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VISIT YOUR WEBSITE @ WWW.CWA7214.ORG
NORTHERN WORKER
Bemidji, Cloquet, Duluth, Grand Marais, Hinckley, Mora, North Branch, Pine City, and Silver Bay
COMMUNICATION WORKERS of AMERICA
The next scheduled meeting will be:
THURSDAY May 15th Labor Temple; Hall B “Stewards Meeting 7:00; Membership 7:15 Open To All CWA 7214 Members
Union Stewards Training: Mary Taylor came back to Duluth to conduct our Union stewards training. Present were Peter Thibault, Brandon DeRosier and Sam LeMahiue from Dex-Media. We still need Jim Tomczak to attend and then we will have accomplished having sent all of our stewards to training. We would like to thank Mary Taylor for her time & efforts.
At DEX: On April 23rd another District 7 conference call was held for updating Union stewards & members regarding the status of the newly conceived sales & performance plan, that rolled out on March 10th.
The Union chose to mobilize & each DEX local filed grievances across the 14 states to inform discuss with management why the plan had unobtainable measurements.
All local’s attempted to meet at the 1st step with management & requested data to learn how Dex-Media members could reach their number’s. The fact that DEX-Media chose to listen to the concerns of their employees/Union was in and of itself short of one big miracle. The company chose to change the plan !
Sam & myself met on the 1st step of the grievance, requested data which the Union as of yet, has not received. Jana has since spoken with the Dex Labor Team Lead who Indicated that the company was still gathering the information, but would have it available within 2 week’s. We have extended our timelines on the grievance and are waiting for the information before proceeding.
Jana Smith-Carr CWA District 7 rep has requested that each local still collectsignatures from their local’s for the petition. Ours is filled out & we will be handing it over to Jana at the District 7 conference in Layton on May 3rd.
Also at the District 7 conference there will be a DEX-MEDIA meeting which is scheduled for Tuesday May 5th. We will learn more information by attending this meeting. OIS: At this time we would like to welcome the following new members to agent services. Amy Cosner, Ethel Undahl, Katie Dahlheimer, Kim Sundeen, Jeffery Jensen, Andrea Birrenkott, Jessi Bruner, Amber Rosas, Andrea Humphrey, Rachel Anderson, Kevin Anderson, Gabriel Green, Julie Pennington, and Gail Nacey. With questions & issues of concerns for our new members, please feel free to contact the Union stewards. We can also share information on our Union bulletin board, such as Pathways, tour trades, and HOTH information. Please remember that your IQRP is an incentive program and can not be used for disciplinary unless in cases of gross customer abuse. Please see one of your stewards if you have any questions. LNO : The company has decided based off their Force to Load measurementto increase 1 more tech for Sunday’s. Kerry L believes that the coverage is not necessary at this time & would like to take the 2 weeks of data back to theCompany to indicate that the additional Sunday person in not necessary.However if the data comes back & indicates that the additional person is neededfor Sunday, the Union is proposing that the Company look at some type of creative scheduling as a method to handle the Sunday rotation. If you should be interested on the I & M crew to work Sunday’s in a rotational pattern, please contact Jim Tomczak.In Bemidji the company is indicating that there is need for 1 fulltime & 1 SPT Network title. The contract states that the SPT % cannot be over 15% in a RCA. The Union will be seeking assistance from other outstate locals to see how they have handled this issue. Mary Taylor would like to remind all tech’s under the company’s productivity number’s to retain daily work log information, if the event you have gone over the bogie for that work item. Keep a copy for your records & give a copy to your supervisor’s stating the reasons why there was a delay in the work activity. These type of item’s help and assist when meeting on grievances on QJD measurement’s. Wholesale - The department is continuing to look to bring more work to Duluth.The Atomic clocks should be in place on the walls & the telephone will be assigned to atomic clock time shortly. The Union filed three grievances in wholesale recently. We accepted one, and the other two will be pursued at the 2nd step. CWA District 7 conference - This conference will be held on May 4th throughMay 7th The bargaining proposals that were submitted will be reviewed by the delegates for the upcoming Qwest bargaining session. We will also find out the date as to when bargaining will begin. CPS position in Denver- Recently the Union noticed that the company was posted Requisitions for the CPS title in Denver for a term assignment that would run thru July 2010. Newman has written a formal letter to Dana Crandall requesting WHY the company did not consider - the 10 CPS that were trained in Duluth and laid off on January 10th,for this work. We also CC Bob Tregemba & John Stanoch. We are waiting for Dana’s response.Pioneer’s Events - Qwest pioneers will be hosting the first Annual Motorcycle ride on June 28th the ride will consist of about 125 miles starting of at the Runway bar in Duluth and winding through Cloquet and Jay Cooks State Park ending in at the Tom McFarland park in Carlton. There will be a Barbeque/ Steak fry - cost is only $25.00 per person. We will have the Ultimate Salad Bar as a kickoff for this event. It is scheduled for 05-14-2008 Wednesday in the Melrose building. The money raised will be donated to support our Active Troops and Veterans. The Pioneers are also continuing to make “ Huggy Bears “ on the first and third Mondays of each month. Anyone is welcome to volunteer on their own time. Community Event – On Saturday May 10th, the Postal Workers Union will be conducting their annual food drive. You may leave out on your front porch canned food item’s that will be given to our local food shelf organization’s. It’s easy to participate by leaving your canned goods out in a brown paper bag on Saturday May 10th, the mail carrier’s along with additional help will be picking up these food items and bringing them to the main post office for later distribution. While our local participates in “ March Madness “ the Postal Workers have been conducting this drive for over 18 years. As always their continues to be a “ need “ within our communities for assistance to help other’s.
