VICE PRESIDENT-PAUL CASTANEDA'S REPORT
4-2-2008
I want to start by congratulating our member who recently took the Enhance VSPP package and thank you for your hard work and many years of membership. I would like to welcome those of you who retired to stay an active member of YOUR LOCAL as a active retired member. As we get into bargaining this year we will need your help and experience. For those of us still employed by Qwest there is sure to be some balancing to take place in the very near future, now is the time to turn your 6500’s in if your looking to move to a new location or job function.
For a little good news we have had 3 members that were terminated in the last 2 years, return to payroll through agreements prior to arbitration in the last 4 months. Because of confidentiality clauses I can’t give details other then they were all return to their Net Tech jobs. We have been successful on a number of motor vehicle accident cases and had them reduced down from the original 3 day suspension and warning of dismissals they were given.
In screening Vonda Wilkins and her stewards in unit 10 have filed and are working thru a number of grievances, although it has been difficult meeting with the management team, they are making some progress. President Chris Rossie, Vonda, and Myself had a meeting in December to address a number of issues that were taking place with Dana Crandall, Susan Reed and John Clark. We had a follow up meeting schedule that had to be postponed and are working to reschedule it to address some of the issues that continuing to be a problem in the screening center. In LRAC Vonda, Linda Hunt and Myself recently meet with Patrick Haggerty and Travis Starkle and were able to get the company to give 1 demand PDP slot on Saturday and Sunday.
In the field we continue to fight QJD, the company has changed the plan once again, there are now 4 categories, unacceptable, needs improvement, satisfactory, and outstanding. They are targeting and aggressively going after the people in the unacceptable category at this time. However just because you are in the needs improvement group doesn’t mean you’re safe, they will be looking for people in the needs improvement category that are not moving toward the satisfactory area and most likely putting them on documented discussions and could possibly see discipline in the future. If you are covered on your numbers and are put on a documented discussion, written warning, or warning of dismissal be sure to have a steward in the meeting to represent you and file a grievance!
On a sad note there were recently 9 people out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota that worked in the operator office that were terminated for having a information picket. The center has been closed, there was an operator who was 6 days short of 30 years of service when the office closed on March 28. The Local request that she be allowed an extension in order to reach her 30 years. Qwest refused to do the right thing. This shows the type of employer we will be negotiating with come August, we must be prepared and ready as we head into bargaining, keep your eyes and ears open and talk to your mobilizer if you don’t know who that is call your Area Vice President and volunteer to get involved and be a mobilizer!!!!
VP Report 5/30/07
For those that don’t know we have a new AVP for Unit 10 Vonda Wilkins, congratulations to Vonda, who has jumped right into the battle with the screening group around scheduling. The company is up to their normal stuff and messing with our members’ lives and changing schedules. Vonda is taking on that battle and asking for the data that supports their need for the changes they are instituting. Understand that tours and schedules are not negotiated but we have a right to see why they are making them, their data needs to justify the changes they are making if it doesn’t then we can take some action. In the LRAC, they are rolling out ETALK, when asked how they planned to use it , Larry North referred to the contract and Letter of Agreement on Electronic Data Gathering. When pushed, they said they were going to use it for developmental and coaching purposes. So please be aware that your calls will be recorded for both the Load Specialist as well as the Techs calling in. There is language in the letter of agreement about gross customer abuse, that doesn’t mean just outside customers, I wouldn’t put it past the company to try and use that language at some point in time.
In the outside world we are continuing to battle QJD, your stewards and officers have been successful in battling through the grievance process, and getting a good number of Written Warnings reduced down to Documented Discussions as well as some taken completely out of files. With the help of Reed Roberts, we are setting up a meeting to discuss the 75 grievances for Documented Discussion on QJD, that the company doesn’t seem to want to address, it will included Reed, Larry Larson (staff rep), Joe Gosiger (staff rep) and myself, meeting with Robert Joga (Labor Relations Director) and 3 Labor Reps. for the company. On a larger level, the District Office has set up a Labor Management forum with the company to discuss the issues in the LNO, it will be lead by CWA Bargaining Agent Reed Roberts along with CWA Staff Rep. Lew Ellingson and 4 Local Presidents from across the District. One of the items they will be talking about will be QJD, as we know there are more issues within the LNO and they will be talked about as well. On the motor vehicle front, we had some success, through the ADR process we had discipline reduced down in 2 of the 3 cases, which in turn lead to getting 6 settlements on other Motor Vehicle cases reduced down from the original 3 days suspension and Warnings of Dismissals.
