Spotlight
and News
Archive:
Front
page items recently Archived: 6/26/2008
Note:
Some links below, may have expired at their
origin.
Job
Cuts are happening at the
IBM Essex Junction plant
in Burlington, VT
Update: 180 jobs cut in Essex Junction
-Membership Update-
New members for June: 14
Help fund the organizing campaign!
Is
IBM offshoring the IBM PAYROLL Help Desk
to
Manila, Philippines?
If
you have documentation please send to: Allianceibmunion@gmail.com
******
Job Cut Alert!!
Job cuts taking place in Software Group,
June 17
300
Employees Affected.
******
For
Immediate Release Contact: Lee Conrad, National Coordinator, Alliance@IBM CWA
Local 1701, 607-729-4652 or Alliance@IBM
Members, Charlotte, N.C. – IBM Corp. employees, members of Communications Workers of America Local 1701, Alliance@IBM, will rally and set up an informational picket line outside the IBM annual meeting set for April 29. The group will focus on critical issues for employees and retirees, including executive compensation, the continued off shoring of jobs, employee pay cuts, and shrinking retiree pensions with no cost of living increases, among other issues. “While IBM employees face a decline in their standard of living and retirees see pension checks evaporate due to the lack of cost-of-living adjustments coupled with increases in medical retirement co-pay, our executives live the life of luxury. Executive greed and bloated compensation needs to be challenged,” said IBM employee and Alliance Vice President Earl Mongeon. Mongeon submitted Proposal No. 4 on Executive Compensation that asks the board of directors to determine that pension income from any defined benefit plan will not be used as a factor in setting executive compensation. Lee Conrad, National Coordinator of Alliance@IBM CWA, is calling on IBM to stop shifting U.S. jobs to low cost countries. “At a time when the US economy is in recession and unemployment is rising, it is unconscionable for companies like IBM to continue to move work offshore. The Alliance is urging elected officials, community leaders and citizens to call on IBM to halt this destruction of U.S. jobs.” “The Alliance@IBM CWA strongly encourages IBM to be fully transparent in the number of jobs being sent off shore and to detail how many U.S. jobs are lost because of IBM’s shifting this work to low cost countries,” said Linda Guyer, president of the Alliance@IBM CWA Local 1701. ### Alliance@IBM
CWA Local 1701 |
| |
|
Please
consider joining the Alliance@IBM
as a member for only $10 a month--the cost of a few Starbuck's coffees.
Your dues and involvement help the Alliance with the following: Organizing
employees and challenging IBM on policies and practices detrimental
to employees and retirees. Exposing job cuts. Helping employees to
deal with redeployment and replacement training.
World wide media source for IBM employee issues.
Legal references and current labor law information.
Political action on employee issues.
Stockholder proposals and actions.
Working with International IBM employee Unions to develop worldwide
responses to IBM employee issues.
Working with Federal, State, and Local officials to make sure IBM
employees, IBM retirees and communities find information and remedies
for toxic exposures from IBM sites.
Union privledges and benefits through Alliance@IBM's
membership that are offered
through the Union Plus /Privilege
program.
We also have the expense of keeping an office up and running: Rent,
Office supplies, fax, phones internet access and mailings of organizing
materials; such as newsletters, flyers and brochures.
We believe Alliance@IBM has, by its very exisitence; given IBM Corporate
Mgmt pause, during their anti-employee actions.
The bottom
line is that if we are NOT here, then IBM Corporate Management has
the field. There will be some who say that employees do not want representation
through an employee organization or a union.
Now is the time: Prove them wrong or prove them right.
