NABET/CWA LOCAL 42 Executive Board Meeting Minutes for 1/21/12

Posted on January 22, 2012 by ntatulin

Meeting called to order at 11:29am by President Bill Wachenschwanz.

Attendees: M. DeChant, B. Geiger, J. Jackson, J. Kaminsky,
J. Kolendo, J. Kubankin, T. Mullally, M. Oliver, C. Riethmiller,
T. Roskey, R. Stiene, N. Tatulinski, T. Trakas,E. Valdez,
W. Wachenschwanz, C. Watkins.
Non-voting attendees: R. Nagin and E. Verba.

Reading of the Minutes of the December 17th, 2011 E-Board Meeting is suspended.
No changes or corrections are requested. Motion to accept the minutes as posted: Emily Valdez. Second: Terry Mullally.

Treasurer’s Report for November 2011 is read and reviewed by Treasurer Marilyn Oliver. No vote to accept this report was taken in December due to lack of quorum. Terry Trakas asked for clarification on the term “Salary Comp”. Marilyn explains the difference between this term and ULOA. With no further questions or comments, President Wachenschwanz calls for a Motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report for November 2011 as presented. Motion to accept the November 2011 Treasurer’s report as presented:
Cathy Watkins. Second: John Kubankin.

Marilyn Oliver presents the December 2011 Treasurer’s Report. In December, the total monthly income was $17,451.28. Expenses for the month totaled $21,451.59. We had a net loss for the month of $4000.31. Big expenses were the Officer Quarterly, Salary Comp, ULOA and Legal Fees. Motion to accept the Treasurer’s report: Cathy Watkins. Second: Terry Trakas.

New Members: WOIO/WUAB- Kevin Rans- Part-time Photographer
WJW-ENG- Jenna Golech – Vacation Relief Tec
Chris Jones and Amanda Smith
VR to Full Time
Motion to accept new Members: Emily Valdez. Second: Brian Geiger

Members Not Here Any More:
WOIO/WUAB- William Rees- MCO
Retired. William has been with WUAB since 1970.
Lindsay Oliver- Moved to NYC to work on Fox & Friends.

Correspondence: Bill Wachenschwanz got a Happy New Year greeting from the AFL-CIO. They will be having two initiatives which will be discussed during the AFL-CIO report from Rick Nagin later in the meeting.

Stewards Reports:

WOIO/WUAB: John Kaminsky offers sincere condolences to Danielle Banks on the passing of her father, Gary Williams. Deep sympathy is extended to Ken Koscick and his family, on the recent passing of Ken’s brother Edward.
John spoke about a Members’ Seniority status as well as the serious issue of Members working “off the clock”. The company requested documentation about the Members in question, which was provided. The company wants to settle the “off the clock” issue and mentioned that Members might be subject to disciplinary action if they are found to be working “off the clock”.

WJW-Engineering- Tim Roskey reports that the Nominating Petitions for the Negotiating Committee will be up until next week. Anyone interested in being on the Committee can still sign up.
Tim said that the unattended trucks Arbitration will be held on January 27th, 2012. The Arbitration on the Brown’s Show and the Benefits Grievance will be coming up. The one-to-one sharing with the IA’s grievance will be going to Arbitration. There is a new grievance on the company when two IA’s were sent out on a truck without assigning any NABET’s. The problem of Members’ time sheets being altered after they were submitted and lunch penalties being changed was discussed.

WJW-NEWS- Brian Geiger received an e-mail from Lou Fallot about the Directors Lay-offs. Sadly, the grievance was denied. Chuck DeGross said he was very disappointed with the decision which was a matter of contract interpretation and technological change. Vice President Jim Kolendo reminds all the laid-off Directors that they are still eligible for Lynda.com training. Please contact him or a Steward for details.

WKYC- Cathy Watkins recounts that it has been two years since the company implemented the new work rules. Besides Ramona Robinson leaving the station, Mark Nolan also decided to leave. Cathy has distributed the 2012 Membership stickers. Please see her if you did not receive a sticker. There will be a Unit Meeting next Saturday, January 28th at the Union Hall for all WKYC Members. Attorney, Chuck DeGross has been checking daily on the status of the NLRB hearing. Chuck reports that President Obama has appointed three new members to the NLRB and they are now hearing cases. Chuck reminds us that this hearing is a huge event and NABET Sector Council Judiann Chartier and CWA Council will be joining in the hearing. President Wachenschwanz asked Chuck to draft a letter to the WKYC Unit Members with an up-date on the status of the hearing and the case in general. Chuck said he would do so.

