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CEP
SaskCouncil |
SaskTel
Bargaining Unit for Local
1-S Local 2-S Local 3 |
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December 16, 2011 A message to all CEP members at
SaskTel We are writing to update you on a
number of issues that we have been working on during the last couple of
months. Keeping Work in the Bargaining Unit Your CEP Bargaining Committee has
been working with SaskTel in the hope of keeping work in the Bargaining Unit.
We are providing the following information and we would like to get your
feedback. 1. Sales Incentives Recently SaskTel has proposed an
incentive plan for members in our sales force. The Company has been told, by
an outside consultant, that creating an incentive pool will increase sales
profits. The proposal includes lowering base hourly wage so that employees
are “incented” to “make up” their lost salary by improving overall
sales. As you know, we said no to this concept in the last round of
bargaining. SaskTel has advised us that they will
be opening a new Store in Regina in the near future. This new store could
have one full-time Service Representative and approximately six part-time
Service Representatives. The Company wants to have the ability to schedule
the representatives on Sundays as they do at the Stonebridge Store in
Saskatoon. SaskTel is proposing that employees
in the new Regina store are compensated with an incentive plan as described
above. This is how it could operate: ·
The base
hourly wage of the SR's would be reduced by 10 percent. ·
The amount of
money from the 10% reduction would be put into an incentive pool. The incentive
pool would be paid back to employees based on sales performance. ·
No credit is
given for non-revenue generating activities like Max equipment returns.
Credit is only given for revenue generating activities such as
device/mobility sales. ·
The incentive
is activated when 80% of targets are reached. Maximum incentive is at 100%. ·
Sales targets
and criteria are set by management with some assurance that the entire pool
will be paid back to employees. Targets for part-time employees would be
prorated based on hours worked. An example of how this may work: ·
If the average
number of device sales today was 50 units per month. The target could be 120
units per month. ·
The incentive
would kick in at 80% or 96 units per month with maximum incentive paid out at
120 units. ·
Employees with
sales of less than 96 would be paid the base wage which has been reduced by
10%. ·
The employees
with 96 or more could achieve or surpass the old base wage. ·
In short, in
order for one employee to make more another employee has to make less. At this time, this proposal would
only apply to the new store. However, we suspect that the Company will ask to
negotiate an expansion of this plan in the future. SaskTel has said they may give the
store to a dealer if we do not agree to this scheme. Your CEP Bargaining Committee has
responded to the Company. We have consistently advised that we are not in favour
of any incentive plan that includes a reduction to current base wage. We
believe that the proposal will result in a loss of salary for many incented
employees and that inequities in remuneration will exist for incented
employees. We are concerned that the Company proposal puts complete control
of setting the targets in the hands of the Company and that the targets will
be difficult or unachievable for the representatives. Further we are
cognizant of the fact that individual sales performance can be beyond an
employee’s control; for example, sales are dependent upon the availability of
products, time of day that one works, job assignment in the Store and
seasonal variations. Issues such as vacation and sick leave may also impact
sales. 2. Max & Residential Installation &
Repair As many of you are aware, SaskTel is
contracting Max installations with Jump.Ca. Since September, the Company has
also engaged Ledcor to do the work duties regularly
performed by Band 6 CST's in the Cities and Band 8 CST's in the Districts. Your Bargaining Committee has asked
SaskTel, on numerous occasions, what it would take to keep this work in the
bargaining unit. The Company says that it needs to
contract this work for three reasons. ·
First, SaskTel
is unable to make a long term commitment to perform these traditional
(copper) duties as they will disappear over time with the introduction of
fiber to the home. ·
Second,
contractors are cheaper. ·
And third,
contractors are required to address the peaks and valleys in the workload. The Bargaining Committee’s position
is that the use of SaskTel employees is cost effective and provides the
customer with quality service. We have provided the Company with factual
examples that support this position. With respect to the Company’s
workload, cost and long-term commitment issues the Bargaining Committee proposed: ·
A pool of
temporary casual part time Band 6 CST's that could be used as a traveling
crew in the Districts. ·
We offered to give
