During the November meeting of the E-Board our Local agreed to adopt another CWA member’s child for the Christmas holidays. The decision was made from a request of assistance from Local 7303 in N. Dakota. 

This Local member’s daughter Bailey, is 7 years old and suffering from leukemia. It was decided that in addition to donating money to assist the family we would organize a gift drive to ensure her holidays are a little brighter this year when Santa comes. 
No member can prepare for the news of a sick child emotionally or financially. Let us all come together and support our fellow CWA family in N. Dakota and remember Bailey when shopping. All gifts should be either handed to a Union steward or brought to the December General Membership Meeting. 

Presidents Corner:
BY Thomas Costello, President 7717 
Over the last month your Area Representatives and myself have been negotiating 2004 vacation allotments. Tentative agreements have been made in the following departments: I/M, Maintenance, Specials. The CO’s and Construction departments are still in process and any concerns for 2004 allotments need to be addressed now before bargaining begins. If you have concerns or suggestions please contact your area reps or myself via the union hall to voice your opinion on these allotments.

Our Local website is now up and operational. Members may access your website at www.cwa7717.com . Please take the time to post comments and review other members postings at the Forum an onsite chat board. Field technicians should review the safety board and post any questions in the forum also. 

Qwest CEO Dick Notebart recently addressed all Union Presidents and District staff on the state of business at Qwest. He announced that the outlook for our company is getting brighter by the day. He also applauded all the efforts by all employees over this last year. You can has created some tremendous revenue however unfortunately it seems to be being balanced out by the rapid loss of customer growth. Unfortunately more efforts need to be done on the customer retention aspect of our business. 

The overall view was that bankruptcy is behind us, and new and improving services are ahead. And once again Mr. Notebart mentioned his open e-mail policy from any employee. 

If writing the CEO one should use company e-mail, keep the letter short and to the point. Lengthy letters with to much detail are more likely to be discarded. Keep all information factual with dates and facts. Always leave contact information such as pager, cell phone or e-mail address.

General Membership Meeting:
During the November e-board meeting a motion to change Location, Time, and meeting place for the December GM meeting was made and passed. The Local has booked the blue Parrot Restaurant in Louisville for the Dec. 11th meeting @6:30 pm. The intent of the Local was to combine Dinner, the Holidays and a General Membership meeting for all members and friends. Please take advantage of this opportunity and attend the December GM/ Christmas celebration on this night. Food and beverages supplied for by the Local. Cash bar will be available before and after the meeting. If any member plans to bring a guest please notify the Local in advance so we may give the restaurant proper notice.

Meeting agenda items include membership votes on motions chaired from the September meeting on a ¼ an hour dues increase and and ¼ an hour special assessment to the Local Members relief fund. Officers budgets shall also be presented along with any committee monetary requests requests for 2004. 

The Local will be giving away 2 Holiday Hams at the meeting. Members will be selected by drawing during the Good & Welfare portion of the meeting.

The UNION. . . Monty Orr, Area Representative 7717
The LOCAL, the Boulder Local, 7717, is made up of about 100 members of which YOU are one. Being a relatively small Local gives us certain advantages and disadvantages. 

ADVANTAGE # 1
A member of a small Local can have a more personal relationship with our Officers and Stewards. Most of you have some contact with at least one of your Local Officers or Stewards several times a week, if not every day. This advantage improves communications and ensures confidence that YOU are being properly represented, YOUR voice is being heard, YOU are not some number but rather, “Cindy, John or David”.

ADVANTAGE # 2
Most members know or are at least acquainted with most of the other members of your Local. This advantage improves communications and helps us feel that we know and can relate to our fellow members.

The DISADVANTAGES center primarily in the finance department and more importantly the need for more member participation. The finances of the local are not an immediate problem because your Local has over $30,000.00 at it’s disposal, but rather in the long range that if the necessary programs are put into place to better serve YOU now, at some point more money might be required to continue or improve these services. The more immediate problem is member participation. At present there is a very small group of members, mostly the Local’s Officers and Stewards who actively participate in carrying out the business of the Local. This results in the members who are participating being overloaded with work that is primarily done on their own personal time with no pay from the Local.