NORTHERN WORKER
Bemidji, Cloquet, Duluth, Grand Marais, Hinckley, Mora, North Branch, Pine City, and Silver Bay
COMMUNICATION WORKERS of AMERICA
The next scheduled meeting will be:
THURSDAY April 17th Labor Temple; Hall B “Stewards Meeting 7:00; Membership 7:15 Open To All CWA 7214 Members Our Special guest – We would like to thank Mary Taylor for attending our last Union meeting and answering questions & concerns for our members. Mary conducted Union stewards training on Friday March 21st and commented that the class went well, with good dialog, interaction & communications during the training session.
Those attending Union steward’s training were: Micki Olson, Cullen Cusick, Rachel Peterson, Joanne Copper, Matt Feiock, Tony Feela, and Karen Olson.
Next Up for Union Stewards training will be: Jim Tomczak, Peter Thibault and Brandon DeRosier all from LNO and Sam LeMahiue from DEX-Media. Their training will be conducted on Thursday April 24th, again with Mary Taylor.
AT OIS: We were informed by management that beginning the schedule of April 20th, a few agents will be scheduled for 6 days. As we are still training, this will hopefully not last long. As of March 30th, the Duluth office again will be open from 6am to midnight.
At this time we would like to welcome Kerry Webb, Brian Butler, Barbara Soder, Gerald Velenchenko, Charleen Heuer, Jane Johnson, Theresa Jourdain, Jennifer Shanda, Kristin Quinn, Brandon Lilya, Laura Kobza, Tiffany Delancey, Amber Kealer, Rachel Person, Steven Anthony, John Riehm, Patricia Hartman, and Joshua Acquard.
With all the new agents, please remember we will be in position “crunched”. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in this matter.
At this time we are attempting to work with management for union stewards to meet with each new employee, to review any new questions you may have about your employment at Qwest, including tour cards, e-time, holiday pay, etc.
Wholesale department – The L&P work has been delayed by a week, so we have no idea what impact this will have on the wholesale center.
We have been informed that the issue of atomic clocks has been discussed and there will be a telephone system enhancement that is scheduled for April 24th, meaning that the phone system will be on atomic time.
The BRI department has ordered clocks for the wholesale dept as well as OIS and there will be placement of clocks in the lobby as well.
At DEX - Sam & Newman met with the company in a problem solving meeting on March 21st and then again on the 1st step grievance on April 2nd. We have asked the company for data regarding their new Performance Expectation of New Business Sales for Telephone, Premise, and located reps. We are now appealing the grievance to the 2nd step.
The DEX petition is in it’s draft stage, stay tuned………
March Madness – The 2008 March food shelf drive generated a total $2517 this year. This included a large box of groceries and $5 from OIS, $ 2500 from four lunches and generous donation from the piggybanks of Juliet/Annabelle Marx’s.
Plus, Pioneers gave $400 to Duluth, and $200 each to Hibbing, Grand Rapids, and Virginia food shelves. That makes a grand total of $3517!
Joanne Cooper, Pioneer President is following up to have this information highlighted in the Duluth News tribune under their Good Deeds article’s.The LNO World : On March 18th the LNO department announced an enhancedOffer of increased money ( up from $ 1100 per year to $ 1375 ) and rehire/recallrights for technicians in certain RCA’s, where the company had determined by their Force to Load number’s where they could afford to go down on technicians.
In our local that meant the Duluth & Cambridge RCA’s.
So on Monday March 31st we say goodbye to Roger VanDyke, Craig Mattson both CDT’s and network technician Steve LaFrance. And Frank Syverson Bemidji network tech is retiring with 39 years of service ! We with you all the very best that retirement has to offer !
The issue of QJD - The subject matter of QDS was brought up at the March Union meeting and Mary Taylor listened, asked questions and shared some of her in-sight on this particular issue.
Also the Union has received from Reed Roberts some thoughts regarding the Union’s position on this issue.
Reed states : The heart of American Labor law is that management retains the right to manage the business subject to the terms and conditions of the labor contract. There is nothing in any labor contract that says that management cannot do stupid things.
Management has the right to set performance standards. Network has always had standards, granted nothing like their current schemes.
Legally, we could demand the right to negotiate the numbers. Then once a number is set, the employee either meets the standard or if they don’t they’re disciplined.
In the absence of a negotiated plan, when management disciplines employees for not meeting the metric, the argument comes down to whether :
1. the standard is reasonable 2. whether the employee had control over the circumstances that led to their not meeting the standard ( the 7 tests of just cause ).
So if there was a basis for a legal challenge it would be done. If the Courts or NLRB could provide a solution we would have been here long before now.
The big issue for our folks is that their whole process is stupid, they ignore theirown guidelines and middle/upper management blames their 1st level supervisor’s and employees for not getting any traction when the problem has more to do with their inability & unwillingness to manage the business.