All of the units have scheduled unit meetings and elections for Delegates to this years convention that will be taking place on September 29th and 30th. If you are interested in running you will need to be present and have someone to nominate you and a second or you can send letters into the Sec/Treas. office with a nomination, a second, and your accepting the nomination. The letters must state what Unit and area you are being nominated for.
11-14-2006
Let me start with the surplus we have going on in the LPC center, with the hard work of AVP Gloria Colvin and help from Local 7777 in Denver, we were finally able to get the company to allow 5 FS’s to Denver and 1 to Salt Lake City. It was not pretty and had lots of ups and downs with the company backpedaling, but we finally got them to honor what they had put in writing. We have had 31 people opt for VSPP or STLA leaving approximately 33 people that are looking for EVSPP matches or are waiting for ISPP. Currently there are about 25 people that have turned in EVSPP forms in Repair call handling and LRAC.
In the Tech ranks things are still screwed up, once again in the middle of trying to get Vacation canvassing started, the company decided to move people around. Your officers are doing everything they can to try and keep things straight from one crew to another. QJD continues to be a struggle. I currently have 15 grievances that I will be arguing in the next couple of weeks. There has been a rash of people going home with work behind them. I can not stress enough to follow the company’s rules. We recently lost an ADR case out of Minneapolis about the call ahead process. The arbitrator basically ruled that the employee knew the rule and violated it. So it doesn’t matter how stupid of a rule/process the company gives you, please follow it and we can grieve it later.
We are getting ready to meet with the company to work on next years local agreements for all units. If there is something you would like to see changed or try to get, please let your AVP’s know. Finally don’t forget about the upcoming Holiday Party here at the hall December 9, I hope to see you all here.
June 7, 2006
There will be a meeting explaining the AVAYA contract on Thursday, June 15, 2006 at 6:30 p.m. at the hall. Anyone interested is welcome to attend, if you would like to find out what your union brothers and sisters at AVAYA got in their new contract.
May 25, 2006
We are currently coming down to crunch time with the AVAYA contract as I’m writing this we are 3 days away until the contract expires. As the employees at AVAYA know “IT’S ABOUT JOBS IN 2006”. It is a small group of employees and I’m asking all members of CWA Local 7019 to support our union brothers and sisters, if they go out on strike, here is your chance to walk the picket line with them. For those members at Qwest that are still upset they didn’t get to strike, here’s your chance to walk the line and get some of your frustration out. They have had 3 surpluses in the last 3 years and are currently trying to take some of their work away from them and give it to management. The bargaining reports indicate things are not going good. We were having some trouble updating our webpage. It has been fixed and there is a link up to the C&T page to get the latest bargaining reports. Stay tuned and be prepared to do what is needed to get a fair contract!
At Qwest, we all know the pressure the company is putting on all of us. In the tech ranks, I’ve heard time and time again what is the union doing to stop QJD? From the time EJD was rolled out, we have made the point to the company every time we have a chance to tell them THEIR numbers are unrealistic and unfair. About a year ago, the local management had started with coaching plans. We told you then to file grievances. A coaching plan is not discipline, but it is the first step because if you don’t improve, what’s going to happen? You guessed it, a documented discussion, then Written Warning and whatever else the company chooses. So once again, we need you to have a steward present when you are given a coaching plan, and file a grievance. As we all know, most of the managers that were techs are now manager’s because they couldn’t cut it as techs! Ask for ride alongs, ask for training from the companies training department NTD, these are the company’s trainers and can show you how to do the job the right way. When I say the right way, what I mean is doing the job you are trained to do properly paying attention to your QUALITY, not the company’s idea of quality (did you get a repeat in 30 days). We all need to make the company responsible for doing their jobs in helping to make you be successful. Remember you are the UNION, not the stewards and Area reps, not the AVPs, and not the Officers here at the hall. So what does the UNION do about QJD? WE ALL do our jobs safely, WE do our job the way you were trained to do it providing a QUALITY (again that doesn’t mean do I get a repeat in 30 days) job on each and every job, one job at a time. We work 8 hours for 8 hours pay. The stewards will file grievance and show the company that THEIR numbers are unrealistic and show them their coaching plans are a joke and BEAT QJD!!!! It doesn’t only go for the tech ranks, it goes in every arena. The company is only worried about one thing and that is the bottom line, did they hit the projections they gave to wall street, not are we really giving the “spirit of service”.
I want to thank Troy Conder and Ron Fegan. They were able to get all time paid back and the written warning reduced to a documented discussion for our member that was suspended back in March for a supposed violence in the workplace that we have talked about at the unit and good and welfare meetings. We also have a former employee that we are in the process of finishing up his return to work agreement.