AFL/CIO Report is presented by Rick Nagin. Rick attended last weeks Delegate Meeting at the AFL-CIO where the endorsements for various candidates were presented. A point of concern was that several Representatives had voted against Issue 5; candidates that were more committed to the goals of Labor were recommended.

For the Ohio Court of Appeals 8th District, Eileen T. Gallagher is endorsed.

Common Pleas Court (General Division), Michael Jackson, Dean Van Dress, Colleen Ann Reali, Cullen Sweeny and Steve Gall were recommended.

In the Ohio House of Representatives, 6th District- Anthony
Fossececa,
7th District- Matt Patten, 11th District- Sandra Williams and the
16th District- Todd Leveck.

In the U.S. House of Representatives- 9th District – Dennis Kucinich is endorsed and in the 16th District- Betty Sutton. For more information, please go to the North Shore AFL-CIO web site.

On Tuesday, January 24th there will be a meeting to hear the candidates for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor speak and respond to questions. Everyone is invited to the Laborers Local 310 Hall from 5 to 7pm.

There are two major issues the AFL-CIO is keeping an eye on; the first is Cooper Tires in Findlay, Ohio. The second is the “Right to Work” law in Indiana. The NFL Players Association is opposed to the Right to Work law and asks all Unions to take part to defeat it.

OLD BUSINESS: Vice President Jim Kolendo up-dates the Board on his progress managing the Lynda-dot-com licenses. Jim said that there are ten empty slots in the next session which are available for all active Members. Final Cut Pro Training Registration will close on February 1st.. You must have your $50 check and all Registration materials to Jim by that date. Please contact Jim or your Stewards for more information.

NEW BUSINESS: President Bill Wachenschwanz asks the E-Board to consider moving up the Nominating Petition Process and Elections for the Local 42 President and Treasurer which will take place in 2012. The term of office for President and Treasurer expire on June 30th, 2012. Since the Local will be in the middle of Contract Bargaining at WOIO/WUAB and WJW-Engineering at that time, Bill would like to move the Nomination Process up to February or March and the Election around (or after) that time so as not to interfere with the negotiations.
The E-Board discusses this and consults with Chuck DeGross to check the By-Laws for conflict. Chuck said the By-Laws do not prevent moving the date of the election as long as the term of office does not exceed the specified time limits. A Motion is made to move the Local 42 Elections for President and Treasurer, term beginning 7/01/2012, to a date set by the Local Election Committee, to not interfere with contract negotiations. Moved: Terry Trakas.
Second: John Kubankin.

Cathy Watkins asks Election Chair, Nancy Tatulinski when WKYC Steward Elections will take place. Nancy said that the Nominating Petitions will be available for WKYC Members as of February 1st, 2012. A notice informing Members will be posted before the end of January.

President Wachenschwanz asks for a volunteer from WJW to fill a vacancy on the Election Committee. Emily Valdez volunteers. The Election Committee for Local 42 is:
Nancy Tatulinski (Chair); Ken Koscick (WOIO/WUAB),
John Kubankin (WKYC) and Emily Valdez (WJW).

Motion to Adjourn: Emily Valdez. Second: Terry Trakas.
Meeting ends at 1:09pm.

NEXT E-BOARD MEETING: Saturday, February 18th, 2012 at 11:00am at the Union Hall.

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NABET/CWA LOCAL 42 Executive Board Meeting Minutes for 12/17/11

Posted on December 18, 2011 by ntatulin

Meeting called to order by President Bill Wachenschwanz at 11:22AM.

Attendees: M. DeChant, B. Geiger, J. Jackson, J. Kaminsky, J. Kolendo, K. Koscick,
M. Oliver, T. Roskey, N. Tatulinski, W. Wachenschwanz, and C. Watkins.
Non-Voting Attendee: E. Verba.