What can YOU do ?

Let’s work together to maximize our advantages and minimize our disadvantages by making an effort to become more closely acquainted with every member of our Local including our Officers and Stewards. To assist in this the Local will be putting together a “Local Directory” that will provide pictures and some details about every member. Let’s all make plans to attend the next monthly Business meeting on December 11, 2003 so we can have input into our Local’s business and get to know our fellow members. 

YOU are an investor in a business, The Communications Workers of America, which is in business to help YOU.

• YOU pay your dues every month but do YOU participate to ensure that YOUR business is doing the things that YOU want it to do?
• YOU have a voice but are YOU being heard?
• YOU can improve YOUR business by getting involved!
  

Education:
Joe Bierne Scholarship 

We're ready, once again, to kick off the Joe Beirne Foundation's annual scholarship offer. The Foundation's Board of Directors has approved the awarding of thirty (30) partial college scholarships of up to $3,000 each, and the winners also will receive second-year scholarships for the same amount, contingent upon satisfactory academic achievement.

Eligible for the scholarships are CWA members and their spouses, children and grandchildren, including the dependents of retired, laid off or deceased members. Applicants must be high school graduates or high school students who will graduate during the year in which they apply. Undergraduate and graduate students returning to schooling may also apply.

Note that beginning this year, applications will be made solely online by filling out and submitting an application form at the Foundation's website: http://cwa-union.org/members/beirne/index.asp. Applications will be accepted between November 2003 and March 31, 2004 – the final deadline. Early submission of applications is encouraged. Winners will be chosen by lottery drawing. Further information about the program can be found at the website.

Just A Hello ….by David Janke
Last Thurs Nov. 6^th, while working I came across a Comcast Technician in his truck. I waved hello and threw the technician a little off guard. He seemed in disbelief that Qwest employee would wave to him. 

After saying hello the technician stated that in Denver the Qwest guys don’t wave, or say hello. My response was that we were both working and that was a good thing. we are both laborers just from different companies. He agreed and started asking about CWA and mentioned that the word is starting to get around in Comcast that CWA might be gaining some ground with worker related issues such as pay, hours, job security. People are starting to realize how Comcast is not living up to their side. I responded by telling him that was great and pointed out my union pin and red t-shirt that CWA members wear to support the union.

Afterwards while working I thought about what had been said and how we are trying to get Comcast organized with CWA and we will not even wave to them if our paths cross. 

We are all laborers and might be in the same union soon. So give a wave and talk to the Comcast People. If questions come up about the Union and you don’t know the answer just refer them to the Local Hall or website. These may be our future Union brothers and sisters and a wave has never hurt.

Stewards Call:
Stewards training will be held on Dec.6^th at the Local Union Hall. Any member interested in attending to become a steward or just to learn more about their rights please contact Monty Orr, Area Rep 7717 at 303-543-7717 via voicemail. All stewards are expected at the general membership meeting on Dec. 11^th , if conflicts exist please call Tom Costello at the Union Hall. 

SAFETY AFTER DARK; by Monty Orr
Can you safely carry an extension ladder after dark? To control the ladder you must keep both hands on the ladder at all times. Do you have a 3rd hand to hold a light that could expose the obstacles in your path?

Is it safe to be in someone’s backyard without their knowledge after dark? What happens if they come home? Will you look like a burglar or a peeping tom?

What happens when you trip on a rock or your ladder bumps a tree limb you couldn’t see and you hurt yourself?

The company has trained you to work safely. Your boss has stated many times that he wants everyone to work safely. Why do you continue to do unsafe work? Could it be that the company has convinced you that YOU are responsible for the jobs THEY put on your load? Could it be because the company places much more emphasis on “finishing your load” than on working safely? Will this be your defense when the company suspends you because you hurt yourself while disobeying their instructions to work safely?

