Countdown to 2009
Posted by Dee Garcia
2009 – a year CWA members across the country are focused on, the year several of our current contracts expire. In less than a year several union contracts with AT&T will expire. One of the expiring contracts was negotiated almost five years ago; tough bargaining and a 4 day strike brought us the agreement – exploding health care costs, a challenging economy, and an employer seeking take-backs is shaping up to make this round of bargaining even tougher.
Now is the time to think about what we want in a new contract and how we are going to get it. We need to continue gearing up for the fight ahead. Now is time to unite together in solidarity with our union brothers and sisters in our Local and across the country.
Many members and stewards have approached me to become informed about the process and check the status of our pending contract negotiations (especially with numerous unconfirmed rumors floating around). I would like to share some key points on becoming prepared for the contract expiration:
Save money:
Times are very tough right now with increasing food costs, absurd gas costs, and a struggling economy but we must have some money in the event we do strike to help us get by. Try to put as much money as you can aside each month to help you pay bills while out on strike. A strike preparedness packet was put together to help our members prepare for a strike – please talk to your stewards or call the Union hall for more information.
Participate when the Union asks to increase our strength in the bargaining process:
Union members make up the vast majority of our employer’s workforce. Our strength is our solidarity. To demonstrate our solidarity to our employer we are wearing our Union shirts on Thursdays (while your managers may or may not say anything about it – they are taking note and will pay even more attention as we get closer to contract expiration). I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for all of us to wear our Union shirts. We will continue to share information and hold informational pickets in front of AT&T buildings. Our bargainers will be backed by our Unity and our employer will know it.
Our standing in the community and our Union brothers and sisters in other Unions also increase our strength in the bargaining process. Every month we spend significant energy and time supporting other Unions and volunteering in the community and do it because it is the right thing to do - but we also enjoy the support of the community and other Unions when we need them most.
Respond when the Contract Negotiation Priority Survey comes out:
In the coming months the Union will send out contract negotiation surveys to identify the issues most important to us. Our Union places the greatest focus on the issues that are most important to our members – the greater the response, the more representative they can be of our membership. It is critical for the Union to bargain the best contract they can for all of us.
Be informed!
Once negotiations begin, you will receive regular updates on our progress at the bargaining table. Talk to your fellow union members, shop stewards, and the officers at the Hall to get the latest. Information will be found on our Local website, the National website, and through our mobilization efforts.
Be ready to vote on the Tentative Agreement or to Strike:
We will all be asked to vote to accept the agreement or to authorize a strike. The last thing we want to do is strike but it is a tool available to us. I think it is important to remember the technique we used last time – we knew the company had extensive planning to take any strike on (contractors and managers ready to try and take up a chunk of the workload) and we used their preparation against them by staying on the job and forcing our employer to continue negotiating - while keeping their contractors and managers waiting. We are an agile Union that can adapt our plans to keep our employer off balance and put us in a stronger position and I am certain we will continue to make effective use of our agility.
I know I will be keeping a close eye on several important dates that relate to our upcoming negotiations: AT&T Mobility Health Care – June 2008, Verizon East – August 2008 (Verizon and AT&T often have similar agendas so this may be an indication of things to come for us), AT&T Mobility “Orange Contract” (Districts 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, and 13) – February 2009, SNET, Midwest, Southwest, Pacific, and Legacy “T” – April 2009 (all 13 states of the SBC footprint), and Bellsouth – August 2009 (9 state region). As you can see AT&T will have contracts in their wireless operations, Legacy “T”, and 22 state landline footprint within just a few months of each other. It really is time for all of us to come together.
The stakes are very high in the next round of bargaining. The mobilization of CWA members across the country is needed for success – we need you! Take Action! Your involvement and our solidarity is our only hope of success in protecting and improving upon our needs of health care, job security, wages and pensions. If not now, when?
In the words of Cesar Chávez “The people united will never be defeated!” Get involved – we will make the difference.
Our Union meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Union Hall at 6:00 p.m. We would love to see you there as we continue to mobilize and strengthen our solidarity.
In Unity,
Dee Garcia