On Tuesday, March 25, 2008, CWA International President Larry Cohen announced two exciting and related developments. First, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the United Auto Workers (UAW), and the United Steelworkers (USW) have all committed to combining our resources around the four key priorities for our members:

• Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)
• Health Care Reform
• Jobs and Fair Trade
• Retirement Security

The second announcement is that these four unions have also committed to mobilize at least 15% of our members as part of a Million-Member Mobilization (MMM) to enact the EFCA. The MMM effort consists of thirty-five (35) unions with a combined strength of more than ten (10) million members.

STEP ONE is the signing by local leaders of the pledge committing to join the MMM. www.cwa-union.org/efca/pledgeyourlocal/

STEP TWO is to actually sign up our members, connecting the sign-up to political action in November, and then legislative action in 2009.

In addition to the local pledge, materials ready to be downloaded can be found at www.cwa-union.org/efca. These materials will be updated each week, including details on the campaign against EFCA by the Chamber of Commerce and its allies.

Our own history, as well as that of other labor movements around the world, teaches us that we must act to create change, not sit back and hope for others to do it. We also can’t hire others to do it for us, but must dig deeper to unify the three sides of our CWA triangle—representation, organizing, and political action—and bring a clear message on our strategy and our issues to every member in the same way we bargain every contract.

Over the past several weeks, the Union Bargaining Committee has been involved in informal discussions with Verizon representatives aimed at resolving work jurisdiction disputes. The parties have agreed to work on a range of issues involving both the copper and fiber work focusing on work assigned to the Core Company and VCSI.

Several grievances pending arbitration that challenge the assignment of work have been temporarily put on hold while the parties attempt to resolve the broader issues which have given rise to such disputes.

These informal discussions has been frank and open as both sides stated their needs to protect the jobs of our members and to secure the success of the company.

"Skills Assessments"

According to CWA Vice President Ralph Maly and Avaya Vice President Dave Kristoff, assessment scores will not be used for the purpose of discipline—it is a tool for development.

Discussions between the two VP’s pertained to the skills assessments being used with Avaya Sr. Technicians. These skills assessments are being assigned as job assignments by the RTM’s to identify each individual technician’s knowledge and skill status.

With the assessment, and the realization that the current training needs of technicians differ, it is the belief of both parties that individual development plans with focused training will provide the necessary support to enhance the knowledge and skill status of our Sr. Technicians.