Reading of the Minutes of the November 19th, 2011 E-Board Meeting are suspended. No changes or corrections are requested. Motion to accept the minutes as posted:
Move: Ken Koscick. Second: Cathy Watkins.

Treasurer’s Report is read by Treasurer Marilyn Oliver. The total monthly income was $9,298.38. Expenses for the month totaled $10,590.11. We had a net (loss) for the month of $1,291.73. Marilyn noted that the big expenses for the month were ULOA salary compensation and legal fees. On a positive note, we have paid off the local legal fees. Marilyn also reported that the new mileage compensation rate for 2012 will be fifty-five point five cents per mile. Bill said that due to the fact that we are one Member shy of a quorum, we will not have a motion to accept this month’s Treasurer’s report. The motion and vote will be moved to the agenda in the January 2012 meeting.

New Members: WOIO/WUAB- Lindsay Oliver- Part Time P.A.
WJW- Engineering- Chris Jones and Amanda Smith full time
from VR status as of January 1, 2012.
Motion to accept New Members: Move: Jim Jackson. Second: John Kaminsky

Members Not Here Any More: WOIO/WUAB- Bill Rees- Retiring 12/31/2011

Correspondence: Bill Wachenschwanz received a Holiday card for Local 42 from Congressman Dennis Kucinich thanking us for our support and for the Unions’ efforts in defeating Issue 2/SB5. Bill also received a card and best wishes from NABET/CWA Legal Counsel, Judiann Chartier, Esquire, who will be representing our Local in up-coming arbitrations and legal issues.

Stewards Reports:

WOIO/WUAB: John Kaminsky said that the problem with Members coming in and working “off the clock” will be addressed in a grievance to be filed next week. Bill Wachenschwanz asked John to post a notice inviting WOIO/WUAB Members to a Unit meeting to be held in January 2012. Bill said Members can come to talk and vote in a Negotiating Committee for the contract negotiations in 2012.

WJW News: Brian Geiger reported that two grievances were filed, both centered on Unit Members being denied time off during the holidays. Discussion followed about this issue and work assignments that happen only one or two times within a year. Chuck DeGross said that in the matter of the Director’s grievance, briefs were filed last Thursday.

WJW-Engineering: Tim Roskey discussed several outstanding grievances in the Engineering Unit. Tim said a meeting was held and that agreement was reached on two issues; the matter of the art director shooting commercials was resolved and the issue of management doing up-grades on equipment was addressed. Tim said the company assured the Unit that these problems would not happen again.

Arbitration has been set on the matter of the trucks being left running unattended. This Arbitration will occur on January 22, 2012. Chuck DeGross asked if anyone knows a retired Ohio State Highway Patrol Officer who would be willing to testify in the Arbitration. If you know of an Officer PLEASE contact Bill Wachenschwanz or Chuck DeGross with a name and contact info.

Tim talked about three other problems that have occurred in the last few weeks. There was a live shot in which a second IA was sent to the scene instead of a NABET. There was an instance where Skype was used again, this time at the station. There was an issue involving Side Letter 5 of the CBA re: sharing with the IA’s and the ratio of NABET’s to IA’s.
A big issue is the Brown’s show that is produced and staffed by Brown’s personnel. This show uses WJW “on camera” talent and is aired solely on WJW, yet no Unit Members are working on the production. Chuck said this issue is being investigated.

WKYC: Cathy Watkins said that the NABET sign has been put up in the kiosk outside WKYC and is beautifully illuminated and nicely visible on Lakeside as well as from 13th Street. Cathy said that Ramona Robinson’s last day was Friday and no replacement for anchor has been announced. More non- union employees have been let go at WKYC. This time the people who lost their jobs were the “Metro-Mix” website individuals. Previously the “Mom’s Like Me” website employees were let go. WKYC ratings are still not good.

Cathy said it is coming up on the two year anniversary of the implementation of the pay reductions and “new” work rules at WKYC. Chuck DeGross spoke passionately about the struggle at WKYC and asked the Members there to keep the faith and stay together.
Chuck said that all the briefs have been filed and all the paperwork is in. Chuck has spoken with Judiann Chartier about the oral argument before the NLRB in Washington and has invited her to participate. All this will be happening after the Holiday hiatus; Chuck hopes in the first quarter of 2012. Chuck said he would be happy to meet with the WKYC Unit and up-date them on events after the New Year.

