**EXTEND THE CONTRACT
**WORK WITHOUT A CONTRACT
**STRIKE
**LOCKOUT
Sisters and Brothers, as you all know the collective bargaining agreement between CWA District 4 and at$t midwest will expire April 14, 2018 at 11:59pm CST. There appears little likelihood that a settlement will be reached before then. A settlement comes in the form of a Tentative Agreement at or before the hour of expiration, which then needs to be voted on by the members.
If a settlement is not reached, one of the following scenarios will take place.
Extend the Contract:
The Union and the Company mutually agree to extend the terms and conditions of the current contract. Strikes and Lockouts are not an option during contract extension. Members continue to work and earn a paycheck. All protections remain. Negotiations continue.
Work without a Contract:
If members continue to work without a contract, tactics such as work to rule, product boycotts and public campaigns can increase pressure on the employer and keep the strike option alive. When working without a contract, MOST of the provisions of the previous contract are still in effect, and they can’t change working conditions. It is called status quo.
This is an option where certain types of short duration strike actions are allowed.
Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strikes can happen if the company makes changes without bargaining with the Union, such as changes in working conditions. The Local or National CWA can file charges at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the members can walk off the job as a means of protesting the company’s actions.
Grievance strikes can happen because, at expiration, we no longer have arbitration rights. An Arbitrator is a neutral third party to whom we can take our grievances when we have an active contract and can’t resolve the issue after meeting with multiple levels of Company managers and Labor Relations. A grievance strike is a short-term strike led by the members as a means of drawing attention to the issue with the intent to apply pressure and resolve the grievance.
Strike:
After the members have voted to authorize a strike, and the Executive Board has approved strike action, the President of CWA may call a strike.
Lockout:
The company closes its doors and doesn’t let workers in. They cannot pick and choose whom they let in from the Represented Work Force. They can’t let me in and lock you out.
CWA 4009 Officers will on stand-by at The Local until we have word from District 4 Vice President Linda L Hinton on a decision. All Officers and Mobilizers will then pass the word via our call trees. Remember, expiration is 11:59pm CST, which is 12:59am on Sunday our time.
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