Rancor rises between CC Communications, union
While the status of contract negotiations between CC Communications and the Communications Workers of America has changed little the past two months, tensions between the two parties have grown amid union advertisements questioning the use of company credit cards.
The ads mention several places where expenses were charged to CC Communications credit cards. They have aired on regional radio stations, in printed media and on www.nevadalabor.com.
In response, CC Communications management said it may file a complaint and pursue legal action over what it claims are misleading statements.
The county-owned telecommunications company and the union reached an impasse in negotiations in December. An independent fact finder was brought in, and the results are expected in the next month.
Negotiations between the union and CC Communications began in February 2005.
A tentative agreement between both entities was reached on Nov. 4 but voted down by union members. It proposed a 2.5 percent cost of living increase per year.
The union has proposed a 6 percent cost of living increase, according to information provided by CC Communications legal counsel Mark Feest.
"In fact, it has always been the company's position that agreeing to annual cost of living increases of 6 percent or more is inconsistent with actual inflationary factors and would be fiscally irresponsible," according to a CC Communications press release.
CWA Local 9413 Executive Vice President Petula Vierra requested employees meet with county commissioners "to discuss ongoing problems that continue to destroy employee morale" at a CC Communications board meeting Feb. 2. She presented a petition for the request signed by employees.
Most employees are unable to get off work to attend meetings because they're held during daytime working hours, Vierra said. She suggested an evening meeting
The proposal was unanimously denied over concerns that the meeting could bypass or compromise the collective bargaining environment. Feest said employees have the chance to speak during the public comment period of regular county commission meetings.
Commissioner Norm Frey said the issue is thorny, since many CC Communications employees are friends and acquaintances.
"We want to do right for them, but there are rules we must play by," Frey said.
Union members made the decision to run the ads, not the union officials, said John Doran, union representative.
"It's a publicly-owned telephone company. Once the workers understood the expenses, they thought it was an issue that should be raised," Doran said.
None of the ads mention the contract negotiations or imply an association with the bargaining process, he said.
The credit card expenditures and all operating costs of CC Communications do not come from taxpayer dollars collected by the county, but rather from revenue generated by the company, Feest said.
"We have a process in place," he said. "So for those things they've brought up, they've all been legitimate."
Charges for the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami were incurred by a staff member attending a National Telecommunications Cooperative Association conference, Feest said.
A charge of $901 to Lands' End was used to purchase company clothing such as polo shirts which are given to employees in recognition or offered for purchase to employees, Feest said.
Credit card overlimit fees reported by the union were assessed by accident and refunded to the accounts, according to credit card statements supplied by CC Communications.
Feest is concerned about the distribution of credit card information by the union to the public. A resident who spoke at a CC Communications board meeting about the credit card use Feb. 2 was in possession of statements containing credit card numbers and names, Feest said. The cards were canceled and new cards reissued to prevent theft, he said.
The credit card information was provided to the union by CC Communications in a request within the bargaining process, Feest said.
CC Communications General Manager Bob Adams said a system of checks and balances exists involving employees, managers, the accounting department and an independent auditor. In his time at CC Communications, the company has underwent four audits and emerged clean each time, he said.
"We take our accounting seriously," Adams said.
Travel to conventions and communications organizations is a part of the business and is common for private telecommunications companies, he said.
"We're not there to party," Adams said. "It's part of business."
CC Communications credit cards have also been stolen twice, Adams said, which explains some of the charges. The fraudulent charges were recouped, he said.
Feest said he firmly believes the advertisements are directly related to the negotiations.
He also questioned the filing of a complaint to the State of Nevada Local Government Employee-Management Relations Board by the union in December. The board had not received the complaint as of Monday, Feest said.
Doran said the complaint was mailed to the wrong address. He said the complaint was in the possession of legal counsel and would be filed.
Josh Johnson can be contacted at jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com
The ads mention several places where expenses were charged to CC Communications credit cards. They have aired on regional radio stations, in printed media and on www.nevadalabor.com.
In response, CC Communications management said it may file a complaint and pursue legal action over what it claims are misleading statements.
The county-owned telecommunications company and the union reached an impasse in negotiations in December. An independent fact finder was brought in, and the results are expected in the next month.
Negotiations between the union and CC Communications began in February 2005.
A tentative agreement between both entities was reached on Nov. 4 but voted down by union members. It proposed a 2.5 percent cost of living increase per year.
The union has proposed a 6 percent cost of living increase, according to information provided by CC Communications legal counsel Mark Feest.
"In fact, it has always been the company's position that agreeing to annual cost of living increases of 6 percent or more is inconsistent with actual inflationary factors and would be fiscally irresponsible," according to a CC Communications press release.
CWA Local 9413 Executive Vice President Petula Vierra requested employees meet with county commissioners "to discuss ongoing problems that continue to destroy employee morale" at a CC Communications board meeting Feb. 2. She presented a petition for the request signed by employees.
Most employees are unable to get off work to attend meetings because they're held during daytime working hours, Vierra said. She suggested an evening meeting
The proposal was unanimously denied over concerns that the meeting could bypass or compromise the collective bargaining environment. Feest said employees have the chance to speak during the public comment period of regular county commission meetings.
Commissioner Norm Frey said the issue is thorny, since many CC Communications employees are friends and acquaintances.
"We want to do right for them, but there are rules we must play by," Frey said.
Union members made the decision to run the ads, not the union officials, said John Doran, union representative.
"It's a publicly-owned telephone company. Once the workers understood the expenses, they thought it was an issue that should be raised," Doran said.
None of the ads mention the contract negotiations or imply an association with the bargaining process, he said.
The credit card expenditures and all operating costs of CC Communications do not come from taxpayer dollars collected by the county, but rather from revenue generated by the company, Feest said.
"We have a process in place," he said. "So for those things they've brought up, they've all been legitimate."
Charges for the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami were incurred by a staff member attending a National Telecommunications Cooperative Association conference, Feest said.
A charge of $901 to Lands' End was used to purchase company clothing such as polo shirts which are given to employees in recognition or offered for purchase to employees, Feest said.
Credit card overlimit fees reported by the union were assessed by accident and refunded to the accounts, according to credit card statements supplied by CC Communications.
Feest is concerned about the distribution of credit card information by the union to the public. A resident who spoke at a CC Communications board meeting about the credit card use Feb. 2 was in possession of statements containing credit card numbers and names, Feest said. The cards were canceled and new cards reissued to prevent theft, he said.
The credit card information was provided to the union by CC Communications in a request within the bargaining process, Feest said.
CC Communications General Manager Bob Adams said a system of checks and balances exists involving employees, managers, the accounting department and an independent auditor. In his time at CC Communications, the company has underwent four audits and emerged clean each time, he said.
"We take our accounting seriously," Adams said.
Travel to conventions and communications organizations is a part of the business and is common for private telecommunications companies, he said.
"We're not there to party," Adams said. "It's part of business."
CC Communications credit cards have also been stolen twice, Adams said, which explains some of the charges. The fraudulent charges were recouped, he said.
Feest said he firmly believes the advertisements are directly related to the negotiations.
He also questioned the filing of a complaint to the State of Nevada Local Government Employee-Management Relations Board by the union in December. The board had not received the complaint as of Monday, Feest said.
Doran said the complaint was mailed to the wrong address. He said the complaint was in the possession of legal counsel and would be filed.
Josh Johnson can be contacted at jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com
