefully the company will announce how many people they will offer retirement to by the end of this week or the beginning of next week.  Kind of Ironic hiring new employees and having a VISP in the same month   isn’t it?

Contracts can be found online at both our homepage www.cwa7019.org/Documents/CWA_Qwest_Master_Labor_Agreement_2012-2017.pdf and on the company labor page. If you prefer a hard copy of the contract you can order it at this link. hrlink.wufoo.com/forms/contract-request/

Please note I am not recommending that you order a paper copy, I am bound by the contract not to recommend that, I just want you to have all of your options, and unlike the company I want you to know about them. 

AT&T
We have great news in that the District has announced the resolution of the grievance filed when AT&T  removed the chairs from their stores without the permission of the Union. All RSC’s and SSR’s will receive a 250.00 payment in addition to all stores being redesigned to include a place for our members to sit. I have heard that AT&T is telling employees they are doing this not because of us, but to be more like Apple.  Don’t believe the lies.

Bargaining started in District 3 last month, good luck to our brothers and sisters. What they achieve becomes a template for our next contract.

In Unity

John

PS. the Hall address is 1615 North 36th Street • Phoenix, AZ 85008

December 2013

Brothers and Sisters

2013 has almost come to a close, and what a year it has been!  We have seen contracts negotiated for DEX, AT&T and after over a year of bargaining Centurylink. We have as a Local made a commitment to re-organize AT&T Mobility, and after almost a year of effort we are finally seeing the results of the presence we have had in their retail environment. We have finally gotten a contract for Centurylink, and although it was not what we were expecting, at this point that battle is over and we can begin to prepare for the next one. Dex continues to struggle, as the phone book business overall does.

I could do a breakdown area by area and each group would have the same basic story. The company changes things without putting any thought into the consequences of their actions and our members have to find a way to overcome it. This could be said with AT&T changing their metrics and having them so out of kilter they have suspended RSSM for 3 months or Centurylink with a disastrous upgrade to Windows 7 that has eliminated a lot of the tools we use to do our jobs, moving  Ensemble work into our centers without the proper planning,  and making decisions that show a lack of organization and consideration for the employee.  What I want to do instead is talk about what we have accomplished as a Unit and where we go from here. We have as a Local put a lot of time and effort into revitalizing AT&T. We have seen our membership rise over 20 percent this year and are making a difference in the respect given our members and stewards. We have trained 5 AT&T stewards and for the first time ever AT&T employees will control their destiny. We have seen a lot of activity in the Sales support center, a few retirements and a lot of additional work brought into the centers, including Consumer feet on the street, Ensemble Business Winback, Ensemble Consumer Winback, Business feet on the street, 3rd party E-com, and Prism. What this means is more jobs and more Job security for our members. We have seen our headcount increase in the last 6 months by over 32 employees due to the work that has been moved in from vendors and non-represented work. In Cobros we have not yet seen similar growth, but with the leadership changing in that organization we will be putting our best foot forward in 2014 and hope to see additional headcount brought in.  Orion in Tempe has been holding strong and has seen the addition of some Centurylink database work.

All in all it has been a year that we have accomplished a lot for our members.  It has also been a year of bitter disappointment in both the AT&T contract and Centurylink Contracts.

As for 2014 and beyond we need to do several things, and I do say we because it is going to be up to each and every one of us. If you work at Centurylink start saving for a strike in 2017 because that is what it will probably take to get a fair contract. If you work for AT&T commit to mobilizing in 2016 to make your power felt. We need to show up at work because the easiest way to close a center down is due to out of control attendance.  We need as a local and as an international union to build coalitions among likeminded groups from immigration reform to environmental groups and even Occupy and church groups to leverage the power we do have for change. We don’t have to agree on every issue; just enough to make sure workers are treated fairly and with respect, both socially and politically. We need to continue to organize AT&T and start working on T-Mobile and Verizon because the future of telecom is Wireless. We need to elect leaders at a regional and national level that have the desire to organize Centurylink technicians and call center employees outside our 14 state footprint and we need to recommit to doing whatever it takes to be a force to be recognized in the future not only at work, but politically and in the community. It isn’t something that can be done by one person, or a group of stewards it truly is going to take all of us to get this accomplished.

I invite you to join us at our next local meeting Wednesday February 4^TH at 7:30PM at our local hall as we start to execute the vision and prepare for the future. I will be running the grill no one will leave hungry, and feel free to bring your family.

We can hang together or hang separately that decision is up to each and every one of us.

In Unity

John

September 19, 2013

UNIT 3 UPDATE
TIME IS RUNNING OUT
GET THAT BALLOT IN THE MAIL TODAY

CenturyLink Brothers and Sisters

I cannot emphasize the importance of doing the most important duty that any union member has. Make sure you have received your ballot; review the summary of the tentative agreement, and VOTE. If you requested a duplicate ballot it was mailed out the 16th and should be received no later than tomorrow. All ballots should be returned by mail to the PO Box not later than September 24, 2013   to ensure that they are available to be counted on September 25th. Whether you support or reject this agreement make sure that your voice is heard LOUD AND PROUD by both the bargaining committee and the company.  If you have questions please feel free to review the District 7 website, flag me down at work or call me at your convenience on my cell at 602 579-6544 or email at john.cwa70919@gmail.com. I may not have all the answers but I will commit to getting them for you if I do not.

