Thank you to everyone who attened tonights union meeting.  The membership has approved the MOA.

Today we have had conference calls with the company in an attempt to resolve the furlough issue. We have constructed an MOA on the furlough that we will present to the membership at tomorrow’s membership meeting.

Some of the main points of the MOA involve:

-No Layoffs for the remainder of 2009

-Contract Extension to Jan 2011

-39 Hour work week for the remainder of 2009

-0% GWI for 2010

-Medical stays 20% for 2010

We will review the specifics of the entire MOA at tomorrow’s meeting which will take place at IBEW 363’s Union Hall. Please make every effort to attend this meeting. We will be voting on this MOA. We have asked the company for latitude for the late shift employees, however should you not be available at 5:30 we will hold voting open til all late shifts have ended.

Our next meeting with the company has been postponed til Wednesday, May 20. 

Reminder, the union meeting is Thursday (May 21).

As you may already know, the company has declared a surplus in the Frame Technician & Storeroom Attendant titles. Today, we have reached and agreement with the company regarding bumping process relative to this surplus. We have communicated with all members involved in this process.

Furlough talks were also held today and we have scheduled talks for next week (Wed, May 13, 2009). Once we have more information we will share it with the membership.

The Frontier Shareholders meeting is coming up on May 14.  By now most employees/shareholders should have gotten their Proxy Packets in the mail.  George Fridd, a Rochester CWA Local 1170 member, is sponsoring a proposal for the shareholders meeting.  The Proposal (number 3) contains wording that if approved would make the executive officers more accountable to the shareholders as far as pay and other compensation.   Please support his proposal.  If you have any questions, please email me.  Thank you to an "old friend" for bringing this to our attention.

Today the company announced the elimination of the Frame and Store Attendant titles.  We are currently working on these issues involving the employees possibly displaced in this process.  We will updated this site as soon as we have more information.  We are informed that this current initiative by the company is unrelated to the proposed furlough.   As of this posting, we still have nothing concrete to report on the furlough negotiations. 

We have recently been contacted by the company in regards to the furlough program.  Talks are still preliminary at this time, but we do have open dialogue with the company.  Once we have details we will share them with the membership.

Members may have recently received a letter in the mail in regards to Global Crossing Settlements.  Your award has been invested into your 401K.  For more info, please visit http://www.globalcrossinglitigation.com/ and also visit our links page to acces your 401K to see your award.

Frontier is moving our 401K plan to Fidelity Investments.  There will be a blackout period  begining at 4 p.m. Eastern time on April 20, 2009, and is expected to end the week of May 17, 2009. During this time, you can determine whether the blackout period has started or ended by calling the Fidelity Retirement Benefits Line at 1-800-835-5095 or going to www.401k.com.

During the blackout period you will be unable to manage the assets held in the Plan. For this reason, it is very important that you review your current investments.  Please look for futher information coming soon from the company. 

As of this moment, we do not have another meeting with the company to discuss the furlough plan.  We will keep you informed on this website when the next scheduled meeting is.  You can view other Frontier unionized properties websites by going to our LINKS section.  They are also updating their website with their current furlough status.  If you know of another local union and would like to see them linked, please email me.  Thank you.

We want to thank all our members who came out for the union meeting. It was great to see so many people there and everyone wearing their red shirts. Thank you for all our your questions and ideas. We will keep you informed on any updates we receive. If you have ANY questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact us. Thanks again for your support. Also see officers column.

Today's meeting with the company was canceled by the company at the last minute. Tonight?s Union meeting will be held at the Monroe Woodbury High School (not the middle school) in the large cafeteria. We will discuss the information we have requested of the company, review our current position, and answer questions as best we can with the information we have. Thanks again for your support.

Today we meet with the company to discuss Furlogh Plan. While discussion were substantive, there still remain key questions that remain unanswered. We are meeting again with them on Thursday. We hope to have answers to our questions then.

We would ask everyone to wear Red shirts this Thursday as a sign of solidarity with all of our sister local unions. This is a nationwide effort to send a Unified message. Thanks again for your support.

The union meeting will be held at the Monroe Woddbury High School.  Please make EVERY effort to attend this meeting.

The union had preliminary discussions with the company on Tuesday 3/17 regarding the furlough plan. There will be further talks over the next few days. The company is clearly threatening a layoff if we decide not to accepted their program. Again, there will be further talks with the company to clarify all options. The next union meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 3/26. We believe this will be the most important union meeting you can attend. We strongly suggest you be there.

Today we all received an email from Maggie asking ALL employees (union and non Union) to take a total of 12 unpaid days off this year.  This email was our first knowledge of this and we want to let the membership know we are actively working on this issue.  Brian Scott and Brian McPartland are keeping us informed throughout this process.  We ask all members not to discuss this issue with the company at this time.  Please direct all questions from the company to your Union Representatives.   If you have any questions feel free to contact the Union Hall or your local union officer.  We thank you for your support on this matter.