Plan
Now! Make your voice heard Join us! IBM Stockholder Meeting Action April 29th Charlotte Convention Center Picket line at 8:30 am Rally at 12:30pm Send a message to IBM No pay cuts! No offshoring of IBM US Jobs! COLA for retirees now! if you plan on attending please contact us at: allianceibmunion@gmail.com |
| 24A & 06A! Sign the Petition to IBM Management: NO PAY CUTs! Link To Pay-Cut Petition Are you next? Join the fightback! Send us your name, home e-mail and location to: AllianceIBMUnion  Be sure to Join The Alliance! Say NO to pay cuts and job cuts! To the IBM "7600" Now is the time! Sign the petition! Join the Alliance! Roll back the pay cuts! The power is in your hands. Your Membership Counts. Let's keep building! |
 |
| ISC
Customer Fulfillment RA Job Cuts are happening now in the IGS, ITD, and STG groups |
Is this Damage control? Keep the Pressure on! Take a stand! SAY NO to Pay Cuts! |
Plan
Now! Make your voice heard at the IBM Stockholder meeting April 29th in Charlotte, North Carolina Details to follow... |
| To
our co-workers,
The recent announcement of pay cuts and re-classification from exempt to non-exempt has sparked outrage and anger among a large section of the IBM employee population. IBM over the years misclassified employees and did not pay them properly, was sued, lost, paid employees compensation and now is making pay cuts. IBM
is able to do this unilaterally because they can. There is no
union Now the question is what do we do about it? First:
If you are not yet a member of the Alliance we strongly encourage
you to do so. Membership gives you more protection legally as
we go forward and it helps build an organization that can take
on IBM management. We have 3 categories: Second:: Our message should be loud and clear to IBM executives--NO PAY CUT! Third: Getting our message out and organizing around it. We
need IBM employees to step up to the plate and be vocal and
public. We
would also like to hear your suggestions on how we wage this
fight. Sincerely, Alliance@IBM |
| Alliance@IBM
Poll:
POLL RESULTS: |
| TO - Network Services DIV Employees impacted by the transfer to AT&T: Please contact us at: Endicott_Alliance YEAR
END Job Cuts are taking place!
|
The
Membership drive ends November 28! To
those that have joined, We Thank You!
Unfortunately our membership drive has not produced the results
we need. To those who visit this web site please consider joining
the Alliance as a full member for only $10 a month or as an
associate member for $5 a month. If
the advocacy work that
Alliance@IBM
is doing, is important to you -
Please support us by becoming a member
- Membership is open to Retirees,
Vendors, Contractors, Temps, and Active Employees and
former IBM employees. Thank
you for your support.
|
|
|
|
Membership
Drive Fall 2007 IBM
employees and retirees continue to face pressure on their
livelihood. From the pension freeze and lack of adequate pay
raises to rising co-pay on health care, employees are finding
their standard of living decrease. Job insecurity increases
as off-shoring and LEAN take a toll on employee jobs. The
new corporate mantra of a global worklife integration instead
of worklife balance will have an adverse affect on employees
and their families and simply enslaves them to the job 24/7.
IBM, Corporate America and their allies are
well funded—we are not. |
|
Job
Cuts Happening Now
Software Group Tivoli Send all
information to: |
The
IBM France workers describe themselves as "pawns of in a game
in a dehuminized world". According to one union member "We
do not even know about the timing of these transfers, or all of the
staff concerned."
After the annoncement of forced transfers, the trade unions have stated
that they will oppose by all means these transfers. Unions involved
CFDT, CFE CGC, CGT, FO, SNA, UNSA.
| From:
UNIglobalunion
One month after a virtual protest staged in Second Life with almost 2000 avatars demonstrating on IBM islands, a new contract with IBM Italy has been signed. The new agreement, which still needs to be approved by the IBM Italy workforce, reinstates the performance bonus that was cut unilaterally by IBM Italy management. Read more.. |
|
Update
on Virtual strike in support of 10/24/2007 Following the historical protest against IBM Italy in Second Life, on 27th September, some important developments have taken place:
* Mr Andrea Pontremoli, IBM Italy’s CEO (who personally
received all of your petitions by email) has resigned.
|
| IBM Second Life Protest a success 1850 people from 30 Countries participate.
