LOCAL 3511
JACKSON, MS
ND & CA UPDATES
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ND&CA Final Bargaining Report
May 15, 2010
We have reached a Tentative Agreement on a new 3 year contract.
The highlights are as follows: (click here the Adobe .pdf file version)
Wages, Incentives and Bonuses
Basic wages will be increased at the top rates of pay according to the following:
Effective Percent Increase
November 7, 2010 2.75%
November 6, 2011 2.25%
November 4, 2012 2.50%
Benefits Highlights
Medical:The agreement aligns the ND&CA unit with the BST unit for health care. It also provides that the
Medical plan premiums will now flow through to this agreement if they are changed in 2012 BST
bargaining.
-We added two new plans for ND&CA which were previously unavailable to the members.
Flexible Spending Accounts: -FSAs allow members to set aside money on a pre-tax basis to help with
health care expenses.
CarePlus: -This plan allows members to purchase additional medical coverage for specific treatments
and conditions which are not covered under the health care plans.
-We also added a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) for those employees covered by the 5-year look
back letter who retire.
OTHER CHANGES:
Article 1D — Employee Classification
Article 1E — Entity
Article 3L — Pay/Basis of Compensation
Article 3K — Pay/Basis of Compensation
Article 4B — Holidays/Vacations
Article 5 — Absences from Duty
Article 6 — Force Reduction
Article 8 — Promotion and Transfer Plan
Article 13 — Grievance/Arbitration and Mediation
Article 19 — Non-Discrimination
Appendix B — Employee Development
In Unity,
Your CWA Bargaining Team
M.M. Smith, Chair
Thelma Dunlap, Co-Chair
Angila Rogers, AVP-Local 3212
ND&CA Bargaining Report #6
May 14, 2010
The Union and Company met today and came to agreement on the following items:
The rest of the session was spent discussing benefits and wages. The Union reminded the Company
that its employees make this Company successful and deserve a fair share of the profits they help
produce.
Your team will work hard to bring in the best contract possible
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #5
May 14, 2010
The Company and Union met yesterday for discussions on outstanding proposals and the economic
package.
The Company agreed with a Union proposal on Article 6 – Force Reduction. The newly agreed to
language would allow senior employees to voluntarily leave under surplus conditions and receive layoff
pay. It also provides recall rights to employees for up to four (4) years. Additionally, it provides that the
Company will endeavor to offer laid off employees any temporary vacancies for which they are qualified.
After further discussion and clarification the Union rejected both the wage and benefit proposal.
Bargaining will resume later today.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #4
May 13, 2010
The Company accepted the Union proposal on force reduction that will allow senior employees who wish
to leave to leave with layoff pay. The proposal also gives recall rights to laid off employees as well as
making temporary jobs available to qualified employees.
The Company submitted their wage and benefit proposal:
Current employees: 2011 2012 2013
Individual $30.00 $55.00 $55.00
Family $110.00 $110.00 $110.00
New Hires: 2011 2012 2013
Individual $55.00 $55.00 $55.00
Family $110.00 $110.00 $110.00
There proposal also includes the CVS letter which allows for 90 day prescriptions to be picked up at the
pharmacy at mail order prices.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #3
May 12, 2010
We met with the Company today. Discussions centered around proposals previously exchanged between
the parties. The company has tentatively accepted the following proposals from the Union:
Article 8D
Change 10 request to unlimited request
Appendix B
Pension Look Back letter – Page 36
Appendix B
Contracting Out Letter – Page 37
Appendix B 3A
Educational Assistance Program - Tuition language to include books
Article 5 "Deaths"
Add stepbrothers/stepsisters and give definition of household members.
The Union has tentatively accepted the following Company proposals:
Article 1
Move definition of temporary employee from Article 9C to Article 1D
Article 1D
Change definition of entity, to reflect current reality
Article 3L
Progression increases, change the effective date to based on service anniversary date
Article 19C
Change non-discrimination clause to reflect current reality
Article 3
Pay check delivery – change the language to provide pay stub to employees in the most efficient manner.
