I hope that everyone had a Happy and Safe Holiday Season and now we can turn our attention as a membership to the New Year with all the challenges we will face together.
I would like to start off with a brief review from the last 6 months of 2009. After taking office in July, we were faced with the Company challenging our Article XI language, which was decided by an Arbitrator. Everyone knows about that decision. Since that time, with the 3rd and 4th quarter surplus announcements by the Company, no member has been involuntarily separated. Several members decided to accept layoff instead of bumping or accepted the ISP and retired. Our local, along with local 89 in Washington State, local 723 in Indiana, and local 986 in Ohio did not face involuntary separations in the 4th quarter, and there were some staggering numbers reported across the country, mainly in Outside Plant. We have not been notified of a surplus for the first quarter of 2010 and hopefully we don’t, but there has been a surplus announced within different classifications every quarter since 2007. In 2009, the Telecommunication branch of the IBEW declined by approximately 5000 members. This is not only Verizon, but all areas of telecommunications.
The work group that concerns me the most right now is the APC. As we all know, the company stated last year that this work would be moving up north sometime during 2010. As of this week, we were told that the Company will be providing IVAPP training to these members and we are hopeful we will have very little issues when that center closes.
We have been told that FIOS orders have increased slightly over the past month and that is good news for ALL of our members. 6 months ago, the dreaded Door-to-Door program was averaging 25 or so FIOS orders being placed each day with a very high cancellation rate before the install date. Last month, we were told that 100-125 orders were being placed per day with less than a 20% cancellation rate. If this trend continues and even grows, the less chance a surplus will be declared for the FNFT’s. With an increase of FIOS orders, not only is it better for the FNFT’s, but also for the CSSC members, the dispatchers, the SRC, and the FSC. All of these classifications rely on FIOS work. Yesterday we were notified that the FNFT’s in Tampa were going to be required to work a 6th day for the next 2 weeks. In Southern, they will be asking for volunteers to work their laydays.
The surplus that was declared within the Cable Splicer classification in the 3rd quarter, which was 51 employees, was called off after the Union and the Company discussed all the contractors performing Splicing work. Most of the contractors, not all of them, are off the property and our Splicers are performing these job functions now. The Company says we still do not have enough work right now to keep all of the Splicers busy company-wide and have canvassed for volunteers to go back to West Virginia. The first group of 22, from Eastern Division, will be leaving Monday for approximately 2-3 months.
6 months ago, we started collecting email addresses from the membership to be able to communicate easier and we are approaching 1000 members signed up. It is really amazing how many members communicate either with me or my staff or a Board member by email. We need to continue to collect email addresses as we approach Contract Negotiations this year.
Starting in September, we heard 1 grievance at arbitration per month and we have 3 additional grievances that will be heard before March of this year. We had 7 Pre-Arbs in the month of December, all for terminations. As I have reported for a while now, we had termination grievances dating back to 2001. All termination grievances have been reviewed through the end of 2008 and we are currently working on 1st quarter 2009. We hope to have the scenario of a termination grievance go through the entire process and if it will be arbitrated, to have that done within 12-14 months before the end of this year. Our goal is to be no further than 2 years out on any grievance and that will take a lot of time and hard work, but I think it can be done.
In the CSSC, a grievance was filed last month when a member was denied a steward when the supervisor met to review some of the calls received by that rep. Management stated that since the “review” did not result in discipline, no steward was required. As the reps in the CSSC know, those discussions lead to discipline quite a bit. The union’s position is that anytime a member is being asked questions about their job, they are legally entitled to have union representation. We met with the NLRB yesterday and will keep you informed of the progress.
We’ve had additional work brought into the BSC, BCC and the CSSC, we did not get a 24 hour copper repair center, but did take on some work from New Jersey and long-distance offline. The most work that was brought in came to the SRC in St. Pete. We have had training issues there from day one and we still have many members who are not properly trained to do some of these new functions. It’s an ongoing process to get everyone trained and I think we will continue to have training issues with work that is slated to come in there this year as well. A lot of the problems have been a lack of communication from the managers to the members. This was addressed this week and we are hopeful we will see improvements.
We started the Membership Training last September and after a suspension due to the Holidays, will continue again next week. We are really happy with the results so far and the feedback that we have received.
The Solidarity Committee that was formed last month, met to discuss ways to get more members involved and to create a sense of unity within all of us. The first event they are planning is a Family Fun Day on Sunday, January 31st, here at the Hall. There will be door prizes, arts and crafts and other activities and food for the entire family and we urge every member and their family to attend. I would like to thank the committee – April O’Neal and Ben Navarre, from the CSSC who are Co-Chairs of the committee, Mike Strehl, Zaida Menedez, Patrice Canty and Frank Leonetti also from the CSSC; Jody Irish from the FSC; Harry Kooshak from the Ybor yard; Fred Lauper from Sarasota; Melissa Vivian and Lynette Ettouati from the ECOM Center; Pam Elleby and Tina Tyler from the SRC; and Jason Delph from Tarpon.
December is usually a quieter month and this was no exception this year. We are in the middle of the 4th quarter surplus, which started with the members in Pubcom. So far, we have not had any issues raised about the bumps but are paying close attention as we did through the last bump. Out of the 12 employees in Pubcom, 6 elected the ISP and 6 entered into the world of bumping. More information will come as we receive it.
I spoke last month about the Equalization of Overtime and we hopefully have come up with a system of making the OT rosters as close to being correct as possible. Of course, only time will tell and we will report in the upcoming months of the progress. The Outside Plant Chief Stewards will be attending a meeting later this month to explain the entire process.
I also reported last month about the Company’s intent to implement a new Safety Policy this year. After speaking with Business Managers from around the country, we have all written the Company with the purpose of requesting Bargaining on this issue since it is a change in working conditions. This will be addressed by each local with their respective Labor Relations people the same all across the country. As we get more information, it will be relayed to the members.
The Company also wants to implement a new Attendance Policy, which will involve more discipline when you are over the objective. We are still in the process of reviewing this policy and I will be speaking with Labor about this next week. Information to the members will follow.
Right now, we are in the process of gathering information that we will review as we move closer to Negotiations. After a brief conversation with Labor, there has been no start date for Bargaining and as soon as a date is set, the membership will be informed. Erik and I have discussed and selected your Bargaining Committee for 2010. I will have Dan Wagner, off my staff who served on the Union’s committee in 2005 and of course Erik Jones, who also was on the 2005 and 2002 committees will be on the committee as the President. Brent Chapman, a 36+-year member, prior Officer and Executive Board member and a Chief Steward for many years, who is a Cable Splicer from St Pete will be on the Committee. Doug Blackburn, a 22+-year member, steward for many years and recently appointed Chief Steward, who is a Fiber Network Field Technician from Sarasota will be on the committee. Zaida Menendez, a 12+-year member, Chief Steward in the CSSC in Tampa will be on the committee. Todd Bolick, a 12-year member, steward or chief for most of those years, who is a CO Technician in Eastern Division will be on the committee. Melissa Braswell, a 15-year member and a steward in the BCC in Tampa will be on the committee. And lastly, Frank Franzen, a 36 year member, steward and Chief Steward for many years, prior Executive Board member and prior Assistant Business Manager of our local and a member of the Union’s Bargaining committee in 2002 and 2005, who currently works as a Specialist in the Tampa MCO will be on the committee. We will have our first meeting as a committee this month and begin working on behalf of the membership. As I stated last month, I plan on involving more members through sub-committees and will be seeking volunteers once they are established.
I hope to see you on the 31st for the Solidarity Fun Day.
In Solidarity,
Robert