From
UNI: More than 1850 -real- people protested behind their
computers in over 30 countries to show solidarity with IBM Italy
workers. It was reported that Second Life was having some technical difficulties, which is why we believe we could have reached an even higher number of participants. IBM
did not officially react to our protest so far. The
media coverage for this event was impressive. More information about this historical protest will come in the next days. ---------------
SIGN PETITION --------------
-------------------
BLOG ----------------------- |
| IBM
Italy Union calls for |
| Legal
Complaint Filed For IBM Sales Reps On Lack Of Overtime Pay On February 6, 2007, the Law Offices of Erik H. Langeland, P.C. filed a nationwide complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Massachusetts seeking to recover unpaid overtime on behalf of all IBM Sales Representatives who worked more than 40 hours per week, but were not paid overtime. Plaintiffs allege that they are owed money damages for IBM’s failure to properly pay them for their extensive overtime hours as required by federal law. The basis of Plaintiffs’ claims is that IBM required its Sales Representatives to work extensive overtime to meet their sales requirements, failed to keep accurate time records and failed to properly compensate Sales Representatives who worked more than 40 hours per week. Plaintiffs are continuing to investigate the case and are preparing to file a motion with the Court requesting that notice be sent to all “similarly situated” IBM Sales Representatives throughout the United States . Plaintiffs believe that the case may involve hundreds or even thousands of its current and former Sales Representatives. Plaintiffs’ objectives are to: 1) recover unpaid overtime and other damages for all IBM Sales Representatives who worked more than 40 hours per week, but were not paid overtime; 2) require that IBM change its time keeping system to accurately record all hours worked by its Sales Representatives; and, 3) require that IBM revise its compensation policies so that Sales Representatives are paid for all overtime hours worked. Contact: Erik H. Langeland 500 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1610 New York, NY 10110 (212) 354-6270 (212) 898-9086 (Fax) elangeland@langelandlaw.com |
| Globalization and its Discontents: A new opening for Labor? A Financial Times/Harris poll released last week registers broad popular discontent with globalization and the direction of the economies in the rich countries of the world. Among the findings of the survey taken in six countries—the US, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the UK are:
a.. Less than 20% of people in
the UK, France, Spain, and the US think |
IBM
Workers
International Solidarity Conference June 25 to 28, 2007 Paris, France
Lee
Conrad Send
us your comments: |
| July
30th 2007 This
is an email from Mike Cadigan Michael
J. Cadigan General Manager, Team, I’m writing to inform you that today IBM has announced a resource action that affects approximately 450 positions in the U.S, with a majority coming from within the semiconductor solutions organization, particularly at our Burlington and East Fishkill sites. If you reside at those locations, it is possible that you will hear about this in the local media, which is why I chose to contact you immediately and directly. Making job reductions is a difficult but necessary step to improve our operations. We are taking today's action to further streamline our business and improve our position in a highly-competitive industry. We have been benchmarking all of our semiconductors operations and know that today's action is required to improve our competitiveness. I realize that any resource action, large or small in number, can cause concern and uncertainty about the future but the long-term prospects for our organization remain very positive. This action will help ensure that we can maintain this position. We will continue to innovate, while meeting our clients’ needs, and achieve our development and manufacturing targets. Thank you for your understanding, dedication and continued focus. Send your comments to:  |
Read the
THINK Twice!
Newsletter
(in adobe pdf format)
| New
Collective Agreement ratified at Canadian IBM Global Services
firm.
Regina,
Saskatchewan, Canada The 240 members of Local 911, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada voted 85% in favor of accepting an eleventh - hour contract offer from ISM Information Systems Management Canada on June 21, 2007. Seven days earlier this group of ISM Canada (IBM Global Services) employees had voted 75% in favor of striking after having rejected the employer's initial offer. The workers accepted a new two - year contract with wage increases of 4% retroactive to December 29, 2006. An additional 4% increase will occur at the end of 2007 and improvements to benefits will become effective immediately. "This was an unusual round of bargaining," said Gary Schoenfeldt, CEP Local 911 President. "Timing was definitely a factor. Western Canada's already booming oil and gas industry has really taken off in the past three or four months, creating a red hot economy in the [Canadian] Province of Saskatchewan." He added, "The resulting increases in housing and other costs has put upward pressure on wage demands across all industries at the same time as the available pool of skilled workers began to dry up. Our members felt that it was time to reap the benefits of this economic upturn and I think that they made wise choices in that respect." CEP Local 911 is an established bargaining unit that has represented Saskatchewan IT workers since 1973. It is one of two bargaining units at ISM Canada, a wholly - owned subsidiary of IBM Canada. The other group is represented in the Province of British Columbia by the BC Government and General Employees Union. |
|
News
from the
Communication Workers of America The
Union for the Information Age Jean-Claude
Vilespy, or Candice
Johnson, Alliance@IBM
CWA Local 1701 Endicott, N.Y. -- In response to job cuts, job shifting to low cost countries and declining working conditions at IBM Corp., (NYSE:IBM), employee representatives, IBM union officials, IBM Works Council representatives and members of the International Labor Federations will hold an emergency meeting in Paris. This
historic meeting will be attended by IBM employee representatives
from 12 countries. Lee Conrad, National Coordinator of the Alliance@IBM, a local of the Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, said, “IBM workers in many countries are facing a serious decline in working conditions, job security and salary. IBM Corporate management is aggressively reshaping the company to the detriment of employees and customers. There is also a serious concern for employees with collective bargaining agreements that IBM will use job shifting to low cost countries as a hammer to demand concessions. If that happens all employees suffer.” IWIS Coordinator Jean-Claude Vilespy said, “This meeting is a unique opportunity for IBM unionists to get together to discuss how we can best meet this crisis and develop action plans to protect the interests of our members and employees at IBM.” Other issues of concern that will be discussed are: *
Human impact of work overload Send
us your comments: |
| Is
LEAN headed your way? |
| Take Action
************************************ Message
from Alliance@IBM... |
| May
30th 2007 Please send RA pkgs in .lwp format to: ibmunionyes@yahoo.com Is
LEAN headed your way?