Old Business: Bill Wachenschwanz said that he would suspend the AFL-CIO and committee reports in the interest of conserving time. Bill said that he will be attending the President’s Meeting to be held January 30th, 2012 thru February 2nd, 2012. Since CWA and our Sector have now moved to a triennial Conference, this yearly meeting will be where issues of concern to NABET can be reviewed, discussed and addressed. Bill announced that the RAB will be held in June of 2012 in Boston.

Vice President Jim Kolendo urges all Members to contact their Stewards to sign up for the Final Cut Pro Training that will be taking place here in Cleveland the last three weeks of March 2012. It is important Members do so quickly so spots can be assigned.

Motion to Adjourn: Cathy Watkins. Second: Ken Koscick.
Meeting ends at 12:37pm.

NEXT E-BOARD MEETING: Saturday, January 21st, 2012 at 11:00am at the Union Hall.

Best wishes to all for a wonderful Holiday season!

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NABET/CWA LOCAL 42 Executive Board Meeting Minutes for 11-19-11

Posted on November 20, 2011 by ntatulin

Meeting called to order at 11:26am by President
Bill Wachenschwanz.

Attendees: M. DeChant, B. Geiger, J. Jackson, J. Kaminsky,
B. Kohagen, J. Kolendo, K. Koscick, T. Mullally, M. Oliver,
J. Potter, C. Reithmiller, N. Tatulinski, T. Trakas, E. Valdez and
W. Wachenschwanz.
Non-Voting Member: E. Verba.

President Wachenschwanz begins the Meeting by welcoming the new and returning Stewards and calls them up to be sworn into Office. The following Stewards were sworn in: Terry Trakas,
Terry Mullally, Emily Valdez (WJW), Marty DeChant, Jim Jackson, John Kaminsky, Ken Koscick, and John Potter (WOIO/WUAB). After completing the official swearing in, the Members of the E-Board gave a hearty round of applause to the Stewards. Best Wishes as you begin or continue your service to your Unit Members.

Reading of the Minutes of the October 15th, 2011 E-Board Meeting is suspended.
No changes or corrections are requested. Motion to accept the minutes as posted: Terry Trakas. Second: Bill Kohagen.

Treasurer’s Report is read by Treasurer Marilyn Oliver. In October, the total monthly income was $15,573.51. Expenses for the month totaled $15,990.22. We had a net loss for the month of $416.71. Big expenses were ULOA for WJW News Negotiation and Salary Compensation
Motion to accept the October Treasurer’s report: Terry Mullally. Second: Ken Koscick.

A Motion was made that Meeting Compensation and the Quarterly Stipend be re-instated after a ten month suspension for the entire
E-Board: Move: Bill Kohagen. Second: E. Valdez.

New Members: WOIO/WUAB- James Thornberry, Production Assistant, Part time
Motion to accept new member: Ken Koscick. Second: Jim Jackson.

Members Not Here Any More: WJW News- Audrey Renicella.
WJW Engineering- David Wolf.

Correspondence: The North Shore Chapter of the AFL-CIO sent a note of thanks and congratulations on the successful defeat of Issue 2. The former SB5 went down in flames thanks, in large part, to all the united efforts by the Sisters and Brothers in all the Unions standing together.
NABET/CWA Local 42 thanks the AFL-CIO Union Members and their families on their support of the “Turn Off WKYC Channel 3 Campaign.” The strength of so many Union families uniting together to support our Brothers and Sisters at Channel 3 is really beginning to bear fruit; ratings for Channel 3 have taken a down turn. Please keep spreading the word until WKYC management returns to the bargaining table.