As soon as we have a result we will share the results with you.

In Solidarity
John

P.S.  AT&T employees we have some very exciting news we will share next week regarding an important new edition to our structure at AT&T retail stores .

August 30, 2013

Unit Report Unit 3 SPECIAL EDITION

Contract edition for Centurylink

Brothers and Sisters,

This is perhaps the most difficult report t I have had to write. By now everyone has seen at least an outline of the proposed agreement. I want to take a moment to share with you the good, the bad, and the ugly with this new agreement and what your vote means to the process of ratification or rejection.

I want to encourage you to go to the meeting Wednesday where Reed Roberts will be there to review and explain the tentative agreement. He will also be taking questions and will offer an explanation of the reasons which led to this agreement.

I also want to be very clear that no one from our local should be attempting to tell you how to vote. I really believe every person should have the right to cast their ballot the way they choose. I also think everyone needs to vote.  Unions are like Gym memberships and just paying your bill each month doesn’t make you stronger. Whatever the outcome, it will have the most impact if every single person votes their conscience.

Friday at Eboard, Irene and Paul reported back from the District 7 conference, where they participated in a  full day readout of the contract with the bargaining team. There are some good things in this contract. Healthcare options for retirees who are Medicare eligible, caps on the amount of our work that can be contracted out with a speedy arbitration option if we do not believe the company is fulfilling their end of the agreement, weight loss surgery options and a new consumer driven healthcare plan which may be a good option for some people. There are a some negatives also, primarily the two tier wage scale, the increases to health care benefit costs and penalties for being married, having a family or smoking, the separation of us by age, health and seniority. This is not meant to be a precise list or an explanation. When you receive your ballot there will be a detailed summary of the agreement.  Please take the time to read it carefully and then vote.

We know what a yes vote means. The contract will ratify and we will live with the good and the bad until 2017 when we negotiate our next deal.

A no vote is a little more complex. If the majority of our membership votes no, several things could happen. First, the teams could go back to the table and start from scratch.  At the District 7 Conference, the bargaining team felt strongly this was not a likely outcome. The company could modify the agreement, usually by “fixing “a couple of things our members object to and then put the changed agreement out for a revote. Our bargaining committee did not feel this to be a likely outcome either. What the bargaining team felt was most likely to happen is the company would terminate the contract, declare an impasse and put down a last best final offer. There are no limits or restrictions on what that last best offer could be and there is nothing that would prevent the company from making this offer substantially worse than what we have today .This is the committee’s expectation. At that point we either work under the final offer or go on strike.

If we strike expect it to be a long strike. CenturyLink did not buy Qwest for its land lines the primary purpose in buying Qwest was access to its national fiber network and the pursuit of large business, government, and military contracts. That network is primarily handled by managers already and would be unaffected by a strike.  This is also where Centurylink derives the majority of their income. In our last strike we had the public on our side, and the regulators putting great pressure on USWEST. Centurylink routinely pays fines if they do not meet standards set by regulators, and regulators are now more concerned with Cable and Cellphone companies. We do not have a strong message for the public even though our healthcare will be increased substantially for the 90% of people not in a union they would not be sympathetic based on what they have been paying. Our other main issue was contracting and the company has agreed in our areas to return and sustain 80% of all work to be done by union employees.  It would be difficult to defend that position to the public which is where strikes  are won and lost.

We do not have the leverage that we had 15 years ago and the market is different now. Competition brings changes and there are a variety of options that did not exist previously.

A no vote is a vote that says you are willing to go out and be on strike for as long as it takes, and that you are confident that your brothers and sisters will do the same. We do not have the instant leverage that we had when we were a monopoly so it will take a lot of time effort and energy to accomplish a strike and there are no guarantees that the company’s offer will be better than what we have today.  Realistically a strike would put us out of work for months or a year. We have already seen how Centurylink bargains when they are paying us, when they aren’t paying us I wouldn’t expect them to be any faster coming to a resolution.

Think about this carefully.

                                                 Weigh the risks and rewards.

Cast your vote according to your conscience.

