UNIT 5
480-217-7766
NOTICE
UNIT 5 All Areas
NOMINATIONS/ELECTIONS OF
LOCAL 7019 CONVENTION DELEGATES/ALTERNATES
There will be a Unit 5 meeting to nominate and elect Delegates and Alternates for the Local 7019 Convention for your area on:
WHERE: CWA Local 7019
1615 North 36th Street
TIME: 7:30pm
Nominations will be from 7:30pm – 7:45pm
9:00am – 10:00am at the Union Hall
Delegates/Alternates are elected by their peers for the purpose of representing and voting on the business of the local. The delegates/alternates position is for one year.
Due to the fact that the Convention is scheduled for Saturday, there will be no lost wages paid. The expectations would be that if you are elected as a delegate/alternate to the local convention that you make sure you are not scheduled to work that Saturday. If you have any problems contact your Area Vice President immediately.
If for some reason any nomination (whether a first or a second) is going to be presented in writing, the letter must be on file with the Secretary-Treasurer of Local 7019 by 5:00pm on the day of the nominations. Any letter accepting a nomination must also be on file if the nominee is not accepting in person. Each letter must include the office for which the candidate is running and the appropriate Unit and Area numbers if applicable.
PLEASE VOTE!!!!!!
30
afl-cio
March 31, 2010
Just as a reminder, if you have interest in working out of a different yard other than the one you are assigned, submit a 6500. This form can be obtained through any Qwest Manager.
In unity,
Bob Zeidler
March 10, 2010
Congratulations to Robert (Bob) Zeidler! He is the unofficial Unit 5 AVP election winner. The date he will officially take office is March 22, 2010. The time delay is per our by-laws to allow for members to formally contest the election. Pending that, I will be working with Bob the week of the 22nd to bring him up to speed and hopefully make some yard/C.O. visits.
In Solidarity,
Steven Hammill
opeiu30
March 4, 2010
Brothers and sisters,
Ballots have been mailed out for the Unit 5 AVP election. They need to be filled out and returned by March 9th to be counted March 10th. With any election, this is your chance to make your voice heard, please vote!
Recently there has been an issue with the CDT’s working 6p – 2a participating in the weekend rotation. Per Contract Article 2.1, not all members of a workgroup have to cover weekends if there is an agreement with the local. There had not been one in place and a grievance was filed. In resolution to that grievance, the company stated “Additionally, I would like to formally apologize for the inadvertent violation of Article 2.1. The company believed that past practices were relevant and did not mean to side step formal discussion and agreement required in Article 2.1 after reinitiating a 6p-2a shift, with the difference most recently being that it was not being staffed on a separate work group”.
During this process I also requested input from any/all CDT’s who would be affected by this. As of March 2, 2010, there is an agreement that the CDT’s working the 6p-2a shift may be excluded from the weekend rotation. If you have any questions or would like further clarification, please contact me. Also, shift bids for 2nd quarter are coming up.
I was contacted by a CDT who works in Greeley, CO. They are interested in doing a job swap to the valley. Please contact me for more information if you are interested.
In Solidarity,
Steven Hammill
February 18, 2010
Union Brothers and Sisters,
Last night was our quarterly Unit 5 Meeting. Encompassed in that meeting were nominations for Unit 5 Area Vice President. There were 2 nominees who accepted the nod; Paul Kent and Robert Zeidler. Congratulations to both of them. Ballots will be mailed out on February 26th and must be returned to be counted by March 10th.
I am also asking that anyone on a design cable crew please contact me regarding weekend coverage. Currently, the guys working 6pm – 2am do not participate in weekend coverage. Per our contract this may happen (Section 2.1) with an agreement. I want to know what the CDTs who will be affected by this think. Please call me at 602-471-2406 or email me SHammill@cwa7019.org
I am a member of the Mutual Occupational Safety & Health Committee (MOSHC). Yesterday, we had our 1st quarter meeting. For the state of Arizona, we were very low in the number of safety incidents for 2009. In years past, Arizona has been close to the bottom in safety incidents for Qwest. Keep up the safe, quality work you all do.
In Solidarity,
Steven Hammill
opeiu30
February 5, 2010
Hello all. I just wanted to send out a friendly reminder to everyone on a few points.
1) Be where you are supposed to be. During the past year we have had 2 members of our unit terminated for not being where they were supposed to. Qwest vehicles have GPS, and they use it.
2) Be safe. During the last year, the majority of grievances filed in our unit have been over safety issues/discipline. Your well being and the well being of others is paramount. No job is so important and no service is so urgent – that we cannot take time to perform our work safely.
3) Be accurate in your records. If you are dispatched on a job, be working on that job. Violations of this could lead to discipline, up to and including termination.
