CWA Rally

By Terry Richardson

Thank you, Madelyn Elder for the invitation to speak today.
I would like to introduce my Labor Liaison, Terry Richardson.

Communications Workers of America, I am here to support your actions
today. I am committed to attracting and keeping family wage jobs in
Portland. Qwest and CWA in the past have worked together toward
that goal. Corporations, like Qwest that do business in our community have an obligation to treat workers in our community fairly. Qwest has been a good citizen in our community. CWA and I are pleased with Qwest’s continued presence in Portland. We encourage Qwest to continue to be provider of family wages and benefits.

CWA members in Portland are dedicated to providing quality customer service and helping customers fill their business and residential needs. CWA members are well-trained and know Qwest services better than any one else. However, Qwest is Outsourcing your good paying jobs to contractors and overseas locations. Outsourcing reduces the quality of service and raises customer dissatisfaction. Outsourcing weakens the union and that is not right.

Qwest wants to you to agree to work many more hours of unscheduled overtime. CWA went on strike in 1998 to limit excessive overtime. Some of our workers were required to work several months with 10 to 12 hour days and few or no days off. At the same time Qwest was
laying off employees. We want reasonable limits to overtime.

CWA has worked with Qwest to help manage health care costs for more than two decades and this has resulted in substantial savings. The workers at Qwest accepted a two-year wage freeze and substantially higher co-pays for health services in the last contract. Now Qwest wants to transfer even more costs the worker and the retired members.

CWA is committed to Qwest, to the community, and to the customer. CWA is committed to reaching a fair agreement with Qwest. We will succeed.

Thank you