temporary terms of up to 3 years. ·
We offered to
have as many as thirty-five of these employees hired to provide the installations. ·
We also
suggested that we would discuss a de-skilled CST Max installer. The reduction
of skills would need to correspond with a reduction of pay. An example may be
an installer that only does work inside the customer’s home. ·
·
To date, the
Company has not accepted any of these offers and has instead suggested a
compensation model based on piecework. ·
For example if
a PC Max install is required with 1TV, the installer could be loaded at 90
minutes. ·
Depending on
the complexity of the installation the installer may require more time for
the job, however, the compensation would be limited to the 90 minutes
allotted. ·
If on the
other hand, the installation is completed in less than the 90 minutes
allotted the compensation would not be reduced and the installer could
potentially pick up additional work. ·
The hourly
rate suggested is a Band 4 The CEP position is that we are
not in favour of piecework because we are concerned that installers are not
guaranteed minimum salary compensation in the event that the install takes
longer than the loaded time. Further we want to ensure that the duties and
skills associated with Band 6 CST work continues to be compensated at a Band
6 rate. Therefore, members in the Band 4 classification cannot and should not
perform the same scope and breadth of duties assigned to Band 6 CSTs. As you know, the CEP filed a
grievance that challenges SaskTel contracting practices with respect to
Jump.Ca and Ledcor. The dates for this arbitration
are scheduled for February 28, 29, March 1 and 2. Net Note December 6: On December 6th, Doug
Burnett sent a net note to all employees, on behalf of the Company, regarding
the arbitrated decision of two termination grievances. In the note, SaskTel
indicates that automatic terminations will continue to occur for individuals
who drink and drive corporate vehicles. The CEP position respecting this is
that we will continue to challenge any automatic termination. Our rationale
for this position is that the facts surrounding the impropriety must be
examined prior to determining the disciplinary penalty. In some cases
accommodation, rehabilitation and/or treatment may be needed. In other cases,
a lesser penalty may be required to correct the behavior. As you are aware, CEP does not
condone drinking and driving. We agree with the Company that this type of
behavior must be stopped. The consequences to the safety of the individual
and others can be deadly. We cannot stress this enough. If you have a problem that puts you
in this situation, or if you know a member that may need assistance, please
access the resources in the community or STEPP or your Local to get the help
that is needed. And, no matter what is happening in your personal or work
life understand that there are confidential support networks available to
assist. We have to work together to assist our members and to ensure that no
one drinks and drives. Sick Leave Benefits: We have recently been advised by
SaskTel that members may have the payment of their Extended Sick Leave
delayed due to the adjudication process. Essentially we are told that
entitlements may be withheld pending receipt of sufficient medical
information. We have challenged the Company with respect to this position
given that there may be a number of reasons that medical information cannot
be provided in a timely fashion. The recent arbitration decision
clearly delineates the type of medical information that SaskTel can request.
This is limited to nature of illness, compliance to treatment plan,
restrictions, limitations and prognosis. Individuals are not required to
provide a diagnosis or disclose specifics of their treatment plan.
Furthermore, the Company cannot communicate with an individual’s doctor
directly. We have advised the Company that we
will deal with any delays in obtaining sick leave entitlements on a case by
case basis. Therefore, please inform us if you know of any members who are
being denied entitlements. Your Bargaining Committee is interested in your
opinion on all of the issues raised above. Please contact your: CEP
Group Representative or Chief Steward by phone or email and they will pass your
comments on to us. As you are aware, members should not be
discussing these issues with individual managers as all negotiating should be
done at the bargaining table. Season’s Greetings: The Bargaining Committee wishes all
of our members a Merry Christmas and a safe holiday season. We are very appreciative
of the support that we received from you during the past year and look
forward to representing you in the future. A big Thank-You to all the Group
Representatives, Chief Stewards, Local Officers and Committee Members for all
of your hard work and dedication. Together we make the Union strong! |
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Copyright
2006 CEP Union of |
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