2016 A Really Big Year

Official Publication of Local 6215 Communications Workers of America—AFL-CIO
Volume 52 Number 1
February 2016
2016 A Really Big Year
by: Nancy Brown, President
2016 will be the time for us to have a say in our own destiny. The Local has 5 out of 8 employer
contracts expiring this year. Below is a recap of our local’s contracts status.
TYCO
Settled this year
This group went 3 years before a
settlement was reached.
ADT
Expired May 28, 2014
Labor Board charges filed to get
this employer back at the table.
Dates in February and March 2016
set to reconvene.
AT&T MOBILITY
Expires February 25, 2016
58% organized is NOT a good thing.
AT&T NIC
Expires July 23, 2016
National bargaining table.
Layoffs have been severe. Closing
6 Call Centers across the US.
AVAYA
Expires June 2016
National bargaining table. Small
group, but 95% ORGANIZED and
successful at the table.
YP HOLDINGS
Expires December 2016
This Company doesn’t want a union.
Layoffs are so severe that not much is
left on the unit. This group will need
a bargaining team with vision in order
to exist.
AT&T CORE
Expires April 2017
Mobilization activities are in the
works. Stay tuned.
AT&T LEGACY T
Settled April 2015
Surplus continues under this
agreement.
In order for “US” to achieve contracts, we must organize and mobilize. When Mobilization activities are planned,
participation is essential. The message to the company is, “WE won’t rest until we have a contract worthy of our labor!” No matter the size of your bargaining unit, the higher number organized, the better the contract. THAT’S A
FACT!
One more destiny changer…The Presidential Elections to save the middle class. You need a candidate that will support a workers RIGHT to join a union and not destroy the union. The union
invented the middle class.
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UNIONEER
Local 6215
Communications
Workers of America
Affiliated
With AFL-CIO
President
Nancy Brown
Executive Vice President
Nancy Hall
Vice President
Ron Swaggerty
Secretary
Mary Linhart
From the Editor
by: Connie Orms
The next deadline for the UNIONEER will be
on Friday, May 8, 2016. Send your articles to:
[email protected]
Please have your articles (500 words or less) to the UNIONEER
email address above by 5pm on that date. If you have any pictures,
please send as an attachment with your article.
Treasurer
Anita Learned
—————————————————
Editor
Connie Orms
Avaya Contract Agreement
If you have changed
your address, please contact:
[email protected]
by: Anita Learned, Treasurer
Connie Orms, Editor
UNIONEER
1408 N. Washington, Suite 300
Dallas, TX 75204
http://www.cwa6215.org/
214-826-6215
Contents
Nancy Brown, President….………...1
Deadline for UNIONEER.……… ....2
Avaya ……………..………...…...…2
.
Anita Learned, Treasurer..…...……..3
Future CWA members……………...3
Nancy Hall—EVP …………....……4
Early vote locations………..….…....5
Winter 2016………………...……....6
Legislative Committee ………….....7
Congratulations
to the CWA/Avaya
Bargaining team for securing
a contract extension until
June 14, 2018!
Great Job!
Pop a Top for UNITY …………......8
Raffle is a HUGE success ……........9
Early Voting Rally ………………..10
Early Voting Locations …………...11
Random Pictures ………………….12
All the same except there
will be a base wage increase
of 2.5 percent.
UNIONEER
3
Mobility Update
by: Anita Learned, Treasurer
Chief Stewards Annie Roberson, Lamar Banks and
Lotasha Dennis and myself attended the Mobility
Conference in San Diego, CA in October. We
weren’t surprised to hear that across the US, the
Point system for attendance is a horrible monster.
The turnover rate for retail stores is very high and
the company sends people all over the US for training, so it makes it hard to meet potential members
during their orientation. I’m happy to say that in
Dallas the company is doing a good job of letting
the Union know when they have new hires training
here.
All of our Mobility Chief’s and their helpers have
been working hard on a Mobility Blitz to get new
members signed up. The more members we have,
the better contract they’ll be offered. I’m happy to
say that they have signed up over 100 new members
in the month of October.
Mobility’s Southwest contract expires at midnight on Friday, February 26th, 2016. Their bargaining
begins February 8, 2016 and we’ve already lined up some great mobilization activities. As their talks
progress, there is a possibility that we partake in some informational picketing and we’ll be asking all of
our members to help. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that our Mobility members have participated
in every informational picket that’s taken place for other members.