Our customers hate us & the market doesn’t like this company very much either, and management continues to substitute numbers for common sense.
We tried talking, we argued until we’re blue in the face but it’s like the old saying – Never try to teach a pig to sing. It’s a waste of your time and it annoys the pig. It’s going to be a long summer at the Qwest bargaining table.
NORTHERN WORKER
Bemidji, Cloquet, Duluth, Grand Marais, Hinckley, Mora, North Branch, Pine City, and Silver Bay
COMMUNICATION WORKERS of AMERICA
The next scheduled meeting will be:
THURSDAY, March 20th Labor Temple; Hall B “Stewards Meeting 7:00; Membership 7:15 Open To All CWA 7214 Members Special Guest - At our March 20th meeting our CWA representative Mary Taylor will be joining us. Mary is located in Minneapolis & she is our designated rep that helps & assists our local in contract interpretation and depending on the organization, would be involved with grievances at the 2nd step level.
Mary will be coming to Duluth on Thursday morning & will be conducting an audit with Rawn Nielsen to check our vouchers & books.
Mary will also be attending our Union meeting and can answer questions and concerns that each Union member may have. Mary was also the lead Union bargainer for the OIS contract that was negotiated last October, 2007.
On Friday Mary will be conducting a Union stewards class, the following members will be attending :
Rachel Peterson, Joann Cooper, Micki Olson, Cullen Cusick, Matt Feiock,, and Tony Feela.
Mary has been a Union rep for over 7 years and previously was the CWA President for Minneapolis Local 7200. She brings a wealth of knowledge to each issue and we would encourage members to meet her as well as attend the next meeting.
AT OIS: From the announcement from January 23rd, that OIS would implement a new consolidation plan, things have been moving quickly in the Duluth office. First we learned that the following OIS offices would be closing :
Albuquerque Fargo Colorado Springs Souix Falls
The remaining four offices would be :
Salt Lake City Pueblo Waterloo Duluth
It is our understanding that there will be 68 additional OIS agents in Duluth. The testing/interviewing process has been completed & we believe that at least 50 job offer’s have been made. The 1st class started on February 25th and we would like to welcome the 6 new Union members :
The 2nd class will be finishing up shortly. Judy Chesney & Mickey Olson will be conducting the “ Meet the Union meeting ‘s “ with our new members. Please take the time to greet the new members.
Our local was told from Kevin Grewe that the reason our office would remain open is that we have a good working relationship. We are grateful that the current members will have continued employment & new members !
At this time we would like to welcome, Cody DeDominces, Heather Anderson, Vernita Clinton, Nicole Kolden, Ashley Rowell, Erika Szybczynski, Laura Paulson, Joshua Larson, Jacqueline Johnson, Aaron Peterson, and Denise Barnett.
Wholesale department – On Friday March 7th Mary Madill announced that work previously performed in Bangalor India will be returning to Qwest. This work will be divided between three centers Duluth, Minneapolis & Sierra Vista.
CWA Scholarships available - The Joseph Beirne scholarship is still available On line & must be completed by March 31st, 2008. There are other Minnesota State scholarship’s available. If you would be interested please contact Judy Chesney at 310-9083 for further information
At DEX - Sam & Newman were involved with a conference call on Wednesday March 5th with Jana Smith-Carr the CWA staff rep responsible for the DEX unit. With the new sales performance plan beginning on March 10th, the Union has decided that all local’s across the 14 states will be filing grievances demanding that the Company remove the Performance Expectation of New Business Sales for Telephone, Premise, and located reps. Also the Union will be developing a petition that will be delivered to Del Humenik.
Also a mobilization activity has been decided that all Union members will wear black on Thursday, as a show of solidarity.
Qwest – Quitline Smoking Cessation Program - Qwest & the American Cancer Society have teamed up to help keep you on the path to a tobacco-free Lifestyle. They are pleased to offer Quitline – a service that proves :
--- Individualized telephone counseling --- Nicotine replacement treatment : patches, gum, lozenges for Qwest employees only --- Resources/.self-help materials --- Access to telephone and/or local support groups
Call 1 866-533-4396 ( available 24/7 ) and speak to a Quitline counselor to create an individualized tobacco cessation program just for employees.
Quitline is FREE to Qwest employees – & Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
Upcoming events :
May 3rd through 7th – CWA District 7 conference, and CWA Union Presidents meeting to discuss the Qwest bargaining proposal’s.
June 23 through 25th – CWA National Convention – Election of National officers. Our CWA VP – Annie Hill will be running for position of Vice-President of the National Union, located in Washington D. C. With Annie vacating her VP position in District 7 there are currently 2 candidates running, Brenda Roberts and & Lew Ellingson. Louise Cadell dropped due to health concerns.
August 25th – Democratic Convention in Denver .
September 1st – Republican Convention in St. Paul.
Weingarten Rights - With new & old members, it’s a good time to review your Weingarten Rights. We have posted this information on the Union bulletin boards. If you are called to a meeting with management, read the following :
If this interview could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions; I respectfully request that my union Representative, officer or steward be present at this meeting. Until my representative arrives, I choose not to participate in the discussion.
March Madness – Every Wednesday this month there will be a luncheon hosted by different dept’s to raise money for our area food shelves. Please join us to help those within our community who need our help & assistance.
