Fwd: [AUT] cwa strikes 1969

[martin hardie <auskadi@xxxxxxxxx>]

Brian

originally I found a refrence in this article:
pages 12-13
Lazonick: Evolution of the New Economy Business Model. 1. What Is New
About the "New Economy"? ... and New Economy business models in the
ICT industries. ...
http://www.h-net.org/~business/bhcweb/annmeet/lazonick.pdf

I then found this following the URL refrenced for the later strike:
1968: First National Strike Since 1947, Full Health Care Premium

1969 brought the first national strike against the Bell System since
1947. Some 200,000 CWA telephone workers walked out because AT&T
refused to agree to wage increases that would meet the rise in the
cost of living. The strike lasted 18 days with AT&T ultimately
agreeing to a raise in wages and benefits totaling nearly 20 percent
over a three-year period.
http://local1051.tripod.com/history/hist6.htm

It was in this round of negotiations that CWA was able to get AT&T to
agree to pay the full premium for the health care plan. Prior to these
negotiations, workers had to pay three-fourths of the total premium.

1970: Government Charges AT&T with Discriminatory Employment Practices

On December 10, 1970, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
-EOC) filed charges against AT&T and its twenty-four operating
companies for discriminating on the basis of sex, race and national
origin in their employment practices. The specific charges included:

    * Extreme segregation of jobs by sex. The commission found that
almost all low paying jobs in the Bell System were held by women.
    * Recruiting, hiring and promotion practices which discriminated
against women.
    * Lower wages paid to women than to men for equivalent jobs.
    * tab Very few Blacks in craft jobs.
    * tab Very few Hispanic workers anywhere in the Bell System.
    * tab Minorities grouped in the lowest paying jobs.

      The EEOC tried for two years to force AT&T to comply with the
equal opportunity requirements of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the
Civil Rights Act of 1964. Finally, on January 18,1973, AT&T, the EEOC,
the Department of Labor and the Justice Department reached an
agreement on the charges. The settlement, called the "consent decree,"
provided for compensation for the victims of past discrimination and
an affirmative action program for changing the pattern of
discrimination in the Bell System.

The settlement included $15 million in back pay to 13,000 women and
minority men, and an estimated $30 million in wage adjustments for
women and minority workers. A second consent decree signed on May
30,1974, provided $30 million back pay and wage adjustments to 25,000
employees in lower management positions.

1971: Biggest Settlement In CWA History--Task Force'71 Receives Credit

Four hundred thousand CWA members nationwide went on strike against
the Bell System in 1971 for wage increases to offset the devastating
inflation of the previous three years. After a one week strike, CWA
achieved the biggest economic package ever negotiated with the Bell
System and obtained, for the first time, a cost of living adjustment
clause (COLA) and big city allowance.
In addition,wage progressions schedules were shortened to 5 years and
the vacation time was improved to 2 weeks after one year's service.
The total wage benefit package amounted to more than 33.5% over the
life of the agreement. A large share of the credit for those
successful negotiations went to the Task Force '71 Mobilization
program which President Beirne set up to activate the membership in
support of CWA's bargaining objectives.
Task Force '71 consisted of 50,000 local union leaders (one for every
10-15 members) who led training sessions, put up informational
posters, passed out bargaining leaflets and worked to keep their
members informed and activated. The Task Force '71 participants wore
"small potato 71" pins to identify themselves as part of this
important corps of local leaders.
1971: First Special Convention Outlines Duties and Responsibilities of Locals
1971 proved a busy year for CWA, but did not deter more than 1,500
delegates, alternates and guests from attending the first "special
convention." The delegates adopted several constitutional amendments
at this convention. The most important of these was the adoption of a
constitutional amendment dealing with the duties and responsibilities
of Locals. The amendment required all Locals to carry out the union's
policies, participate actively in political and legislative
activities, participate in local officers and stewards training
programs, and attend all District, state and area meetings.
Also adopted at the convention was a constitutional amendment creating
CWA Retired Members Clubs and providing three year terms of office at
both the International and Local level (prior to 1971 there were 2
year terms).

1973: General Telephone Workers in Three States Walk Out

In 1973, 6,000 CWA members in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky went out on
strike against the General Telephone companies of those states. The
strike lasted two months in Indiana and Ohio before settlement was
reached, but the workers in Kentucky were on the picket line for five
months before their contract demands were met. The Kentucky workers
were forced out on strike again in 1976. This time the strikers were
Out for 200 days before a settlement was reached.
http://local1051.tripod.com/history/hist8.htm

Whats this interesting to me and unaid in all the literature about
Unix and the need to automate the telephone network is that these
disputes coincide with the pressure to on AT& to automate the network
and with the initail push internally to adapt Unix. This latter
process led to its eventual marketing.

In the Linux popular story all of this is never mentioned - only
freedom and technology.....

I want to try and flush it out as much as possible

so if you find anymore stuff let me know

Martin

On 6/11/05, Brian Green <briangreen@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
>
> Hi Martin.
>
> Any chance you can pass on the references where you found this info? I'd be
> interested in looking into it a bit more.
>
> Cheersm
>
> Brian
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> From: aut-op-sy-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:aut-op-sy-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
> martin hardie
>
> Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 4:29 AM
>
> To: Autonomia, Operaisimo, and Class Composition
>
> Subject: [AUT] cwa strikes 1969
>
>
>
> Hi all
>
> In my unix research I have come across references to a communication workers
> strike in 1969 that affected AT&T. It seems it was one of the first large
> labour disputes in AT&T's history and happens at the same time or
> immediately before as the decision/need to automate the telephone exchanges
> which is usually portayed as a technical thing. Anyone know anything about
> these disputes? Or know where to find any resources. Google aint helping
> much! Martin
>
>
> --
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