CWA Local 1170

The Company is polling all Sales and Service Techs for a show of interest to go to West VA to assist with the storm damage there.  At this point they have not determined how many techs are needed.  They do understand out of town work volunteers are selected by seniority across the title.

Reminder – A Steward’s Meeting has been scheduled for this Saturday from 9:30am to Noon at the Teacher’s Union Hall at 30 N. Union Street.  We still need Stewards to call the Union Hall to RSVP if they will be in attendance.  This is a Union Activity Day for all Stewards.

This is your President John Pusloskie thanking you for calling your Union tape, the place where we are Union and proud of it.

A reminder for all Stewards – Saturday, February 13^th from 9:30am to Noon, a Steward’s Unit Meeting is being held at 30 North Union Street.  This is a Union Activity Day for all Stewards.  We need you to RSVP if you’re going to be there or not.  The Agenda is the following:

Bill Ochocinsky – CWA Retirement Plan Presentation

Dan Walters – Union Legal Plan & Worker’s Comp.

Mark Pearce, Attorney – Steward’s Training

Contract Talk

Mobilization

Discount tickets to see the Globetrotters this Saturday, February 6^th are available at the Union Hall for $15.00 each.  We have a limited number still available.  Please call Marge or Angela for more information.

This is your President John Pusloskie thanking you for calling your Union tape.

5 Yrs

Rhonda Kinney  2/7/2005

No 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, or 45 year anniversaries

Frontier Local 1170 Members will receive a 1.5% general wage increase effective Monday, February 1^st.  All steps in the progression tables will receive this increase.

The increase will be accounted for in your February 11^th paycheck.

This afternoon we had a drive-by shooting in front of the Norton Street C.O.  The RPD has a description of the vehicles and is concentrated in the area.  Any technician having to go into the Norton Street C.O. to work this evening, please be cautious.  As a technician you have options to protect yourself.  If you feel unsafe, make a request for a second technician.  You also have the option of turning back the ticket.  Safety is more important than service.  No job is so important that safety should be compromised.  The Union is very concerned about the lack of communication and slow response by the Company to these situations and is advocating on your behalf for better communication.

This is your President John Pusloskie thanking you for calling your Union tape.

January 20th, 2010

Present:  Tim Peffley, Mike Starowitz, Dave Rouse, Dave Baliva, Rob Roll, Ryan Bills, Andy Cimino, Renee Bellomio, Milt Dickens, Dave Litzenberger,
Dianne Ostrander, Jim Wojtarowicz, Diane Holloway, Ken Anderson, Joe Limbeck, Michele Seavy, Lynne Salem, Mary Jane Kleehammer, Dan Cooman,
Dennis Thomas, Mike Sutphen, John Pusloskie, Lynne Monacco, Patty Roberts
Excused:  Mike Posadni, Fritz Amrhein

Old Business:

1)  Dennis announced that Bob Becker had to leave the committee and that Dave Rouse was stepping in as the new chairman.

2)  Joe reviewed the on-the-job accidents of the past month.  3 personal injuries – due to slips, trips & falls.  3 motor vehicle accidents – all due to backing up.  The year in review – found a total of 71 combined accidents, resulting in 1700 lost days of work, compared to 2300 lost days of work in 2008.  We are continuing a downward trend.

3)  The updated contact list was distributed, and has since, been corrected and e-mailed to everyone.  Joe will be posting it on the Link.

4)  An in depth discussion was held, regarding personal safety training.  Dennis summarized the safety committee’s concerns with the training classes that have already taken place.  Specifically, that the portion of the class that should be taught by Lynne would be building safety and who to get ahold of for an escort to your car, the rest of the training (how to respond in an emergency situation) should be taught by a trained professional, and all CWA employees should be required to take it.  Lynne Monaco gave us the goals for the 1st quarter of 2010.  They are – to finish off outside plant and suburban, set up site specific classes for the CO techs and to hold more classes for 180 S. Clinton & Fitz/Plymouth – with specific schedules at each location.  John Pusloskie said that the union has been waiting years to have this implemented, that the need for a personal safety class is long overdue and needs emphasis placed.