VISIT YOUR WEBSITE @ WWW.CWA7214.ORG
NORTHERN WORKER
Bemidji, Cloquet, Duluth, Grand Marais, Hinckley, Mora, North Branch, Pine City, and Silver Bay
COMMUNICATION WORKERS of AMERICA
The next scheduled meeting will be:
THURSDAY, December 20 Labor Temple; Hall “C” Stewards Meeting 7:00; Membership 7:15 Open To All CWA 7214 Members
OIS: Vacation canvassing has started Dec 5. Some changes for the Duluth office PATHWAYS: Have you ever thought about getting a degree or certificate in a field that you have an interest in? Well Pathways will pay the tuition and cover the cost of your books too. It is a great re-training tool for all Qwest members to use. It can help to make your future more secure.
Remember, once you have the education, they can never take it away from you!
If you have any questions, please contact either Terri or Casey @ 723-4225.
LNO - The Network vacation schedules are now complete for 2008. President Newman has had two conference calls with Chris Fry regarding the placement of the extra 20% of entitlement time that is built into the vacation schedule per the contract.
The results that were agreed to by Terri and Chris Fry are as follows:
Duluth I & M has an additional week that was granted for the 1st week of deer hunting season.
For the Service assurance crew the 2nd week of deer hunting was gained.
On the construction crew, 4 additional Friday’s were given in the summer for 3-day week-ends. With the construction load, time could not be granted at the beginning or the end of the month.
In the Pine City lata, the days were divided up as follows:
The Construction crew gained additional time during the fishing opener.
I & M was given 2 Fridays off during hunting season.
CDT’s were on a mgr/load availability.
For all crew’s the Union requested more time off for the day after Thanksgiving & on Christmas eve. Again those will be handled locally by the manager on a as needed basis.
The Union requested an additional PPD day for all Net Techs, and was turned down by Chris Fry. The Union felt that the additional flexibility would help many of our members to better manage their daily life and it would reduce “on the job” stress.
Also, since next year Minnesota is hosting the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, the Renae Coddington organization has closed down vacation to 1 slot per day on all crews within the state. She feels that this move is warranted because additional resources may be needed for the convention. The convention runs from Aug 22nd until Sept 19th.
PIONEERS: Gloria Berger has the Pioneer calendars for sale again this year. They cost $30.00 and the proceeds go to the Telephone Pioneers scholarship fund and to other activities that the Pioneers sponsor.
We have had many daily winners from the region this year, so why not take a chance? Please see Gloria or inquire with any other Pioneer for your pocket calendar. Maybe you will be a winner too!
CHRISTMAS CITY OF THE NORTH PARADE: For the first time ever, Qwest and CWA 7214 will be represented in the Christmas City of the North Parade. The parade will be held on Friday, November 16th, at 6:30pm. Qwest will have a decorated bucket truck and will be one of the first parade entries.
Rob Nelson and Becky Moore are heading up this event. They are looking for volunteers to walk the parade route and hand out candy, or carry a banner, or just to smile and wave to the crowd.
“Spirit the Dog” will be leading the way, followed by a Qwest banner. Behind them will be the decorated Qwest bucket truck. The Pioneers may also have a group with their banner on display too.
The walking volunteers will be handing out the candy to spectators along the route. They will be headed up by Nicholas Tomczak and Nicholas Moore and their parents.
If you and/or your children are interested in participating in the parade, please contact the Union office @ 723-4225, or simply stop in.
There is a form that all parade participants must carry with them during the parade that lists each persons emergency contact information. The Union office does have these forms available now if you are planning to be a part of this event. This could be a lot of fun....
PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP: Mike Follese, of the Principal Financial Group, said that he would be happy to come to Duluth to meet with anyone that would like to speak with him about their financial future. He also said that he could put on his retirement power point presentation that covers recent changes to retirement laws. It is important information if you are considering leaving.
VISIT YOUR WEBSITE @ WWW.CWA7214.ORG
NORTHERN WORKER
Bemidji, Cloquet, Duluth, Grand Marais, Hinckley, Mora, North Branch, Pine City, and Silver Bay
COMMUNICATION WORKERS of AMERICA
The next scheduled meeting will be:
THURSDAY, November 15th Labor Temple; Hall “B” Stewards Meeting 7:00; Membership 7:15 Open To All CWA 7214 Members
Paul Bunyan: With the referendum vote complete, the Paul Bunyan Union members, effective October 1st, have merged with Garden Valley Telephone.
Thank you to all members that took the time to vote.
OIS: The contract has been ratified and all members should receive their ratification bonus on November 9th.
There has been a lot of heartache over this contract, however it has been approved by the membership and we need to accept it and move on. You have been named the #1 company in customer service for the 6th or 7th reporting period in a row and you are a valuable asset to the Company. The contract may not be what you were hoping for, but it is what it is.
Also, your CSQ bonus should have been paid already.
Please make sure that you receive both of these bonuses on your pay checks. If there is a problem, see your CSM manager for assistance. We have been receiving some complaints about the “E-Time” sheet again. If you have experienced what you believe to be a problem with the way e-time has been given out, please write your name, the date in question, and the time you requested on a piece of paper and give it to a steward. We will check on all complaints and get back to you with the answer.