BIG THANKS GO TO
NIYAH and LAY
Thank you girls for working so hard to fix up the
cans for our pop-a-top event
held at 2PM on February
8th.
Future CWA Members Niyah and Lay
(daughters of member Kendra Knox-Jennings)
At 2PM, all employees at
our two largest call centers
popped the top in unison on
a can of Dr. Pepper to show
unity in the negotiations
with AT&T Mobility.
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UNIONEER
2016 Election Year - Time to Hit the Streets
by: Nancy Hall, Executive Vice-President/Legislative Director
The primary is here and we need to make sure all members
of labor unite and let their voices be heard. So, go out and
VOTE
Early voting started on Tuesday, February 16, 2016. CWA
and other labor groups held an “Early Voting Rally” on Tuesday the 16th at the Dallas Records Building located at 509
Main St. between 11:00AM and 12:00PM. See pictures on
page 10.
We must vote in this election to maintain what we have and to
demand more for working families. This process allows you to
vote at any polling location in your county. Let’s utilize all opportunities that allow working men and women more options to
vote. See page 5 for a list of all the Early Voting locations.
Election Day will be Tuesday
March 1, 2016
At that time you must vote at your precinct!
I will be posting a list of endorsed candidates by the Dallas and State AFL-CIO on our
website as soon as possible. http://www.cwa6215.org/ We also will be having volunteer opportunities during this election cycle.
VOTE -VOTE-VOTE-VOTE-VOTE-VOTE-VOTE-VOTE-VOTE
On February 8, 2016 we started phone banking
at the Union Hall
1408 N. Washington Ave.
5:30PM until 8:00PM
Any time you give would be greatly appreciated.
Please check the CWA website for further volunteer work.
http://www.cwa6215.org/
UNIONEER
Early Voting Locations
Monday, February 15, 2016 ………………… NO voting due to Presidents Day
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016 through Friday, Feb. 19, 2016….….. 8:00am - 5:00PM
Saturday, February 20, 2016 ………….………………………….. 7:00AM - 7:00PM
Sunday, February 21, 2016 …………….………………………….. 1:00PM - 6:00PM
Monday, February 22, 2016...…………………………………..…. 7:00AM – 7:00PM
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UNIONEER
Winter 2016
by: Anita Learned, Treasurer
AT&T expects you to be at work when scheduled. They do not make exceptions to this rule
due to inclement weather. They normally send out
an e-mail telling you to make proper preparations
for getting to work.
If you feel the road is unsafe for you to drive/ride
in to work and decide to stay at home, you will
have an absence on your record. Some depar tments let everyone have a vacation/special day.
Some departments allow everyone to be excused.
However, some departments wait for the company
to make a ruling on how they are going to code the
day, then code their folks how the company has
advised. (Either excused or un-excused).
Typically AT&T doesn’t take place anyone on
any disciplinary action due to an unexcused absence for ice/snow. But if they day is un-excused,
it will be on your record as such and any other
misses/tardies can result in discipline.
If you feel it’s unsafe to try and make it to work,
then know that the day may/may not be counted
against you.
“I’m hoping we won’t have
any weather like in these
pictures – but here in Texas
– who knows.”
UNIONEER
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Your Legislative Committee at Work
2016 First Legislative Meeting
by: Nancy Hall, Legislative Committee Chair
Committee
Members:
Matt Gatlin
Janet Morris
Robin Johnson
Cedric McKinney
Jennifer Daniels
Earnest Tilley
Joshua Ortiz
Edward Norman
Tracy Brewer
Chris Lewis
Kevin Canida
Kym Taylor
Doug Johnson
Bonnie Mathias
Tabitha Tenison
Daryl Freeney
Lamar Banks
Nancy Brown
Lotasha Dennis
Annie Roberson
Kendra Knox
Edward K. Williams
Reginald Small
Darin Lacy
Paige Johnson
Jennifer Johnson and Janet Morris
putting out campaign signs.
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UNIONEER
UNIONEER
Members working on the POP A TOP Event
Claude Cummings
being sworn in (with
his wife Ruth by his
side) at the 75th
CWA National
Convention
Convention
Mr. and Mrs. Claude Cummings
Claude Cummings accepting the
District 6 COPE Award
Here’s what we’re fighting for in our 2016 negotiations with
AT&T Mobility:
Protecting what we’ve achieved in previous contracts
Significant wage increases
Improving sales commission plan for retail
Improving pension and 401 (K)
Improving working conditions and safety
Improving our quality of work life
Respect on the job
The company isn’t going to just give us what we want.
