Business Rep Reports

Brothers & Sisters:

What a month February was! The Sell One Investigations claimed more employees, both craft and management. Rumor has it, it's finally over. There have been multiple changes to the new Sell One More program, so please make sure you are up to date with the 2010 changes.

EVRC Reps are in the process of training for the FSC. As of today, a total of 36 reps have gone through the 13 day "boot camp". Out of that, 32 have successfully passed both the written and the structured interview. I feel that having an employee who talks with our "copper" customers every day is just as qualified without an interview to talk with our "fios" customers as well. We will be grieving each and every failure of the structured interview.

In Temple Terrace, Our dispatchers were asked to help support California which had one winter storm after another leaving 1000's of customers out of service. It appears as of today that the NDC will be moved later this year to Westside. Most of the other departments will be relocating to downtown Tampa.

We still have approximately18 Splicer's on loan to West Virginia. It looks like they will be extended to the end of April. I've received calls from members wanting to go out of state to work, but at this time the company hasn't approached the Union about adding any more out of state work.

FIOS activity has leveled off in all areas. Eastern is extremely low on activity compared to the Tampa area. It looks like the company is going to place some FNFT's on monthly TAC work. This would help out with the lack of FIOS activity, and help fix some of the copper plant before summer arrives.

We continue to meet with the company in regards to the Overtime Rosters. In some areas we can see measurable improvements, but in others…we have some work to do. The next scheduled meeting is Tuesday; hopefully we can identify and correct some of the remaining issues.

In Solidarity,

John Glye Jr.

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

Last Month I reported on the Equalization of Overtime agreement between the Company and the Union. Unfortunately, after reviewing the Overtime rosters in each yard we discovered that there are a lot of issues with the equalization process.  The Chiefs and I have met with Paul Jenkins regarding these issues and were able to clarify a lot of questions that the LCOM’s and Stewards had regarding this plan.  As of right now we have a meeting scheduled to meet with Paul on March 16^th, to see if any progress has been made since our last meeting.  John Glye and I will be meeting with Ron Corgan next week to discuss issues and possible solutions to the problems that are happening all over the company on the Equalization process. Once the discussions are over we will notify the Chiefs and send out an email update.

If you are not receiving the email updates from our web site please go back to the main page and on the left side you will see a menu.  Towards the bottom of the menu you will see an Update Contact info link.  Click on that and fill out the necessary information then you can start getting updated every time there is a change to the website.

Your Bargaining committee has begun going through the 2010 Survey forms, if you have not filled out your survey form you can still do so by going back to the main page and on the left side you will see a menu.   Towards the bottom of the menu you will see a 2010 Survey Form link.  Click on that link and fill out the form and we will be able to see what is most important to you during the upcoming Bargaining session.  Remember it is your contract so your information is not only important to you but to the Bargaining Committee as well.

So far this year I have had Parking lot meetings at the following work centers: New Port Richie, Tarpon Springs, Range Rd, and Skyway.  I will be getting with the Chiefs to set up Parking Lot meetings at the following work centers in the near future: Largo, Seminole, Gandy, Supply and both APC locations.

This is an important year for getting information so please try to attend the General Meeting, which is held the First Friday of the month at the Union Hall or the Unit meeting in your area.  Last month both of the Unit Meeting in the Upper Sun-coast area voted on a time change for the meetings. The Western Unit meeting time was changed from 7:30 to 7:00pm and the North Western Unit meeting time was changed from 7:30 to 6:30pm. Both times were changed in an effort to make it easier for members to attend the meetings.  We will try it out and see if it works, if not times can be changed back if a motion is made under New Business.  The Executive Board approved the time changes therefore the time changes will go into effect for the March meetings.

I hope that you all have a safe month and look forward to seeing you at one of the above-mentioned meetings.

In Solidarity,

Dan Wagner

Brothers and Sisters,

I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather we have been having recently. It will not be long before we are in the 80-90 degree range again and complaining about the heat.

For the last three months the FSC has been on required overtime and unfortunately that will continue until the new Customer Service Advisors get out of training. I appreciate our members who are volunteering or are being forced to work this overtime in order to provide customer service. With all the work that is being moved to different parts of the country I am glad to say the FSC is getting and keeping work here.