PATHWAYS: Have you ever thought about getting a degree or certificate in a field that you have an interest in? Well Pathways will pay the tuition and cover the cost of your books too. It is a great re-training tool for all Qwest members to use. It can help to make your future more secure.
Remember, once you have the education, they can never take it away from you!
If you have any questions, please contact either Terri or Casey @ 723-4225.
LNO - The Network vacation schedules are now complete for 2008. President Newman has had two conference calls with Chris Fry regarding the placement of the extra 20% of entitlement time that is built into the vacation schedule per the contract.
The results that were agreed to by Terri and Chris Fry are as follows:
Duluth I & M has an additional week that was granted for the 1st week of deer hunting season.
For the Service assurance crew the 2nd week of deer hunting was gained.
On the construction crew, 4 additional Friday’s were given in the summer for 3-day week-ends. With the construction load, time could not be granted at the beginning or the end of the month.
In the Pine City lata, the days were divided up as follows:
The Construction crew gained additional time during the fishing opener.
I & M was given 2 Fridays off during hunting season.
CDT’s were on a mgr/load availability.
For all crew’s the Union requested more time off for the day after Thanksgiving & on Christmas eve. Again those will be handled locally by the manager on a as needed basis.
The Union requested an additional PPD day for all Net Techs, and was turned down by Chris Fry. The Union felt that the additional flexibility would help many of our members to better manage their daily life and it would reduce “on the job” stress.
Also, since next year Minnesota is hosting the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, the Renae Coddington organization has closed down vacation to 1 slot per day on all crews within the state. She feels that this move is warranted because additional resources may be needed for the convention. The convention runs from Aug 22nd until Sept 19th.
PIONEERS: Gloria Berger has the Pioneer calendars for sale again this year. They cost $30.00 and the proceeds go to the Telephone Pioneers scholarship fund and to other activities that the Pioneers sponsor.
We have had many daily winners from the region this year, so why not take a chance? Please see Gloria or inquire with any other Pioneer for your pocket calendar. Maybe you will be a winner too!
CHRISTMAS CITY OF THE NORTH PARADE: For the first time ever, Qwest and CWA 7214 will be represented in the Christmas City of the North Parade. The parade will be held on Friday, November 16th, at 6:30pm. Qwest will have a decorated bucket truck and will be one of the first parade entries.
Rob Nelson and Becky Moore are heading up this event. They are looking for volunteers to walk the parade route and hand out candy, or carry a banner, or just to smile and wave to the crowd.
“Spirit the Dog” will be leading the way, followed by a Qwest banner. Behind them will be the decorated Qwest bucket truck. The Pioneers may also have a group with their banner on display too.
The walking volunteers will be handing out the candy to spectators along the route. They will be headed up by Nicholas Tomczak and Nicholas Moore and their parents.
If you and/or your children are interested in participating in the parade, please contact the Union office @ 723-4225, or simply stop in.
There is a form that all parade participants must carry with them during the parade that lists each persons emergency contact information. The Union office does have these forms available now if you are planning to be a part of this event. This could be a lot of fun....
PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP: Mike Follese, of the Principal Financial Group, said that he would be happy to come to Duluth to meet with anyone that would like to speak with him about their financial future. He also said that he could put on his retirement power point presentation that covers recent changes to retirement laws. It is important information if you are considering leaving.
VISIT YOUR WEBSITE @ WWW.CWA7214.ORG
NORTHERN WORKER
BEMIDJI, CLOQUET, DULUTH, GRAND MARAIS, HINCKLEY, MORA, NORTH BRANCH, PINE CITY, and SILVER BAY
COMMUNICATION WORKERS of AMERICA
The next scheduled Membership meeting will be held:
THURSDAY, APRIL 19th. AT THE LABOR TEMPLE 2002 London Rd; Hall “B”
STEWARDS MEETING 7 PM; MEMBERSHIP 7:15 PM
JOHN STANOCH MEETING: On April 18th, John Stanoch will be in Duluth. He will be holding meetings with Qwest employees at the Arrowhead Garage and the Melrose Building. Please watch for the times......
His original plan to be here last month was sidelined by the blizzard of ‘07. Hopefully that won’t happen again!
PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL: Mike Follese, from the Principal Financial Group, will be in Duluth on Thursday, April 19th to discuss the 2006 pension law changes. Sign-up sheets have been sent out, or you can contact the Union office (723-4225) for an appointment with Mike. He is also planning to attend our regular monthly meeting and will be available for your questions before/after the meeting.
The Principal Financial Group is recognized by the CWA as experts on Qwest pension and retirement funds.
If anyone would like to set up an individual session with Mike for another date/time, please contact Mike directly at 952 898-2776. You may also email him at mfollese@frontiernet.net for an appointment.
QWEST WHOLESALE INTERCONNECT: Two weeks ago a new “Company Policy” was enacted in the Qwest Wholesale center. The new policy pertains to “off the clock” work. It was enacted because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2005 that states that if you work “off the clock” you are entitled overtime pay for the amount of minutes that were worked on your official breaks and lunch periods.
Some large companies, especially Wal-Mart, were requiring workers to work “off the clock” and they were eventually sued over the issue. Of course Wal-Mart lost a class action law suit and it cost them hundreds of millions of dollars so Qwest is concerned that a similar suit isn’t brought against them.
