Currently, CATs and shop stewards are collecting information for us on people’s education, customer service and call center history to determine whether or not a grievance can be filed to address this.

If you think you have information that may be helpful to us in rectifying this situation, please contact a CAT, shop steward or your union representative, Craig Gamble.

What Did We Gain When We Went Union?
Part II: Grievance Wins

Cingular members are standing up for their rights on the job and winning. We have been actively filing grievances in the call center over the past several months and this month we won two significant grievances:

Written Warning Reduced in Bothell 2

A BCS rep took 2 hours, 45 minutes of leave time, under family illness at the beginning of their shift. This rep had 2 hours excused and paid under EWP time and was given .25 point for tardy. The .25 point triggered a written warning for attendance. This action was grieved and the .25 point was removed and the written warning revoked. The company also agreed to look at the attendance for the entire call center, so that any similar situations would be resolved in this manner as well, without the need to file a grievance. If you think you’ve experienced a similar situation, let us know and it will be investigated.

Member Wins Job Back in Bothell 5

ANS Shop Steward Nancy Wright assisted in this grievance, where a BCS rep was terminated for attendance. This action was grieved and the rep was reinstated under the following conditions:

• The rep was reinstated to former position as per the 2005 Cingular/CWA Labor Agreement
• Due to attendance points rolling off, the rep was at 6 points for attendance, at the “Counseling Notice” level
• Original Net Credit Service Date was restored
• 79 hours “orange” vacation time restored
• 19 hours “blue” vacation time restored
• 4 hours EWP time restored

Remember, if you are called into a meeting you feel may lead to discipline to ask your supervisor for a shop steward. You are the union, and your shop steward can assist you in representation!

Cingular Shop Stewards (Green)
And CATs

Bothell 1
Tony Patterson (EVHD)
Donna DePuy (ETEAM) )
Kale Nostrand (ETEAM) (ANS-Blue)

Bothell 2
Rich Atherton (Care)
Tina Davis (RSD)
Les French (Care)
Mary Hendry (Care)
Kevin King (TSD)
Stephanie Kramer (Care)
Paul Taylor (Care)
Brian Tillotson (OST)
Devin Kunz (Care)
Doug Mount (Care)
Jake Larsen (Care)
Jason Szeto (RSD)
Jeanette Elizabeth (Care)
Jim McHale (Care)

Bothell 5
Ben Schlechty (NBS)
Bill Ferguson (EDHD
Bill Montgomery
Jim Burdick (NBS)
Nancy Wright (ANS-Blue)
Steve Mulligan (ANS)
Gary McGahey (ANS)

(See these folks as your front line at Cingular as the first step to getting any questions answered in regards to your union or if you need representation.) To email shop stewards: stewards@washtech.org

Cingular Action Team (CAT) Training
Our next CAT trainings will be held:

Sunday, June 4th, Noon - 3pm
Wednesday, June 7th, 9 - Noon
Saturday, June10th, Noon - 3pm

CATs are our eyes, ears and voice in the workplace. Joining the CAT team is also the first step to becoming a Shop Steward. Contact Todd Tollefson if you'd like more information on this.

Your WashTech Staff Contacts
Todd Tollefson, Vice President/Organizer
Ph.: 206-726-8580 email: toddt@washtech.org

Craig Gamble, Representative
Ph.: 206-726-8580 email: craigg@washtech.org

Dan Gillespie, Chair Membership Committee
Email: dang@washtech.org

2006 CWA Customer Service Conference
By Craig Gamble, WashTech/CWA Union Representative

The Communications Workers of America union recently held its Customer Service Conference from April 19—22. The conference was held in Houston, TX and sponsored by CWA Local 6222. The purpose of the conference was to bring together CWA members from the various districts to discuss and find ways to improve the challenges that customer service professionals face every day.

On the first day of the conference, there were quite a few notable speakers who addressed the members. Among the speakers was, CWA International President Larry Cohen, who addressed the conference about the importance of union members remaining unified in the face of increased opposition from employers. Bill White, Mayor of Houston, TX also addressed the members about the importance of union members being active on the job in order to achieve a better standard of living.

There were also breakout sessions and workshops during the conference. The topics ranged from FMLA and how attendance affects customer service, to Ready for the Future, CWA’s resolution for the future operation of the union. There were also breakout sessions for the individual bargaining units like AT&T, SBC, Cingular, etc., to discuss issues and ideas for importance in the respective bargaining units.

In the Cingular breakout session, there were many items on the agenda, but we were only able to discuss several of them. Among the hottest topics were: Gates-McDonald, Rep I slotting, District 3 bargaining, pay, the attendance policy and the grievance procedure. I found it very insightful to interact with Cingular employees from other bargaining units and see what’s going on in other parts of the company. We were able to discuss the challenges we face and bounce ideas off each other to take back to our members. We also formed an e-mail tree, so that we can openly ask questions and get ideas on how to effectively represent our members in the various Cingular bargaining units.

Most of the members who attended agree that this conference was necessary, purposeful and successful. The next CWA Customer Service Conference will be held in District 7 (our district) in 2008.

The Communications Workers of America has embarked on an extraordinary venture in union democracy. It is providing all members with a detailed picture of the union’s current status and inviting them to offer suggestions and opinions, no matter how critical, on how best to strengthen the union and its mission in the years ahead.

The plan is perceived as a 10-month process with a timetable set for each level of the union. At its convention last August, the CWA approved a resolution, “Ready for the Future” (RFF), which will involve all members in a thorough examination of the union’s structure, policies, activities, resources and leadership in order to meet the serious challenges of the future.

In mid-January, the union sent an e-mail about the RFF to 1,700 local union officers, followed by a mailing to 75,000 union members for whom the union has e-mail addresses.

In its discussion guide to locals, the union encourages full and frank participation by all members. It states: “No part of this union can or should be left out of the discussion, and every level of the union should be examined, including national, district and sector levels, councils, committees, conventions, meetings and locals. We must not be afraid to examine our union thoroughly and thoughtfully from top to bottom in order to best represent our members.

“In this far-reaching review, there are no sacred cows,” the statement continues. “We must acknowledge the accomplishments of the past and be prepared to embrace the future. That will only happen if we are willing to debate.”

The CWA has provided local leaders and members with a mass of vital statistics in a resource packet that includes financial data and details about its five subordinate sectors: telecommunications, media, airlines, manufacturing and public institutions in education, health care and public safety.

Involving union members is key to union success. CWA’s pro-member policies make the union attractive to many of the industry’s unorganized workers. It has organized more than 16,000 workers at Cingular Wireless since 2005. Overall, more than 38,000 workers at Cingular are now represented by the CWA. This is, by far, the best organizing record in the AFL-CIO and Change to Win coalition.

Abridged from Harry Kelber’s “The World of Labor” www.laboreducator.org.
Visit www.cwa-union.org/future for CWA’s Ready for the Future website