We have recessed and will resume on Thursday for more discussion with the Company.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #2
May 11, 2010
ND&CA Bargaining resumed Day 2 with the Company and we exchanged a number of proposals.
Union proposals included:
The Company presented proposals on the following:
The Union and the Company then had discussion on the following issues submitted by members:
We then recessed to study proposals and prepare responses subject to call by either party.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #1
May 10, 2010
ND&CA Bargaining kicked off today with opening statements by CWA Vice President Judy Dennis and
AT&T Vice President-Labor Relations Mike Matthews with both emphasizing the importance of this
contract. Vice President Dennis stated across the table that the Union's expectation is a fair and
equitable agreement for this bargaining unit.
Gloria Reese, Vice President Customer Information Service Operation, AT&T, gave a presentation on the
state of the business and the competitive nature of the information market. She described the impact of
Smart Phones and wireless trends on the 411 Business.
The Company passed four (4) proposals - all simply intended as clean-up language. They included:
Bargaining is scheduled to resume Tuesday afternoon.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
May 15, 2010
We have reached a Tentative Agreement on a new 3 year contract.
The highlights are as follows: (click here the Adobe .pdf file version)
Wages, Incentives and Bonuses
Basic wages will be increased at the top rates of pay according to the following:
Effective Percent Increase
November 7, 2010 2.75%
November 6, 2011 2.25%
November 4, 2012 2.50%
- There will be no change in the start rates of pay and the progression steps will be exponential
between the existing start rate and the new top rate.
- We were able to save the annual incentive plan, and it will be funded at the standard award level of
1% for award years 2010, 2011, and 2012.
- We were able to save the retention bonus award of $150.00 for all employees who have four (4) or
more years of net credited service on the date of the general wage increase as listed above.
- There will be a ratification bonus of $200.00 (less taxes and other withholdings) to all employees on
the active payroll on the effective day of the agreement.
- Continue the match rate of 35% for the BellSouth Savings and Security Plan.
Benefits Highlights
Medical:The agreement aligns the ND&CA unit with the BST unit for health care. It also provides that the
Medical plan premiums will now flow through to this agreement if they are changed in 2012 BST
bargaining.
- 2011: Monthly health care contributions will be $10 for Individual coverage and $25 for Family
coverage in 2011. This is actually lower than the Family premium that ND&CA members pay today.
Spousal carve-out premiums are eliminated.
- 2012: The contributions will increase to $35 for Individual and $75 for Family per month for 2012.
- The 2013 premiums will be negotiated in 2012 BST bargaining and will flow through to the ND&CA
unit.
- New Hires will have monthly contributions of $35 and $75 in 2011 and 2012.
-We added two new plans for ND&CA which were previously unavailable to the members.
Flexible Spending Accounts: -FSAs allow members to set aside money on a pre-tax basis to help with
health care expenses.
CarePlus: -This plan allows members to purchase additional medical coverage for specific treatments
and conditions which are not covered under the health care plans.
-We also added a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) for those employees covered by the 5-year look
back letter who retire.
OTHER CHANGES:
Article 1D — Employee Classification
- Temporary employee – one whose term of employment is intended to last more than 3 weeks, but not
more than 12 months. (Moved from Article 9C).
Article 1E — Entity
- For the purpose of force movement, an entity is defined as BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.,
Bellsouth Advertising & Publishing Corp, AT&T Southeast Billing, LLC, Utility Operations, BellSouth
Internet Services, and National Directory and Customer Assistance.
Article 3L — Pay/Basis of Compensation
- The effective date of progression increases shall be at 6-month intervals, or at such other intervals
as may be specified in the applicable wage table.
Article 3K — Pay/Basis of Compensation
- Employees will be carried on biweekly payrolls. An employee may be paid by direct deposit into a
bank or credit union account, or the check mailed to the employee’s home address. The pay check
stub will be made available to employees in the most efficient manner possible.
