Labor Pool: Utility Union Sees More Than Dollar Signs
New contract focuses on future of call center jobs
So, while a new contract agreement that 175 call center workers in Northborough reached with National Grid this month may not look that impressive, Gary Sullivan, the president of Utility Workers Union of America Local 369, is happy with what they've achieved. And the victories he points to - victories that came only after intense negotiations that included the threat of a strike - aren't just about preserving jobs, wages and benefits. They're also about getting positioned for the fights that are sure to come in the future.
Job Security
The bread-and-butter parts of the three-year contract are nothing too exciting. Workers get 3 percent raises each year, probably about enough to keep up with inflation, and the company will keep paying 80 percent of their health insurance.
New employees will get the same insurance benefits - something Sullivan said was a contentious subject with National Grid. But for some jobs they'll start at $12 an hour, compared with the current $14 starting wage. And they'll get a pension plan that isn't as good as the one for current workers.
Another important aspect of the contract that may not look too impressive is an agreement that the Northborough jobs won't simply disappear. With the company still integrating the old KeySpan Corp. assets into its system, Sullivan said he's pleased the union got a written guarantee that the call center will stay open through the contract's three-year life.
"While they're consolidating all these operations, that's pretty good stuff," he said.
Sullivan said the union also won an agreement that the company will discuss any outsourcing plans with the union before moving them forward. It's not a promise not to send work elsewhere, but it's something, Sullivan said, especially since workers at another company call center in upstate New York recently signed a contract with $9 an hour starting wages.
"We didn't have a lot of leverage," he said, noting that the company hasn't been pleased with employees' requests for more money when they do more work. "Other call centers are saying 'Just give us the work.'"
Sullivan said he understands that bad economic conditions have pushed workers in other areas to make concessions, but it makes it more difficult for people doing the same jobs in Northborough to protect their wages.
But other parts of the contract offer some hope for better outcomes in the future. For one thing, it will expire at the same time as a separate contract covering National Grid technicians in the area. That means the next time the call center workers start negotiating with the company they will be backed up by workers whose jobs can't be sent away.
Strike One
In some locations, Sullivan said, the two job categories are included in the same contract. He said that wasn't possible in Northborough, but just having the same expiration date will provide some of the same benefits in terms of strength in numbers.
Sullivan said he's happy with the willingness of the techs, who are mostly men, to support the call center reps, who are mostly women.
"We feel that as employees of the company they need to be treated equally," he said.
In fact, Sullivan said, the union won the company's agreement to align the two contracts during the techs' negotiations last year - proof that the people working on the lines are willing to support those answering the phones indoors.
"I think that's a tremendous sign of unity," he said.
Another important victory for the union is an agreement with the company that will make it easier to organize non-union employees. So far, that's not an issue since all of National Grid's facilities are unionized, but Sullivan said the company plans to double in size over the next five years and that could mean assimilating non-union locations.
New workers wouldn't automatically become union members, but the company agreed to let them organize simply by signing union cards without a formal election. And it said it won't campaign against a union drive.
Sullivan said the union was able to achieve what it did largely because it seriously threatened to strike. In every contract negotiation, he said, the utility workers prepare for a possible strike, and in this case 99 percent of the members voted to authorize one if necessary. No one, union or management, wants a strike, Sullivan said, but the credible threat can push negotiations along.
"I think it was very, very important," he said. "I don't think enough unions use that."
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