Information for Reps Affected by the Upcoming Involuntary Title Change in The Lubbock Call Center

As we have received many questions and concerns from our members regarding the upcoming transition for our current CSE1 employees to CSS work, we are making the following information available. We will have Stewards available on 4/24/2014 in the call center hallway and/or break areas to help address questions and concerns, and your stewards will have access to this information as well.

We continue to work to get answers to the questions that have not been addressed.


I called and spoke with Oklahoma City Local 6016 Mobility VP Mike Gemelli to ask about the transition process at their center. Mike was very positive about the transition, stating that the average raise for their reps was approx $0.70-$0.90/hour, and that the majority of the reps elected to accept the involuntary promotion, with a total of five reps electing to take the severance package instead. He stated that the feedback he’s gotten from members is that tech work is generally more pleasant calls, and does not differ much from CSE 1 work. He stated that there are three new systems that need to be learned but most of the work is done using the tech guide just like it is for CSE 1, and the positive trade off is that you do not field calls about bills. Mike confirmed that the severance package offered in Oklahoma City was by the contract; $700 at 6 months, $700 at 12 months, then $700 per year after that.

– Curtis


The following FAQs were put together by your CWA 6203 Union Stewards:

CSE to CSS Transition FAQ’s

  1. Will affected reps have to wait 6 months from the 5/11 title change to get their next step raise?

  • Yes. This is being handled as laid out in Article 19, Section 1, Paragraph c., which states that after being slotted into the new wage schedule “The time interval to the next step increase on the new wage schedule will be six (6) months. No credit shall be allowed towards the next step increase.” As this is a raise, it is seen as getting your next step raise early, and subsequent raises every six months from the early raise.

  1. Are reps that are currently capped going to receive raises at 6 months as they will no longer be capped?

  • Yes. Reps currently on step 13 will be slotted into step 12 on the new wage schedule, and will receive a step raise in November, at which time they will be capped on the new wage scale.

  1. What exactly will the raise be?

  • This is also covered in Article 19, Section 1, Paragraph c. “When a (voluntary) change of title occurs, and is considered a promotion (higher end wage rate), fifteen ($15.00) dollars will be applied to the employee’s current weekly pay rate. The employee will be then be slotted into the closest current wage rate (not lower provided they are not over the top rate for the job they are moving to) of the new schedule.

  1. What will the severance payment be?

  • Severance is being handled as described in Article 14, section 4, which states that the severance pay will consist of $700 for each 6 months of net credited service in the first year of employment, and and additional $700 for each year thereafter up to a maximum of $16,000.

  1. Deno stated that Oklahoma City reps were offered a larger severance package. Why aren’t we being offered the same?

  • I called Oklahoma City Local 6016 Mobility Vice President Mike Gemelli and asked what the severance package offered was. He stated it was exactly as laid out in the contract, $700 for the first 6 months, and additional $700 at 12, then $700 per year thereafter. He added that five reps opted for the severance.

  1. When will the severance be paid?

  • Deno has stated that the severance will be paid 1-2 pay cycles after the employee leaves the payroll.

  1. Will the severance be taxed?

  • Yes.

  1. If an employee accepts the severance, what happens to their benefits?

  • While we are still awaiting clarification on this important issue, we expect that an employee will no longer be covered by their benefits to the extent allowable by state and federal law effective their day of separation.

  1. When will the call center hours change and when will reprefs take effect?

  • We were told at the town hall meeting to expect the repref and new hours to take effect on 7/1/2014.

  1. When will the training start?

  • The training will begin the week of 5/11/2014 for the first group(s) to receive the training. Deno has committed to the wage increase for all affected employees as of 5/11 regardless of when they actually receive the training. Manager In 60 may begin training before 5/11.

  1. If I accept the severance, will I be eligible for rehire?

  • In a conversation with a CWA Local 6203 Steward on 4/23/2014, Director Deno Hairston affirmed that employees opting to accept a severance will be eligible for rehire after six months of separation. We would caution that eligibility for rehire is not a guarantee that there will be job openings to apply for or that the former employee will be accepted for a position.


The following information is from AT&T and may help answer questions that some of our members have.

Overview

Q 1. Why are we going through this change?

  • Recent changes in the business require additional Tech support and we have reached an agreement with District 6 to upgrade existing CSR1 Reps to CSS Tech Support Reps to support the existing needs of the business.