Stewards Reports:

WOIO/WUAB: Bill Kohagen expresses sincere condolences to Holly Sechrist on the passing of her Mother, Eleanor Bowersock, in October. Sympathy is also extended to Jeff Koiner and family on the loss of his Mother, Connie.
Bill said that a registered letter was sent to Tamika Robinson who was fired last month. Tamika indicated she has no interest in returning to work at WOIO/WUAB; therefore the Union will not be pursuing a grievance on her behalf. The issue of Unit Members working additional time “off the clock” has been continuing and further investigation is taking place. The Environmental Sample Report just came in on the garage and surrounding environment. Excessively high levels of heavy metals were found and noted in the report. The findings have been shared with the company. Members who work in this area are strongly encouraged to wash their hands after being in the area and not disturb any of the dust they find.
Bill Kohagen thanked the E-Board and said that he has been a Steward for 11 years and Chief Steward at Large for 4 years and wished Rob Hillyer the best as Rob takes over as Chief Steward. President Wachenschwanz thanked Bill for all his hard work and dedication for so many years. The E-Board gave Kohagen a standing ovation as he stepped down from this leadership position.

WJW-Engineering- Terry Trakas reports that the Engineering Unit has seven to eight outstanding grievances and no response has been given by management. Tim Roskey will be notifying Lou Fallot to proceed with all grievances to Arbitration. The Benefits grievance is in the process of being evaluated; further details will be forth-coming after Lou completes his due diligence. Local 42 Counsel, Chuck DeGross addresses the E-Board on the Benefits grievance and said that NABET/CWA Counsel, Judiann Chartier will be taking the case.
Bill Wachenschwanz said that Gary Jones will be relinquishing his responsibility of scheduling vacations as of January 1, 2012. John Yusko will be taking over the job of vacation scheduling at that time. Bill said that Gary has done a fantastic job and really deserves kudos for all the work he has done. Terry Trakas suggests that Gary Jones be given a gift card from the Union as a token of appreciation for his hard work. Motion to give Gary Jones a $100 gift card in appreciation for his service to the Union:
Move: Terry Trakas. Second: Ken Koscick.

WJW-NEWS- Brian Geiger said the Directors grievance is in Arbitration and awaiting a decision. Chuck DeGross said that he asked for a continuance and that the brief will be filed in the next ten-to-twelve days. Chuck felt that there would be a decision sometime in January 2012. Brian reported that there are scheduling problems around the Thanksgiving Holidays and discussion on the topic began. Possibly a grievance may be filed.

WKYC- Chris Reithmiller expresses sincere condolences to Mark Smilor on the death of his Father-in-Law and to Randy White who had his grandmother pass. Chris said that there will be a Mobilization initiative in the near future. Chuck DeGross updated the
E-Board on the status of the NLRB hearing. Chuck said that over 125 pages of argument have been filed and that the actual oral argument will be the next step. He will continue to let us know up-dates as they occur.

AFL/CIO-SEC Report is given by President Wachenschwanz. Bill said the ALF-CIO had a victory party for the defeat of Issue 2. Bill attended the SEC Meeting and said in December the SEC will look over contracts and Staff Rep allocation. Bill felt that there probably would be no changes in the status of the Staff Reps here. Bill also said he wants to take a look at the Equity Committee and possibly refresh and reorganize the group.

IT Report: John Potter reminds all the new and returning Stewards to contact him with current e-mail addresses. John has posted photos from the general Membership Meeting in the photo gallery of the NABET 42 web site. Thanks John, for the nice work!

OLD BUSINESS: President Wachenschwanz spoke about the CWA President Meeting which will be held in February of 2012 just prior to the Legislative Meeting. Bill said we will talk about it more at our December Meeting, but with CBA’s at two of our Units opening in 2012, we may want to open talks with our Legislators re: assistance.

Vice President Jim Kolendo said that Lynda.com training seats are filling up nicely and he has 32 slots filled for this month. Jim urges all Stewards to get the word out NOW about the Final Cut Pro Training that will take place here in Cleveland in March of 2012. This training would cost over a thousand dollars per person if you were to take it independently. All the Union is asking is a $50 deposit for the three day session which will be REFUNDED if you attend all three days! Please clear your schedules, take vacation or personal time and rush to get one of these limited spots. Sign up TODAY!

NEW BUSINESS: The E-Board discussed holding a Holiday Party. After much discussion, all agreed that we will NOT have a Holiday party this year. With Negotiations opening up at WOIO/WUAB AND WJW in 2012, the money that would be spent on the party will be used to cover expenses for the Negotiations. We had a very well-attended General Membership Meeting and a delicious lunch; that gathering will substitute for our Holiday get together. A note of thanks to Cathy Watkins for organizing the luncheon, Treasurer Marilyn Oliver for the delicious pastry and Secretary Nancy Tatulinski for procuring the cookies and cake.