In unity

John

July 16, 2013

CenturyLink
Brothers and Sisters as you know we enter our 10^th month of contract negotiations and we are all frustrated with the lack of progress. Everyone is anxious and wants a resolution but remember we at any time over the last 10 months  could have taken a contract that the company offered.   One that would have seen  you pay 4 times or more what you currently pay for health care, allowed the company to hire people at a lower rate of pay without protecting your job,  allowed them to move work offshore at their whim, combine many of the inside jobs into a few titles,  take away your sick time,  and that is with a raise that works out to less than .5%  a year.  It’s ugly and CenturyLink is playing the same card that AT&T and Verizon played during their wire line  negotiations,  goad the union to strike,  hire thousands of contractors to scab, move all the calls offshore and pretend that there isn’t a union.  Our leadership saw through those games at these other companies and decided the most advantageous strategy was to wait them out,  allow them to pay their contractors,  overseas workers,  and high powered union busting firms while we continued to draw a paycheck and collect our benefits,  wages and keep our working conditions.  Our bargaining committee knew what was going to be coming our way during negotiations and were prepared for this.  I know I have been asked what is the union doing all this time,  and the simple truth is this we are,  and will continue to do whatever it takes to get a fair and equitable contract.  CenturyLink is a very profitable company that last year made 947 million dollars profit.  We are not dealing with a broke backwoods telephone company that can’t afford to treat us the way we deserve,  we are dealing with millionaires who already have more money than they can ever spend who just want more. 

Keeping this in mind I have written a motion that our local send a copy  of the companies 7 unifying principles  to the company  bargaining committee,  since it is apparent to me that no one on that company committee has ever seen them before.   I will add definitions to help them understand the meaning of the words.

Here is the important part – and it’s where everyone has a  role to play. Stay informed and up to date.   We have up to date bargaining information on the webpage, regular conference calls  that every member should  listen to on our  webpage that break down what is discussed at the table. You can submit questions to me or the hall and they will be answered directly by the bargaining committee on the next call.  If you have a question or concerns please reach out to me and every steward has the username and password for the webpage if you still need it.

We will continue to use whatever means our bargaining determines necessary to get a fair contract whether that is mobilization, concerted activity, negotiating at the table or by calling a strike.

We are in this for the long haul; this took 14 months at AT&T and 16 months at Verizon.  Regardless of how long it takes we will get a fair contract.

Cobros
We have been watching the deployment of CenturyLink’s offshore QA department and have been meeting with center management to ensure that the deployment is in compliance with our contract specifically the call monitoring letter of agreement. Call volumes are busy and discipline for cash per hour is low. I have spoken with many members of our escalation team, and met with center management this week to make sure their concerns were addressed. I will be available later this month, and will announce the progress we have made and what we are still working to achieve. Please call me with any concerns.

CenturyLink Retail
We are not experiencing a great deal of issues with our retail locations currently.  We will address concerns as they are brought to us

CenturyLink Tempe
We have initiated regular site visits and really enjoyed seeing everyone in June, and we will be back in August, hopefully with more news on bargaining and work issues.  We also have established quarterly meetings with center management and feel free to contact me with any issues or concerns

CenturyLink Sales Support
We have had a great deal of change across Phoenix sales support. We have seen the addition of Retail feet on the street support and Ensemble business winback work as well as business PPO and E-commerce impact our center. We always welcome meaningful work that increases our center’s value to the company however the manner that the work has been distributed and the fashion those selections were made were not handled well in all cases.  We have provided frank feedback to the company and will continue to do so. We have also received some very frank feedback from the company about the centers recent attendance record.  We have accomplished a lot in getting additional work to Phoenix, and it would be a shame to lose it because we did not have enough people who are at work to actually do the work.

With all of the changes that we have encountered we will probably have more issues and will continue to work with the company to make sure we get the best results with the minimum impact to our fellow employees.

We have also been working to resolve issues with the company’s implementation with the call monitoring agreement.  The company feels the call monitoring agreement only was intended for the sales channel.  We feel strongly, per the guidance of District Counsel, that the agreement applies to everyone in the contract. We will continue to watch the company on this issue , and any discipline issued will be opposed vigorously. We expect the company to follow all aspects of the contract, not just the ones that they feel are beneficial to them.

AT&T Mobility
We are dealing with several issues at AT&T mobility currently – the company has announced that they have decided to eliminate the Finance rep title.  We have been notified that these changes are to take place January 1^st 2014. It is unusual for a company to eliminate a title right after bargaining that title in a 4 year agreement. We are in contact with the International union on this issue, and are getting guidance on the best way to fight this decision.  We have also gotten a lot of feedback on the promotions and website only deals that the company is offering, making it difficult to compete in the retail arena. High work volumes and low staff levels also continue to be a problem in several of the stores.

DEX
No issues to report at this time

In Unity

John Seeley

March 4, 2013

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

Another month has passed, and another contract has been negotiated. I congratulate our members at AT&T mobility that have tentatively agreed to a 4 year contract with significant increases to pay and improvements in contract language in many areas including sales objective relief for any 8 hour increments of vacation, training or union time. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions on the specifics of your new contract. Your bargaining committee recommends a yes vote, and I urge everyone to make sure and return your ballot.

As far as Dex goes, it has been a quiet month.  There have been no real issues to come to the locals’ attention; however we are always available in the event an issue arises.

I am looking forward this month to getting out and meeting our Tempe group, and meeting everyone out there.