Because this has been deemed a Qwest Wholesale “policy” we will need to follow it closely. The Union has no input in matters of policy, however we will make sure that it is implemented and enforced evenly. Policies are part of managements “rights and responsibilities” and only they can affect or implement them.
MINNESOTA LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE: In March, Casey attended the Industrial Unions Joint Legislative Conference in St. Paul. This year 6 Unions participated and there were close to 150 delegates.
The CWA is a leader in the legislative arena and we had delegates from almost all of our Locals. Tim Lovasson, the CWA Minnesota State Council President, is a member of the Industrial Unions Board of Directors and is the emcee of this event.
This year, the speakers included Al Frankin, Tom Rukavina, and Dave Tomassoni (among several others). Also, each of the Unions that were present had an official speak about concerns that are affecting their memberships. These speeches were amazingly similar because most working people are facing many of the same types of issues; spiraling health care costs, lack of job security, and environmental concerns.
Casey, a Steelworker, and an Auto Worker also called on several senators at the State Capitol. They were Senator Yvonne Prettner Solon (Chair of the Communications Committee), Senator Linda Scheid, Senator Leo Foley, Senator John Doll, Senator Ann Lynch, and Senator Tom Bakk.
The CWA is trying to advance the “Consumers Right to Know” bill. Basically, it states that if you call a center, or if they call you, you have the right to ask where they are located. If they want personal information from you, and they are not located in the USA, you can request a transfer to an American operator. The CWA feels that Identity theft is a major problem and we are trying to slow it down. Each of the other five unions were also trying to advance their own bills.
AGENT SERVICES: April 9th begins the 6 week Medica Shape- Up Challenge in OIS. Participants, which is now over 50% of the office (both management and occupational), will be tracking and reporting their efforts to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Categories such as nutrition, lifestyle, activities, self-care, and relaxation are checked off each day and reported in to Jodi Hakamaki. She will then report those figures weekly to Medica for a chance to compete for awards each week. The office will incorporate healthy snacks and informational handouts to make this both a healthy and fun event!
CTS results for Jan were 81.4, for Feb were 85.2, for March 88.3 and so for the first quarter came in at 85.3, well ahead of the objective of 77%!
Also in OIS: We have just received word that Agent Services will be hiring full time customer service agents in the Duluth Call Center. Qualifications include: strong verbal communication, knowledge of typing, multi-tasking skills, computer literacy, and ability to demonstrate punctuality. Previous call center or customer service experience is a plus. Must be willing to work any shift, any day, including holidays and weekends. Starting salary is $9.90 per hr with increases every 6 months until top pay. Split shifts receive .50 more per hr, night shift differential of .50 for time worked between 11pm and 12 am, and evening differential of .35 per hr for time worked between 7pm and 11 pm. These positions offer an outstanding benefits package, pension and 401K plans, tuition assistance, discount on Qwest services, and paid vacations and holidays. Applications deadline is April 13th through www.qwest.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS! Agent Services invites you to come help celebrate “Spring Spirit Of Service” on Saturday, May 5th. We will be getting together in select neighborhoods to door-hang DSL literature. Details are still being worked out, but it will be a chance to get out on a morning walk in the beautiful spring air and chit-chat with friends. We’re also planning on lunch together afterwards. Call Jodi Hakamaki @ 391-6251 or Andrea Shogren @ 720-0222 for developing details if you’d like to join us. All departments, active and retirees, are welcome!
The ALL-Qwest picnic is in the planning stage already! This year it will be held on Saturday, Aug 18 at Lester Park. A fundraising lunch will be held early in the summer to offset expenses, but its looks to be a potluck, with games and prizes for young and old alike! Watch the next newsletter and the CWA website for more information!
April 26th is National Take Your Child to Work Day! Please check with your department to make sure that they will be hosting an event for your children to attend.
Where safety is a concern, children will not be allowed into the work area.
TELECOM PIONEERS: The Pioneers are looking for a good working sewing machine to replace a broken one. If you would like to donate one, or if you posses the ability to repair the broken machine, please contact Barb Cane at 720-0231 or Nancy Eilefson at 624-0031.
VISIT YOUR WEBSITE @ WWW.CWA7214.ORG
NORTHERN WORKER
BEMIDJI, CLOQUET, DULUTH, GRAND MARAIS, HINCKLEY, MORA, NORTH BRANCH, PINE CITY, and SILVER BAY
COMMUNICATION WORKERS of AMERICA
The next scheduled Membership meeting will be:
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18th. AT TOBY’S IN HINKLEY
STEWARDS MEETING 7 PM; MEMBERSHIP 7:15 PM
ANDY SCHRINER MEETING: On Friday, December 15th, Andy Schriner held a meeting with Minnesota State Senator Yvonne Prettner=Solon in the Melrose Building. Andy is the Legislative Coordinator for Qwest and Yvonne Prettner-Solon is the incoming Chair of the Senate Commerce and Utilities Committee. They did have an opportunity to speak privately about issues that affect CWA members.
Senator Prettner-Solon was given a tour of the building and each of the work units that are located there. The tour centered around the Central Office and how lines come into it and then are delivered to the correct customer.
CO Manager Rob Nelson conducted the CO tour and he was very thorough. Building Manger Brian Liubakka provided information on the “built in redundancy” that utilities are required to have that 2nd tier providers are not required to provide. OIS Manager Andrea Shogren and Wholesale Manager Rita Potvien also gave tours of their departments and talked about the number of employees they have.