Unsafe work can cause harm to you, damage to company or customer’s property and distress for your family. By law, the company cannot require you to perform work that you reasonably consider unsafe.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SAFETY?

Unions a Powerful Force Lifting All Workers, Study Finds (October 7, 2003)
By Cynthia Green

Unions’ positive impact on workers’ wages, job security and benefits is well documented, but what isn’t as widely acknowledged is how these higher standards raise the compensation and improve the work lives of even non-unionized workers.

A recent report by the Economic Policy Institute, "How Unions Help All Workers," outlines a virtuous circle of organized labor’s beneficial effect on the general workforce, from pay and total compensation to benefits and workplace protections.

"Unions have set norms and established practices that become more generalized throughout the economy, thereby improving pay and working conditions for the entire workforce," particularly for the vast majority of workers who are not college educated, authors Lawrence Mishel and Matthew Walters write.

A dynamic known as the "union threat effect" tends to improve compensation and labor practices for nonunion workers in industries, occupations and markets where unions have a strong presence, according to the report. Put simply, nonunion employers who fear unionization will often pay their employees more to discourage the move to collective bargaining.

Mishel, EPI’s president, and Walters cite a recent study showing a positive threat effect for the 1970s, ‘80s and mid-‘90s. Though tricky to quantify, the average nonunion worker in an industry with 25% union density appears to enjoy 5.0% to 7.5% higher wages because of union presence. As union density erodes, however, the positive threat effect on wages also slows.

Because the nonunion sector is large, according to the EPI report, "the impact of unions on total nonunion wages is almost as large as the impact on total union wages."

Still, unions raise the pay of their members by about 20% and increase total compensation, which includes benefits, by roughly 28%, the report said. The average union wage premium – the amount that union wages exceed nonunion pay – is about 15%, the authors write.

And unions contribute to reducing wage inequalities because they improve pay for lower-income workers more than higher earners, for blue-collar employees more than white-collar, and for workers without a college degree.

Disparities are even greater in the arena of benefits, the report notes.

"Unionized workers are more likely than their nonunionized counterparts to receive paid leave, are approximately 18% to 28% more likely to have employer-provided health insurance, and are 23% to 54% more likely to be in employer-provided pension plans," the authors write.

Union workers get about 26% more vacation time and 14% more total paid time off, which includes holidays.

Health benefits tend to be better for union workers, who typically pay 18% less in health care deductibles than their nonunion counterparts, while retired union workers are 24% more likely to be covered by employer-paid health insurance, the report finds.

Union-protected workers also are more likely to get a guaranteed pension benefit, and their employers contribute about 28% more toward pensions than nonunion employers do, Mishel and Walters say.

Notably, items that were once considered "fringe" benefits, like pensions and health insurance, first appeared in unionized settings and then spread to nonunion shops, the report says. Nonunion workplaces also copied union grievance procedures, and unions have also set standards for pay.

"Until the mid-1980s," the report notes, "many sectors of the economy followed the ‘pattern’ set in collective bargaining agreements," though the subsequent weakening of unions has lessened this broad impact.

Nonetheless, unions have brought other innovations to the workplace, from training and worker participation to child care, flex-time and sick leave benefits, Mishel and Walters write.

More broadly, unions have been central to securing basic labor legislation that affects all workers – and in subsequently enforcing those regulations, covering areas like minimum wage and overtime pay, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation, and even civil rights.

"Over the years, these rules have become mainstays of the American workplace experience, constituting expressions of cherished public values," the authors write. "The labor protections enjoyed by the entire U.S. workforce can be attributed in large part to unions," they say.

Further, "unions make a substantial and measurable difference in the implementation of labor laws," Mishel and Walters say.

