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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 1998
Industry changes sparked Baby Bell strike
Bell Atlantic workers want jobs created by Internet-based technologies
By DAVID KALISH
Associated PressNEW YORK -- Above the din of picket line chants, the strike against Bell Atlantic reveals a growing union concern: Getting shut out of the hottest job-growth area in the telecommunications industry.
Like other major phone companies, Bell Atlantic Corp. is investing billions of dollars to upgrade its network to handle voice and data transmission using more efficient, Internet-based technologies.
But to pare costs in intense competition with smaller, more nimble rivals, Bell Atlantic is farming out these technical jobs to its non-union subsidiaries. And when the future calls, the striking Communications Workers of America union -- representing 450,000 workers in the telecommunications industry -- is afraid it won't be there to answer the phone.
``We call them the jobs of the future,'' CWA spokeswoman Candice Johnson said Monday, the second day of a strike by 73,000 phone workers that threatened to inconvenience phone customers from Maine to Virginia.
Eight pickets were detained by police Monday morning outside a Bell Atlantic facility in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The striking workers were accused of blocking trucks leaving the building.
Bell Atlantic serves 27 million customers in 13 Eastern states and Washington, D.C., with telecommunications, wireless communications, cable and digital TV and Internet and data services. The company, which recently announced plans to merge with GTE Corp., is a combination of the original Bell Atlantic and Nynex, two of the regional phone companies, or Baby Bells, spun off from AT&T in 1984.
Another Baby Bell, BellSouth Corp., averted a strike by CWA workers with a tentative agreement on a deal just before Sunday's strike deadline. The contract includes increased wages and pensions, creation of a board to examine bonuses for employees, rules for union jobs and training that would let workers shift to better positions.
The rise of the Internet has brought into vogue a more efficient method for transmitting phone calls, data and even video. Using so-called ``packet technology,'' voice and data is translated into a digital format and then broken into smaller pieces, which take the most efficient routes to the receiving end, where the information is reassembled. This method can be used across traditional copper wires, fiber-optic lines and via satellite.
The more efficient Internet-based technique is getting the attention of Bell Atlantic and other major phone companies strained by the huge increase in demand for Internet and data transmission by businesses and consumers. The problem has created occasional bottlenecks.
Internet-based transmission is key for Bell Atlantic as it expands into the lucrative business of designing high-speed data networks for companies, which can generate enormous amounts of voice and data traffic. But calls by home customers are eventually expected to be made this way too.
To get the job done, phone firms need software designers, computer-network technicians, and others who may not be represented by the CWA. The union is also worried that line installation and other tasks currently done by union workers are being given to non-union workers.
So far, Johnson said, the CWA has won agreements with other phone companies that give the union a shot at representing workers in these emerging areas.
``There's no question our members can do the work; they're constantly upgrading their training. The issue is having the opportunity to move into them,'' Johnson said.
But several experts said the longer-term trend is ominous for unions.
A new breed of phone company, known in the industry as competitive local exchange carrier, has been successfully luring away Baby Bell business customers by offering high-speed transmission of voice and data. And other companies such as IBM and AT&T are a growing presence in designing companies' high-speed data networks.
Even if Bell Atlantic gives in to demands to open up the new technical jobs to union ranks, these rivals increasingly are relying on non-union workers.
``Frankly, the union strike is a perfect example of why a Bell would be crazy to man all of these emerging technology jobs with workers who could shut them down when their competitors aren't burdened,'' said Jeffrey Kagan, an independent industry consultant based outside Atlanta.
``The unions, with all of their rules, aren't flexible enough for the new environment,'' Kagan said.
Some union proponents say the company is just using the new technology as an excuse to give jobs to non-union workers and save on costs such as pension benefits and workers compensation.
``In the short-term, you have some savings,'' said Elaine Bernard, who manages a Harvard University training program for union leaders.
But in the longer-term, she said, the company will find that non-union workers have a higher turnover rate, which is risky in a highly technical field that requires a skilled work force.
The trend could further weaken union power in the telecommunications industry. Unions started losing clout when the court-ordered breakup of AT&T Corp. in 1982 created the original seven Baby Bell regional phone companies. A new breed of non-union rival that emerged with the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 also has hurt unions.
``I think the union sees the writing on the wall,'' Bernard said.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web