I know there has been a lot of activity in our Sales Support center. I have had a lot of concerns brought to my attention regarding call observation, monitoring, and the increase in the objective for SOQ. I wanted to share my thoughts on those issues.  First of all I want to make this very clear; CWA does not negotiate either performance targets or company policies in the Occupational Employee Performance Plan (OEPP).  The union was notified last week from District the company was making these changes effective April 1st with the month of March serving as a ramp up to the new objective. I asked our center leadership why they felt the need to raise our objective when we were already exceeding the SOQ objective for well over the last year. They indicated this was to align us with other centers and to give us a stretch goal.  I don’t know that it makes a lot of sense, but that is what they said. I have heard a lot of rumors and misinformation probably because of the way this was rolled out to the center. The company will be using a different system, but it won’t have any real changes for us the email may just look different.  Every employee will still be receiving a form for each call or work item observed and has the right to dispute incorrectly scored observations.  Under our contract, specifically the letter of agreement on call monitoring, the company must notify you promptly of the observation and give you timely feedback in the event of any negatively scored items. Our steward structure has a lot of experience with this situation, and if you are not getting timely feedback, and appropriate help please let a steward know and we will see to it that this is done. In the event that an item is scored incorrectly we will assist you in getting the item fixed.

I have also heard a lot of talk about the new First Call Resolution plan that the company has, and how it’s going to save us customers and make everything wonderful.  I remember at least three other times that our dear departed senior management team’s pre CenturyLink tried the same thing. Albert Einstein said, “Doing the same thing again and again while expecting different results is the definition of insanity”.  Apparently the folks in Monroe are a whole lot smarter than Albert Einstein. At any rate as silly as it is, this is something that company stands firmly behind. In my time here I have seen a lot of bad decisions by our leadership; this certainly hasn’t been the first time and probably won’t be the last. In order to protect yourselves, and to make sure that you pass SOQ’s and Observations, please make sure you use the required verbiage as professionally as you can. If you don’t know how ask your coaches, and if your coach can’t tell you how, notify a steward. As employees we deal with a lot of various situations, some with existing CenturyLink customers, some with customers that are coming to CenturyLink from a competitor and some customers that have already had a less than “satisfactory” situation prior to coming to our center. I do know that we have the best, most professional, dedicated customer support agents in the company.  It’s not the kind of thing that you can always fit in a spreadsheet or on a chart, but the dedication and professionalism of our center will persevere, no matter what “expert” determines that our words need to be at the end of the call.

I will be on the 14^th floor break room this Tuesday to address any concerns that you have regarding the SOQ metrics, Contract negotiation, or any other issues of concern. Please check the bulletin boards for exact times.

As far as the contract goes negotiations are ongoing, and have been all weekend and up through Tuesday. Stay tuned for bargaining updates or check  the District 7 website; if you need a password to get into the bargaining section please see any steward.

In Unity,
John Seeley
AVP Unit 3

JANUARY 29, 2013

Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to start out this report by Thanking Tracy Johnson for all of her work over the last few years on behalf of our Unit. Tracey has decided to step down as AVP, but will still be an active part of our steward structure.  I have some pretty big shoes to fill, but I will work hard to make sure that we continue to fight for our rights in this difficult time.

Centurylink 
What can I say here, as you probably know we have been meeting for over 5 months now, and are still working on getting a fair and equitable contract. As you also know progress has been measured in tiny steps not leaps and bounds. I would be happy to talk to anyone interested in the progress or lack thereof personally to update you further on these items.  I would like to thank our bargaining committee, and have faith in them that they are using the best strategy to get us a contract that we can be proud of. Centurylink is a very profitable company, and they need to understand that we are not going to go away and just accept what they give us.

I will be also be visiting our retail locations in the upcoming month, and am looking forward to meeting and learning about the concerns that you face in a difficult sales environment.

As far as what you can do, stay informed and up to date.  Make sure you are getting our emails and stay up to date on the contract through our password protected website. If you need the password please see me or any steward for that information.  Please wear red on Thursday and keep the faith.  As a member ultimately we will have the final say on any contract.

ATT Mobility
Contract talks have started, and I will be meeting this weekend with leadership for information and education on the ongoing bargaining. I will also be getting around to each location soon and getting to meet as many of you as I can.  Please stay informed as we lead up to the deadline. If you need the password please email me or call the hall at 602 331-7019

Dex
I am not aware of any open issues at the moment. Dex recently ratified their contract. Please contact me if you have any issues or questions

I appreciate everyone’s patience through the transition process and I am always available if you have any questions, compliments, complaints or suggestions either by email or phone. I am always willing to talk, although for fastest response texting is always best.  I am looking forward to meeting these new challenges, and applying my past experience as a former Area Rep and AVP to helping keep Unit 3 as a place that we can all be proud to work.

As a reminder all Stewards contact numbers are available on the bulletin board or at www.cwa7019.org

John Seeley

John.cwa7019@gmail.com

November 9, 2012

DEX

The DEX Contract has been ratified and the ratification bonus should be paid out sometime this month.  Look for more information to come from management on the structure of the payout.  Again congrats to our brothers and sisters at DEX for your patience and endurance it has paid off for you.  If there are any questions feel free to contact Irene or myself.  Also make sure to keep us in the loop if concerns should arise. 