  • This will improve the customer experience AT&T is streamlining support for our IRU and Consumer Technical/Advanced Support.

  • This improvement allows customers to reach Technical/Advanced Support teams quickly to resolve their issues and increase customer satisfaction.

  • This improvement blends AT&T IRU and Consumer Advanced support teams to provide specialized service based on Operating System such as iOS, Android, Blackberry & General

  • Increases your knowledge to resolve customer issues the first time!

  • Increases your willingness to recommend and success with specialized Advanced Support.

Transition from Customer Service Representative I (CSR I) to Customer Support Spet (CSS)

Q 2. What is the effective date of the change to the CSS title?

  • The CSS job title change will be effective with the payroll cycle start date of May 11th.

Q 3. Is this a promotion?

  • The change from Customer Service Representative 1 (CSR1) position to Customer Support Spet (CSS) position is considered a promotion.

Q 4. Is this a voluntary change?

  • We have made an agreement with the CWA to transition employees in the current CSR I titled work group in Lubbock to the CSS title, in support of the Tech Support queue.

  • Effective May 11th, the CSR1 position will be eliminated in the Lubbock center, as impacted center CSR1’s transition to the CSS title and associated training.

  • We hope you will see the benefit this change will make to our customers who will see improved customer service, as well as for you personally as a great opportunity for you to increase your knowledge and skills and advance your career. We are counting on you to help this center maintain and build on its reputation for putting customers first with Smart, Friendly, Fast service.

Q 5. What are my options if I don’t want to change to a Customer Support Spet (CSS)?

  • Please discuss your concerns with your supervisor and Union Representative to ensure you have all the information you need before making a final decision. If you are not in agreement with the change that is occurring, you have the option to seek and nominate for employment within the company as you desire or take the severance pay provisions of Article 14 section 4. You must let your supervisor know by 4/28, if you are not interested in changing to the CSS title. Effective May 11th, the CSR I position will be eliminated in the Lubbock center, as impacted center CSR I’s transition to the CSS title and associated training.

Pay Scale

Q 6. How will I transition from CSR1 to CSS?

  • Employees moved into the CSS positions will receive a $15 increase and then be slotted into the closest wage step in the CSS wage schedule that is equal to, but not less than, the new weekly wage rate of their former job title provided that that new rate is not greater than the maximum rate for the job. [Note: there is a chart available for visual reference]

Q 7. When is the new rate of pay in effect?

  • The effective date of your new rate of pay is May 11th, coinciding with when you move into the Customer Support Spet role. You will see this new CSS rate of pay on your May 30th dated paycheck.

Q 8. What will I be paid?

  • Please refer to the wage steps outlined in the collective bargaining agreement. The effective date of your transition to the CSS role will be May 11th.

Shift Bids

Q 9. How will seniority work – time in title or time with company?

  • Seniority will be defined in the same manner as you currently understand it, and in accordance with language in the collective bargaining agreement between AT&T and the Communication Workers of America (CWA).

Q 10. When will we get schedules to bid on?

  • Schedules will be made available to bid on by <DATE >. Until then, continue to follow your assigned schedule, as posted. Once schedule bidding has completed, the new schedules will go into place on <DATE >. The entire Lubbock Tech Support team will be integrated as one during the next shift bid. [Note: CWA is awaiting an answer on the specific date at this time]

Q 11. What happens to my already approved scheduled vacation time?

  • Pre-approved and scheduled time off will be honored and will transition with you to the Tech Support team.

Training and Type of Work

Q 12. When will we begin training? Will my hours change as a result of training needs?

  • The training period will last 6 days and we expect to begin training classes on May 12th. Employees will be notified by their supervisor within the next week in regards to when they will be scheduled for training.

  • In addition, if a change in shift must be accommodated during the training period, you will be notified as soon as possible and prior to your scheduled training timeframe.

  • Prior to training, impacted employees will continue taking calls as they have today. Once out of training, impacted employees will begin taking calls in support of the Tech Support queue.

Q 13. What type of work will be handled by the CSS title as compared to the CSR title today?

  • You will be responsible for Tech Support questions in support of customers that call in about more technical type needs, as it relates to their wireless service. You will receive more detailed information during your scheduled training session.

Miscellaneous

Q 14. What will happen with an active level of progressive discipline for performance or COBC?

