To:
All represented employees
From:
National Cooperative Resource Committee
The
National Cooperative Resource Committee recently held their last meeting of 2006
in
Earlier
this year, we committed to providing all bargaining employees and managers an
update following these meetings. Why? Because we want you to be aware of the
issues being addressed and the progress being made to continue improving the
relationship between the unions and the company.
Feedback
on training sessions
The
committee was very interested in the feedback from the 12 regional labor
management sessions conducted this past fall. From what we have heard, most of
the training sessions appear successful and are helping to build trust and
respect. The overall impression at the national level is that participants were
positive, they played an active role and they used the techniques taught by the
Federal Mediation Conciliation Services (FMCS) to build local charters and plan
for next steps.
The
national committee recognizes that the key to our success resides with the
regional committees where the day-to-day knowledge sharing and improved
relationships will foster success in the marketplace, which benefits the company
and the employee. To facilitate that success, the national committee recognizes
the need to stay closely connected to the regional committees until they are
fully functioning and clear on their joint objectives.
Formation
of new committees
Two
sub-committees will be created to study areas of joint concern: health care and
training. As you know, all employees are currently on a national health care
plan that is bargained locally. Recognizing the escalating cost of health care
across the country, health care experts from the CWA, IBEW and EMBARQ will meet
in early 2007 to discuss implications to the company and the
employees.
In
addition, a sub-committee is being formed to explore the feasibility of
providing training opportunities to employees in advance of job vacancies based
on their career interests. The sub-committee will review training programs from
the CWA and IBEW to determine if these resources can be utilized in conjunction
with tuition assistance and internal training programs. The team will report its
findings and recommendations to the national team. This is not intended to
replace language within the collective bargaining agreements but could provide
options leading to career opportunities for employees while increasing the
company’s technological edge in the marketplace.
Network
Services presentations
There
were two fairly detailed presentations on Network Services. The first was a
report on the technician referral program, which ramped up in 2005. Technicians
are becoming more actively involved in this voluntary program, which, among
other benefits, gives them extra compensation, retains a strong customer base,
helps slow access line loss and lowers churn rate. Technician referrals through
November have resulted in over 17,500 sales.
The
Network Services organization also shared interesting research and
recommendations for improving several key processes that affect technicians,
including Next Generation – Work and Force Management (NG-WFM), the Telcordia
recommendations, preventative maintenance and the “Tech of the Future” concept.
Some aspects of these processes have been released to the field for trials.
Others are in final planning stages and will be communicated when available. We
are all optimistic that these new processes will improve work operations and
customer service.
Consumer
Markets input
The
Consumer Markets organization reviewed results on a host of operational metrics,
including average call per representative, pay for performance results and
attendance for each call center. Overall, call center performance has been very
strong, which is attributed to knowledgeable sales staff, increased products and
competitive pricing on HSI. We also
discussed the rationale and implications for the recent increase in the sales
performance plan threshold. In addition, the committee recognized the need to
print and distribute contracts in a more timely fashion.
Successful
partnering now and in the future
As
you can see, the national committee is beginning to tackle difficult issues. We
believe that the concept of working together in a more productive manner holds a
lot of promise. A strong working relationship between us will help us improve
our organizations and allow us to deal more effectively with conflict.
We
will keep you posted on a quarterly basis. The national committee will meet
again in early 2007. Following the meeting, we will share the outcome of this
session with you. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to your local
management and union representatives for additional information.
Committee
Members
Joe
Basile – Labor Relations Manager
Gina
Cooper- IBEW, International Representative –
Telecommunications
Rich
Craddock- IBEW, Business Agent Local 199 and
Jimmy
Gurganus - CWA, Vice President - Telecommunications
Kathleen
McBee – EMBARQ Director, Client & Labor
Relations
Kevin
McCarter- Vice President, Regional Operations-
Southern
Steve
McMahon - Vice President, Regional Operations-
Western
Bob
Richhart - CWA Asst. to VP – Telecommunication
Mike
Seitz - Vice President, National Network Operations
Bob
Sloboda - Vice President, Consumer Care
Pat
Stutzman - Vice President, Regional
Operations-Mid-Atlantic
Dick
Watters - Vice President, Regional Operations-North
Central