| Date: October 24, 2002
Subject: PUC HEARING UPDATE
During the October 24th, PUC hearing, the
PUC commisioners were to vote on whether or not to investigate
SBC Pacific Bell's head count reductions. Present at the
hearing was our local President Kathy Kinchius, as well
as officers form other locals and myself. Although the commissioners
passed a motion to hold the vote until the November 7th
hearing, many CWA leaders were still given the floor to
voice their concerns regarding SBC job cuts and the impact
on California workers and consumers.
Speaker after speaker, the message from CWA
was strong and consistent: SBC Pacific Bell can not afford
to downsize any further without jeoperdizing service quality.
Services Technician Darrin Simmons reminded the commissioners
of the service quality issues that hindered Pacific Bell
just a few years ago. He addressed the harsh working conditions,
the heavy hours, the unsafe environment, and unacceptable
turnaround on dispatches.
President Kinchius and President Greg Ball
from local 9421 also addressed the heavy job reduction SBC
Pacific Bell has already done over the last year. They both
stated the fact that we still have yet to see the impact
this loss will have on service during the winter season.
Our CWA leaders addressed their general support
for SBC Pacific Bell, including its push for long distance.
However, they also made it very clear that they would not
support SBC's greed. It ist time for an immediate investigation
into any further work reduction by SBC Pacific Bell.
The PUC's next hearing will be on November
7, 2002 at 10:00am. Let's let our voices be heard!
RELATED LINKS:
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the PUC
Oct
11 letter from the PUC to CEO Ed Whitacre
Gabriel Castillo
Contractual Vice President, CWA9415 |
