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CWA Strikers Beat Back Take-Backs at U S West
After a rancorous 15-day strike, U S West finally dropped the concession demands that had provoked the walkout and agreed to a settlement providing substantial wage and benefit improvements for 35,000 workers in 13 western and midwestern states.
The new three-year agreement, which was being presented to members for ratification by mail ballot as the CWA News went to press, boosts wages by 11.3 percent and pensions by 22.4 percent compounded over the contract term, and for the first time puts a limit on forced overtime — a key issue in this bargaining round — reported District 7 Vice President Sue Pisha.
"Our members were strong and totally united in their determination to resist major contract take-backs by a profitable and successful company," she said. "It was through their determination that we prevailed in winning a settlement in line with the rest of the industry and which meets the contract goals that we set this year with U S West."
CWA President Morton Bahr, in announcing the settlement at the opening of CWA’s 60th annual convention in Chicago on Aug. 31, said, "I congratulate our members for their courage and strength in standing up to U S West’s assault on their job standards and the security of their families."
When the strike began on Aug. 16, management at both its Communi-cations and Business Resources companies was demanding health benefit cost shifting, elimination of overtime pay after eight hours, removal of limits on electronic monitoring, more use of contractors and temps, and other contract retrogressions.
Another hot issue was U S West’s demand to impose a new pay scheme on outside plant workers which would have frozen their base pay and pegged any increases to job quotas set solely by the company.
In the end, management agreed that the "pay for performance plan" for techs would be strictly voluntary and dropped the rest of its concession demands.
In addition to the wage and pension gains, the settlement provides a $500 ratification bonus and increase in the savings plan match to 81 percent (from 66 2/3 percent); limits on mandatory overtime to 16 hours in a week next year and down to eight hours by 2001, with at least two 5-day workweeks per month; improvements in dental and vision benefits, along with other contract gains.
The company also agreed to union recognition at the previously unorganized Idaho customer care center and to improved language on subcontracting and use of students as temporary workers.
CWA mounted a major TV, radio and print advertising program to counter U S West’s own multimillion-dollar advertising campaign against the union. The company media effort backfired to the point that U S West finally was forced to run ads headlined, "We Get It," apologizing to workers for its harsh overtime policies.
The new three-year agreement, which was being presented to members for ratification by mail ballot as the CWA News went to press, boosts wages by 11.3 percent and pensions by 22.4 percent compounded over the contract term, and for the first time puts a limit on forced overtime — a key issue in this bargaining round — reported District 7 Vice President Sue Pisha.
"Our members were strong and totally united in their determination to resist major contract take-backs by a profitable and successful company," she said. "It was through their determination that we prevailed in winning a settlement in line with the rest of the industry and which meets the contract goals that we set this year with U S West."
CWA President Morton Bahr, in announcing the settlement at the opening of CWA’s 60th annual convention in Chicago on Aug. 31, said, "I congratulate our members for their courage and strength in standing up to U S West’s assault on their job standards and the security of their families."
When the strike began on Aug. 16, management at both its Communi-cations and Business Resources companies was demanding health benefit cost shifting, elimination of overtime pay after eight hours, removal of limits on electronic monitoring, more use of contractors and temps, and other contract retrogressions.
Another hot issue was U S West’s demand to impose a new pay scheme on outside plant workers which would have frozen their base pay and pegged any increases to job quotas set solely by the company.
In the end, management agreed that the "pay for performance plan" for techs would be strictly voluntary and dropped the rest of its concession demands.
In addition to the wage and pension gains, the settlement provides a $500 ratification bonus and increase in the savings plan match to 81 percent (from 66 2/3 percent); limits on mandatory overtime to 16 hours in a week next year and down to eight hours by 2001, with at least two 5-day workweeks per month; improvements in dental and vision benefits, along with other contract gains.
The company also agreed to union recognition at the previously unorganized Idaho customer care center and to improved language on subcontracting and use of students as temporary workers.
CWA mounted a major TV, radio and print advertising program to counter U S West’s own multimillion-dollar advertising campaign against the union. The company media effort backfired to the point that U S West finally was forced to run ads headlined, "We Get It," apologizing to workers for its harsh overtime policies.