A letter from Local 6210 President re: covid 19

Brothers and Sisters,

I know with changes every day that there are concerns and questions about the ongoing COVID-19 virus. I have been asked what is the Union and Company doing about it? Let me start with the Union side. We are sharing every bit of information that is given to us from both CWA and ATT on our FB page as soon as it becomes available. CWA National is also working with each company that we represent to do everything possible to ensure the safety of our members and their families. Local presidents in District 6 are sharing updates as needed with CWA leadership in the District office so that they are aware of not only field conditions for the employees, but also any other pertinent information that they may need to request further information from the company.

The Company has so far offered extended paid leave for certain situations. There was an email sent via company email with a link for any employee that wanted to apply for the time if they fell into one of the circumstances that warranted the extended paid time. This email is also posted on our page. They have offered language for our outside technicians to use when face to face with a customer to try to identify a potentially dangerous situation. Both the time off and safety precautions being sent out are changing daily as more facts come in. Again, We post everything from both sides as soon as we have it.

Finally, I will end with this. Take care of yourself and your family. Heed the warnings put out by the experts such as the CDC and World Health Organization. Fact check the things you see on social media. You have the right as an employee to work in a safe and secure environment. If a manager tells you different use your best judgment, and if needed contact your chief steward. If you know one of our brothers or sisters that is need and we can help, we will do what we can. Do Not be the one that tries to take advantage of a serious situation. I , nor any of the other officers in CWA can grant the paid leaves, unfortunately. We can only continue to push for the safety of our members. If you have questions about the time off they should be directed to your immediate supervisor first. They have all been on calls on how they should be dealing with this situation. As they tell us on a daily basis it is their business to run, so don’t let them put a bad situation in our laps to solely deal with. We will work with local management as a local but will not assume the company’s responsibilities that they have to their employees.

If you have any questions and or concerns please contact your Chief Steward. I will make the final decision on our having local membership meeting that is set for next Thursday night this coming Monday. The list of Chief Stewards is provided below.

Doug Gray- McKinney/Allen
Brian Osburn- McKinney Appendix J
Todd Wright – Frisco
Jared Parrish- Frisco Appendix J
Mark Ewig- Denison/Gainesville

Again, Take care of yourselves and of one another. Let us know if you need anything.

In Unity,
Dwayne Webb
Local 6210 President