AT&T MOBILITY

We had our leadership meeting on Friday November 2^nd.   Your concerns in regards to management’s behavior, preferential treatment, discipline, disparity and retaliation along with several other items were discussed.  What we are finding is that management is not very educated on labor laws so we are working to educate them the hard way.  We have won several grievances recently and have also brought a couple of people back from terminations with settlements!!! Way to spank that A$$!!!  They will either get it the easy way or the hard way $$ but they will get it.  Keep me abreast of problems or concerns and we will get on top of the issues as necessary.

CENTURY LINK

What a flipping mess…Contract negotiations are ongoing, we are still extending the contract on a daily basis.  What we need to be doing is mobilizing putting the pressure on management; YES put the pressure on them to do their jobs and not us doing it for them!!!  No Rding, or in charge, No Training, No Snitching  people out, No MANAGING make them do their freaking jobs!!! And make some decisions…Lets show them how hard it can be if we stick together right now.  Please don’t tell me they are your friends as I already know, pick a manager to put the pressure on them.  I want us to turn our extreme attention to getting a new contract!!!!!

The Bargaining reports are bleak at best, and the team is getting frustrated, however they are still meeting.  What I don’t want  us to do is get weary in well doing, patience will prove its good work in us if we do not faint, get weary, cave in or quit!!!!!    Keep in mind that we have a contract in place, move forward with open enrollment, vacation canvassing and taking your time off.  Remember better at work getting paid and caring for our families then on the street picketing. 

Glen Post and his team of executives are racking in the dough and trying to cut back on paying you a fair wage.  This Corp greed has to stop, I am all for people getting paid their worth and maybe even more depending on their level of education or expertise but this crap of getting rich off OUR backs is crazy!!!!  Keep in mind that All of your contractual rights are in place, health care hasn’t changed, sick time intact and we are moving FORWARD!!!!  Ha!

I have a few manager projects that I am working on,  (either getting them to manage or get on) we have some managers that are purposefully trying to put me in harms way.  I am currently arguing that they are trying to keep us pitted against one another.  While some people are being managed and some are not.  And we have the nerve to go around and brag to our brothers and sisters about the preferences we are being given.  How shameful, I guess when you are on the receiving end don’t feel any shame, you feel special…I guess I can’t be mad when we are treated like we deserve across the board.  However when it puts another’s job in jeopardy or is not equally distributed then I do get mad!!! And unfortunately, for the ones being treated with preference, I have to speak on it.  Equal treatment is what we should all want!!!!

Keep in mind that the Union is the sole bargaining agent for represented employees.  In offline support I have one board charge pending on Duffy and I am about to file another.  They contend that they are not aware or didn’t know the contract, the law, the National Labor Relations Act.  Really!!! Give me a break I am all over them no more being nice.  I hope you will support me as we tell Centurylink we want a fair contract!!!!!

The St Mary’s food drive is going on and as much as I don’t want to make CenturyLink look good the food banks need our help, your charity will return to you in the form of the blessing you need (you can always take your donations straight to the food bank).

Also I want us all to send out special prayers and sympathies to Our Brothers and Sisters whose families have been affected by Sandy. 

In Unity with Patience!!!
AVP Tracey Johnson

October 15, 2012

DEX

Congrats to our Brothers and Sisters over at DEX their contract has ended with a tentative agreement on the table!!!!  They can expect the results of the ratification vote Thursday Oct 18^th by 5pm….As soon as the results are out I will be sure to get them out to you!!!  Praying for ratification, according to members it’s a pretty good deal not a lot of changes and they get a ratification bonus $$$ if the members accept the new contract.

ATT Mobility

You guys have your ups and downs I think management needs an overhaul and some leadership training.  Not a whole lot going on right now we try to tackle these issues as they come up.  We are scheduled to have a leadership meeting with your Senior Leaders and Area Managers sometime this month and as soon as we do I will send out a report of how that went.  The Iphone 5 launch was successful and hopefully you all were able to increase your commission significantly!!!  Congrats!!!  Keep in mind that your contract expires in Feb 2013 so bargaining will begin in late Nov or Dec.  We know that you guys cannot do a lot of mobilization so we will look to those of us who can do it for you.  If you know members who are not receiving emails please either call me or the hall and get the info updated.  If there are issues you would like to see addressed at the bargaining table please let me know.