Motion to Adjourn: Bill Kohagen. Second: Jim Jackson.
Meeting ends at 1:24 pm.

NEXT E-BOARD MEETING: Saturday, December 17th, 2011 at 11:00am at the Union Hall.

A safe and Happy Thanksgiving is wished to all our Members and their families!

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2012 Local 42 Training Announcement

Posted on October 17, 2011 by jkolendo

2012 Lynda.com Training Schedule for Regions 2/6

Lynda.com online training for NABET members has been renewed and extended for 2012. Users must proactively choose their training dates; don’t miss this opportunity! The Lynda catalogue of courses is now over 1000 titles. This is the 2012 Lynda.com Training Schedule. Unused Region 2/6 seats will be reassigned to the Sector!

Grp 1: Jan 1 → Jan 28 Grp 8: Jul 15 → Aug 11
Grp 2: Jan 29 → Feb 25 Grp 9: Aug 12 → Sep 8
Grp 3: Feb 26 → Mar 24 Grp 10: Sep 9 → Oct 6
Grp 4: Mar 25 → Apr 21 Grp 11: Oct 7 → Nov 3
Grp 5: Apr 22 → May 19 Grp 12: Nov 4 → Dec 1
Grp 6: May 20 → Jun 16 Grp 13: Dec 2 → Dec 29
Grp 7: Jun 17 → Jul 14 ****************************

Sign up now! First come, first served! Submit alternative dates. Send the following information to jkolendo@sbcglobal.net. Information needed: 1. your Local’s Number, 2. your name, 3.your exact e-mail address, and 4. desired training dates from the above schedule. Serious repeat users are welcome back any time! Previous users already in the system are O.K. New users should contact their respective shop stewards to have their information submitted to me.

2012 CLEVELAND FINAL CUT PRO LAB

Sector President Joyce, Sector Vice President Braico, RVP-6 Wachenschwanz, and RVP-2 Saburro in cooperation with Kevin Celata of CWA NETT Academy proudly announce the return of the Final Cut Pro Lab to Cleveland in March, 2012. The program is designed to teach nonlinear editing from the editor’s point of view. Training is offered to NABET members in good standing.

Classes will be conducted at the CWA 4340 Union Hall, 1400 East Schaaf Road, Brooklyn Heights, Ohio 44131. Jim Talluto, retired CBS news editor from New York and IBEW member, will be the instructor.

The six three-day sessions will allow training of 48 individuals. Classes will be 6.5 hours long with a scheduled lunch break. Sessions will begin either on Sunday or end on Saturday so that members can utilize a weekend day to arrange time off from work. Except for a $50.00 registration fee to encourage participation and attendance there are no additional charges for training. Payment will be by check to NABET Local 42. This fee will be refunded upon successful completion of the program. The proposed schedule is:
• Session 1: Sunday, March 11 through Tuesday the 13th
• Session 2: Thursday, March 15 through Saturday the 17th
• Session 3: Sunday, March 18, through Tuesday the 20th
• Session 4: Thursday, March 22 through Saturday the 24th
• Session 5: Sunday, March 25 through Tuesday the 27th
• Session 6: Thursday, March 29 through Saturday the 31st

Members are responsible for arranging their time off from work. With the exception of session lunch Local 42 accepts no responsibility for salary comp, travel, or meal expenses. If provided at a proprietary institution this training would cost between $1700 and $2000.

See your respective shop stewards or chief stewards for enrollment forms. Please note that the following information is needed: 1. Member’s Name, 2. Local Number, 3. Station Call Letters, 4. Member’s Phone Number, 5. Member’s E-mail Address, and 6. The Member’s Skill Level. Each member must realistically assess their skill level, because every attempt will be made to group students by expertise to maximize training effectiveness. Once groups are organized members will be assigned class dates so that they can arrange time off from work.

The cutoff date for application and registration fee is February 1, 2012 unless filled earlier.

