|
IBEW Local Wins First Contract At
Chicago Comcast Unit
After waging
a battle against its employees, Comcast finally signed an agreement with
IBEW Local 21 covering 45 members working at the Irving Park-Chicago
location. The members ratified their historic first Comcast contract on
May 17.
Since 1999,
Irving Park members have been facing upheaval as the cable industry has
morphed into the broadband telecommunications industry. They are now
working for their third employer.
Prime Cable
was purchased by AT&T Broadband and shortly thereafter sold to Comcast.
Comcast thought they would be able to accomplish what the previous
employers couldn’t - bust the union and the spirit of IBEW brothers and
sisters. The membership held strong, believing that an agreement could
one day be reached.
That day has
arrived. The two-year contract offers stronger contact language and
first-year wage increases ranging from 2.5% to 16%, depending on the
member's job title. The new agreement includes a more effective
grievance and arbitration procedure, job security and contracting out
language, work jurisdiction language covering all broadband services,
and a successor clause which binds any new employer to the terms of the
agreement. In addition, the members won vacation scheduling
improvements and provisions for fairer distribution of work and overtime
opportunities.
Contract
negotiations are ongoing between the IBEW and Comcast at the former
Jones unit in the western suburbs of Chicago and in Merrillville,
Indiana.
Both unit have been
without new contracts since 1999.
Get More Information about IBEW
Union Representation... (Online Form)
|
