This is the initial story from CWA about the SC sales consultants getting screwed out of a pay raise (it still sounds like they pussed out):

August 19, 2005

TO:	All CWA Locals with Members in Qwest
FROM:	CWA Bargaining Committee
SUBJECT:	Consumer / Small Business Group Sales Consultants

We have been receiving a number of calls and emails regarding the absence of a wage increase for the Sales Consultants.

The wage increase for Sales Consultants was tied to our ability to extend the December 17, 2004 letter of agreement dealing with existing Call Centers. Our demand to extend this letter remained on the table until the end of negotiations. When we were unable to extend the letter, we believed that a wage increase would likely only speed up the closings. The committee believed that continued employment was preferable to a wage increase.

LeRoy Christensen

Reed Roberts

Suzie Miller

Kathy Reck

Scott Hogue

Malachy Sreenan

We should try our CWA organizational procedures first, try to appeal to our stewards to fight for us in sales call centers. Comments are critical if you have information to help all sales center employees.

If this does not work, many emotional reactions are to slash and burn our way out. We can line up (in every center and at a predetermined date/time) at the desk of the highest-ranking CWA member's desk and tear up our union cards and leave on their desk. We could pool $20-50 each to hire lawyers (how many sales consultants? 2-3,000?) and sue our way out of our contracts. There are many other ideas brewing in the SC membership, but those will come out at appropriate times.

Yes, our company ultimately is the evil corporation that wanted far more horrible things than getting screwed out of raises. However, our beef is not with them, it is with our CWA union that left us out in the cold without raises. How could they sell us out when we were prepared to strike with them?

This source for sales consultants will likely not last longer than one or two months from inception. That's all the time we could possibly have to vote against ratifying the new agreement, and potential renegotiations with our corporate overlords. Good luck, the power is in our hands to make change that will directly affect all of us bearing the title of SC.

• SC's pay $525 annual union dues (the same proportion as everyone else).
• SC's must now pay $3-400 annually for health costs (like everyone else).
• Everyone else covered under CWA contract (except with job title SC) got a 7.5% raise
• CWA released contract details 1 day after last day to quit for year.
• Why is sales getting screwed if we bring in the cash that gives all those other CWA members work?
• Why are we getting screwed?

• SC's get paid in proportion to their work, just the same as every other department.
• SC's are easily the majority revenue center for the company.

SC

We are a newly formed SC faction of the CWA at a general major telecom. We just got screwed us over by our own CWA union representation. It occurred in the latest contract agreement, and sales consultants hold a small minority of the total 25,000 CWA union members. It's not likely we can do anything about voting against ratifying the contract. Worse, the union finally released the contract details the day after the final day of CWA's annual opt-out window.

Not only did the CWA leave out SC's in any raises, but we have to pay the $3-400 annual health costs and we have to pay $525 more in union dues before we get a chance to quit CWA.

So are we SC's going to just take this or are we going to fight our union? Nobody is going to fight for us besides ourselves. SC's unite! (yes it's corny but our situation is serious)

This source for sales consultants will likely not last longer than one or two months from inception. That's all the time we could possibly have to vote against ratifying the new agreement, and potential renegotiations with our corporate overlords. Good luck, the power is in our hands to make change that will directly affect all of us bearing the title of SC.