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Newly chartered Local 21, Downers Grove, Illinois, recently won a hard-fought representation election at Ameritech SecurityLink's Chicago branch by a vote of 96-52. The vote marked the successful end of a three-year battle to organize the workers at the Chicago branch of the alarm services subsidiary of telecommunications giant Ameritech, which is also its national headquarters. Local 21 represents telecommunications workers at Ameritech.

During the first organizing campaign Ameritech had threatened the employees with discipline, restricted them from talking to each other and prohibited wearing union apparel, and taken other actions to discourage employees from exercising their right to organize. It became apparent to organizers that these actions were part of well planned effort orchestrated by a union-busting law firm, Duvin Cahn & Hutton, retained by Ameritech to fight the union. The National Labor Relations Board charged Ameritech for violating its workers' rights and for interfering in the election process. The company appealed the Board's decision.

Finally a settlement was reached that required the company to post a "Notice to Employees" stating it would not interfere with employees who exercise their legal rights during continuing efforts to unionize. Afterward, Ameritech terminated the leaders among the workers, claiming the workers were fired because of redundant work and restructuring, and then hired new employees to do identical work. Additional unfair labor practice charges are pending at the NLRB.

Local 21 and the SecurityLink workers fought back against management's tactics. The local engaged an airplane to fly over Chicago's Soldier Field during the October 18 football game between the Bears and the Dallas Cowboys, carrying a banner reading, "Ameritech Unfair to Working Families." On October 20, two days before the election, Local 21 staged a mock funeral at Ameritech's Chicago headquarters to mourn the "burial of workers' rights." On October 22, despite all of the obstacles paced in their way by management, the SecurityLink workers voted on October 22, 1998, for IBEW representation.

The good news continued when Local 21 also won a representational vote for a 20-member unit at Ameritech's Peoria branch. Ameritech originally protested the unit, but the NLRB denied the claim and scheduled an election. On December 7, 1998, the Peoria workers voted 15-5 to become part of Local 21.

With these victories, workers at SecurityLink can now begin to address their concerns about health benefit premiums, coherent work and seniority rules and fair compensation, all of which were issues that spurred their desire to organize.

Local 21 consists of the locals which previously formed IBEW System Council T-4. On September 1, 1998, Locals 165, 188, 336, 383 and 399 were amalgamated into the new local, which is the fourth largest IBEW local in the United States with more than 14,000 members employed mostly in telecommunications and cable television in Illinois and Northwestern Indiana. Sixth District International Vice President Jerry O'Connor said, "The new local was created to insure that the members receive the best and most efficient representation possible."

Collective Action Nets Results

Three IBEW local unions in upstate New York signed a settlement agreement with LaCorte Companies, Inc. on September 28, 1998, resolving eight Unfair Labor Practice charges the locals had filed with the National Labor Relations Board.

Local 166, Schenectady; Local 363, New City; and Local 438, Troy, charged the Rensselaer-based electrical contractor with discriminating against four employees because of their participation in the union's efforts to organize the LaCorte and Spyder Technologies' work force. Additionally, the union had charged LaCorte with discriminating against applicants for employment because of the affiliation with the IBEW. Local 166 Organizer, Bob Shutter noted that the right of unions to engage in "salting," in which union members seek employment with nonunion contractors to spread the union's message and invite nonunion electricians to join its ranks has been upheld by the United States Supreme Court.

In settling these charges, LaCorte has agreed to pay a total of $120,000 to the employees named in the union's charges. It further agrees to reinstate 10 employees to their former positions and establish a preferential hiring list for 108 of the IBEW affiliated applicants named in the charges.

LaCorte must also distribute a notice to all of its employees stating that it, "will not layoff, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against employees because they support or engage in activities on behalf of the (union)."

LaCorte also signed a settlement agreement with New York State Department of Labor recently, in which the company admitted to violating New York State Labor Law by underpaying its employees on public work projects. Under this agreement, LaCorte must reimburse its employees for all back wages the DOL finds they are entitled too under Labor Law, Section 220. While final audits are currently in progress by the New York State Department of Labor, Shutter believes the back wages, interest and penalties will exceed $200,000. He added, "This is only one of the many issues that workers can resolve by acting collectively, and yet another example of why more Americans are taking a second look at unions."

Dispatches

Organizing Heats Up in Alaska

Local 1547, Anchorage, Alaska, reports that 51 power and telephone utility employees at PTI voted overwhelmingly for IBEW representation. And at Nushagak Electric and Telephone, the IBEW prevailed in a representation election for 13 employees.

The 45 mechanics at Reeve Aleutian Airlines also voted for IBEW representation, and negotiations are under way for a first contract.

A successful organizing campaign at Space Mark Inc. resulted in a victorious representation election and 26 new water treatment and public works employees. In another organizing win, 16 employees of the communication and power plant gargaining units voted for IBEW representation.

A Project Labor Agreement was signed for the construction of an Alaska Seafood processing plant. This $140 million project is expected to break ground soon and will provide over 200 construction jobs. (Submitted by Anne Hays, Press Secretary, Local 415, Anchorage, Alaska.)

Allied Digital Technicians Vote Union

Local 1922, Westbury, Long Island, New York, embarked on an organizing campaign in June 1998 to represent 46 electrical technicians at Allied Digital Technologies Corporation of Hauppaugue, New York. The technicians at Allied Digital service equipment that manufactures compact discs and audio and video cassettes. The NLRB election was held in September 1998, and the technicians voted overwhelmingly in favor of the IBEW. Local 1922 thanks the members of Local 25, Long Island, New York, for their assistance in the campaign. Business Manager Pat McCabe and President Frank Gauck also thank the employees of Allied Digital for their enthusiasm and support.

In addition, Local 1922 welcomes its newly organized members at Intrepid Manufacturing Lighting of Ronkonkoma, Long Island. Those members recently ratified an agreement with their employer.(Submitted by Marcia Salomon, Press Secretary, Local 1922, Westbury, Long Island, New York.)

Membership Climbs With Tree Trimmers Agreement

Local 1245, Walnut Creek, California, picked up approximately 170 new members when it signed an agreement recently with ProvcoEPA, a contractor performing utility tree trimming services for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).

Local 1245 now represents over 80 percent of tree trimmers performing work on the PG&E system, including tree trimmers at Asplundh, Arbor and Davey. Local 1245 represents 100 percent of the tree trimming work force on the SMUD system. (Submitted by Eric Wolfe, Press Secretary, Local 1245, Walnut Creek, California.)

New Members at Connecticut Light & Power

Under the leadership of Business Manager Dennis J. Phelan Jr. and Assistant Business Manager William Hogg, the organizing committee of Local 420, Waterbury, Connecticut, succeeded in organizing two area work centers (Falls Village and Simsbury) of the Connecticut Light & Power Company, along with 27 field technicians throughout that system, and nine meter readers in Stamford, Connecticut, for a total of 105 new brothers and sisters in the IBEW. Local 420 is awaiting a decision from the NLRB for 14 dispatchers in that system as well. (Submitted by Frank Cirillo, director of Public Relations, Local 420, Waterbury, Connecticut.)

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