Avaya Backbone Engineers Campaign Update April 21, 2010
As you know, on March 1, 2010 we notified Avaya management of our intent to conduct an organizing campaign with the Backbone Engineer group. The current CWA/Avaya contract contains a Neutrality Consent Election (NCE) process for organizing new workers. This process has been a part of the CWA/Avaya (and their predecessor’s) agreements since the mid 1980s.
Avaya management has informed CWA that in their opinion, the NCE does not apply to Backbone Engineers because they are managers. We have offered to take this dispute to the Third Party Neutral (TPN) as per the agreement, but Avaya has refused. We are confident that the Backbone Engineers will not be classified as managers under the accepted NLRB definition, and that eventually the NCE process will be upheld and enforced.
We have filed grievances and Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Unfortunately, the wheels of justice turn slowly. We expect the grievance to be heard by an arbitrator in the next 60 days. We believe that the NCE process is the best opportunity for Backbone Engineers to gain a voice in their workplace.
In our current survey, Backbone Engineers were asked to identify their top priority to address at work. Here are the results:
.PNG)