Yvonne was grateful for all of the useful information that she received and wanted to thank all of the employees that she asked questions of. It will benefit CWA members to have a friend as the Chair of the Senate Commerce and Utilities Committee. Also on the 15th, Andy met with Duluth Central Labor Body President Allen Netland prior to the Melrose Building tour. Andy was looking for help in marketing Qwest products to other union families. Our members that live in the Duluth area should start seeing Qwest ads in the Labor World newspaper. Remember to buy UNION!!!
With that in mind, Tony Couture a Net Tech from the Arrowhead Garage, suggests that all members and their families discontinue utilizing Charter Digital and Media Com services because they now provide local phone service and they are not union companies. Ordering Direct TV is your best route to go........
Remember that purchasing your media, DSL, and phone services from Qwest does equal job security for all of our members.
NEW CHANGES FOR PATHWAYS: Effective January 2nd, for those participating in Pathways program you will NOW be able to order your books from Barnes & Noble:
1. Log into the www.QwestTuition.com web site. 2. Submit a textbook application. 3. Submit an approved course syllabus to the Qwest tuition Service Center you will receive an email acknowledging your textbook request, it will have a link to the Barnes & Noble site and enter your Qwest employee ID number & application number from the email. 4. Select your books. 5 Submit your selection.
Your selection will be reviewed by the Qwest Tuition Service center to verify your course requirements. Then your books will shipped automatically ( 3 to 5 days delivery ). You will not receive a bill or invoice nor will you have to submit any other paperwork. The Pathways program will automatically pay for the cost of the books.
QWEST KIOSK: Local 7214 represents the sales force at the Qwest Kiosk in Miller Hill Mall. Our members there are ready, able, and available to answer any questions you may have, or to show you the products and services available from Qwest.
If you need information on DSL, a new cell phone plan, or to just pay your bill, please stop by and talk to these folks. They will provide you with information about all of Qwest’s products, services, and prices. Welcome new member Shawn Aubol !
QWEST HOLIDAY PARTY: On Saturday December 16th, the annual Holiday Party was held at the Holiday Inn in downtown Duluth. It is a Union represented hotel with banquet facilities. The food was good, the dance floor was busy, and everyone had a great time. Also, everyone present went home with a prize with a value of at least $25.00.
The Local Executive Board wants to thank Agent Services steward Jodi Hakamaki for all of her efforts in making this event happen. Jodi pretty much planned the event, procured the prizes, booked the menu and party room, and collected the party goers money. Jodi deserves a lot of credit for her efforts in making for a great party! Thanks again Jodi!!!!
TELEPHONE PIONEERS CHILDREN’S PARTY: Also on December 16th, the annual Pioneers Children’s Christmas party was held at the Union Gospel Mission. Even though the attendance was lower this year than last, those that attended had an exceptional time. All of the children had a chance to sit on Santa’s lap and have their pictures taken. All of the families were fed a nice meal and some great sugar cookies that were provided by Deborah Richardson who has a home baking business (728-9033). If you need any type of baked goods for any event, try calling Deborah, you won’t be sorry.
Thank you to everyone that helped with this party, especially to Deb Franckowiak and Gloria Berger for their participation and Eric Matfeld for playing Santa. He kept the kids entertained for two hours. Also, as always, the hand sewn Hug-A-Bears were a big hit with the kids. A special thank you to all of the sewers for their time and expertise. This yearly party is a success because of the many volunteers that work on it!
SCHOLARSHIPS: It is once again that time of the year when the annual scholarship applications come out. As information about scholarship availability and application time lines arrive in the Union Office, we will pass the information along to our members. I believe that the main applications have now arrived (see below), however there may be others that still come in. Please look in the next Union Newsletter for further information or call Casey at 723-4225 for an information update.
The information that we received thus far is that the CWA’s “Joseph Beirne” scholarships must be applied for on-line. To complete this application, go to the CWA National Website at: www.cwa-union.org and click on “members” and then on “Beine”. The application should populate and you can simply fill in the blanks.
The “Union Plus” scholarship application must be postmarked no later than 1/31/2007 and the winners will be notified on 5/31/2007. These scholarship amounts range from $500 to $4000. To locate this application go to their website at: www.unionplus.org and click on “benefits”, “education”, then “scholarships”.
LNO Network - There will be a conference call on January 8th with Tim Bucholtz regarding changes in QJD. Whatever changes occur, we will get them out via the fax.
There is a Common Interest Forum meeting with Renae Coddington scheduled for Tuesday February 20th in Mpls. If you have issues please get them to your Union steward.
Record Posting Center - We are waiting for the company to select the new supervisor for the 1st floor. We understand from Mary O’Rourke that the interviewing process has been completed.
VISIT YOUR WEBSITE @ WWW.CWA7214.ORG
NORTHERN WORKER
BEMIDJI, CLOQUET, DULUTH, GRAND MARAIS, HINCKLEY, MORA, NORTH BRANCH, PINE CITY, and SILVER BAY
COMMUNICATION WORKERS of AMERICA
The next scheduled Membership meeting will be:
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18th. AT TOBEY’S IN HINKLEY
STEWARDS MEETING 7 PM; MEMBERSHIP 7:15 PM
QWEST HOLIDAY PARTY: This year, the Qwest Holiday Party is scheduled for Saturday, December 16th. It will be held at the Holiday Inn located in downtown Duluth. There will be a social hour from 6 pm until 7 pm; dinner will be from 7 pm until 8 pm; and that will be followed by a DJ with dancing from 8 pm until midnight.