|
| IBM
fires 1315 Employees
and an unknown number of contractors, across the country, May 1st, in IBM Global Services ITD. More Job Cuts expected! Segments are: Server Systems Operations Technology Integration & Management Global Infrastructure & Resource Management Americas Delivery Engagement Support Security, Asset and Risk Management Americas Industrial Sector Delivery Financial Services Sector Delivery Distribution Sector Delivery Communications Sector Delivery IBM Global Account Delivery Global Network Services Delivery Resource Action Alert! Job Cuts are Happening. ITD / IGS various IBM sites IBM Employees and Contractors IBM Canada IGS Job Cuts in ITD 3/06/07 and 3/26/07 with 213 employees fired Please send information to: ibmunionyes@yahoo.com |
| Take
Action Now! With
the news of last weeks job cuts and information that future cuts
are right around the corner, |
| If IBM headquarters Will Not: - Fight to keep jobs from being offshored - Protect employee benefits - Respond to the needs of employees - Bring respect and dignity back into IBM - Protect worker health and safety Then maybe something else should. Alliance@IBM The
Alliance@IBM
CWA Local 1701 is the national IBM employee organization and
advocate. Our mission is to build a strong employee organization
that informs and offers assistance to IBM employees and retirees
while also challenging company policies and practices that adversely
affect IBMers careers and lives. It
is clear, as the recent Supreme Court decision that let stand
IBM’s appeal on our pension class action lawsuit shows, that
we cannot solely rely on the courts or Government to protect
our benefits or rights. Only an employee organization and contract
can do that. YOU Please
join the Alliance@IBM
today As
a member you become eligible for the Union Plus!
program of discounts, benefits and resources. As a member you also help fund the critical financial needs of your organization and strengthen its financial base. As a member you have a voice in the Alliance and consultation on company issues. The more members the stronger we ALL become!Names are confidential. Non-management exempt employees, contractors and retirees are also eligible for membership IBM
HR is management’s advocate. |
| Stockholder
Resolutions 2007 |
| News
from the For
Immediate Release For
More Information Jeff
Miller or Candice Johnson, Alliance@IBM
members/shareholders Knoxville, Tenn. – Members of Alliance@IBM CWA Local 1701 are urging shareholders at the company’s annual meeting today to support three critical proposals that will improve corporate governance and end unfair practices at IBM Corp. The proposals call for the exclusion of pension income in the calculation of executive compensation; the creation of an independent committee to explore the potential harm to IBM’s brand due to increasing offshoring, and an end to discrimination in policies regarding employees’ pension and retirement medical benefits. Mike Saville, an IBM retiree, shareholder since 1968 and sponsor of Proposal No.10 on offshoring, said, “Offshoring IBM jobs continues to be a serious issue. Employees face not only job loss but the indignity of training their off shore replacements. The IBM company faces negative press on offshoring that damages the brand name and company reputation and the knowledge base of the United States shrinks.” He cited those concerns as important reasons for the board of directors to establish an independent IBM committee to study the effects of IBM’s offshoring on the company’s brand and reputation. IBM employee Bill McGreevy, a sponsor of Proposal No. 9, stressed that pay for performance should be the main criteria for executive pay, and that income generated from pension funds must be excluded “Executive greed and bloated compensation needs to be challenged and executives must be accountable for their performance,” he said. “Executives should not be allowed to use other criteria – including pension income -- to compensate themselves particularly when IBM employees are facing a decline in their standard of living and retirees are experiencing increases in medical retirement costs while their pensions evaporate.” James Leas, sponsor of Proposal No. 8 on pension and retirement medical benefits, pointed out that “IBM instituted age discrimination in 1999 by seeking to divide employees into three groups based on age, with the intent of slashing pensions and revoking medical retirement promises. Then IBM expanded this pattern of age discrimination by terminating older employees at a much higher rate than younger employees.” Leas noted that “IBM employees resisted in 1999 with mass meetings that forced the company to partially back down” and said that employees would continue to raise this issue through stockholder resolutions, lawsuits and union organizing. “By instituting and expanding age discrimination, IBM executives have put their own personal interests ahead of our company’s interest and have demolished employee morale,” Leas said. ### Alliance@IBM CWA Local 1701, Employee Advocate since 1999. www.allianceibm.org |
| Membership
Drive 2007 March 1st to March 31st |
Spotlight:
Job Cuts happening in IGS March 7 and SSO. Need numbers
and copies of Resource Action Packages.