CenturyLink

Well the contract expired on the 6^th of Oct and we are working day to day (under old contract) without a new tentative agreement.  I would love to report that the bargaining team has made some great strides but they have not, the company continues to put regressive proposals on the table.  I am happy to report that our members are on board and support the bargaining team and the work and sacrifice that they are making.  We are not asking for a whole lot but we are asking to maintain what we have for the members that have to work and are not quite ready to retire.  We are also looking to continue to protect our retirees without whom we wouldn’t have what we have today!!  Thank you to all of them for the job that they (retirees) did it is up to us to maintain!!  The kiosks are not able to mobilize as they are face to face customer facing and the rest of us are customer facing through direct contact (phone).  I have had the opportunity to do some face to face communication with a lot of members lately.  It was all good, they told me what they liked and what they didn’t like and how I could do better and I appreciate that so much.  This is a tough job but I ran for it!!!  So I am trying to step up my game and attend church, go to school and attend to my children and grandchildren.  So I know it is tough on some of you.  I say this to you so you will continue to be Encouraged, Patient and Be strong!!!!  Continue to support the bargaining team; don’t give up on them as they have not given up on US!!!!  Management is doing subtle things to drive a wedge; but before you answer or entertain their tactics let them know that this contract will affect them too!! So they should encourage you to stand firm!!!  Some of them don’t care and because their wages and benefits have been cut they want you to settle.  This is the most important contract we will bargain with Centurylink.  They are continuing to make big dollar purchases and can afford to continue to treat us with respect as we are the ones making money for this company. 

Mobilization has not stopped however, we are being hindered by the company as our contract states we will comply and grieve when asked to NOT do something that is considered permissible mobilization.  We are meeting today MON to run things by our attorneys and I will keep you posted as things progress.

Here is a touchy subject but needs to be addressed.  Those of us that think we have managers and non-members as friends think again.  These managers are going to do whatever they need to do to protect their jobs and you can’t blame them, but we do what we have to as well!!!  And for whatever reason you have non-members who have the sole motivation that is selfish in nature.  We have had several drops in our Unit, for whatever reason most have been financial.  I have been told that if we strike they will cross.  But I ask you this question which of you can afford to go on strike?  I can’t and I know most of you can’t but we will do what we have to and use that as a last resort. 

So people that you know that have dropped don’t talk to them about the contract or bargaining reports.  I am not saying be mean or disrespectful but really are you kidding me?? No one of us is any more important than the rest of us!!!  Don’t worry though if that day should come we will take care of our own and the issues that we face, we will do everything we can to make sure we are all taken care of.  Some of you don’t believe that but most of you know that, as you have been through this before BE Encouraged!!!  I will keep you posted as bargaining continues!!

In Unity,

AVP Tracey Johnson

October 8, 2012

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS 10-07-2012 UPDATE: 

In case you missed it bargaining resumed on Sunday after contract expiration and one of the first items reviewed was:

Bargaining resumed this morning with talks centering on the Company's proposals regarding the two-tiering of several of our current titles.

First of these was the proposal to replace the job titles of Data Specialist, Information Specialist, Sales and Service Specialist, Sales and Service Consultant and Service Order Administrator. The Company has now clarified their proposal and is now saying that this would only apply to those holding these titles in the off-line support groups. Under the Company’s proposal, this new title would phase in and replace these titles as the people currently holding these titles left, retired or transferred out.

As stated earlier, the new proposed weekly wage scale is $630 a week at top after 48 months of service. After making deductions for taxes and the cost of single health care coverage, this amounts to approximately $8.45 per hour

This proposal is after 4 years of service with the company, if this is the case the new hired employees would come IN at far below minimum wage!!! How crazy is that.  Here is a company that supposedly values our commitment to customer service.  What will that look like if the new title is agreed upon? 

If you are not receiving the text messages from the district when new reports are posted you can always bookmark the district website http://www.cwadistrict7.org go to the 2012-Qwst-Bargaining-year-2012 and put in the user name and password for updates.  Stay tuned as we continue to support our bargaining team.  Check in daily for information.

Forgive me for being blunt but now is not the time to get scared we should have been scared long ago!!!  Now is the time to get mad as HELL!!!  The company is being very disrespectful and downright insulting with the proposals they are making.  Keep in mind OFFLINE Support that Dargy is on the bargaining committee and this is how he values your hard work and commitment to customer service.  This is why it is so very important to participate in the mobilization activities and send a strong message to the company!!!  I am NOT asking you to be insubordinate I am ASKING you to show unity and not be so selfish that you are ONLY thinking of yourself and your family, and not considering the sacrifice that I or your other Union Brothers and Sisters are making.  We Stand United?  Or are you on your own agenda Please advise?

I have traveled to the kiosks as much as I am permitted to try and catch the sales reps that are currently represented under our contract.  Keep in mind we are trying to negotiate better coverage and language for this title.  Unfortunately there are a number of employees at locations that don’t get to see me as much as others.  With no help from representatives in your work areas (because no one has stepped up) you are all feeling the repercussions of not being informed.  I am not the Union but part of it and I can not do this by myself.  If you are reading this message it is your responsibility as well as mine to get the info out.  I have left membership cards at all of the kiosks if they are no longer there please call the hall or me and let me know and I will get more to you. It takes all of US!!!

 I have locations at Arrowhead, Metro Center, and Desert Sky.  If you happen to work near live by or shop at any of these locations.  Stop by the Centurylink kiosks and say hello to our brothers and sisters.

