Statement of Principles

A few weeks ago more than 300 workers of the big mobile telcoms AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have met, to join themselves as the „Wireless Workers United" in the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Together and over the borders of their corporations they together willl change their working conditions in the future.

Last year already we reported that  Workers rights are maltreated in the subs of German Telekom. The new organisation may help to better the conditions. Every union member even in Germany can be registered in the new organisation without any costs.

Since 2001 T-Mobile US belongs to the German Telekom - and still the workers have no voice in the company. In addition now we have the contra-union policy of the Trump administration and the president himself.

The ver.di newspaper KOMM (02.2018 S.9) reports about the conference in Orlando: Deshalb brauchen die US-Beschäftigten und Gewerkschafter dringend auch die Unterstützung von ver.di und die Solidarität der Beschäftigten im deutschen Mutterkonzern. Eric Daum, Vorsitzender des Gesamtbetriebsrates der Deutschen
Telekom Service GmbH, nahm an de Konferenz in Orlando teil und informiete dort über die Arbeits- und Beschäftigungsbedingungen, die im Konzern T Deutschland bestehen. Die Unterschied seien teilweise enorm: „Es ist Wahnsinn unter welchem Druck die Kolleginne und Kollegen in den USA stehen. Sie werden ständig bei der Arbeit überwacht und kontrolliert, erfahren ihr Schichteinteilung oft sehr kurzfristig' sagt Eric Daum. „Sie haben sogar Angst sich krank zu melden, weil sie um ihrei Job fürchten! Auch ist es passiert, das Kollegen, die die Gewerkschaft unterstützen, genau beobachtet und drangsaliert werden."

The Statement of the Conference:

We are a group of wireless workers at  AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile who have come together to demand better from our industry. We work in call centers and retail stores and as technicians. We have found that no matter the company, our issues at work are often the same. As workers, we make our company’s run, yet we have all seen our pay, benefits, and working conditions get worse while our employers make more and more in  profits.

We put out this statement because we believe that we are all stronger together and in making these demands we want to keep our employers accountable. The wireless industry makes billions of dollars in profit per year.We are invested in making sure that this industry continues to be successful and that we are able to share in that success and work with dignity and respect.

RESPECT FOR EMPLOYEES
Management must respect our right to organize and speak out on the job. By joining together to advocate for better conditions we can ensure that management hear us and take us seriously. We need stability and peace of mind in order to do our best work.

WE DESERVE:

• Freedom to organize for better conditions and to have a voice at work.
• Trust that we can do our jobs without micromanagement or belittling.
• Realistic goals that consider sales climate, products, and human behavior.
• Fair policies and flexibility in scheduling that will allow for work - life balance, including holidays consistent with school calendars and the ability to use our sick days and vacation days without jeopardizing our jobs.
• An end to arbitrary reassignment, unilateral policy changes, or forced overtime.

FAIR WAGES, COMMISSIONS, & BENEFITS

As our workloads have increased, our wages and benefits have not kept up. Workers need fair wages that reflect the cost of living, profit sharing, and fair commissions. All these things allow us to take care of our families and save for the future — even in  cities where the cost of living is high.

WE DESERVE:

• Payment for all time worked and  compensation  for additional duties.
• Improved job security and a limit on outsourcing of call center, retail, and technician jobs.
• Transparent commission structure.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Paid parental leave and child care assistance.
• Flexible scheduling, especially for parents.
• Raises reflecting cost of living increases.

SUPPORT, TRAINING, & COMMUNICATION WITH MANAGEMENT

We need the ability to provide feedback to the management team to improve accountability in our work groups. And we need worker advocates, including union representatives, at stores and call centers.

WE DESERVE:

• Clear, concrete paths for career advancement, not gimmicks.
• Consistency across work groups in training, policies, and procedures.
• Evaluations based on observations, not on  metrics.
• Metrics should be flags for better coaching, not for punishment.
• Company investment in ongoing employee  training and designated training days.
• Better communication and transparency between retail stores and call centers — a culture of cooperation, not competition.
• Technicians in stores for proper diagnosis of problems.
• An end to required cold calls to generate sales.
• To be on the sales floor for our entire shift as sales representatives so we can meet goals, rather than being taken off the floor for other tasks.
• More managers with customer service and sales experience who will assist when needed, rather  than watching from the sidelines.

HONESTY & INTEGRITY IN CUSTOMER RELATIONS

Sales and customer service are both essential to the customer experience. We should be able to work together to make sure customers are satisfied. But customer care must always  be separate from sales, technical support, and billing issues to ensure the best outcomes.

CUSTOMERS DESERVE:

• To have their problems solved quickly, with full transparency and solutions tailored to their needs, not to the latest promotions.
• To know whether they are speaking with a worker in the United States or elsewhere, and must have the right to request to speak with someone in the United States.
• To understand that authorized dealers are different from corporate stores, and may not be able to meet all customer service needs.
• To experience real human interaction with all employees, without stiff scripts or invasive questions.
• To not be subjected to unethical sales tactics that result from unattainable sales goals.
• To not be charged for upgrades if the company is making full retail value for a phone.

Read more http://www.weexpectbetter.org/statement-of-principles-33
and in English http://www.weexpectbetter.org/IMG/pdf/statement_of_principles.pdf

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