Resource
Action in IT Delivery. 200 Jobs cut effective March 6, 2007. Also Redeployment
action in Accounts Payable.
Send further information to:
endicottalliance@stny.rr.com
This
just in:
Possible job cuts in Southbury and Poughkeepsie.
Please send any information to:
|
Spotlight:
Letter
From the President
Alliance@IBM
It
was truly unfortunate news that the Supreme Court has declined further
review of Cooper vs. IBM. The results truly hurt every employee that
was forced into the Cash Balance pension plan.
I
can only say that our court system cannot be the only path to fairness
for IBM employees. The courts interpret the laws; to have fair laws
we must work with our elected officials.
But mostly we need more power as employees, power to demand the fairness
and justice that we deserve.
We should not be summarily forced to give up benefits, as happened with
the Cash Balance switch. We should not be forced to work overtime week
after week; we should not be forced to retire just because we are older;
we should not have to hide in our offices just hoping to hold on to
our jobs.
The power of a union is the only true power that can fight back on these
fronts. We must insist on a voice, our voice, the people who do all
the work that creates the profits at IBM.
Remember: if we had a Union contract the pension changes would have
to have been negotiated and approved by IBM employees.
Without you, and all of your colleagues, we cannot be strong enough
to limit the power and greed (remember Palmisano's 29% raise), and help
ourselves and our families.
I'm reminded of the quote from Dr. Martin Luther King jr.: "In
the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence
of our friends".
Please don't be silent, please join the Alliance, and ask your coworkers
to join us in our continued fight. The lawsuit may be over, but we sure
aren't over.
Linda
Guyer
President, Alliance@IBM/CWA Local 1701
Spotlight:
Employee
comment on
IBM Offshoring
Comments 1/8/07: I am now an ex-IBMer. I was brought on when IBM took over in house tech at a very large account 5 years ago. This is when the job cuts began. First IBM demanded half the staff be let go before IBM took the contract. Then there were resource actions every 6 months. Not too big. Then came Brazil and Argentina. All of a sudden less and less FTEs and the rest contractors and off shore. 2006 though was a doozie. Everything going off shore. Then came the brilliant idea to model services after World War 2 assembly line practices. When you work on servers there is no such thing as a easy ticket. But each ticket held the same wieght - no matter if it was one server or many. Last October I was told I am part of "redeployment". I was not being laid off but I had to find another job in IBM in 90 days. To further help this 4 years ago I was rebanded from band 6 to 4. So I could not jump to band 6 positions outside of the account I was working. Then the internals jobs on the account dried up. All the managers did not help and were too busy for the Brazil migration. I was not willing to try for jobs outside of the training I had done for 10 years. So I found a better job in house with another company. When I asked if I could take a package I was told there is not one. Even though I was told my job is going to Brazil and I had to get another job - no severance or package. I gave notice and resigned. Now almost no one will be on-site. I am eligible for rehire but I doubt I would go back to IBM or the original company. The new company actually wants me to work there. It is a welcome change and they will have my loyalty. No future for anyone but managers at IBM. -Anonymous-
Jeffrey Neil Young
Patrick N. McTeague
McTeague, Higbee, Case, Cohen, Whitney & Toker
Four Union Park
P.O. Box 5000
Topsham, ME 04086
Toll free: (877) 725-5581
Fax: (207) 725-1090
outofblue@me-law.com
www.out-of-blue.com
IBM employees are telling the Alliance that Holiday parties and Spirit events are being cancelled at the last minute at many IBM locations, except corporate headquarters.
According to employees, Fishkill site management bought 7000 lunches and ended up having the vendor donate the food to local charities.
Events have also been cancelled in Poughkeepsie Charlotte and Boulder. Burlington decided to reschedule the holiday party but now employees have to pay for it. In IGS other last minute cost cutting is taking place in Education and Thanks awards.
A note from an IBMer puts it this way, “If the times are tough
I don’t think anyone would have a problem with cutting these expenses
if it helps save jobs. But what takes this beyond belief is that Corporate
HR made the decision to keep holiday parties at 3 headquarters buildings
in Armonk and Somers at an expense of over $100k.
Does this mean that the largely executive population deserves this little
perk but the peons at other sites do not?"
Feel free to voice your opinion on this in our "Your Comments"
general comment section.
click here
Read the text: http://www.laborradio.org/node/2373
UK union backs IBM virtual strike 