In Southern division we have a safety rodeo scheduled for March 16^th -18^th.  This Safety Rodeo is a joint Union/Company partnership in order to promote a safety refresher on the many dangers we face daily. There will be multiple stations set up to cover the following:

• Electrical Safety
• Ladder Handling/Pole Climbing
• Driving Safety
• Attic Safety
• Manhole Safety
• Personal Protective Equipment

As safe union workers we all need to be aware of the hazards we face and know how to correctly deal with them.

In closing, I have received a call that members are being charged with a $15.00 co pay for lab work, X-ray and other diagnostic procedures. These services are covered as stated in the Point of service memorandum of agreement. If this has happened to you please contact me at the Hall with the following information.

• Name
• Dr. Name
• Date of procedure

In Solidarity,

Danny

Brothers and Sisters,

It has been another difficult month due to the bumping process with the closure of Pub Com.  If you are involved in the bump and have questions or need help with your forms please call me. It is crucial that you fill your forms out correctly. And, remember to leave your can be reached number.  As of last Friday staffing thought that they would be done with all of the rounds by the end of the month. I would like again to thank all of the stewards and chiefs who have spent countless hours assisting members during this challenging time.  

Zaida Menendez, Chief Steward in the CSSC and I have started our meetings with management on a weekly basis again. We listen to random calls of members who have gone on a form of discipline and have filed a grievance. The vast majority of these write-ups continue to be for not following the sales process, and not using the Power Pitch Assessment Tool. Attendance has become a great concern again. We currently have approximately 14% of our members calling out per day. We have started our membership training classes back up. We have had about 65 members from the CSSC attend. It has been great seeing so many of you at the General and unit meetings.

Robert, Dan Wagner, and Jim Brading (Steward) met with BSC management and the offline groups to discuss cross training options within that classification. We have had 19 members attend membership training from the BSC.

It has been an especially busy time in E-Commerce, SST and the 301complex. I have been working with management to get at least a one person from each of these areas for membership training. Please call or email me if you are interested in attending.

In Solidarity,

Michelle Agne   

Brothers and Sisters,

   On Monday February 8^th 2010, several grievance reviews were held between the Southern Fios area manager and the stewards. These meetings were set up to try to come to resolution on numerous outstanding grievances. These were very productive meetings and I would like to thank Gregg Flick (Chief Steward-Venice), Doug Blackburn (Chief Steward-Sarasota South side), Ed Hawks and Christine Riley (both Fios stewards-Bradenton). With their help we were able to review and settle 95 outstanding grievances. These grievances varied from discipline and worksheets to, you guessed it, overtime. And with the discussions of overtime we were reassured that the new rosters along with the worked and refused time will be posted on a weekly basis. With the amount of grievances and lack of time we were unable to discuss grievances for Sarasota North. Within the next few weeks another meeting will be scheduled to discuss outstanding grievances in Sarasota North as well. Nettie Hamacek (Chief Steward) will be assisting me on these grievances. 

   I know the month of January was an extremely busy month for anyone who works in the Fiber Solution Center, Fiber Network Field Technicians and Customer Zone Technician II work groups. This did not come without extensive overtime, some of whom volunteered and some were required. With that said, I would like to thank each member who gave of their time away from their family to serve the needs of our customers.

   In Solidarity

   Danny             

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

During the last month we have met with the company on multiple days to discuss Overtime issues and ways to improve the Equalization of Overtime.  Hopefully, by now Management has talked to you about the process.  There should be a Steward working with the clerks in Outside Plant at each work center a minimum of once a week to make sure that the hours worked and refused are entered into the system correctly.  The company has committed to doing everything that they can to make sure that the overtime is equalized in each work group.  The Overtime rosters should be posted weekly, as stated in Article V, Section 4, Paragraph 4.1.5. Just an FYI the rosters will be two weeks behind.  The goal is to have all employees on said roster to be within 25% from low to high.  Article V, Section 4, Paragraph 4.1 in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between IBEW LU 824 and Verizon on page 13 states the following: 

Work resulting in overtime compensation shall be reasonably and impartially rotated in the particular work group, by classification, among those employees who have completed twenty-four (24) months’ seniority and/or thirty-six (36) months on their wage progression schedules in the work classification, and who possess the skills necessary to perform the required work, in an endeavor to maintain overtime within a reasonable balance on a quarterly basis during a one (1) year period.