In Solidarity,
Steven Hammill
February 2, 2010
Dear Member,
I have been informed Steve Hammill, the elected officer for CWA Local 7019 Area Vice President Unit 5, has resigned due to personal reasons. His resignation will be effective once a new Area Vice President is elected and sworn into office.
In accordance with our Bylaws, a vacancy occurring in the office of an Area Vice President shall be filled by a member in good standing from that jurisdiction as defined in Appendix “A”, with an election to be held within sixty (60) days by U.S. Mail. A mail out ballot will not be required if during the unit meeting held for nominations, the office of Area Vice President Unit 5 is unopposed and a motion of acclamation is made and approved by the members in attendance.
A special membership meeting for nominations has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 17th, beginning at 7:00 pm. It will be held at our hall located at:
CWA Local 7019
1615 North 36th Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85008
We hope you, the members, will show up to this very important meeting.
If you are interested in running for the position of CWA Local 7019 Area Vice President Unit 5 and cannot attend this meeting, you must submit the following information to Sue Head, Secretary-Treasurer no later than 4:00 pm on Wednesday, February 17, 2010:
· Letter signed and dated from a member in good standing nominating the candidate
· Letter signed and dated from an additional member in good standing seconding the nomination
· Letter signed and dated from the member accepting the nomination
Candidates should contact the hall at 602-331-7019 to verify letters have been received. The Local will not be responsible for any letters not received by 4:00 pm on February 17, 2010.
The important dates and procedures for the nominations and election of CWA Local 7019 Area Vice President Unit 5 are printed on the back of this letter. If you have any questions regarding the nomination and election process, feel free to contact me. I can be reached through the Local at 602-331-7019.
In Unity,
Margaret Bolden, Chair
Election Committee
opeiu30
afl-cio
Important Dates and Procedures for the Nomination and Election of CWA Local 7019 Area Vice President Unit 5
February 17, 2010 Nominations will be held from the floor of a special Unit 5 Meeting held at the Local Union Hall located at 1615 N 36th St, Phoenix, AZ beginning at 7:00 pm
If only one candidate is nominated for the office at this meeting, no mail out ballots will be sent. The members in attendance will make a motion to vote to accept the candidate into office by acclamation.
February 23, 2010 Request for labels by candidates must be in writing and received in the Local Union office by 4:00 pm on this date.
February 24, 2010 Candidates must have their literature in the Local Union office by 12:00 pm on this date. Literature must be stuffed, envelopes sealed, postage affixed and ready for address labeling.
The Local 7019 Election Committee will begin preparing the mailings on this date. After this process is complete, two members of the Election Committee will take mailings to the Post Office.
February 26, 2010 Ballots prepared for mailing beginning at 8:00 am.
February 26, 2010 Ballots mailed out.
March 4, 2010 New members must have their membership and dues authorization cards in the Union Hall by 4:00 pm to be eligible to vote in this election.
March 4, 2010 Request for duplicate ballots must be received at the Union Hall no later than 4:00 pm. This request must come from the member who did not get their ballot.
March 5, 2010 Duplicate ballots mailed.
March 10, 2010 All ballots must be returned to the Post Office Box.
March 10, 2010 Ballots picked up from the Post Office by the Election Committee at 8:30 am and brought to the Union Hall for counting.
March 22, 2010 New Officer takes office.
opeiu30
afl-cio
January 7, 2010
Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone had a good Holiday season.
Along with the New Year come some changes at our work place.
High on the priority list is the current surplus in the COT and CSS title in the valley.
Initially, the company declared a surplus of 9 COTs and 1 CSS for the Phoenix Metro area. An enhanced VSPP offer was made and 3 COTs and 2 CSS accepted. We wish them all well in their lives after Qwest.
The most recent phase of the surplus procedure is the ESVPP interest. All 6 COTs still “below the water line” had the opportunity to complete and submit these forms. At any time, any employee may log into the HRExpress web site and submit an interest in the ESVPP matching.
This week the company issued some 20.3 movement opportunities for some Titles. In Phoenix they are canvassing COTs for Sierra Vista/Nogales and Globe. If any COTs accept and are moved to these locations, it would be considered a head count reduction in the Phoenix RCA and lessen the potential involuntary separations.
After the 20.3 moves are completed, the company will work the ESVPP matches (probably around January 26th).
A part of the 20.3 canvas is they are looking for a CDT from Winslow to fill one vacant CDT position here in the valley.
I also want to remind everyone of some things that have not changed. The 6500 plan is still in place. IF you would like to report to a different location/function in your title in Metro Phoenix, make sure you have a 6500 on file reflecting your wishes.
Union Pride. Every one of us should be able to be proud of every piece of work we do.
In Solidarity,
Steven Hammill
November 27, 2009
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. This time of year helps serve as a good reminder of what is important in life – family.
In the month of December there are a number of significant items that are going to happen.
