SEARCH
San Jose City Workers Reach Accord, and More Bargaining News |
AFSCME-represented city workers in San Jose, Calif., reach a tentative agreement, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work
SETTLEMENTS
AFSCME, San Jose, Calif.: Some 2,500 city workers in San Jose, Calif., including custodians, public safety dispatchers, librarians and planners, represented by AFSCME Local 101, reached a tentative labor agreement that includes wages increases of 7.25 percent over the term of the contract.
TWU, San Francisco Municipal Railway: Nearly 1,900 San Francisco Municipal Railway operators, represented by Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 250-A, ratified a three-year contract that will give them a 2.2 percent pay raise, bringing their hourly wage to just under $28 an hour.
IAM, United Airlines: The Machinists (IAM) and United Airlines have reached a deal to offer early retirement packages to up to 400 customer service and ramp workers. Employees who are at least 45 years old and have 15 or more years of service with the company as of Sept. 7 will be eligible.
WORK STOPAGES AND ACTIONS
AFSCME, University of California: Hundreds of service workers, including custodians, cooks, health care workers and other employees, at the University of California’s 10 campuses and five hospitals, represented by AFSCME, executed a five-day strike. Pay is a central issue, as workers contend they earn 25 percent less than employees with comparable jobs at community colleges and private hospitals.
CWA, Verizon: The Communications Workers of America (CWA) held a strike-authorization vote in states across the country, as the union continues national contract negotiations with Verizon. The CWA and Electrical Workers (IBEW) agreements with Verizon expire Aug. 2.
CWA, Verizon (Texas): Members of CWA Local 6171 in Texas held an informational picket in front of Verizon Communications office buildings after Verizon’s recent announcement that about 50 employees were offered voluntary severance packages. CWA estimates that at least 120 local Verizon jobs were eliminated in the past year through smaller layoffs and attrition.
IAM, Boeing: About 15,000 members of Machinists District Lodge 751 at Boeing voted overwhelmingly for a preliminary strike authorization in a show of support for union negotiators in contact talks with the Chicago-based aerospace giant. The current contract expires Sept. 3. An additional vote by union members would be required before any walkout could occur.
IBEW, Nevada Power: More than 100 Nevada Power employees, represented by IBEW, protested stalling negotiations in front of the company’s headquarters.
UAW, Johnson Controls: In Columbia, Tenn., 170 of 172 seat factory workers presented UAW authorization cards to Johnson Controls. The company refused to recognize the UAW, and employees went on a recognition strike.
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
AFSCME, Alta Vista Regional Hospital: In Las Vegas, the NLRB has mandated that the Alta Vista Regional Hospital bargain with District 1199 of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (AFSCME), saying the hospital violated federal law by refusing to do so.
NEGOTIATIONS
SAG, Hollywood Producers: A meeting between Hollywood producers and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) failed to produce any change in position from either side. SAG’s executive council rejected the studio’s final contract offer, which the producers say must be ratified by Aug 15 or workers will lose any retroactivity to the June 30 contract expiration date.
CWA, Qwest Communications: CWA and Qwest Communications have started negotiations with the hope of agreeing on a new contract before the Democratic and Republican political conventions. A contract covering about 21,000 workers is scheduled to expire Aug. 16, a little more than a week before the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The Republican National Convention begins Sept. 1 in St. Paul. Qwest is the primary phone service provider to both cities.
UAW, Mitsubishi Motors North America: Contract negotiations between autoworkers, represented by UAW Local 2488, and Mitsubishi Motors North America have begun in Normal, Ill. The current contract expires Aug. 28 and covers 1,300 workers.
ALPA, Alaska Airlines: Alaska Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), have asked for assistance from a federal mediator. Alaska pilots have been in negotiations for a new contract since Jan. 2007. In a statement Thursday, the union said, “Management has indicated to its pilots that they have no intention of reaching a contract that provides this pilot group with the pay, job security, retirement security and health benefits that its pilots have earned.”
Disclaimer: This information is being provided for your information only. As it is compiled from published news reports, not from individual unions, we cannot vouch for either its completeness or accuracy; readers who desire further information should directly contact the union involved.
1 Comment
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
CWA’s got a lot of balls. Poor you!
Well over half of all Verizon workers are not members of the union. In fact, most are contractors hired via agencies on statement of work contracts (many from India via H2B-abuse, when there are plenty of American workers who would like the job).
Using statement of work workers in this way Verizon gets around the abuse of contractor labor violations that Microsoft employees sued over and won back when they were being kept on 5 and 10 year contracts - with no benefits, but were being made to work like employees.
I’ll care about CWA, when it is looking out for it’s fellow workers as part of their strike, we who do the lion’s share of the work along side them