Fraternally,
Jim Kolendo
V.P. NABET-CWA Local 42, Cleveland
Training Administrator, NABET-CWA Regions 2/6

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NABET/CWA Local 42 General Membership Meeting 10-15-11

Posted on October 16, 2011 by ntatulin

“Stay Together, Focus and Fight”

The meeting was called to order by NABET/CWA Local 42 President Bill Wachenschwanz at 12:30 PM. Bill welcomed the forty plus Members, Retirees and Guests present and invited them to prepare questions for NABET/CWA Sector President, Jim Joyce and Sector Vice President, Charles Braico, who will address the Members later in the meeting.

Bill Wachenschwanz introduces NABET/CWA Sector President, Jim Joyce, and invites Jim to the podium.

Jim thanks the Membership of Local 42 for the invitation to speak and begins with an overview of activities and events that have taken place in the past year and a summary of several activities the Sector is initiating to help strengthen the Locals.

This past July 2011, the Triennial Sector Conference was held in Las Vegas. Jim Joyce was re-elected Sector President and Charlie Braico was elected Sector Vice-President for a four year term in keeping with CWA By-Laws. The next Sector Conference will be in 2015. Jim thanked Local 42 Vice President, Jim Kolendo for the fine work he did on the By-Law Committee and said Jim K. represented our Local well.

President Joyce up-dated the Membership on the status of our Legal Counsel at the Sector Level. Matt Harris, former NABET Counsel, left in March to take a position with the Brotherhood of the Teamsters. Jim is happy to announce that we have hired
Ms. Judiann Chartier, Esquire, currently practicing with Katz, Friedman, Eagle, Einstein, Johnson and Bareck in Chicago, IL. Judiann will be working out of the Sector office in Washington, DC after she completes her assignments with her current employer and relocates. Judi has done work for Local 41 and both Jim and Charlie were complimentary of her work for that Local. Judiann will be working for the Sector full-time as of November 14, 2011.
Jim said that Chuck DeGross has been doing a great job and will continue on with the ULP at WKYC/Gannett.
Jim touched on the topic of National Projects and the focus on Organizing and help in bargaining. Jim spoke about the Defense Fund Oversight Committee and is pleased to report that NABET and TNG now have a seat. Eddie Phillips is on that Committee which allocated 50 thousand dollars to Local 42 for use on the Plain Dealer informational Ad about our struggle at WKYC that ran on the July 4th weekend.

Jim also explained the structure of the Strategic Industry Fund and how money is incremented into industry projects for organizing as well as training programs for members. A new initiative will rebate money to each Local on a per-capita basis to help Locals create their own programs to make each Local stronger.

President Joyce spoke about Lynda.com and gave kudos to Local VP Jim Kolendo for
his administration of the licenses for Regions Two and Six. Jim urges everyone to get involved with the Lynda.com training as well as the BURST Final Cut Pro Lab which will be back in Cleveland next Spring. Sector VP Braico, Chair of the Committee on Technology and Training, will talk about some exciting new programs during his presentation to the Local.

Jim shared many insights on SIF projects including identifying places where Unionization is needed, particularly in the Hispanic areas of media. Jim also mentioned the “Organizing Institute” that was held here in Cleveland last January. He spoke eloquently on the topic and said that Local issues are often the precursor to National issues. Jim encourages all of us to get involved, put up yard signs, get out and vote. He said that we “…need to make sure we have a secure future with our employers. The Union is our voice at work. We fought for these rights, for our children and for those workers that will come after us. Make sure our voice is heard.”

Jim Joyce discussed programs that are being developed to build coalitions with groups that have common interests. One group he mentioned was “Occupy Wall Street” and how their issues relate to organized Labor. Jim said that corporate CEO’s are using their power to suppress Workers rights. Jim presented startling statistics such as the fact that Union Membership in the private sector has gone from 38% Organized in 1955 to 7% in 2010. At the same time frame, the tax base used to keep or country funded went from a corporate tax of 27% down to 8.9% while the individual tax rate went from 58% up to 81.5%. Worker productivity has gone UP 25% while wages have gone DOWN 20%. CEO’s have not taken the same kind of wage cuts; in 2010 the average CEO compensation was 343 times GREATER than the average worker! This is what “Occupy Wall Street” is all about. Jim said “A rising tide raises all boats”; they are committed to the cause and we can take a lesson from them. He thanked all of us for our support in the fight against Verizon and their efforts to get a CBA.

