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Sending Management A Message: "Family Matters!"
Several years back, management at a number of the regional Bell companies made a huge mistake and drastically cut the jobs of service representatives, technicians and other telecom workers, mostly in an attempt to please Wall Street. These cuts came just at the time when customer demand for new lines and new services was exploding.
Companies have been scrambling ever since, to satisfy customers and meet public utility commission requirements. But it's CWA members at Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, U S West and other companies who are paying for management's mistake. Members routinely are forced to work excessive overtime hours because of understaffing, are denied vacation time with their families, and have no flexibility to handle personal and family responsbilities. That why in this round of bargaining, CWA is stressing that "family matters."
This trend among employers to force longer hours on current workers isn't confined to the telecom industry. In U.S. industries across the board, workers are being penalized for management mistakes and for employers' refusal to hire enough employees to do the job and do it right. The Economic Policy Institute, in "The State of Working America, 1996-1997," noted that the average U.S. worker is on the job the equivalent of a full day a month more than her or his parents.
Statistics and numbers don't really tell the story, but our members and their families are standing strong in their fight for fairness and against abusive scheduling and forced overtime.
Making Progress
In negotiations with SBC, CWA has been moving forward in several ways, to reduce a variety of job pressures, including oppressive overtime. The new SBC/Southwestern Bell contract includes new language to eliminate the arbitrariness of determining a service emergency - that decision now is to be made by senior management - and a process to continue to move forward on workers' concerns. As a result of bargaining at Pacific Telesis and Southwestern Bell, more jobs are being added to address concerns about excessive overtime. The problem still exists, however, and CWA leaders are pressing SBC to move forward and hire the numbers of workers needed to do the job, as well as take the other steps necessary to ease these pressures and stress on employees. A joint labor-management committee is further exploring ways to resolve this critical issue.
At Ameritech, the recently ratified agreement retains the ban on forced overtime in Ohio and limits in other states in the district.
As bargaining continues at BellSouth, U S West and Bell Atlantic, CWA members are sending their message through public picketing, rallies, mobilization and other actions. They want their companies to know that "family matters."
Members of CWA Local 3615 told the residents of Wilmington, N.C. that "BellSouth has no family values" as they marched outside a work center to protest the company's extreme and abusive forced overtime policies. "People are relentlessly being forced to work, and are working two to three hours of forced overtime every day for as many as 27 days out of 30," said local union president Michael Davis. Workers are entitled to refuse overtime if they have a "valid personal reason," but supervisors are ignoring this provision of the contract and denying all claims to be excused, Davis said. The local represents about 220 BellSouth employees, all of whom are tired of management's harassment and intimidation, he said, adding, "we're fighting for respect."
"No Excuse is Acceptable"
Donna Mendez is a four-year employee at U S West's repair call handling center and a member of CWA Local 7019. She talks routinely with unhappy customers who are trying to have service repaired or restored, and believes the forced overtime situation "has gone way overboard - it's very stressful."
"I have a life, but you can't plan a weekend anymore," she said, not since U S West imposed a schedule requiring nearly everyone to work six days of every week, and two or more hours of daily overtime. Employees sometimes are working 12 days in a row, and a colleague just finished her fifth consecutive Saturday tour, Mendez said.
While the company claims it will work with employees to resolve personal conflicts, it's not really willing to, because "no excuse for missing overtime is acceptable," she pointed out. Most employees believe the way U S West assigns overtime is unfair, because those who may want to work, or volunteer to stay, aren't assigned. "There's no chance of making weekend plans, and it's difficult to make doctors' appointments, or any kind of appointment," she added.
"The call volumes are unbelieveable, along with the pressure to help the customer in just a few seconds while the customer wants to be able to explain his or her problem in specific detail," she said. U S West also has hired a number of temporary employees, who after a short training session are on the phones. They don't seem to be satisfying customers, some of whom specifically ask for a "permanent" employee.
Joe Gosiger, president of CWA Local 7019, reported that across the 14-state district covered by U S West, for three years, many members have been working mandatory workweeks of up to 60 hours, while others have been working mandatory 49-hour workweeks. "These are members with a good deal of seniority, with 20 to 25 years of service. They usually have families - teenaged children, and maybe elderly parents that need assistance. They are facing a very stressful, difficult situation," he said.
Carla Floyd, president of CWA Local 7901 in Portland, Ore., says that arbitrary changes in hours, as well as mandatory overtime, is a big problem for members who are sales and service consultants in the consumer office of U S West.
