CWA/SBC Bargaining Report #38

5/23/2004

CWA/SBC – Southwest Bargaining Report #38
Regional Table Bargaining
Austin, Texas
Sunday 10:30 am


The regional Bargaining Committee met with the Company late yesterday. The Union rejected the Company's earlier package from yesterday. The Company then responded with a new comprehensive package in an attempt to resolve the outstanding issues.


The Company is still strongly proposing a five-year agreement. They addressed the Employment Security Commitment, but it was not for the duration of the proposed term of the contract. They proposed within 6 months of ratification, to offer jobs within the Scope, to all qualified employees that are currently on the recall list. For future surpluses, their proposal would only guarantee a job offer within the surplus employees' current state. The current language, which was suspended by the Company in September 2002, guaranteed a job offer within the Scope.


The Company offered to increase the mileage reimbursement. They also offered to increase the overnight temporary per-diem allowance but it is still far less than the IRS maximums allowed. They offered no increases to same day travel payments.


The Company offered to continue the provisions of the 2001 Settlement Agreement that requires the Company to notify the Union whenever they contract out any work that has not been previously contracted out and gives the Union the opportunity to come up with alternative methods. They also agreed to reinstate the ad hoc committee on contracting to review work that has been identified as contracted work.


The Company continues to seek the Night Differential changes that were to go into effect on 01/01/05. Those changes would move the start time of a night tour from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. The Company has proposed to move the implementation date to 01/01/08. This means that if there were a five-year agreement, the changes would take effect during the fourth year of the contract. The Union is still seeking the total elimination of the changes.


For Appendix I employees that are temporarily working in a higher classification for more than 30 days, the Company offered some improvements. They still have not addressed the bi-lingual differential for Appendix I employees.


The Company has not addressed any of our proposals on increases to the Team Performance Award, improvements and increases in the Severance tables, Console Operator issues and several upgrade proposals. There are still several benefit issues that have not been addressed.


The Committee worked into the wee hours of the morning on a counter proposal to present to the Company today. We have meetings scheduled with them in an effort to reach an agreement as soon as possible.


Your strike activities are working. Continue them. It does make a difference.


In Solidarity,

Your District 6 Bargaining Committee