The vacation schedule will be complete and we will meet with the company to establish where our additional 20% of entitlement time will go. As per the contract, the 2010 vacation calendar should be posted (Qschedle) by 12-31-09.
Meeting with the company surrounding Local Agreements will be going on. December 9th the first meeting is scheduled. I would appreciate any and all ideas and suggestions regarding our local agreements. Please email me or call the Hall.
The VSPP offer will be going out to the COTs and CSSs this month.
I also wanted to add a reminder, be where you are supposed to be. The company vehicles are still equipped with GPS.
Be Safe!
In Solidarity,
Steven Hammill
Unit 5 AVP
November 19, 2009
Fellow brothers and sisters,
This week Qwest declared a surplus in Arizona. “Surplus” is a nice way of saying they believe there are too many employees and need to have fewer. Here in the Valley 4 titles are affected.
Assistant Technician - 2 people
Customer Service Specialist – 1 people
Central Office Technician – 9 people
Load Specialist – 5 people
Over all in Arizona, there are 60 craft employees who are affected. The resolution date for this declaration is February 15, 2010.
Any of you who have been involved in a surplus and have been at the low end of the TOE list, myself included, know what a scary time this can be.
Feel free to contact your Steward, Area Rep, myself or the Hall if you have any questions or concerns.
In Solidarity,
Steven Hammill
September 9, 2009
Hello Union brothers and sisters. Last Saturday was our 7th Annual Convention. I was happy to see not only our delegates, but several guests as well. The convention ran smoothly, and the guest speakers (including Congressman Ed Pastor) delivered their messages well.
Two by-laws changes were made, bringing them more in line with our budget.
The finance committee presented a budget that for the first time in years was in the black. Not a lot in the black, but any amount positive is better than negative.
We have added two new stewards to our Unit. Welcome Ernest Deciutiis and Billy Fowler. Both are CDT’s on the west side.
I encourage all of you to get involved in our Local. Our Local is not solely about dealing with Qwest, it is about you, and us, it’s members. Look for a notice shortly of a Saturday Unit meeting (the Saturday get together is going to be our Unit meeting).
There are a lot of changes going on in the CDT world. The company has decided that work loads require 3 crews of design cable techs (CDT UE – Underground Equipped) and only 2 crews of repair/provisioning. We are working with the company to make this as painless as possible for all involved. There probably will be some who are forced to change reporting locations, and some who are forced onto the CDT UE crews.
As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact your steward, area rep, or myself. Be warned, you may not like the answer you are given, but you will get an answer.
I hope all of you had an enjoyable Labor Day Holiday.
No job is no important and no service so urgent that we cannot take time to perform our work safely.
In Solidarity,
Steven Hammill
July 29, 2009
Hello fellow CWA members. Changes were made recently to our E-Blast system to allow me to send notices out to just our Unit. This is the first.
Congratulations to Frank Di Marco and Paul Kent! They are our new Area Reps for Area 3 (east side CDT) and Area 2 (west side COT), respectively. Their willingness to step up and be more involved is appreciated.
My pager (602-201-7722) is no longer valid. For cost cutting measures, it was decided not to renew the contract. From this point on, please call the hall to reach me (602-331-7019). I apologize for any inconvenience this may create.
We have a home! The new CWA Local 7019 Hall is located at 3615 N. 36th St. Our anticipated move in date is August 10th. Look for an open house type event mid September.
Thoughts and prayers go out to Karri and Bryan Grunewald. They are dealing with very difficult health issues. Bryan is on unpaid FMLA. If you would like to inquire about donations, please contact Cheri Robinson at 480-969-7182.
Just a reminder, Qwest vehicles have GPS tracking systems. These systems keep track of everywhere the vehicle goes and when. Similarly, Qwest computers keep track of everywhere you go and when. Please keep this in mind.
No job is no important and no service so urgent that we cannot take time to perform our work safely.
In Solidarity,
Steven Hammill
UNIT 5 AVP
May 27, 2009
It has been a while since my last update, primarily due to my perception there is very little interest in these updates. I would love to change that.
Item 1. Be aware any telephone conversation involving LRAC (and probably more than just that group) could be recorded or monitored. The back lines would fall under this also. I am not going to lecture or advise on what to or not to say. We are all adults. I just want to make sure you are aware of this.
Item 2. Be aware if any employee with Qwest who drives as part of their job function gets a DUI, things will not be good. It is my understanding the Arizona Motor Vehicle Department (separate from the criminal courts) will force an ignition interlock restriction on your driver's license for 12 months. At this point, the company will not allow an ignition interlock device to be placed on their vehicles. I don't expect the company to change their stance on this. Once the company is aware of your driving restriction, they may put you on a job search for something that does not require driving. IF the job search is unsuccessful, the company may "release" you. The bottom line is understand getting a DUI is a very serious offense, and may very well affect your livelihood.