Paul Jaikaran is a Bell Atlantic services technician with 18 years' experience (some of it with NYNEX.) He is studying computer information systems at night, and wants to take advantage of the union-negotiated college tuition assistance plan, but is facing a big roadblock in Bell Atlantic's arbitrary overtime policies.
A No-Win Situation
Jaikaran, a union steward and member of Local 2222, has been suspended for refusing to work overtime on his class nights, two nights a week, even though he is willing to work overtime "and pull my weight" on other nights and Saturdays. He pointed out that if he misses three classes, he will fail that course and then be required to pay the tuition costs out of pocket, instead of being able to use the union-negotiated program. "The company said school is my business and I need to make alternate arrangements," he added.
Jaikaran is critical of Bell Atlantic mangement because its actions breed resentment and bitterness. Everyone wants the company to succeed, to do well, but Bell Atlantic doesn't treat employees with respect, he believes.
"I have a family, I have class, and I have a life, but Bell Atlantic doesn't think family is important. I want to take time off when I want to, not when the company tells me to. Families want to go on vacation together, when their kids are off from school, not when the company decides it's okay," Jaikaran added.
Kenneth Rucker, president of Local 2222, pointed out that "many people would and do volunteer (to work overtime) but are denied" because the company wants to "manage" its costs. "We need adequate staffing and we need language that permits voluntary overtime," he said.
BellSouth crews in Tennessee, especially outside services techs and cable repair techs, have been working excessive overtime hours for the past two years, said Rick Feinstein, president of CWA Local 3808. Members have been on the job for 13 days straight, working 10 or 12 hours a day, and "if the company didn't have to pay a penalty, it probably would continue past 13 days," he said. "Our members are absolutely fed up."
Family Unfriendly
"There are no valid personal reasons. Not missing church for three weeks and wanting to attend, not needing to take care of children," Feinstein said. One member of the local, a single parent who had just gained custody of his teenaged daughter asked for a couple of weeks without overtime to make arrangements to have her settled in the Nashville area. The company basically gave him one day, Feinstein said.
CWA members leafletted the BellSouth Classic, a professional golf tournament held in Nashville, to let the public know that BellSouth's claims to have concern for the community is an empty one. The message from CWA: "We would like to participate in community programs. This task is all but impossible because of the time we are forced to work. We have no time for church, families or any of the values BellSouth talks about."
For Robert and Vicki Welch and their son Curtis, in Richmond, Va., Bell Atlantic's policy of forced overtime means that five-year-old Curtis misses his dad - a lot. Robert Welch is a service technician and a 24-year member of Local 2201.
"We don't make plans. We don't have a family life, we don't plan for anything on his red letter days (days of scheduled overtime)," said Vicki Welch. Robert has been working several of the past Saturdays and a Sunday. More often than not, forced overtime is the rule on Saturdays, for everyone.
"Without definite plans, that involve an airline ticket or other travel that might involve the loss of money, you're expected to be at work for overtime shifts," she said.
Vicki acknowledged that she and Robert were fortunate, in that she could stay home full-time and care for Curtis. "But Curtis also needs his dad, and when it's time for work to be over, I want Bob to be here."
"As hard as my situation is, I know it's harder for single parents, or couples where both people work for the company. I don't know how they manage, or how they arrange to have their children taken care of," Vicki said. Bob Welch has become very active in the local, and Vicki added her strong support. "If the union's not fighting for us, no one else is. I really appreciate the people who are working on bargaining and trying to get rid of this forced overtime."
Dignity and Respect
At a "Family Matters" rally in Richmond, Local 2201 President Richard Verlander stressed that this issue was not an economic one, but "is about basic dignity and treating people with respect."
Eddie Carr, eastern region vice president for Local 13000, reported that Bell Atlantic's reliance on forced overtime also can be a huge safety problem. "We have people working 60, 70 or more hours a week. Climbing up on poles, working above the ground, it can be dangerous. The excessive levels of overtime can mean a worker won't be as sharp as necessary" to get the job done safely.
In the central repair bureau, where workers field calls for repair and service, overtime is arbitrarily assigned by the company, even if there are volunteers to do the job. One floor of the office handles business calls, the other residential, but "people do both jobs, so there's no reason that volunteers couldn't cover required overtime," Carr said. Most of the workers in the repair bureau are women, with day care problems, he added.