Crucially, unions inform their members about their rights and the procedures for enforcing labor protections, and they facilitate action in many ways, including by discouraging employer retaliation and by negotiating disputes on behalf of their members, the authors note. So it is not surprising that a unionized worker is far more likely to file a claim or report an abuse in the arenas of unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, occupational health and safety, family and medical leave, pensions and overtime.

"Unions not only improve workers’ benefits, they also contribute to due process and provide a democratic voice for workers at the workplace and in the larger society," Mishel and Walters write.

Cynthia Green is a freelance writer.

October 2003 GRIEVANCE REPORT

The following grievances have been filed and the 1st level meetings are pending:

REMEMBER YOU CAN FILE A GRIEVANCE!!!!

Your Weingarten Rights

IF YOU ARE CALLED INTO A MEETING BY ANY COMPANY MANAGER OR CORPORATE SECURITY, PLEASE TELL THEM ... If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated or affect my personal working conditions; I respectfully request that my Union Representative, Officer, or Steward be present at the meeting. Without representation, I choose not to answer any questions.

MANDATORY OVERTIME
One of the major issues that caused CWA members to strike in August, 1998 was forced overtime. Our Union brothers and sisters chose to give up their paychecks and walk picket lines to secure for all of us the right to refuse mandatory overtime in excess of 8 hours per week. Prior to the 1998 strike it was fairly common for the I&M techs to be scheduled 6, ten hour days, week after week.

Any time the company tells you to work rather than asks you, it is mandatory overtime. You should report all mandatory overtime as “OTM” on your daily time report. If you are notified that your “A” day has been cancelled, that is the only overtime that the company can require you to work that week.

Our Union leaders are bargaining with the company, attempting to make improvements in the area of mandatory overtime and the equalization of voluntary overtime opportunities. We bargained for and struck for limits on mandatory overtime so we all need to show “OTM” whenever possible. I will go into details of the contract language that limits mandatory overtime in the next issue of the Advisor. Until then, if you have any questions about this subject you can contact me through the Local Web site or at my Email address, montyorr1@aol.com, on my cell, 720-2441175 or at my home, 970-419-8860.

Financial/Audit Committee: By David Lewis/ Finance Comm. Member
The budget committee recently completed the Audit for fiscal year 2003 in September. We are pleased to announce that the local made over $350 over the period of one year. This savings came at great sacrifice from all officers, stewards, and members that donated salary and UAN payments. Approximately $7,000 dollars was deferred in officer’s salaries alone. With approximately $3,000 in Union time also being sacrificed.

The Local was able to trim $10,000 away from the budget in-part by many officers and stewards sacrificing salary and lost time to your local. The committee would recommend all members be present for the December meeting to further discuss the financial situation of our local for 2004. Meeting topics include officers budgets, Committee budgets, Dues increase vote, and a special assessment vote to be held during the meeting.

When to file a grievance
File a grievance whenever your employer violates a provision of the contract. If you are not sure about what the contract says on the matter, talk it over with your steward. Some examples of typical grievance issues are out-of-title work, overtime pay, and disciplinary procedures.

Not every gripe is a grievance—there are problems you may face that are not covered in the contract (for instance, your boss may be rude). Grievances are specifically about contract violations, but sometimes are more broadly defined. But even if your complaint doesn’t meet the definition of a grievance, it doesn’t mean you can’t take action—you, your steward, other workers in your shop and the union together can organize and pressure the employer.

On the other hand, if the problem you are having is covered in the contract, then you should definitely file a grievance.

Why filing a grievance is important

Sometimes union members know the employer is violating the contract but they are hesitant to file a grievance because they think it’s no big deal or they don’t want to get in trouble. But contract violations are a big deal! And it’s your right to grieve them; your boss cannot retaliate against you for filing a grievance. Whenever we let an employer violate the contract without challenging him, we are weakening the contract for all Local 7717 members—it sends a message that we will not enforce the contract. When we file grievances, we let employers know that we take the contract seriously and we will make them take it seriously, too. Sometimes, just knowing union members will enforce their rights acts as a deterrent, and management will think twice before violating the contract.

