National Convention Twitter Feed

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:19:24 -0500

Starting Sunday, we will be Tweeting out from the annual CWA convention in Washington D.C.! If you are a Twitter user, follow @CWA4630. If you do not use Twitter, just check our Twitter Feed. Feel free to Tweet back at us!

Another Picnic.

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:56:03 -0500

It is almost picnic time again!
The annual picnic will be this Sunday, July 18th at the same place as last year: At the Olin Park shelter, located off John Nolen Drive. Come any time noon or after. Food and drinks will be plentiful.

Not THIS Again

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 19:43:50 -0500

Not this again…
Several members have expressed concern over continued pressure in emails from State level executives and first level managers encouraging members to go to a website set up by the powerful lobbying arm of AT&T in Wisconsin. The website presents AT&T’s views on how beneficial it would be to have a deregulated telecommunications market. The site provides links to send a company sponsored message to State law makers. It appears they have simply dusted off the old Video Competition Bill playbook.
The traditional Switched Network that serves over 3 million landlines is currently governed by the Public Service Commission. The PSC is responsible for regulating the rates, safety, adequacy and quality of service of certain aspects of local telephone service. The PSC’s mission is to ensure that safe, sufficient, and reasonably priced utility services are provided to all of Wisconsin’s customers. AT&T has lobbied to “level the playing field” in Wisconsin by removing the PSC’s jurisdiction and shifting oversight to the Department of Ag and Consumer Protection. Many have expressed caution over the gutting of regulatory oversight. The Public Service Commission stated in a letter that the proposed legislation, if enacted, would represent the most significant and fundamental change to Wisconsin telecommunications law in many years.
Many of us remember the crisis that had the nation’s financial system teetering on the brink of collapse. The banks that were too big to fail followed by the huge taxpayer bailout. Even Ben Bernanke said we could have used some regulation.
Who can forget what ENRON did to the newly deregulated energy market in California?
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/enron/timeline80s.html
And finally, the lack of enforceable oversight that may have contributed to recent tragedies in the Mining Industry where disfavor is coming down on a company with a history of safety violations.
Let’s face it: there is a legitimate place in our lives for regulation on essential services. When large corporations are left to police themselves the consequences can be devastating. Many of our members work on the front line of this industry. We have seen the results of the Video Competition bill on our work environment. Please take a look at a few views the company didn’t provide in the emails you may have received.
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt_and_politics/article_ea5ee994-1a2e-11df-b163-001cc4c03286.html
Statement from the Citizens Utility Board (PDF)
Here and Now Frederica Freyberg
Cable competition law fails
Get informed and get involved.
If you do not know who your representatives are, simply go to
http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/ and enter your information or call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-362-9472.
Senate Bill 469 and Assembly Bill 696 provide a deregulated playing field that will likely doom a once respected industry in Wisconsin.
Instead of lowering the bar for AT&T, Why not raise the bar for wireless and VOIP providers.

Retiree Health Care & New Reform Legislation

Fri, 2 Apr 2010 06:20:30 -0500

You are probably getting many questions about the recent news stories about retiree health care and charges that companies took on their financial statements in response to the health care reform legislation recently signed into law.
As these are somewhat complicated issues, I've attached a detailed fact sheet which lays out the policy issues and an explanation. I have also included an article by Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times.
Here are the key items you should know:
1. CWA bargaining unit members are protected by their collective bargaining agreements. CWA has a written commitment from AT&T that there will be no changes in the retiree health care plan through 2012.
2. The issue is the reversal of a "windfall" that AT&T, Verizon and Qwest, among other employers, enjoyed as part of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. That law allowed employers to deduct as a business expense 100 percent of retiree drug plan costs, even though they received a rebate for 28 percent of the expenses. The new law means that employers will now pay taxes on the subsidy that they receive.
3. When tax law is changed, a company must report the impact of the change immediately, within the quarter that it is enacted.
4. For example, in company filings, AT&T reported that it expected to receive a total subsidy of $1.6 billion between 2010 and 2019 under the terms of the 2003 law. Under the terms of the new law, AT&T has reduced that estimate by $1 billion. That charge is what is being reported in the media.  5. There are many other changes in the health care legislation which will help contain future cost increases, including:
A. A $5 billion reinsurance program for pre-Medicare retirees.
B. Reduction of the number of uninsured which is estimated to reduce the costs to our plans $1,000 person.
C. Reforms which the Business Roundtable estimates could reduce costs by $3,000 per person in 2020.
D. In 2020, the Medicare Part D drug benefit "donut" hole will be completely filled, incremental changes will begin immediately. Currently we bargain a standalone drug plan. We could instead rely on Medicare Part D and then bargain with our employers a "wrap-around" policy, one that provides a higher level of benefits than Medicare Part D. This approach could match our level of benefits while reducing the employers' FASB obligation (long-term retiree health care liability).
6. In the absence of health care reform, health care costs were slated to rise between 7 percent and 8 percent on average annually or higher.
These changes in health care legislation will improve the bargaining climate on retiree health. Over the last two decades our bargaining on health care and retiree health care has been extremely contentious. We negotiate in an environment where only 7 percent of Americans in the private sector have bargaining rights, and the numbers who have retiree health care have dwindled. Although the legislation is not as we would have written it, it makes our bargaining position better.
Annie Hill
Executive Vice President

The Easter Bunny Is Back...

Thu, 1 Apr 2010 19:09:41 -0500

And he’s watching you!

Voting Is Open

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:47:58 -0500

Voting is open for CWA Convention delegate and alternate. Ballots have been mailed to members and should be in your mailboxes soon, if you haven’t received them already. Voting is easy. Follow the instructions carefully and drop them in the mail in time to meet the April 22nd deadline.

Contracts Are In

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:55:50 -0500

The following is an important message from Terry Russell:
"Contracts are in! I will start getting them out to Cynthia and Chief Stewards on Monday the 29th. Happy reading to everyone."
And there you have it!