Related Articles

Putting Out the Yellow Pages

September 2001 IBEW Journal

In downtown San Francisco, over in the Financial District, approximately 800 Local 1269 members work at Pacific Bell Directory, publisher of the Pacific Bell SMART Yellow Pages. The Pacific Bell Directory offices are located in a historic building, Rincon Annex, at the corner of Mission and Spear streets.

These proficient IBEW members can be found busy at work handling yellow page advertising sales, marketing, production, computer graphic design and customer service.

Local 1269 stands out as one of only four IBEW locals that represent employees who work in the telephone yellow&-page directory sector, one that is very lightly unionized. Based in San Francisco, the local represents some 1,400 members and its jurisdiction covers California, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and El Paso, Texas.

The three companies we represent are unique to the IBEW, said Local 1269 Business Manager Peter A. Pusateri. Local 1269 members work in advertising sales, graphic design, manufacturing, pre-press publishing and then, ultimately, the publishing of yellow pages. There are only a very few other locals like Local 1269, all of which are in the IBEW. Our local is the largest of its kind in North America. We publish yellow pages in 14 states, producing 600 million books annually. The three other IBEW local unions that represent members employed by telecom companies in the publication of yellow page directories are: Local 2139 in Los Angeles; Local 2213, Washington Mills, New York; and Local 348, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

In addition to Pacific Bell Directory, Local 1269 also has signatory contracts with yellow page directory companies Digital Graphics Advantage and Qwest Dex. Each of the three companies is headquartered in San Francisco. SBC Communications Inc. is the parent company of both Pacific Bell Directory and Digital Graphics Advantage.

In March 2001, Local 1269 organized Digital Graphics Advantage, where about 400 local union members work as computer graphic design artists, and as production and publishing support staff.

IBEW Local 1269 members help Qwest Dex serve more than 450,000 advertisers in 14 Western and Midwestern states. Some 48.2 million Dex directories are delivered to consumers every year, according to the company. Qwest Dex connects buyers and sellers through its white and yellow page directories, Internet directory and database marketing services.

Pacific Bell Directory parent company SBC is the second largest telecommunications firm in the United States and a leading company in the global telecom industry. SBC Directory Operations is the largest directory services organization in the United States, representing a third of the industrys total revenue. Annual revenues exceed $4 billion, which translates to $2.1 million in sales being generated every hour, the company reports.

Pacific Bell Directory employs more than 2,300 people in some 20-plus offices in California and one office in Nevada. The company publishes 112 directory editions in those two states and distributes 35 million directories annually. It prints 46 billion pages a year, printed on three presses that run 24 hours a day, six days a week, on average.

The company history is described on the Pacific Bell Directory web site as follows: Our history begins in 1878 when American Speaking Telephone Company delivered a one-page directory with 178 names to San Francisco businesses and residents. The first directories were printed on white paper and listed anyone with a phone line. The first use of yellow paper dates to 1883. By 1906, directories began listing businesses by trade. By 1907, we had the first San Francisco directory to carry paid advertising. The Pacific Bell Directory Yellow Pages were officially born in 1916.

Local 1269 was chartered in February 1965 and has represented members who work in divisions that handle yellow-page directory listings since its founding. The local is affiliated with IBEW Telephone Coordinating Council TCC-1.

Local 1269s Pusateri holds the proud record of longest serving business manager in the entire IBEW. He has served his local in that office for 37 years.

To Shine Like This, You Gotta Be Wired

Local 1245: Keeping Pace With A Changing Industry

ttBradford and Jack Chianelli, Local 1269 members at work in the Directory Sales/ Directory Services Department at Pacific Bell Directory

Local 1269 member Jackie Hearns, a national account representative for the national yellow pages division at Pacific Bell Directorys San Francisco office.
Local 1269 member Dory Constantino staffs the San Francisco message center at Pacific Bell Directory.

Local 1269 member Bill Espinosa.

Local 1269 staff clerk Wendy Crandall.

Local 1269 Recording Secretary Joanne Malik.