Finally a quick story, about two months ago I received a file that had emails about the ride alongs that had taken place at the beginning of the year. When management was asked to provide the outcome, they sent me an email of 13 things that were found. One of which was urgency. When I asked for clarification, I was told it was a lack of urgency. What I found looking thru those emails was about 9 that supported that statement and about 30 that said the complete opposite. The rest of the stack showed no indication one way or another. What it comes down to is the managers will say whatever they want to support that WE, the occupational employees are the problem with very little facts to support it. When confronted with the information, they became very upset and took the emails from me (don’t worry we have copies), then made a call almost accusing me of stealing them or breaking into a manager’s office. Let me assure you those documents were not stolen, we have integrity. Sometime things fall into our lap. We can defend doing 8 hours work for 8 hours pay, doing a quality job on each and every job. We can’t defend people not doing a quality job just so they can get done and go home, or people not being where they are supposed to be. So please give us what we can defend!
March 13, 2006
As I’m writing this it’s raining outside, so I’ll start with a few things to keep in mind because as we all know, when it rains in Arizona because of the crappy plant we have, it means lots of overtime. Remember you can only be forced 8 hours of overtime per week, If your manager is telling you to stay out and you have your 8 hours, tell them they are violating the contract, then call a steward/Area Rep./Area Vice President. Also you are entitled to 2 consecutive days off twice per month if you are forced to work an A-day during the month, keep in mind this is a calendar month. I hope Scott Simanson enjoys the first rain since he’s been here, maybe this will show him what our plant in AZ is really like! We all know EJD/QJD or whatever they want to call it this week is a hot issue in all workgroups, I can’t stress enough to all of you that you need to be doing everything the company is telling you. If you are, there is no way anyone would be hitting their numbers. If you are cutting corners or not doing your job safely, you are inflating the numbers. Remember our UNION VALUES…8 hours work for 8 hours pay, do a safe, quality job on each and every job. If you are put on a coaching plan, you should have a steward in the meeting with you and file a grievance. This is their first step in moving towards discipline, we will beat their numbers and system, but it will be difficult if you are cutting corners and not doing a quality and safe job.
We do have two CDT’s in the OCS group that currently have surpluses, I know there is at least one person that is planning on leaving on VSPP. We recently had three CDT’s that got COT jobs, so I will be speaking with the company about possibly backfilling one of those positions.
At Avaya, we will be getting ready for bargaining as their contract expires in June. There will be lots of mobilization activities coming up. I encourage all of us at Qwest to help and support our brothers and sisters at Avaya.
VP Report 1-23-06
Units 8 & 9 – We know the company is putting pressure on you by overloading techs. We can’t control the amount of work they give you, but YOU can control the amount of work you do. Put the responsibility back on the company by calling your manager early and often when you know your not going to get to all the work they have loaded you with. The company has already got the result they expected, they have a seen a 25 minute per ticket decrease on the duration time. This has been done by techs cutting corners and working unsafely. We as a union need to hold our fellow members and ourselves accountable by doing a quality job safely. You do not own your route, you only own the job you're on. Remember our union value, 8 hours work for 8 hours pay. Do a safe quality job on each and every job. The company decided not to offer an off on time policy this year. It hasn’t been a local agreement in the past. It was the company’s last best offer on a policy they intended to institute in the past. In several meetings, the director and 2nd levels have stated that the 1st level managers will work with you when you need to go home. If they are not, contact a steward, area rep, area vice president or myself so it can be addressed immediately. If you wait till the next day it’s too late. I&M techs please keep in mind that when you are sitting on kicks to cable late in the day, it is hurting your fellow techs in cable.
Unit 7 - 5 grievances were recently won, good job. There were 4 people that were offered CDT positions that were not originally interviewed. The grievances that were filed for COT positions are at 2nd step with the district office. IT Grievances on self-help has been agreed to be arbitrated with no date set as of yet.
Unit 10 – We have 26 new people in LRAC and they have all picked what groups they will be working in. There were 5 grievances recently won, good job. Gloria has been spending a lot of time in the LRAC with the recent reorganizing that has taken place.
Unit 2 – We have mailed out the new Valor contracts, and are working on getting more. I am in the process of scheduling a trip to see our member at Citizens and Valor with your AVP Bob Gahagan. I look forward to meeting all of you.
AVAYA – We have submitted your bargaining proposals to the C&T office and are preparing for your upcoming negotiations. I will be attending the C&T conference in St. Louis Feb. 5-8 and will have more information around the preparation for negotiations.
Finally, elections will be taking place for Area Reps in all units over the next month.
That is all for now. Please refer to your unit websites and bulletin boards for additional information.
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