5)  Joe commended Jim Wojtarowicz and Mike Posadni for a job well done – restocking all the first aid kits at W. Henrietta Rd, and placing new ones in areas where none existed.

6)  Joe discussed – experimenting with “sub-committees” to tackle some of the more difficult issues, and will send an email to the bosses, requesting 2 hours per week to work on the action items.  He is also approaching the GM’s to see who might be interested in joining the committee.

New Business:

1)  Dave Baliva was given the action item of contacting Paul Nilsson to find out who is responsible for shoveling at the CO’s.

***** Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 17th *****

Your negotiated pay raise will go into effect Monday, February 1^st, 2010 and be accounted for in your paycheck dated February 11^th.  The pay increase will be 1.5% applied to each step of the progression table.  Your Vice President Rick Sanchez and I will be meeting with Sr. VP Greg Hill and Kathy Slocum next week to address various issues.

It has been quiet on many fronts but beware of the storm that’s coming.  A Steward’s Mtg notice is being mailed today.  The meeting will be Saturday, February 13^th at 9:30am to Noon, at 30 N. Union Street at the NYSTU office.  We have an interesting agenda.

This is your President John Pusloskie thanking you for calling your Union tape.

I want to thank all members for the strong showing at yesterday’s membership meeting.  It was a great start to the New Year.

At last night’s meeting, the membership approved the following jurors for the trial of Pat Patterson:  Dan Chizuk, Paul Dibble, Joanne Bauman, Jim Bowen, Joe Cicero, Jason Heaney, Sean Kennedy, Demiah Smith, and Don Miller.  Joe Cicero withdrew his name today.  The Bylaws state we need to select 5 jurors.  Today we selected the following jurors by pulling their names out of a hat:  Paul Dibble, Joanne Bauman, Demiah Smith, Dan Chizuk, and Jim Bowen.  Mr. Patterson will be notified shortly of the trial date.

I want to thank those at last night’s membership meeting for donating to JJ Angels on behalf of retiree, Chuck Cardinale’s granddaughter, JJ, who is diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  Thank you for your generosity.

This is your President John Pusloskie thanking you for calling your Union tape, the place where we are Union and proud of it.

A reminder – Thursday is a Union Activity Day for all Members.  Please wear your Union apparel as a sign of solidarity.  We have twelve months to contract expiration and like everything else in life it will be here before you know it.  Please make every effort to attend the meeting and get informed.  I don’t want to see any red shirts in the crowd.

On the agenda is:  2009-2010 Budget, Verizon/Frontier Merger, Membership approval for jurors for Patterson trial, Contract talk, and Good/Welfare.

The Company has announced another reorganization of its management forces in Rochester, eliminating two GM’s in our service territory.  It was communicated that one of the objectives is to have more effective and efficient alignment of work scheduling for our sales and service techs.  What this means to our workforce remains to be explained.

Please take the time to get informed this week.

This is your President John Pusloskie thanking you for calling your Union tape, the place where we are Union and proud of it.

On this Martin Luther King Day, I would like to take the time to recognize this great American for his efforts in advancing not only civil rights, but the rights of working people.  His support and fight for labor rights were seen by him as the support and fight for basic human rights.  He is deserving of that recognition, as our country is a better place to live because of him.

I returned home late Thursday night from West Virginia State where I testified in front of the West Virginia State Public Service Commission with the Local’s concerns as well as CWA’s concerns in regards to the Frontier/Verizon merger.  In my testimony I expressed the concerns for service based on our experience with the movement of our repair service calls to Deland, FL and the conversion over to the DPI billing system.

I can tell you that the Verizon and Frontier employees in West VA who attended the hearing have the same concerns we do.  They are concerned for their jobs and the company’s financial stability taking on more debt with the merger.

Those of us who have been here for a long time remember clearly the impact of the Global Crossing bankruptcy.  Frontier had a wireless, long distance, and video conferencing company.  All these divisions of the company were sold as well as the Frontier Ilec division as a result of that bad merger.  If this merger goes through and is approved, I’m the first to say I hope it the most successful merger in telecom history and provides more employment security for everyone.  We have already endured and experienced one of the biggest failures.

This is your President John Pusloskie thanking you for calling your Union tape, the place where we are Union and proud of it.