We need to back up our bargaining committee and let
the company see our strength and our solidarity!
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UNIONEER
Raffle for Tornado Victims of Local 6215
is a HUGE Success!
Local 6215 Pres.
Nancy Lee
LaTosha Cato receives her
Tornado Relief check .
(LtoR ) Quincy Davis, Kim Norm-Hess, Barbara Ramsey,
Nancy Brown, Chris Bell.
Nancy and Quincy presenting checks to members Kim, Barbara
and Chris.
Former
Pres.
Larry
Cohen
Sandy Rushing
giving her report
on organizing to
Quincy Davis presents a check
the delegates on
to Nikita Bell.
the floor at the
convention.
District 6
Staff Rep.
President, Nancy
Charlie
TorresBrown, won the
“Trunk Full of
Goodies”
in the drawing on
Union meeting
night.
Newly elected
National CWA
President Chris Shelton
and his family
Congratulations to
Butch Walker, CST,
Butch works at
180 Pleasant Drive.
He won the 55 inch TV
in the drawing on
Union meeting night.
Secretary
Mary Linhart
Delegate, Doug Johnson
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UNIONEER
Early Voting Rally in
Downtown Dallas
by : Nancy Hall, EVP, Legislative Director
Again, we must vote in this election to maintain what we
have and to demand more for working families. This process allows you to vote at any polling location in your county. Let’s utilize all opportunities that allow working men
and women more options to vote.
In no particular order: Earnest Tilley, Darren Lacy, Janet Morris, Jennifer Daniels, Robin Johnson,
Bonnie Mathias, Kevin Canida, Cedric McKinney, Sherron Molina, Gene Lantz, Dallas County District
Clerk Felicia Pitre, Nancy Brown, Anita Learned and Nancy Hall.
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2016 ENDORSEMENTS
CWA NATIONAL ENDORSEMENTS
PRESIDENT
BERNIE SANDERS
TEXAS AFL-CIO ENDORSEMENTS
TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION
LON BURNAM
TEXAS SUPREME COURT, PLACE 3
MIKE WESTERGREN
TEXAS SUPREME COURT, PLACE 5
DORI CONTRERAS GARZA
TEXAS SUPREME COURT, PLACE 9
SAVANNAH ROBINSON
TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS, PLACE 2 LARRY MEYERS
TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS, PLACE 5 BETSY JOHNSON
TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS, PLACE 6 ROBERT BURNS
DALLAS AFL-CIO ENDORSEMENTS
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DIST 24
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DIST 26
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DIST 33
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 100
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 102
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 103
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 104
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 105
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 107
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 108
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 109
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 110
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 111
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 112
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 113
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 114
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST 115
JAN McDOWELL
ERIC MAUCK
MARC VEASEY
ERIC JOHNSON
LAURA IRVIN
RAFAEL ANCHIA
ROBERTO ALONZO
TERRY MEZA
VICTORIA NEAVE
JOE FARKUS
HELEN GIDDINGS
TONI ROSE
YVONNE DAVIS
JACKIE BLACKSHEAR
RHETTA ANDREWS BOWERS
JIM BURKE
DOROTHA M. OCKER
SHERIFF
LUPE VALDEZ
CONSTABLE PRECINT 1
DALLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRECINCT 1
DALLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRECINCT 3
CRIMINAL DIST JUDGE, DALLAS COUNTY NUMBER 2
JUSTICE, 5TH COURT OF APPEALS DIST, PLACE 7
DISTRICT JUDGE, 14TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
DISTRICT JUDGE, 162ND JUDICIAL DISTRICT
DISTRICT JUDGE, 254TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 2, PLACE 1
TAX ASSESSOR
TRACEY GULLEY
THERESA DANIEL
JOHN WILEY PRICE
NANCY KENNEDY
DENNISE GARCIA
ERIC MOYE
PHYLLIS LISTER BROWN
DARLENE EWING
BRUCE PARROTT
JAMES R. AMES
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UNIONEER
Random CWA Activity Shots
Red Balloons and Donuts for the IT group at Lakeside
Chris Spellman and Regina Hester
Regina Hester and Nancy Brown
On 2-17-16 - Doug Johnson and
Herb Keener provided a FREE
hot dog lunch at 1460 Round Table Dr. in Dallas. It was a good
time to talk to the members about
the importance of getting involved
in calling their Senators and
Congresspersons to oppose the
TPP.