We have been in talks with the company to resolve issues that have developed since the Goshen incident last January and regarding ongoing issues we have with the dispatch process.  We recently won a number of grievances related to these issues that we feel will set a favorable framework for future conflict resolutions.  We expect some announcements soon from the company relative to these matters.

The company recently made an enhanced retirement offer to pension eligible members in the Assignment group.  This offer raised a number of questions regarding the specifics of how and to whom it was offered.  We are perusing some clarifications from the company.

A fond farewell and best wishes to Anna Adamiak and Ray Presky.  Ray has moved on to persue other interests and Anna has opted to take the recent retirement offer.  Good luck and good health to you both.

Frontier is going green for this years open benefit enrollment.  They will not be printing most of the 2009 benefit and enrollment materials.

View your benefits information online at www.frontier.benefitsnow.com:

Personalized worksheet and confirmation statement

Benefits Guide

Medical and Dental Comparison Chart

Forms including Evidence of Insurability (EOI), Medical Coverage Waiver and Domestic Partner Affidavit

Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs)

Compliance Booklet

Call 1-866-211-6801 to request a printed copy of any document.

President:

James Humphrey -181

Vice President:

James Finneran-254

Mark Angeloni-323

Brian Hutchings-308

Ken Titland-298

Edward Shuart-297

Scott Hallock-282

Steve Reynolds-267

Jeff Wilbur-261

Christopher Battiato-257

David Erickson-242

Jean Marie Johnson-239

Howie Bauscher-235

Jim Ludecker-223

Jamie Miller-222

Thank you to everyone who voted.  This post will be edited shortly (with hopefully the correct spelling of peoples names).  E-Board votes will be verify as well.

At the May Union meeting Jim Humphrey announced an important court decision in an ongoing dispute between our local and Frontier Communications.

Recently the company has argued the union's right to negotiate benefits on behalf on our retirees.  The company's assertion is that since these individuals are no longer our members, we thus have no standing to petition on their behalf.  This position by the company follows a similar trend by employers throughout the country.

A recent decision in the 2nd Circuit Court in NYC has affirmed our right to seek arbitration on this matter. 

We are taking somewhat of a lead in this battle.  While this is obviously a very important case for us, it also has ramifications for bargaining units representing retirees throughout the country.  This will probably not be a speedy process, but we will keep you informed. 

On Tuesday May 13, at the general membership meeting, the Local held nominations for the upcoming officer's terms.  The nominations were for the positions of:

       President and Business Manager

       Vice President

       Treasurer

       Recording Secretary

       Member of the Executive Board (13 positions).

There were two nominations for President, two for Vice President and about 30 nominations for executive Board positions.  The current Treasurer, Joe Hosking, and Secretary, Jacqueline Sanchez, were nominated for re-election and, there being no other nominations for their positions, they were affirmed to their positions by the membership present.

Some members have had a question regarding the position currently held by Brian McPartland.  Brian is the Business Agent.  This position is appointed by the Business Manager.  Jim Humphrey was one of the nominees for Business Manager and announced at the meeting his intention to reappoint Brian McPartland should Jim be re-elected.  Brian Scott was also nominated for the Business Manager position.  Brian (Scott) announced that he is studying this appointment process and would make his position known in the near future.      

Ballots for this election have gone out and every member should have theirs by now.  If you have not received your ballot, or have a problem with the form or process, please contact a steward or union officer.

We have heard from a few sources that this will be a strongly contested election and the final vote totals between the candidates might be very close.  We have likewise heard that the 130 telephone votes (FCNY-85, WVTC-45) will probably be crucial in the final tally. 

There may be times when, in a Local the size of 503, that members of a unit as small as ours might feel somewhat "lost in the sauce."  Considering the above, this is certainly NOT one of those times.  Consequently, we urge all of our members to attempt to familiarize themselves with the candidates and, of course, vote.

Among the other very important functions of the officers, the people you elect will negotiate your next contract.  The importance of this cannot be overstated.

Because of the importance of the above, we have offered the candidates the opportunity to present a position statement to our members on this website.  We expect to post these statements in a day or so.  We urge you to read and consider them.  And, again, we urge you to vote. 

On Thursday, May 15, LU 503 Unit 1 (Frontier) held its monthly membership meeting.  As previously announced, at this meeting nominations were held for the upcoming vacancies in the positions of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Recorder and four members of the Executive Committee.

These positions are important to the day-to-day labor relations environment in our workplace as well as the ongoing administration of the Local.  It was, thus, quite surprising to see so few members present at the meeting.  We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the members who attended and helped chart some of the future course for the Unit.

There was only one nomination for each of the seven open positions.  Consequently, at the close of nominations for each position, the sole nominated candidate was awarded the position by affirmation of the members present.  The results are as follows:

       Chairperson - John Schreiner

       Vice Chairperson - Lisa Garcia

       Recorder - Bill Lukiansky

       Executive Committee - Irene Benjamin

       Executive Committee - Jennifer White

       Executive Committee - Mike Davis

       Executive Committee - Craig Stage

Our congratulations to each office holder and our sincere thanks for taking an active role in the future of our Local.