Item 3. Our local convention has been set for August 29, 2009. The nominations and elections for convention delegates are on June 4th. I encourage all of you to become involved. One of the important parts of being a convention delegate is to be able to vote in matters like our Local's by-laws. Last year, there were several items delegates were so passionate about, the voting had to be done by roll call vote.
Item 4. Now is the time to submit any by-law changes you would like to have considered by the convention. For more information about how and when to do this, please feel free to contact me or just call the Hall.
In Solidarity,
Steve Hammill
NOTICE
UNIT 5 AREAS 1-2-3-4
NOMINATIONS/ELECTIONS OF
LOCAL 7019 CONVENTION DELEGATES/ALTERNATES
There will be a Unit 5 meeting to nominate and elect Delegates and Alternates for the Local 7019 Convention for your area on:
Nominations will be from 7:30pm – 7:45pm
Delegates/Alternates are elected by their peers for the purpose of representing and voting on the business of the local. The delegates/alternates position is for one year.
Due to the fact that the Convention is scheduled for Saturday, there will be no lost wages paid. The expectations would be that if you are elected as a delegate/alternate to the local convention that you make sure you are not scheduled to work that Saturday. If you have any problems contact your Area Vice President immediately.
The Local Convention date is August 29, 2009.
If for some reason any nomination (whether a first or a second) is going to be presented in writing, the letter must be on file with the Secretary-Treasurer of Local 7019 by 5:00pm on the day of the nominations. Any letter accepting a nomination must also be on file if the nominee is not accepting in person. Each letter must include the office for which the candidate is running and the appropriate Unit and Area numbers if applicable.
PLEASE VOTE!!!!!!
January 5, 2009
Happy New Year to all. I hope every one had a good holiday season, as well as a safe one.
Last week was our second meeting with Qwest regarding our 2009 local agreements. There are still a few points that need to be worked out. There were few changes overall. One item of contention is the caps put on demand PDPs.
Increase your knowledge! I am sure many of you have heard of Weingarten Rights. These rights are a valuable tool when dealing with management. These rights are not specifically stated in our contract, because they do not need to be. They are Federally mandated rights included in the NLRA. Weingarten indicates that any time the company conducts an investigatory interview, the employee has the right to have a Union representative present. An investigatory interview occurs when management questions an employee to obtain information AND the employee has a reasonable belief that discipline or other adverse consequences may result. An investigatory interview could occur even if the company calls it something else (i.e. Coaching Session). The company is not required to offer Union representation, the employee MUST request it.
Do work in your title. Central Office Techs should not do any work in the field (CDT, POTS, BroadBand) AND outside techs should not be doing any work inside the central offices. We do not take work from other work groups.
As always, feel free to contact one of my stewards (see list on Local 7019 Officers page) or me.
SHammill7019@gmail.com
"How can I become a more involved union member?" I know at one point or another all of you have asked yourselves that very question. One of the privileges of being a member of our Local 7019 is that there are many diverse opportunities to do just that. We have several committees. I encourage you to consider participating in any committee you have an interest in. For current chair/contact information, click o the link below. Further explanations or duties may be found in our by-laws.
Committee on Equity-Investigate workplace discriminatory actions involving members and help with resolutions. Shall provide education to members on current equity issues.
Community Services-In charge of the Defense Fund and all worthy community projects.
Education-Assist in developing training and train the local union representatives.
Election-Shall conduct all nominations, elections and referenda of the local.
Finance-Shall submit a yearly budget for the local. Reviews budget and actuals.
Legislative/COPE-Shall assist in developing and pursuing the programs of the union in the legislative field. To register each qualified voter.
Membership-Shall accept or reject membership applications based on the bylaws, rules and constitution.
Mobilization-To assist the officers and stewards in educating the members on issues and achieve a high level of participation in collective actions.
Multi-Media-Responsible for the publication of the monthly newsletter and covering various events for media coverage.
Organizing-Assist in organizing all non-union workers within the local's jurisdiction.
P.E.I.R.-Assist members who are experiencing problems with substance abuse, chemical dependencies, domestic violence, and other life issues.
Safety & Health-Shall work to improve all safety and health in all work locations.
November 21, 2008
This is the first Unit 5 update from me. Since taking office a short time ago, Cheri and I have been busy getting me up to speed on the ins and outs of this position. We have also been able to visit several yards and central offices. One obvious challenge that is apparent is that generally there are no more than a few you at any one location. Communication and sharing information is very important and will be done via email and this web site. I am looking in to using personal cell phone text messaging and personal home/cell phone voice mail. I already have many of your email addresses, and would encourage you to help me increase that list. Another item I am working on are the Unit meetings. I would like to have one Unit meeting a month, east side one month and west side the next. I am not familiar with the east side, so any suggestions where to have them would be appreciated.
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