Carr summarized the company's attitude as " 'you should be thankful you're an employee and you should put up with what we do.'" But union members know better, he said. "When the company takes work from the union (as in the case of Bell Atlantic Plus) and gives it to another outfit, we all have to be concerned, because it affects this union."
Companies have been scrambling ever since, to satisfy customers and meet public utility commission requirements. But it's CWA members at Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, U S West and other companies who are paying for management's mistake. Members routinely are forced to work excessive overtime hours because of understaffing, are denied vacation time with their families, and have no flexibility to handle personal and family responsbilities. That why in this round of bargaining, CWA is stressing that "family matters."
This trend among employers to force longer hours on current workers isn't confined to the telecom industry. In U.S. industries across the board, workers are being penalized for management mistakes and for employers' refusal to hire enough employees to do the job and do it right. The Economic Policy Institute, in "The State of Working America, 1996-1997," noted that the average U.S. worker is on the job the equivalent of a full day a month more than her or his parents.
Statistics and numbers don't really tell the story, but our members and their families are standing strong in their fight for fairness and against abusive scheduling and forced overtime.
Making Progress
In negotiations with SBC, CWA has been moving forward in several ways, to reduce a variety of job pressures, including oppressive overtime. The new SBC/Southwestern Bell contract includes new language to eliminate the arbitrariness of determining a service emergency - that decision now is to be made by senior management - and a process to continue to move forward on workers' concerns. As a result of bargaining at Pacific Telesis and Southwestern Bell, more jobs are being added to address concerns about excessive overtime. The problem still exists, however, and CWA leaders are pressing SBC to move forward and hire the numbers of workers needed to do the job, as well as take the other steps necessary to ease these pressures and stress on employees. A joint labor-management committee is further exploring ways to resolve this critical issue.
At Ameritech, the recently ratified agreement retains the ban on forced overtime in Ohio and limits in other states in the district.
As bargaining continues at BellSouth, U S West and Bell Atlantic, CWA members are sending their message through public picketing, rallies, mobilization and other actions. They want their companies to know that "family matters."
Members of CWA Local 3615 told the residents of Wilmington, N.C. that "BellSouth has no family values" as they marched outside a work center to protest the company's extreme and abusive forced overtime policies. "People are relentlessly being forced to work, and are working two to three hours of forced overtime every day for as many as 27 days out of 30," said local union president Michael Davis. Workers are entitled to refuse overtime if they have a "valid personal reason," but supervisors are ignoring this provision of the contract and denying all claims to be excused, Davis said. The local represents about 220 BellSouth employees, all of whom are tired of management's harassment and intimidation, he said, adding, "we're fighting for respect."
"No Excuse is Acceptable"
Donna Mendez is a four-year employee at U S West's repair call handling center and a member of CWA Local 7019. She talks routinely with unhappy customers who are trying to have service repaired or restored, and believes the forced overtime situation "has gone way overboard - it's very stressful."
"I have a life, but you can't plan a weekend anymore," she said, not since U S West imposed a schedule requiring nearly everyone to work six days of every week, and two or more hours of daily overtime. Employees sometimes are working 12 days in a row, and a colleague just finished her fifth consecutive Saturday tour, Mendez said.
While the company claims it will work with employees to resolve personal conflicts, it's not really willing to, because "no excuse for missing overtime is acceptable," she pointed out. Most employees believe the way U S West assigns overtime is unfair, because those who may want to work, or volunteer to stay, aren't assigned. "There's no chance of making weekend plans, and it's difficult to make doctors' appointments, or any kind of appointment," she added.
"The call volumes are unbelieveable, along with the pressure to help the customer in just a few seconds while the customer wants to be able to explain his or her problem in specific detail," she said. U S West also has hired a number of temporary employees, who after a short training session are on the phones. They don't seem to be satisfying customers, some of whom specifically ask for a "permanent" employee.
Joe Gosiger, president of CWA Local 7019, reported that across the 14-state district covered by U S West, for three years, many members have been working mandatory workweeks of up to 60 hours, while others have been working mandatory 49-hour workweeks. "These are members with a good deal of seniority, with 20 to 25 years of service. They usually have families - teenaged children, and maybe elderly parents that need assistance. They are facing a very stressful, difficult situation," he said.
Carla Floyd, president of CWA Local 7901 in Portland, Ore., says that arbitrary changes in hours, as well as mandatory overtime, is a big problem for members who are sales and service consultants in the consumer office of U S West.