Article 4B — Holidays/Vacations
- An employee who leaves the service of the company, for reasons other than misconduct, before
his/her vacation is completed shall be granted pay in lieu of such vacation as he/she was otherwise
entitled to receive during the remainder of the current calendar year.
Article 5 — Absences from Duty
- Language changes to add Household, and to add Stepbrothers and Stepsisters to the list of
immediate family. Household of employee means persons who regularly make their home with the
employee as part of the family.
Article 6 — Force Reduction
- A2. The changes that reflect the contract: The parties agree that prior to forcing layoff in inverse
order of seniority, the company may allow senior-qualified volunteers within title and exchange to be
paid a layoff allowance and separate from the company.
- B1. Laid off employees will have recall rights after the filling of vacancies under Article 8. An
employee may submit (6) requests in their title in the state. These requests will remain active for a
period of 4 years from the date of layoff.
- C. Temporary hiring of laid off employees. As a general practice, the company will endeavor to offer
laid off employees any temporary vacancies for which they are qualified.
Article 8 — Promotion and Transfer Plan
- D. Language was changed from (10) future requests for transfer to unlimited requests for transfer.
Article 13 — Grievance/Arbitration and Mediation
- B. Arbitration/Expedited
- 4. The cost of transcripts shall be shared equally by the company and the union. The total costs
and fees of transcripts for non-expedited arbitrations will be borne 75% by the company and 25% by
the union.
Article 19 — Non-Discrimination
- C. Language reads: In a desire to restate their respective policies, neither the company nor the
union shall discriminate against any employee because of such employee’s race, color, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, creed, gender, gender identity, marital status,
military status, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.
Appendix B — Employee Development
- 3.Language to add textbooks in addition to tuition and fees.
- Video Display Terminal Eyewear (VDT): We were able to save and to get Gloria Reese to present the
union with an updated letter for these VDT glasses. The glasses are for employees that experience
discomfort with their vision while looking at a computer monitor. The letter states that the company
will pay the basic cost of frames, lenses, and fitting fees, and the employee shall be responsible for
any other costs or fees.
- CVS Caremark Letter:We were able to secure a new benefit with CVS Pharmacy. This new benefit
will allow employees to purchase 90-day prescriptions at a lower mail order rate.
- Contracting Out Letter:We were able to save the Contracting Out Letter in Appendix B from the
previous contract.
- Pension Look Back Letter:We were able to save the Pension Look Back Letter in Appendix B from
the previous contract.
- Movement of Employees:We have expanded the National Transfer Plan to include the ND&CA unit.
This gives our ND&CA members the same rights as the other Southeast bargaining units.
In Unity,
Your CWA Bargaining Team
M.M. Smith, Chair
Thelma Dunlap, Co-Chair
Angila Rogers, AVP-Local 3212
ND&CA Bargaining Report #6
May 14, 2010
The Union and Company met today and came to agreement on the following items:
- The Company agreed to renew the VDT glasses letter which provides payment by the Company for
the basic cost of the frames, lenses and fitting fees.
- The Company has agreed on a Union proposal to include ND&CA in the National Transfer Plan. The
NTP allows employees to apply for jobs in other AT&T subsidiaries.
The rest of the session was spent discussing benefits and wages. The Union reminded the Company
that its employees make this Company successful and deserve a fair share of the profits they help
produce.
Your team will work hard to bring in the best contract possible
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #5
May 14, 2010
The Company and Union met yesterday for discussions on outstanding proposals and the economic
package.
The Company agreed with a Union proposal on Article 6 – Force Reduction. The newly agreed to
language would allow senior employees to voluntarily leave under surplus conditions and receive layoff
pay. It also provides recall rights to employees for up to four (4) years. Additionally, it provides that the
Company will endeavor to offer laid off employees any temporary vacancies for which they are qualified.
After further discussion and clarification the Union rejected both the wage and benefit proposal.
