06/18/2008
SUMMARY OF SHIFT CHANGES AND UPGRADES IN THE MST AND RT TITLES.
Earlier this year, the Company notified the Union of the need to reorganize the existing work force and shifts due to the loss of access lines, higher projected referrals to MST’s due to light speed ready areas. The plan is to allow around 1,500 Service Technicians statewide to upgrade to the MST title. Currently around 10 % per cent of the Service Technician tickets are referred to cable. Out of that 10%, 80% are referred due to F2 trouble. The Company stated later shifts were necessary in order to provide convenient appointments to our customers and to remain competitive with other Companies offering phone, data and video.
- Originally the Company wanted 85 % of the MST’s on the late shifts. The original proposed shifts were 10-6:30 and day differential shifts of 11-7:30 and no 12pm start times. Some areas will have 4pm to 12 pm shifts.
- The Company originally proposed 40 % percent of the Service Technicians starting at a 10am to 6:30pm.
- From a total of 104 MST’s in Local 9408, 58 with the potential to be placed on late shifts late shits, 6 were forced to the late shifts.
- From a total of 139 Service Technicians in Local 9408, 56 with the potential to be placed on late shifts late shits, 3 were forced to the late shifts.
- These numbers were based on data from the shift project template.
- The Company has agreed to do monthly reviews on the late shifts to determine if we can move employees down to the early shifts. Also as more Service Technicians are upgraded, there will be fewer referrals to cable maintenance and the Company expects fewer MST Technicians will be needed on the late shift. At the same time there will be fewer repairs for the Service Technician’s and over time their function will mostly be installation.
- Current 12pm to 8pm shifts were grandfathered.
- MST minis in the Splicing Title were honored. The union and the Company reached an impasse on the Service Technician’s mini’s.
(The Service Technician upgrades impacts the MST title.)
- Service Technicians will be upgraded to the MST title upon going to school.
- Currently the training for the upgrades is projected to be a 3 year project. Training will be 8 Service Technicians at a time from our GM’s district. Training will be voluntary by seniority within the consolidated headquarters.
- Service Technicians who fail the two week training course will be allowed to retake the training. A Technician that fails the initial training will be allowed to do ride alongs before the 2nd attempt. The Company will review on a case by case basis for a possible 3rd attempt. Technicians will revert back to the Service Technician title if they are unable to pass training.
- Employees will be provided a TS100 after the employee attends and passes the training.
- Rd Pay will be provided to MST’s training the upgraded Service Technicians.
- Service Technicians will remain in their own work group until upgraded.
- Retreat rights for the upgraded Service Technicians will be 6 months.
- Time and title (18 months) in the Service Technician title was waived for the upgrade but once they are upgraded to the MST title, time and title will apply for the MST Title (24 months).
- Scheduled vacations will be honored.
In-Unity
Roy Granados
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Recently the Local has received various complaints from members about other members informing management on some of the |
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following examples: Employees late for work, I&M technicians for not following the 12 steps, infractions of coffee break policies, personal cell phone usage during Company time.
Not only do we have members informing on other members but there are recent incidents where Managers from other departments, relatives of employees, stockholders and the public at large doing the same.
We have no control over latter, we as a Local but can make suggestions to our members.
Informing on others is always a problem in the workplace and usually leads to disciplinary action from warning to termination. I strongly urge our members that before we decide to inform on “wrongdoers”, we must ask ourselves:
What will we gain by becoming a company informant?
Will it put us on the fast tract to becoming a manager?
Will it make us one the managers’ favorite employees?
Will we have any financial gain?
Will we have to do less work?
Will we feel more secure about my own employment?
Am I violating any work place infraction?
Am I the perfect employee?
The last question you should ask yourself is: How would I feel if someone informed on me?
This doesn't mean you should avoid alerting the proper authorities when observing a major safety infraction when the employee is a hazard to himself or others. However in non-threatening situations you should first consider other possibilities. The ideal solution is to go straight to the source of the problem in a non-threatening approach and discuss this peer to peer and if you are convinced the infraction will not recur again, then is there a need to notify the company? You may find out that this employee had permission from the Company.
Managing is the manager’s job!
We as craft do not get paid to manage our peers. Should a situation occur where you feel obligated to it take a step further then discussion with a peer or if you're convinced it won't work, then next alternative is to contact the Union. Please, give us an opportunity to fix the problem.
Please understand that every member has a family and any action affects not only the member but the family as well.
The resolution passed at the October 04, 2007 membership meeting.
In Unity-Roy Granados
We as union members should be acutely aware of the serious implications of any request by AT&T’s management to report discrepancies or shortcomings in our fellow employees work performance. Especially if doing so may lead to disciplinary action, or even termination of a fellow worker.
As union members it is neither our duty nor our obligation to report problems with our fellow employee’s work ethics to the Company. To do so is divisive; the action undermines the very meaning of the word union. AT&T’s managers are paid to assess our work performance; this is their job not the Union memberships.
It is better to advocate a policy of a “self cleaning shop or workplace” As members if we have a problem with an individual or individuals we should approach them “civilly and respectfully” about the issues. Quite often it is just a misunderstanding. If a solution cannot be reached, get a Union steward involved to determine what the next course of action should be.
This is a policy if adhered to will help protect us all. We are a Union, an alliance brought together for the promotion of our mutual interest and benefits, and in this case our futures.