The dinner will be an Italian buffet consisting of: Chicken Parmesan, Italian Sausage, Pesto Cream Fettuccine, Baked Penne Pasta, Antipasta Salad, Tossed Salad, Garlic Bread, Coffee, Tea, and Milk.
Everyone that receives this newsletter is invited to attend. This includes Paul Bunyan members, DEX, Bemidji, Pine City, Hinckley, the North Shore workers, and of course all retirees. Special room rates may still be available for out of town party goers.
The price is $25.00 per person. The price includes tax, tip, party room rental fee, DJ expenses, and door prizes. (We have many, many prizes available.)
If anyone is interested in attending, and has not made their reservation, please call the Union Office today and reserve your spot today as time is running out. The Holiday Inn requires our final headcount so that they can plan accordingly. We guarantee everyone that attends will have a Holly, Jolly, Good Time!!!!! For those of you that indicated that you wanted to take part previously, and have yet to pay, please do so ASAP.
ARROWHEAD GARAGE: President Terri Newman recently met with the Union stewards & the manager’s & discussed Priority personal days. The company had given the Union a proposal to increase them from 2 to 4, however they also added 9 to 10 different days during the year, when they couldn’t be utilized. The union stewards felt it was better to have 2 that you could use during the whole year, instead of 4 with so many restrictions. Bottom line you can’t necessarily predict that your family emergencies are going to happen 1 per quarter......
The contract states that the Union & company will met to discuss where the placement of the additional 20% will be given. The Union thought that the company was delaying the talks....It turns out that Chris Fry has never sat down in the past with any other out-state Local’s & discussed this topic.
After some delay the Union negotiated with the company ( Chris Fry ) the additional 20% placements of entitlement as ensured by the contract & negotiated some extra summer/hunting entitlement time for each specific crew. Both Kerry & Bob know where those additional days/weeks were selected and they are posted to the vacation schedule.
The Union office has purchased black hooded sweatshirts that were requested by the Net Techs. They are black with white CWA logo over your heart. The discounted price for these shirts is $ 25.00 each. Please contact your local steward or Casey at 723-4225 if you desire one. We have xl & xxl & xxxl in stock..........
Pine City Lata : The ballots have been returned to the Union office & Judy has tallied up the results. The voting indicates that of the four choices members chose one A-VP & one Union steward. We would like to discuss this at the upcoming January 18th union meeting in Hinkley with the members present.
OIS AGENT SERVICES: OIS is in the midst of picking their vacation schedules for next year. They have also received their key-groups for next year. They will still have every 3rd weekend closed. Memorial Day weekend will be a closed 3 day weekend for the Duluth office as well. Long “stretches” will no longer be scheduled, with 7 days being the most days in a row to be scheduled (unless the agent has made special requests that may change that.). There are no more “priority e days” possible, but agents are now able to trade their “wild” day for a scheduled day off of their choice.
The enhance DA is now in full swing, offering things such as driving directions, movie times, weather, ski conditions, and horoscopes to our Qwest wireless customers. To help the agents with this transition, the CST has been raised to 30 for both Nov & Dec. And farewell to Justin Schlafer & MaryJoe Schirra who were promoted/transferred to St. Paul ! Wishing you the best !
DEX: The Dex contract was ratified recently with 51% voting in favor. We would like to thank Sam LeMahieu for helping out with everything involved with the process. Our CWA Executive Board would like to thank all of the DEX members that took the time to vote. Every vote cast in this election was important.
RETIREE LIFE INSURANCE: For all Pre-1990 recipients of life insurance, Qwest has decided to reduce the life insurance benefit from one years pay to a flat $10,000. This will mirror the change they made in the basic life insurance for the Post=1990 retirees.
CWA attorneys are currently researching this subject to see what can be done and if the protections afforded the pre-1990 retirees regarding health care also include benefits such as life insurance.
SCOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS: For those of you that are interested, scholarship application forms should be available soon. Applications will be taken on-line only and can be accessed from your homes.
There are CWA/Joseph Bernie, Nellie Stone, Union Plus, and Pioneers scholarships available to our members and their families. Please watch for further information in the near future.
QWEST TELEPHONE PIONEERS: The Pioneer calendars are still available. You can purchase one from Jerry Metcalf, Barb Cane, Nancy Eilfson, Julie Christian, Casey Cusick, Gloria Berger, or Don Fennesy. The cost is $30.00 per calendar and there are daily chances to win. Only 1800 calendars are printed. The profits equal $6.78 per calendar sold and are used by the Pioneers to fund their many charitable programs. The prize breakdown is: 333 daily $50.00 winners 2 winners each of $500.00 on both January 1st and December 25th-4 total prizes. 2 winners each of $150.00 the end of each month-24 total prizes. 1 winner of $100.00 on the 15th of each month-12 total prizes. 1 winner of 250.00 on each of the specific holiday drawings: Valentine Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving-6 total prizes. |