  • If an employee is on an active level of progressive discipline for performance or COBC, then that discipline will stay active and the employee will need to continue to work his/her way out of discipline.

Q 15. What will happen with active Attendance discipline?

  • Both groups follow the current 8-point Attendance Policy, therefore active Attendance discipline will remain in place, per the criteria set within the 8-point Attendance policy.


We are including the PDF that illustrates where affected employees will be slotted into the new Customer Support Spet Wage Scale.


CWA’s National Town Hall Call

The next National Town Hall call is next Thursday, 3/21/2013 at 6:30 PM Central. You can register online.


Daylight Saving Time

Remember that Daylight Saving Time began today, March 10th 2013 and will last until November 3rd 2013.


William Richburg responds to Kevin Kollmeyer

CWA 6203 Member William Richburg sent the following brief response to Kevin Kollmeyer’s letter as an iMessage from his phone. He asked me to take care of any minor formatting issues that arose as a result of that, so the paragraph breaks are mine, not his. The rest is the statement as I received it.


Mr Kollmeyer, with respect for the office you hold, after reading your letter carefully I am compelled to ask if the West Region did not in fact get a better bargain for their members? They fought hard for not just a few days or weeks but for months after their last contract expired finally resorting to mediation after refusing to cave in to the company and settle for less. They did this in the same environment you cite as the reason our leadership could not do better. They fought longer and harder and the members got a better contract. Imagine that!

You quoted Mahatma Ghandi at the conclusion of your letter. Consider this quote from him also, “They can beat me and torture me. They can even kill me. Then they will have my dead body. But they will never have my obedience.”

That kind if leadership will mobilize folks into a movement that produces positive change. Not the kind of leadership that hopes someday a parade will beeak out so they can jump in front of it and take the credit for making a parade happen.

William Richburg
An Educated Member with the freedom to express his opinion


President Patton’s Response to President Kollmeyer

In the interest of full transparency, CWA Local 6203 President David Patton has requested that we post his e-mails to President Kollmeyer as well. The following e-mails are from President Patton, unedited.


From: CWA Local 6203
Date: Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 9:03 PM
Subject: Re: Curtis Martin
To: Kevin Kollmeyer

Hey Kevin I will give this a proper response tomorrow, I just got in from Dallas but, didn’t want you to think I didn’t care. I appreciate your opinion & I appreciate you thinking your friends are needing an apology, Sorry Buddy, I think our members need an apology, too bad an apology wont be good enough. I sure hope your rite but, of course I don’t agree with you- you can take all the offense you want, also my friend if you call what Curtis wrote an attack, you have one hell of a lot more to learn than I would have thought.
In fact any time you would like to sit across the table from Curtis I would welcome that as well. I say lets move your little response here to my locals website and facebook page and just see how many MEMBERS agree with you. I have no problem posting my opinion or my members either. So how about you? I’m not sure when you became such a partyliner but I guess you have your reasons-Hope they pay off for you. Oh by the way do you wear union made shoes & socks Curtis does, how about drive a Union made vehicle on union made tires? Curtis Martin does, how about from underwear to the backpack he carries all Union Made – the most dedicated unionist that I have ever seen, yes he pays a little more but to him its worth the price, When is the last time you went to wal-mart? Curtis doesn’t go there. Can you say the same to any of this? As for your comments about me, to silly for me to waste time or breath on if I gave a shit or thought it mattered what you thought about me I would have let you know long before now.
Have a nice day call anytime, your opinion is valid & appreciated although not really well thought out. (my opinion) David Patton President CWA 6203


From: CWA Local 6203
Date: Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 1:34 PM
Subject: Re: Mr.Martin
To: Kevin Kollmeyer

