September 1, 2010

IBEW LOCAL 1269 TENTATIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

Several months ago, I reported to you that we were able to predict with almost 100% certainty what we were going to face in 2010 PBD bargaining.

The state of the nation’s economy, the fact that California was on the verge of bankruptcy, the loss of tens of thousands of businesses in California, the high unemployment rate of almost 12% in this state, highlighted much closer to home with PBD’s declaration of 3 surpluses in just over one year, the consolidation and collapsing of all our Telephone Sales Representatives’  jobs from all over northern California into one facility in Pleasanton, California, and the consolidation of our branch ASAs and GDIIIs into one facility in Anaheim, California.

PBD has been hemorrhaging a loss of revenue and advertisers at a staggering rate and sales earnings have been following a similar pattern since we last signed a contract in 2005.  In checking with all the other regions across the country in AT&T Advertising Solutions, the situation is much the same; some areas are worse than others.

Knowing this, all the labor agreements in CWA and in another IBEW local representing AT&T Advertising Solutions employees had all concluded ahead of us and basically set the pattern for what AT&T had formulated for its business model going forward!

So there were no surprises when we went into negotiations that everything was on the table and that benefits, wages, compensation and compensation related issues, including sales performance, were going to dominate the discussions.

As bargaining progressed, it was becoming clear and obvious that the company was digging in on wages, compensation and related issues, and just as high on the list, was benefits. 

On August 6, 2010, on a conference call we had with stewards from all of the various offices, the situation was 90% possibility of a strike and, as far apart as we were, it would have been a long one!

On August 7^th, the contract was extended one week and little movement was made.

On Wednesday, August 11, your Union notified the Company that we were invoking the 72 hour notification, that IBEW 1269 was cancelling the extension and were prepared to go on strike.

From this point, bargaining took a dramatic turn, and we began to see some daylight.  Bargaining broke into sub-committees, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service was notified, calls went back and forth from your Union to Washington, D.C. The Company got more involved with St. Louis and Dallas, particularly in the area of benefits, and, after non-stop bargaining, a tentative agreement was reached at approximately 3 p.m. on Friday, August 27, 2010.

Extensive changes have been made in wages, compensation and compensation related issues, and, although some of these changes somewhat conform to the AT&T national pattern, your Union bargaining team believes that, considering our position and given the circumstances, we have continued the tradition of IBEW 1269 and have the best labor agreement in the country.

I personally, and on behalf of Casey Lewis and the rest of the IBEW staff and team, wish to thank our chief stewards, stewards, and our members for their strength, support and patience, and above all their trust, in what was one of the most challenging negotiations in my career.

HONOR AND STRENGTH

Peter Pusateri

Casey Lewis