BY GREG McCARTAN
HARTFORD, Connecticut - Members of Local 1298 of the
Communications Workers of America (CWA) returned to work
September 18 after approving a new 31-month contract by a 3-1
margin. Some 6,300 telephone workers walked off the job August
23 against Southern New England Telephone to demand higher
wages and an end to a steep two-tier setup of wages, work
rules, and medical benefits imposed by the company in 1992.
Glenn Kalata, a service delivery technician and shop steward in North Haven, Connecticut, said the two-tier system will be phased out over the life of the contract for most job titles. Installers, whose jobs had been downgraded to a lower pay scale, will be returned to the higher-paying classification as well.
Asked what he thought about the union as a whole fighting to end the two-tier setup, John Raposo, who served as a strike captain, said, "It's fantastic. If you all work for the same company and you do the same job, it doesn't make sense that you get paid two different wages and have different work rules. Ending this will help strengthen the union."
The CWA members had not had a wage increase since 1992, opening a large gap between them and telephone workers in other parts of the United States. The company had originally offered a 10.9 percent increase over three years, which was rejected by the union. The new contract will increase wages an additional 4 percent above the initial 10.9 percent offer for all job classifications where wage parity does not exist.
"Our strike was a major victory brought about by every single member," Kalata said. "We stuck together, grew together, and got the job done. It was our turn to step up to the plate. We stuck together in solidarity and that is why we did so well."
Greg McCartan is a member of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees in Boston.