Thursday, May 06, 1999
Cincinnati Bell gets ready for strike
BY MIKE BOYER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati Bell and the union representing 2,000 technicians and operators are preparing for a strike when their three-year labor agreement expires at midnight Saturday.
Members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Locals 4400 and 4401 on Wednesday conducted lunchtime informational picketing in front of Bell's corporate offices in Atrium I to call attention to the contract expiration.
Tim Donoghue, secretary-treasurer for Local 4400, said he had no information on progress in negoti ations between company and union bargainers, but “I believe they're putting in some long hours.”
Members of the CWA locals, which represent outside technicians, operators and clerical administrators, have authorized a strike if no agreement is reached, he said.
The two locals last went on strike in 1990 for 10 days before a contract was settled. In the last negotiations in 1996, both sides agreed to “stop the clock” and continued negotiations for several hours until agreement was reached.
This time around, Bell spokeswoman Libby Korosec said: “We've been meeting for a couple of months (in negotiations) and have made some progress. We're hopeful we can reach agreement prior to the deadline.”
If they can't, Bell has notified several hundred management-level employees to be prepared to step into other jobs.
“Our goal is that the average customer won't even be able to discern there's a strike occurring,” she said.
She said the company will maintain dial-tone and 911 emergency service, but some services such as new phone line installations or work that requires on-site repairs could be affected by a walkout.
In member polling before the start of negotiations in late March, Mr. Donoghue said the top issues were improved job-security language in the contract and changes in the so-called “cash balance” retirement plan included in the current contract.
On the job security issue, he said, the company has increased use of outside contract workers doing jobs that could be assigned to union members.
The “cash balance” pension plan, which a number of companies have adopted, replaced a traditional defined-benefit plan in which employees got monthly retirement payments based on final average pay until they die. Instead, workers accumulate annual contributions in their pension which earn interest.
The problem is, the cash-balance method penalizes older employees who are seeing their benefit levels reduced, Mr. Donoghue said.
“Our belief is if you start the same day, work the same number of years and retire at the same time as a co-worker, your retirement should be the same,” he said.
But under the cash-balance pension plans, that's not necessarily the case, he said.
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