Early Settlement at Ameritech Meets CWA Objectives

CWA members at Ameritech are voting on a proposed new settlement reached more than two months before expiration of the current agreement.

CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach said the tentative 32-month agreement "clearly meets the objectives set by our members and reflects the real contributions our members make to Ameritech's productivity and success. This was a great opportunity to negotiate a positive, forward-looking agreement with Ameritech, and we achieved the improvements in opportunity, compensation and working conditions that our members deserve."

CWA President Morton Bahr noted that the union has so far reached four settlements with major telecom companies, three of which were bargained considerably before contract expiration. "CWA was willing to sit down at the bargaining table with any employer that indicated it wanted to reach a fair settlement and wasn't interested in making concession demands," he said.

These agreements recognize that a skilled union workforce is a major competitive asset for these companies, he added. CWA reached early agreement with SBC and AT&T. Negotiations with Bell South and US West got underway June 22, and negotiations with Bell Atlantic are continuing. Bargaining with GTE Southwest will begin July 6.

The new Ameritech pact, covering some 30,000 workers, will run for 32 months beginning Aug. 8, the expiration of the current agreement. Improvements include base wage increases of more than 11 percent compounded over the 32-month term, with an additional $500 ratification bonus; an increase in the savings plan match to 80 percent from 66 percent; and pension improvements that maintain the value of employees' lump sum pensions, with increases ranging from 12 to 19 percent.

Rechenbach also stressed the importance of provisions that strengthened language on force adjustments, training opportunity and hometown jobs and improved seniority rights in the transfer plan. The achievement of cardcheck recognition at Ameritech cellular operations and neutrality at other subsidiaries will provide great opportunity for unionizing now unorganized workers, he said.