Bargaining will resume later today.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #4
May 13, 2010
The Company accepted the Union proposal on force reduction that will allow senior employees who wish
to leave to leave with layoff pay. The proposal also gives recall rights to laid off employees as well as
making temporary jobs available to qualified employees.
The Company submitted their wage and benefit proposal:
- Wages 2%, 2%, and 2%
- Incentive Payout would remain at 1%
- The Retention Bonus would remain at $150.00 for employees with 4 years service.
- Insurance premiums would be as follows:
Current employees: 2011 2012 2013
Individual $30.00 $55.00 $55.00
Family $110.00 $110.00 $110.00
New Hires: 2011 2012 2013
Individual $55.00 $55.00 $55.00
Family $110.00 $110.00 $110.00
There proposal also includes the CVS letter which allows for 90 day prescriptions to be picked up at the
pharmacy at mail order prices.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #3
May 12, 2010
We met with the Company today. Discussions centered around proposals previously exchanged between
the parties. The company has tentatively accepted the following proposals from the Union:
Article 8D
Change 10 request to unlimited request
Appendix B
Pension Look Back letter – Page 36
Appendix B
Contracting Out Letter – Page 37
Appendix B 3A
Educational Assistance Program - Tuition language to include books
Article 5 "Deaths"
Add stepbrothers/stepsisters and give definition of household members.
The Union has tentatively accepted the following Company proposals:
Article 1
Move definition of temporary employee from Article 9C to Article 1D
Article 1D
Change definition of entity, to reflect current reality
Article 3L
Progression increases, change the effective date to based on service anniversary date
Article 19C
Change non-discrimination clause to reflect current reality
Article 3
Pay check delivery – change the language to provide pay stub to employees in the most efficient manner.
We have recessed and will resume on Thursday for more discussion with the Company.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #2
May 11, 2010
ND&CA Bargaining resumed Day 2 with the Company and we exchanged a number of proposals.
Union proposals included:
- New language that the Company will pay 75% of the cost of transcripts and the Union 25%, for
arbitrations - Article 8D - Change 10 future requests to unlimited requests for transfer or promotions to any
Bellsouth Entity - Renew Appendix B - 5 year pension "look back" letter
- Union proposal to renew Appendix B - contracting out letter which confirms the Company
commitment not to contract out work identified as work to be performed by Information Service
Assistants.
The Company presented proposals on the following:
- Pay check delivery bringing this in line with the proposal agreed to at the BST table
- Work schedules to be posted weekly instead of bi-weekly;
- Changing Article 4 to prohibit employees dismissed for misconduct from receiving vacation pay
The Union and the Company then had discussion on the following issues submitted by members:
- Monitoring
- Payroll Issues
- AWT
- Part-time hours
- Database accuracy
We then recessed to study proposals and prepare responses subject to call by either party.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team
ND&CA Bargaining Report #1
May 10, 2010
ND&CA Bargaining kicked off today with opening statements by CWA Vice President Judy Dennis and
AT&T Vice President-Labor Relations Mike Matthews with both emphasizing the importance of this
contract. Vice President Dennis stated across the table that the Union's expectation is a fair and
equitable agreement for this bargaining unit.
Gloria Reese, Vice President Customer Information Service Operation, AT&T, gave a presentation on the
state of the business and the competitive nature of the information market. She described the impact of
Smart Phones and wireless trends on the 411 Business.
The Company passed four (4) proposals - all simply intended as clean-up language. They included:
- Article 1 -- moves the definition of temporary employees from Article 9.
- Another Article 1 -- brings definition of "entities" into line with Core contract.
- Article 3 -- incorporates June 27, 2007 MOA on progression increases into the contract.
- Article 19C -- change in language of the non-discrimination clause to reflect additional non-
discrimination categories outlined in the AT&T Code of Business Conduct Policy.
Bargaining is scheduled to resume Tuesday afternoon.
In Unity,
Your Bargaining Team