Jim concluded his speech by reviewing the events of last week’s CWA District Four Meeting and Seth Rosen’s speech which featured our struggle at WKYC and Seth’s request for all Locals to support our cause. Jim wants to continue to build strong communication in the Local and thanked the Retired Members for their commitment to the Union.

Bill Wachenschwanz thanked President Joyce for his presentation and welcomed Sector Vice President Charlie Braico to the podium.

Charlie thanked Local 42 for the invitation to our General Membership Meeting and reviewed his history in the Union. Charlie grew up in Chicago’s Southside and has been active in the Union since 1978. He began employment at ABC in 1979 in Local 41 and took over as Local 41 President in 2010. His Local has nine Units and includes Network as well as FOX, PBS and Spanish language station contracts. He said that battles are being waged in every city and that we need to “stick together and fight to shift the momentum our way”.

As Chair of Training and Technology, Charlie reviewed the Lynda.com program and also thanked Local VP Kolendo for the nice job he does administering the licenses. There are over one thousand topic/titles available to study and the Sector picks up the cost so Members can train free of charge. A new program will be rolled out in April 2012 called “Class-On-Demand”. It is an on-line training system similar to Lynda.com but can be customized to specific equipment. They will actually make DVD’s and tutorials to suit the exact setting you need! More information will be presented in 2012.

Charlie said that we are a diverse Union with many contracts, jobs and people and the efforts are being made to align the structure within the Sector to improve communication and coordination with the Staff Reps.

In conclusion, Charlie said we need to “Organize the Un-Organized” including the daily hires. He thanked the Retired Members and urged everyone to get out and vote NO on Issue 2 on November second.

Bill Wachenschwanz opens the floor to questions from the Membership.

The first question/comment was regarding the process of taking a grievance to Arbitration and what criteria the Sector uses in proceeding with a grievance. The issue of holding the company to the terms of the ratified CBA through the grievance process was emphasized. President Joyce reviewed the three step process of grievance: First there is a verbal notification/identification at the Local level followed by a written grievance. The written grievance goes to the Sector where progression to Arbitration is authorized. Finally Arbitration takes place. VP Braico said that there had been a gap in the process with Matt Harris leaving, but that there will be a “breath of fresh air” when Judiann Chartier comes on board in November.

A question was raised about the political make-up of the NLRB. Jim Joyce gave an illuminating explanation of the process of President Obama’s appointments to the Board during the Easter recess in 2009. Jim assured the Members that NABET and CWA will be closely monitoring the appointments to the NLRB and will be proactive with communication with the White House.

Local 42 President Bill Wachenschwanz presents his comments on the state of our Local.

Bill said first and foremost that the Local is sound financially. We have had a difficult time with the dues check off issue at WKYC and some Members at WKYC really need to step up and pay their fair share. We don’t win the fight we are facing without money.
We need to “stay together, focus and fight”. Our common goal of making a decent wage for our families and having safe working conditions are realized through collective bargaining. We need to stay strong and united; focused on that goal so each Unit at every station can achieve that ideal.

Bill stressed the importance of getting the vote out AGAINST Issue 2. It is not just about Firemen and Police; it is an issue that affects us all. It is an attack on jobs and the right to collective bargaining.

Local 42 Vice President Jim Kolendo addressed the Membership.

Jim reminds everyone that our Union Dues pay for the on-line training available on Lynda.com and that we all need to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. All a Member has to do is contact their Steward about registering and provide a valid e-mail address and you are on your way.

Jim is pleased to announce the BURST Final Cut Pro Lab will return to Cleveland in March of 2012. There will be two sessions per week beginning March 11th through March 31st. Each session will run three days; Sunday, Monday and Tuesday or
Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There is a $50 dollar registration fee that will be FULLY refunded once you have completed your entire three day session. Please contact your Steward to sign up.

President Wachenschwanz thanked everyone for attending and invited Members to enjoy lunch and the company of their fellow Union Brothers and Sisters. A Motion was made by Terry Trakas to adjourn the meeting. Kathy Smith seconded.
The meeting ended at 1:58PM.

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