I will be contacting the Chiefs and Stewards in my area to provide me a copy of the Overtime Roster that includes the week ending January 30^th, 2010 so I can look at them to see if we have any issues that need to be addressed.  We need to do everything we can to reduce the amount of problems that we have had in the past with Overtime. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the Chiefs and Stewards in your yard or you may contact me by phone 813-626-5136 or email me at dwagneribew824 [dot] org.

In Solidarity,

Dan Wagner

Brothers & Sisters:

New Year, more problems and issues! It's been a trying month as we have been very busy with trying to meet with everyone outside to discuss to new procedures for overtime. This should help with the equalization. If you have any problems in your area, please call your Rep. for assistance. We have also gone through several rounds of bumping due to the sale of PubCom.

EVRC has started training for the FSC; classes started in the beginning of January and will continue through out the year. Due to all of the classes, flexibility is very limited, so plan ahead if possible.

Temple Terrace has been busy lately. A lot of overtime the last two weeks for the Dispatchers who have been helping California Dispatchers with the high trouble volume they are experiencing due to recent storms.

Cable Splicers out of the Eastern Division were offered again to return to West Virginia. At this time, the company hasn't offered to send any more techs from the other Divisions.

FNFT's were busy this month, hopefully that continues to build through the first quarter. In fact, most of the Tampa Division has been working a minimum of six days a week.

In Solidarity,

John Glye Jr.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.

With the start of the New Year we have both good and bad news concerning FIOS. For the good news the orders have seemed to increase over the last few weeks. This is encouraging since it has increased work for just about every department that has anything to do with FIOS. Unfortunately the bad news is that in 2 specific departments this has caused required overtime.

In the Fiber Solution Center (FSC) Lily Saunders (Chief Steward) is working hard every day to make sure the overtime is done correctly. Unfortunately, the FSC is dealing with mandatory 10-hour days and a 6-day workweek. Management has tried, unsuccessfully, to mandate a 7-day workweek.

In southern division, Fiber Network Field Technicians (FNFT) are being offered overtime every day to try to bring the service orders back in to a 3 day due date. The FNFT’S have also been required but not on a daily basis.

The CZT II work group has also had an extremely heavy workload as well. Between the snowbirds being down for the winter and with the amount, and frequency, of rain they just can’t seem to get a break. The Cable splicer work group has asked for volunteers to go to the CZT II work group permanently in an effort to help out. Also, the Cable Splicers have been canvassed to go to West Virginia for up to 3 months. I tip my hat to anyone who decides to go work in the freezing temperatures up there.  

As we start the year we are continuing the membership training classes. If you are interested in attending this class, please contact me so I get you scheduled for one of the upcoming classes. As we prepare for contract negotiations later this year, please mark your calendar and plan to attend either the general meetings or your unit meeting every month.

   In Solidarity,

       Danny

Happy New Year Brothers and Sisters,

I hope that each and every one of you had a Safe and Happy Holidays. We are now into a new year and it will probably be a very busy one. We all need to remember to do our job better than anyone else because we are trained IBEW members. We have a lot to look forward to this year, especially since we will be in Contract Negotiations before you know it. The negotiating team was announced to the membership in attendance at the General meeting Friday January 8^th, 2010. However, if you would like to know who is on the Committee, please read the Business Managers report since Robert has already posted it there. I am proud to represent each and every one of you and I feel that we have a great team. The committee will begin their first meeting sometime later this month and we will put together a Survey to find out what issues are most important to our membership. Please take the time to fill it out since we will review each and every one of them.

This is the most important time for you to keep informed on issues that arise and where we stand in Bargaining so please make every effort to attend as many General and Unit meetings that you can. Remember U are the Union. Everything we achieve depends on each and every member doing their part, since the committee is only your voice.

Membership Training has started up again and we will have our first class for 2010 on January 14^th. If you or someone you know would like to attend please contact me or your Business Representative at the hall.

In Solidarity,

Dan Wagner