I am doing the best that I can with the restrictions and duties that I am responsible for.  I am not making excuses, I ran for this position and I am completely accountable for you.  I get to every kiosk as much as I can.

In Unity
AVP Tracey Johnson

July 2012

 AT&T  - All is well for now some of you are experiencing discipline for being in the bottom 20% we are addressing this issue.  If your manager notifies you of a meeting make sure you call me and let me know 602 481-0954 or email me at traceyj36@hotmail.com.  Your contract expires in Feb 2013 we will be gearing up for that and having meetings to keep you informed and asking for proposals to send to the bargaining committee.  It’s pretty quite on the West Side of town as far as I can tell.  But if there is something that needs to be addressed please advise me via call, text or email.  In Unity!!!

 CenturyLink Kiosks~ Things should be moving along pretty smooth right now.  Typically when things come up I am able to resolve if not with the KSM the Area Manager is available for issues it’s hard for you to show your support as you are part of a uniform program however, this contract will affect you and you need to be informed if you all can’t show up for bargaining meetings designate someone to go that can bring the information back.  I am making my way around all the time and you may not see me as much but you see me.  Let me know if there is anything I can help with.  Contract expiration affects you be informed!!!!  10-06-2012

Centurylink Contract Expiration 10-06-2012!!!

Centurylink~ Well it’s almost time…Bargaining Begins Aug 15^th and from what I can see we are not ready as a Unit.  The President has been working her tail off to the point she can’t sleep and she has put the pressure on the Officers to the point we can’t get everything she needs done.  We are making sacrifices to go to various meetings, and trainings on our own time and the pressure is mounting.  I pray that it is not all for naught!!

I have been procrastinating in writing this report because what I am seeing is disappointing.  If this report offends you personally that is not my intention.  However if it offends you as a Union Member then I have hit the mark!!!   We have got to show our UNITY our jobs and our benefits that we have worked so hard for are at stake.  If you have been with this company for less than 30 years then a lot of the benefits you received when you started were already in place.  But if you have any type of tenure then you know that the road hasn’t been easy and you need to share your experience with your peers.  We have too many non members among us who are reaping the benefits of our hard work but yet they have not turned down any of the raises we have received, they don’t balk when they take their families to the doctor and are not paying outrageous co-pays or picking up there prescription drugs at little or no cost.  I don’t’ see any of them not referencing the contract language when it will suit them. 

Now those of you that have been around for a while are starting to feel the pinch.  These companies that we represent have not and will not give us what we bargain for because they like us or they think we are doing a really good job!!!  They would prefer to ship your jobs overseas and get 3 people to do your job for the price they pay you!!!  We are in the fight of our lives this contract is so important if you are ready for language in your contract that reads (and I quote from other contracts the company has recently bargained: “the company reserves the right at their sole discretion to change, remove or amend the language” this will be around whatever they chose like Our Pensions, 401k’s and healthcare premiums and then notify the Union.  What’s the point of the contract??!!!  If you are not nervous after reading that then you should be!!! 

 If you think I am exaggerating then do the research the contracts and the locations they have done this with is all a matter of public record.  The company has all the contracts on their website.  This is no joke people we need to be ready!!! We are holding an East Valley Meeting to tell you more about what’s coming down, what’s going on and how we need to prepare ourselves YOU NEED TO SHOW UP!! 

 We need to support each other, you may not like some of your Union Brothers and Sisters but they are making a sacrifice to keep this Union contract alive just like you and I don’t be so quick to sick a manager on Us, when you think of the Union you shouldn’t see Me or any of the other Officers or members you SHOULD SEE; Your Job, Your benefits, Your overtime, Your Healthcare and Your Seniority.  That’s what you should see.  No body in our contract makes minimum wage!! No Body!!!

 Please show your support wear Red on Thursday the t-shirts are in and will be delivered soon (I will have them separated and ready and delivered in the next couple of days)  we want to make a Unified stance on Aug 15^th and all show up in our t-shirts!!! I don’t’ care if you wear it over your shoulders, around your waist, over your purse just represent.  It’s important they are watching to see how many are for what we are doing and how many will fold under pressure.  What happens with us will affect them too!!!  Set aside your differences with your peers and stand tall and represent.  I had a manager tell me that a member showed them the most recent mobilization material and said “they gave this to me”  If you know who the moles are please do tell if you are not willing to confront them.  I will!!!!  Are you serious?!!!  Do they think the company is going to reward them for being disloyal to the Union, NOT!!  They will toss them to the earth with all the force possible.  Get it together people, if I am not addressing something you feel needs to be addressed.  Pres. Robles and EVP Castaneda will hear you and correct or address your issues.  Officers and Stewards do not go unpunished or corrected.  But don’t sell out your union because you are angry or have an issue instead stand up!!!

If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything!!!!

 Bargaining Meeting East side Thursday Aug 9^th Be There!!! 

 And Every Thursday wear Red.  We do this for the member that was killed by a manager on the picket line some years ago, for the blood that was shed we represent and wear RED!!!