Hey Kevin, word around the campfire is there is gonna be a cst surplus announced in the next day or 2 since you have me and my members in your crosshairs I would like your opinion on this. If you have an original opinion on a cst surplus if it happens, send it to me, if you have to wait until your opinion is given to you well I understand that too, never the less lemme know what you think, when you can of course. However, I will give you and everyone else my opinion now. If a surplus is announced in the next few days, first of all the timing is very convenient, with the contract being just ratified and all, and if it happens and CST,s are offered a lateral to become a prem tech some folks will probably claim hero status cause they get to keep pay etc that was so hard fought for, I don’t think there would be a surplus of cst’s if it hadn’t been bargained for – here in Lubbock our csts have been cut to the minimum and are covered up all the time so we could only have a surplus if their work is moved somewhere else, oh ya we bargained that too didn’t we, & made an exception of a lateral to a prem tech, now that really doesn’t sound like tuff diligent bargaining to me, mostly just sounds like it was dictated from the company, now the pay even for surplus cst’s is nice @ least for the next four years, shall we make a prediction on that, I don’t think that’s necessary our members are not dumb, detached, or in need of someone to decide what is best for them, that’s why they get to vote (sometimes) rite. Some folks in our organization obviously know more than others, for the record I don’t treat my members that way & never will after all they pay the tab, I figure that gives them the rite to know everything that concerns them, some people seem to have forgotten that, by the way are you still trying to bail? All we can really do now is wait for the other shoe to drop and it ain’t gonna be good only time will tell I don’t think we will have to wait to long. Maybe you can share some words of wisdom if this happens and can help me convince my cst’s of how good this is for them, what do you think, brother. I patiently wait your response. thanks david patton president cwa 6203



Curtis Martin’s Response to President Kollmeyer

President Kollmeyer,

Thank you for taking the time to write to my local with your concerns about my writing. I’d be more than happy to address them, and in the interest of keeping things transparent, I’d be glad to post anything you or any other member has to say on our website as well.

I’m glad you’re grateful that our bargaining committee ‘put their lives on hold’ to bargain for a better contract; I wish they had done just that. You’d have me feel bad for them for their volunteer work. I’m sorry, Mr. Kollmeyer, I don’t feel sorry for the burden of volunteering. I feel honored every time I’m in a position to lend a hand. I’m very sorry that you don’t understand the difference between disagreeing with someone and attacking that person; I haven’t attacked anyone. I have an opinion and I am voicing it.

Mr. Kollmeyer, I’m bewildered and dismayed that you feel our fight will start at some nebulous point in the future. I can’t stand by and just wait for someone else to work to make things better. I’m so deeply regretful that you can.

Mr. Kollmeyer, you make the anti-union argument against unions when you suggest that I ask the unemployed to ‘feel sorry’ for me. Which side are you on, sir? The fact is that this contract is designed to make sure that fewer and fewer future employees ever have the opportunity to make anything approaching $34 per hour. Not that I think you were suggesting that I personally make $34 per hour, but for the record my hourly rate of pay on my last pay stub was $13.4625.

Selling out the future of our communities is a terrible idea. I’m shocked that I’m having to explain this to a union member, but when you stop hiring service reps or service techs and push their work to leveraged reps and premise techs, you’re taking money out of the community. That affects not only the members, but the community at large. Oh, and it affects the amount of dues coming into locals, districts and the international organization – making it even harder for the union to be effective.

Now I’m not suggesting that anyone go on strike; strikes are hard all around. However, if you loudly and continually reassure a company that under no circumstances will you withhold your expertise and your labor, what is that company’s incentive to bargain in good faith? Mr. Kollmeyer, with that attitude you’ve already surrendered.

How do we fight the good fight, you ask me. How about we spend our time and energy on bargaining and mobilizing rather than giving up and slamming the same TA through until it passes? You question why I didn’t say more on the recent mobility contract. You’re right; I should have been far more outspoken then, and I won’t make that mistake again. As any member from my local can tell you, I was disappointed by that contract, and voted against it. Perhaps if I’d talked to more people, we could have gotten better. I’m deeply sorry that I failed. On the other hand, bargaining for Mobility’s contract lasted longer and came with regular reports of progress and calls to action from the membership; things this rushed mimeographed contract lacked. I’m alarmed that you don’t feel your members deserve the effort. Heck, I’m alarmed that you don’t feel your members have deserved an update to your local’s page in the past year. If you need help setting up something easier to update, give me a call and I’ll see what I can do for you.

The problem, Mr. Kollmeyer, seems to be that you would prefer me to be more selfish. You’d like for me to be satisfied with what I have, to keep my head down, to not attract any attention. You’d like me to completely ignore the worsening conditions for those who will come after us. Shame on you. What, exactly, is the change you wish to see in the world, Mr. Kollmeyer? Recently I felt like I couldn’t be any more heartbroken about the apathy and misdirection of some so-called leaders here within my Union. Thanks for reminding me just how rampant the problem is, Mr. Kollmeyer.