Paul Jaikaran is a Bell Atlantic services technician with 18 years' experience (some of it with NYNEX.) He is studying computer information systems at night, and wants to take advantage of the union-negotiated college tuition assistance plan, but is facing a big roadblock in Bell Atlantic's arbitrary overtime policies.
A No-Win Situation
Jaikaran, a union steward and member of Local 2222, has been suspended for refusing to work overtime on his class nights, two nights a week, even though he is willing to work overtime "and pull my weight" on other nights and Saturdays. He pointed out that if he misses three classes, he will fail that course and then be required to pay the tuition costs out of pocket, instead of being able to use the union-negotiated program. "The company said school is my business and I need to make alternate arrangements," he added.
Jaikaran is critical of Bell Atlantic mangement because its actions breed resentment and bitterness. Everyone wants the company to succeed, to do well, but Bell Atlantic doesn't treat employees with respect, he believes.
"I have a family, I have class, and I have a life, but Bell Atlantic doesn't think family is important. I want to take time off when I want to, not when the company tells me to. Families want to go on vacation together, when their kids are off from school, not when the company decides it's okay," Jaikaran added.
Kenneth Rucker, president of Local 2222, pointed out that "many people would and do volunteer (to work overtime) but are denied" because the company wants to "manage" its costs. "We need adequate staffing and we need language that permits voluntary overtime," he said.
BellSouth crews in Tennessee, especially outside services techs and cable repair techs, have been working excessive overtime hours for the past two years, said Rick Feinstein, president of CWA Local 3808. Members have been on the job for 13 days straight, working 10 or 12 hours a day, and "if the company didn't have to pay a penalty, it probably would continue past 13 days," he said. "Our members are absolutely fed up."
Family Unfriendly
"There are no valid personal reasons. Not missing church for three weeks and wanting to attend, not needing to take care of children," Feinstein said. One member of the local, a single parent who had just gained custody of his teenaged daughter asked for a couple of weeks without overtime to make arrangements to have her settled in the Nashville area. The company basically gave him one day, Feinstein said.
CWA members leafletted the BellSouth Classic, a professional golf tournament held in Nashville, to let the public know that BellSouth's claims to have concern for the community is an empty one. The message from CWA: "We would like to participate in community programs. This task is all but impossible because of the time we are forced to work. We have no time for church, families or any of the values BellSouth talks about."
For Robert and Vicki Welch and their son Curtis, in Richmond, Va., Bell Atlantic's policy of forced overtime means that five-year-old Curtis misses his dad - a lot. Robert Welch is a service technician and a 24-year member of Local 2201.
"We don't make plans. We don't have a family life, we don't plan for anything on his red letter days (days of scheduled overtime)," said Vicki Welch. Robert has been working several of the past Saturdays and a Sunday. More often than not, forced overtime is the rule on Saturdays, for everyone.
"Without definite plans, that involve an airline ticket or other travel that might involve the loss of money, you're expected to be at work for overtime shifts," she said.
Vicki acknowledged that she and Robert were fortunate, in that she could stay home full-time and care for Curtis. "But Curtis also needs his dad, and when it's time for work to be over, I want Bob to be here."
"As hard as my situation is, I know it's harder for single parents, or couples where both people work for the company. I don't know how they manage, or how they arrange to have their children taken care of," Vicki said. Bob Welch has become very active in the local, and Vicki added her strong support. "If the union's not fighting for us, no one else is. I really appreciate the people who are working on bargaining and trying to get rid of this forced overtime."
Dignity and Respect
At a "Family Matters" rally in Richmond, Local 2201 President Richard Verlander stressed that this issue was not an economic one, but "is about basic dignity and treating people with respect."
Eddie Carr, eastern region vice president for Local 13000, reported that Bell Atlantic's reliance on forced overtime also can be a huge safety problem. "We have people working 60, 70 or more hours a week. Climbing up on poles, working above the ground, it can be dangerous. The excessive levels of overtime can mean a worker won't be as sharp as necessary" to get the job done safely.
In the central repair bureau, where workers field calls for repair and service, overtime is arbitrarily assigned by the company, even if there are volunteers to do the job. One floor of the office handles business calls, the other residential, but "people do both jobs, so there's no reason that volunteers couldn't cover required overtime," Carr said. Most of the workers in the repair bureau are women, with day care problems, he added.
Carr summarized the company's attitude as " 'you should be thankful you're an employee and you should put up with what we do.'" But union members know better, he said. "When the company takes work from the union (as in the case of Bell Atlantic Plus) and gives it to another outfit, we all have to be concerned, because it affects this union."