Bush Overtime Battle Nov. 12, 2003
Even though both houses of Congress responded to your appeals by voting to block President Bush's overtime pay cuts, the president is refusing to withdraw his pay cuts and says he will veto final legislation protecting overtime pay. Back-room maneuvering by the Bush administration and House Republican leaders has made it increasingly likely that the overtime pay protections we won will not make it out of Congress this year. Bush's Labor Department could put the overtime pay cuts into
effect as soon as January.

We still have a final chance to stop President Bush from taking away overtime pay from some 8 million workers if we make our voices heard. As many people as possible need to contact their senators and U.S. representative and tell them not to come home for the holidays without acting to protect overtime pay. Click below to take action or keep reading for more information.
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/otlastchance/38kids4f78e

How did this outrageous betrayal happen? After both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed measures to block President Bush's overtime pay take-away, a hand-picked committee of members of both of these bodies met behind closed doors to hammer out differences between the two versions of the overtime pay protections.

House Republican leaders--working with President Bush's lobbyists--stacked the committee with legislators who support Bush's overtime pay take-away. So despite congressional votes to block President Bush's overtime pay take-away, millions of America's workers are likely to lose it soon.

Make Sure You Get What You Pay For
Every paycheck I see deductions for this and that. One of those deductions that I have seen on my paychecks has been union dues. In my eight and a half years working for US West now Qwest I had not seen anything of value from my union leadership. This has proven to be incredibly frustrating, as I grew up in a very pro-labor union household. 

My father, having been very active for twenty five years as an executive board member for IBEW local 2300, kept telling me that the “Union” was in fact…me, and the more involved that I got, the more I would be a part of where my local was going. If I didn’t go to the meetings how was I to know what was going on, more importantly how was I to make my concerns and complaints about my personal treatment at the company’s hands known? 

In my first three years with the company I was a member of CWA 7777. While I knew the merit of having a large local membership, I neither knew who was representing me nor what they were doing with my money. Since moving to Boulder and local 7717, I am working alongside not only my stewards, but my area reps, and even my local president. Recently, after seeing some changes in the attitude of our local representation, I felt that the time was right to get active. With the new website, the newsletter, and face to face interaction, I have seen a new and improved commitment from our union leadership to keep us informed. I believe that these things and others soon to come can help renew the previously lacking confidence, enthusiasm, and involvement in our local. That…will only increase our viability as a local. 

Since the general membership meetings have recently been changed to quarterly meetings I know that we can all make the time to come to the fourth quarter general membership meeting/holiday party. As the new “Member at large,” I hold a seat on the executive board of our local, and as such, I have a vote in all union affairs. I commit to bring the news of the monthly E-board meetings to you, the muscle of our local. I invite you to tell me your concerns, comments, complaints and suggestions as to what you want the union leadership to be doing. It is now easier than ever to get involved. 
“WE” are the union! “WE” can make our voices heard! WE” control our locals’ future!!!

In Solidarity
Casey Goddard, Executive Board Member @ Large

Fire In The Mountains
Claire Rozinek / Sec. Treasurer 7717
Many thanks to the members of CWA Local 7717 for their generous donation of food and drinks on October 29, 2003 for the firefighters that were deployed on the Overland Fire. Thanks to Tom Costello and David Janke, because of their hard work in organizing and delivering the supplies, the starving firefighters got to munch on some food. Paul and I were on the fire for17 hours that day and it was the most intense situation we have been on in quite awhile, with 3500 acres burning and the threat of losing the town of Jamestown, luckily the weather decided to cooperate with our efforts. And we have many thanks to all the other volunteer departments that came to our aid. 

Thank you again to all, we appreciate your continued support of our volunteers.
Claire M. Rozinek
Paul M. Rozinek
Lefthand Fire Protection District

Communication Workers of America
Local 7717
PO Drawer 3467
Boulder, CO 80307

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