Talk to the non members in your area YOU are carrying them while they reap the benefits of our hard work.  Who can afford dues in these hard times??  Now ask yourself if you can afford not to?  I know I can not support my family on $7.75 an hour I just can’t do it…can you??  Then represent.  Understand this contract can go away and you can become an at will employee at anytime.  I need at least another 20 years I have already sacrificed 10 and some of you have done so much more.  Please Stand with me to protect our jobs.  If you are a Praying person now is the time!!

In Unity
Tracey Johnson AVP Unity 3

March 2012

 Centurylink~ Well the rumors of bargaining are in full swing, bargaining agents have just been selected and as soon as the names have been released I will let you know.  Records of discussion are being implemented as a result of unprofessional language being used on recorded calls.  If you feel the need to vent to your peers, friends and colleagues make sure you are not doing it on the phone. 

Bargaining will not begin until at least Aug but the company and non member shenanigans have already started.  I have even found some retirement eligible non members spreading rumors of our wages being reduced.  Make sure to remind them that we have a bargaining team who will be at the table to represent us!!!  If you have not been able to fill out a card to say “I will be there” make sure to get with me or an area rep or steward to fill one out this is our ticket to the bargaining table!!!

 Whether it is Centurylink or att mobility it doesn’t matter when it comes to contract bargaining the message is. 

How can these companies that we have spent our lives working for and making successful think so little of us and so highly of these executives that have just come on board.  We keep getting less while they keep getting more.  This is ridiculous.  Yes they can afford to pay our health care and they can continue to cover the retirees who have paved the way for us and them.  Stop the million dollar bonuses and take care of your employees who are dedicated to the company’s success!!!!

 I will continue to keep you posted as things develop, make sure to not play into the rumor mill conversations.  Ask where did you get that from?  Who said it? Stay calm, be strong and know that we stand together for these companies and they need to recognize that!!!  Solidarity is a must!!!

 In Unity

Tracey Johnson

Feb 2012

This year is in full swing!  Wow, how time flies.  It is already February 2012 and things are moving right along.  I want to address some key items as we continue to move forward.  A lot is happening within the Local.  If you are a dues paying member, be sure to keep your contact information current with the Union Hall 602-331-7019.

AT&T Mobility

West Valley Kiosk Stores west of Central – The AT&T Mobility Contract expires in February 2013.  Any suggestions or input is greatly appreciated.

PTW – This is said to be mandatory training for the bottom 20% in productivity.  If you have this day off and are scheduled to attend, be sure to advise your supervisor in writing why you are unable to attend i.e. travel, appointments and funerals.  This should prevent you from receiving points if you are unable to attend.

Vacation Carryover expires in March 2012.  Be sure you are scheduled.

 CenturyLink

OIS - Things are pretty quiet in your group, which is a great thing.  Due to the size of your group, there is little flexibility within demand and vacation time.  If you have issues, try to work through them with your supervisor.  If you come across any roadblocks, please contact me.  You guys are moving not far in fact closer to and your structure as far as access goes.  Look forward to seeing me in Tempe when you relocate.

There is a requisition out there for a Data Specialist in Operations.  They will report to Tracey Stokes.  This is small group which deals with attendance issues.  Check it out!

Offline Support  20 E Thomas 14^th & 15^th Floors – Things are moving along just fine.  We are addressing issues as the come up.  Management has asked for particular information on issues.  I will not be specific to identify individuals unless you ask me to, in an effort to resolve an issue, as they are using the information to drive a wedge between workers within the group.

 There will be no vacation for management during the months of October and November 2012.

The company has started contingency plans for the upcoming bargaining.  DO NOT let training management or non-members do your job function!

Things will get tight as they try to apply pressure.  Remember to bring your ‘A’ game to work every day in order to stay under the radar.

Keep your attendance in order, stay on top of your metrics.  If these Time and Motion Tracks are not working for you, contact your coach and let them know. 

We held Area Rep elections on February 8.  John Lane was elected for Area 1 SSS’s.  Beverly Fisher was elected for Area 2 SSC’s.  The position is vacant for Area 3 OIS/Retail/Dex.  Congratulations to the both of them as they continue to do a great job representing the membership.          

I will keep you posted as new issues arise.

 In solidarity,

 Tracey Johnson

30

 afl-cio

January 17, 2012

Unit Meeting and Area Rep Nomination/Elections Information Below

UNIT 3 MEETING

Area Vice President Tracey Johnson

Where:      Hilton Hotel – 20 E Thomas

When:       February 8^th  

                 7:00pm – 7:30pm

I will be at the Hilton at 4:00pm for those of you who get off early and would like to stop by.

Please make the time in your busy schedules to support your Union and learn what’s happening around you in your workplace.

WE ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS YOU ALLOW US TO BE!!!

UNIT 3 ELECTIONS

AREA VICE PRESIDENT: Tracey Johnson

A Unit 3 meeting will be held to nominate and elect Area Reps for Area’s 1, 2, & 3.