WASHINGTON-Qwest Communications International Corp. was able to emerge from the union negotiating table without agreeing to allow the Communications Workers of America to have access to its wireless employees, something that neither Verizon Communications nor SBC Communications Inc. were able to do.
Qwest announced Oct. 31 that it had signed a tentative agreement with CWA to extend its current union contract until Aug. 16, 2003.
The parties apparently agreed in pre-negotiation talks only to discuss wage and pension increases.
“The simple fact of the matter is that when we opened up negotiations with the Communications Workers of America, we laid down the ground rules. Both parties agreed to the fact that we would only discuss wage and pension increases. We would not discuss other issues and that includes wireless. … It was simply a matter that was negotiated ahead of time and all parties were OK with that,” said Qwest spokesman Matt Barkett.
Qwest gained wireless employees when it acquired U S West Inc. earlier this year.
The Qwest agreement contrasts sharply with union gains in negotiations with both Verizon and SBC.
Cingular’s union ties
Recent developments with SBC’s wireless subsidiary, Cingular Wireless Inc., show the union seems to be getting what it wants.
Last month CWA announced that nearly 1,200 Cingular employees in Illinois had agreed to union representation through a card-check procedure where targeted, eligible employees sign a card saying they wanted union representation.
The agreement, which involved the largest wireless employee group to date, was hailed by CWA as what the wireless industry should expect.
Cingular is the second-largest wireless carrier and was created last month with the merger of SBC’s wireless properties with BellSouth Corp.’s wireless properties.
SBC controls 60 percent of the wireless carrier and BellSouth controls 40 percent.
Verizon update
Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless has not seen any union organizing activity as of yet, although there has been talk of such organizing activities, said company spokesman Jim Gerace.
Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of the domestic wireless properties of Verizon Communications and Vodafone AirTouch plc. It includes the properties of AirTouch, PrimeCo, the former Bell Atlantic Mobile, the former Nynex Mobile and the former GTE Wireless.
Verizon Communications resisted union demands that it be given access to wireless employees, saying before an 18-day strike in August that it did not believe it was in a position to require easy union organization of the employees in its wireless unit because that unit is run by a separate board of directors and does its own labor relations.
In the end, Verizon agreed to union organizing of wireless employees without interference from management. At least 55 percent of the employees must sign a form agreeing to union representation.