You would have me apologize to those who would betray our members futures.

No.

Curtis R. Martin


A Letter from Kevin Kollmeyer

Recently, CWA Local 6203 received an e-mail from CWA Local 6313 President Kevin Kollmeyer. We are going to post that letter, unedited, so that our members will have context on our forthcoming response. We are willing to post anything written by any member to this website, or assist other locals with setting up their own website should they require assistance.

Here is the letter, as pasted from the local mailbox:


From: Kevin Kollmeyer
Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Subject: Mr.Martin
To: “local@cwa6203.org” <local@cwa6203.org>

Mr. Martin,
I would like to address some of the comments you have posted on your local’s website. First, I take offense to you attacking my bargaining committee, those who are elected to the bargaining committee do this knowing they are going to put their lives on hold to hopefully make a difference for the union members they represent at the table and I have the utmost respect for my friends who decided to serve on it, knowing it was not going to be an easy task at hand. But they took the task on with out hesitation. And I say “THANK YOU” to my Brothers for it. Aside of being on the bargaining committee they are also officers in their respective locals and for you to attack them is wrong, this contract affects them to as well as their members. I am disappointed in President Patton for even letting that get posted on the internet for the whole world see. Shame on you David!!!!!!! They deserve an apology.
You also talk about what our parents and grandparents fought for and where we are now, do you know the difference between now and then? They had the American people standing behind them because they were tired of the rich getting richer and they kept getting poorer, right along with their Congressmen and Senators applying pressure on the company, We don’t have either now, They believe we are the evil greedy union that destroyed Detroit. Not till the American People wake up and decide to take back this nation by electing people, who believe the poor and the middle class is what built this nation. That is when our fight will start. Until then we have a very hard road ahead of us.
So, how do we bargain a better contract if we don’t have the support of the American People and our Legislators? I dare you to walk up to any of the 12.3 million people that are unemployed and ask them; don’t you feel sorry for me? I make 34 dollars and hour and paying 75 dollars a month for health care and in 4 years they are going to pay me 37 dollars an hour and I am going to pay 225 a month for a health care. Matter of fact, ask anyone and see what kind of response you get. I don’t like paying for health care anymore then any other person, but there is not a union contract out there now that union members don’t pay something for health care. Please tell us what we need to do to get a better contract?
Go on strike? Let’s think about this for a minute, with the political and economic climate that we are currently, would it not be the worst mistake we could make right now? The Republicans, from the States all the way to Congress, are already trying to pass right to work bills, paycheck deception bills, and prevailing wage bills, take away collective bargaining rights of our members. So don’t you think if we go on strike, it would be a disaster for us? This, I believe, is what the anti-union activists and special interest groups and Republicans are waiting for us to do, to drive their message home about unions being greedy and destroying America. So how do we fight the good fight?
Now, about Vice-President Cummings protecting the Members relief fund. He is only one man on a board of 21 executive board members that would vote to give President Cohen the authority to set a date. So do you think the executive board is going to vote to strike after 2 other districts have settled? REALLY!
Last but not least, your theory on the ratification vote, After sitting back and looking at the whole 1st ratification vote to the 2nd ratification vote, I could see where there is perception of malice on the districts part, but I truly believe the real problem was the voting irregularities, from a secretary- treasurer walking around with a ballot box taking secrets ballots. To locals not mailing ballots as required by their bylaws, as we have seen in some locals elections where stewards were taking secret ballots from members for them to vote, the DOL stepped in and said rerun the election, so I believe it probably was the smartest way to run the second election through a 3rd party, because if the DOL would got involved we would of opened up a door that we didn’t want to open. That’s why we have election committees in our locals to run these elections.
Now Mr. Martin I have looked through your posts, but I see nothing about your ratification vote on your health care that was mailed out by the international, instead of your local running the ratification vote for it. Or matter of fact, any comments about your very own contract after bargaining. You are not building solidarity within the union by posting your tirades on the internet for the whole world to see by attacking local officers. I believe you need to be educated on some things and hopefully your leadership can help with that. Now, I do believe the Bargaining Committee deserves an apology from you!!!!

John K. Kollmeyer
President
CWA Local 6313

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” -Gandhi



Remarks on the Southwest Core Contract

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


Curtis Martin On The District 6 & AT&T Southwest Tentative Agreement

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 bonus”. 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?


TA Town Hall Conference Call

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.