Employees who currently cover dependents under the Company health and welfare plans recently received a letter about the dependent eligibility audit. If you have any questions about the audit, you may contact an Aon representative at 1- 800-593-2859 Monday through Friday, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Eastern.  Aon will keep your questions confidential.

Nominations shall be held at the May meetins for IBEW LU 503 & the units of LU 503.  Any member wishing to be nominated for any office shall be present or signify in writing their willingness to accept such nomination at the May meeting & receive nomination and 2nd for any member.  A nominated member shall be a member in good standing with at least 2 years as a member.  Any questions about this process-Call the union hall (845-783-5007).

All bargaining unit members should have received the "Pay for Performance" bonus payment for 2007.  Below is the formula used to calculate the bonus amount.  This amount should have been paid out over two payments throughout 2007.  The company reported difficulties establishing the payout process during the year.  They have agreed to make payments as per the contractual agreement for 2008.

During the contract negotiations the company cited the bonus as a mitigating criteria when asking our members to accept a less than desirable wage increase coupled with a substantial increase in benefit payments.  Consequently, the company's failure to make the initial payment as agreed to was great source of frustration for our members.  This was, to say the least, understandable.

Members should expect the first payment for 2008 to be made in early July.

29.45 [top pay at P1 scale] x 40 [hrs. per wk.] x 52 [wks. per yr.] = 61,256 [yr. base pay]

61,256 x .0075 [3/4%] = 459.42

At recent safety meetings employees were asked to identify particular areas or job functions that they felt were unsafe.  Some of these items were listed to be submitted for more active consideration by safety coordinators. 

Any ongoing assessment of safety practices on our jobs is obviously welcome and necessary at any time.  However we would like to remind the members of a principle of work operations that should apply to many of the situations mentioned:

We all have someone at home awaiting our safe and sure arrival.  If you feel a work operation may be unsafe, it probably is.  When in doubt, contact a steward or Union officer.

Due to some website updates old news stories can be read by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

The terms of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Recorder, and the Executive Committee will end in early June of 2008. Nominations for the next three-year terms will occur in May 2008.

Local Union Vice Chairman Brian Grant continues him treatments and subsequent recoveries for those health issues that require his continued disability absence. His current prognosis and treatment schedule will require that he remain on disability for most of the remainder of his term in office. Brian has made the decision that, because of these factors, and in the best interests of his commitment to serve the membership, he will leave his elected position and allow another member to fill this position until the elections.

Consequently, Brian has submitted a letter of resignation for the Vice Chair position effective January 1st, 2008. Brian will remain a Shop Steward and member of the Safety Committee. We continue to wish Brian a complete and quick recovery.

On January 4th,a posting went up on the Union bulletin boards announcing this vacancy. The notice requests members interested in filling the remainder of this term to submit letters of interest to the Executive Committee. These letters can be mailed to the Local office address on the posting or dropped of at the Union Hall. Any member with questions about the scope of responsibilities of the Vice Chair can address such inquiries to John Schreiner.

The recent Goshen cable failure confronted all of us with a very serious situation relative to our commitment to deliver our product and service to those customers. This situation was compounded by the fact that it occurred on Christmas Eve and service restoration processes were to begin on Christmas Day. Accessibility to much necessary personnel and equipment was thus hampered.

As is often true in these types of service emergencies, many Company decisions were made somewhat “on the fly.”

We extend our thanks to the many 503 members who worked long hours under very trying conditions to restore this service, especially to those who gave up their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

While the Union appreciates the requirement of expedient rest oral of service, we do not necessarily concede any of our rights and protections under the collective bargaining agreement. Any member with a question or concern about this process should contact a steward or officer of the Local.

By the next Labor Management meeting we expect to receive a date for receipt of the Pay for Performance payment.

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We would like to wish all of our members a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. 

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The company has put an indefinite hold on filling the line gang position. They have raised a number of issues regarding the job functions related to this posting. We hope to have them resolved shortly.

On the bonus:

We finally have an agreement from the company that not only does the “Pay for Performance” article exist, but it is also ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO BE PAID OUT.

Please see the word “PAY” in the article title for clarification.

Payments are supposed to be semi-annual. The company admits that it missed this point. Payments for 2008 will be made in the July 2008 and January 2009. Because the problems initiating the payment process for 2007 have taken us quite near the end of the year, we will receive all of the 2007 payment at one time in January 2008.

We appreciate your patience throughout this process. Please be assured that the officers have been as frustrated and incredulous as you have been.

Meal Money:

On Nov. 2 we received word from the company that all codes and confirmations were in place to apply the $1 increase and secure the retroactive payments. Both should be seen in the next week or two.

The Contract:

We also received word on 11/2 that all proofing of the contract was complete and it had been forwarded to the printers.

We don’t mind reminding you again that when dealing with management, if you think you might need a steward, you already do.