Deg and CO techs crews merge in IL.
What's the reason for this?
Anywhere else this happening?
35 replies (most recent on top)
Have you bothered to actually read the job briefs (description) for Digital Tech and Systems Tech in the SE region??
They haven’t been touched from a language viewpoint for 20+ years and the descriptions are beyond archaic in terms of technology.
Same goes for most of the CWA job title briefs. They are a couple of decades old at the least and just as behind the times as the union itself.
The family of skills language in the SE contract is virtually meaningless outside of surplus activity.
Two titles in the same wage scale, organization, business unit, location and under the same chain of command from L1 up. Makes it easy for the company to walk all over the family of skills stuff.
“..Yes, technology sunsets jobs, like operators or coin collectors for pay phones but the contract and negotiated labor rules must be followed for job descriptions, skills, layoffs, bumping rights, job bank and other optio…”
Technology also sunsets jobs like pots & copper, which is kinda where we’re at for the most part.
SE, It’s not just wage scale, family of skills are different too for CO (6) and DT (3,9).
System tech, System Specialist (6,9) and DT are a grouped together in (9).
Combo Tech
Yes there is such a title
Nevada
Last poster is right. Same thing that happened to Specials and ABFS across the country. The CWA dumped the field services rep titles performing ABFS in the last contract out in D9 (CA, NV, HI) a few years ago and they were moved to Systems Technician I&R, the same as Specials. ABFS and Specials techs 99% have the same title in West, Southwest and Midwest now respectively. Southeast is the only region where they are still separated by title (Systems Tech for ABFS and Digital Tech for Specials), but even there they report up through the same L1 manager in almost all areas.
Don't know about the other regions, but in the SE, it's mostly a one sided workshare with Specials techs doing basic rack and stack of managed routers, WiFi AP's and wiring, etc. The ABFS techs still mostly only perform CPE work due to the contract language, but both titles are in the same wage scale so unless a safety issue exists, they can be sent to do each others work.
That's been the plan all along genius. No work share plan between the job functions has been put in place by your national staff yet. For now, you just have some CNIO-DEG and CNIO-CO (4-wall) techs reporting up through the same chain of command starting at L1. Same thing Business Field Services did with ABFS and Special Services techs a few years back in another multi-year project.
There will be some work share opportunities immediately between the job functions that have to be ironed out and agreed to both internally and externally with the CWA/IBEW (IL is predominantly IBEW if I remember correctly..). If the DEG and CO job titles fall under the same wage scale in the D4 contract, that makes it much simpler.
Not new news at all. Planning started as soon as soon as CO and DEG were moved to the same business unit (CNIO) back in 2021 during that last reorg in network back in 2021.
Most DEG I know have been RIP for a long time, they have the occasional trouble and routines but in reality about a third of their crew can handle what is left. Unfortunately technology has greatly reduced the need for that position. There are a lot of them ready or near retirement, offering a bonus along with SIPP like they did in 2020 SE, would get the necessary reductions.
The DEG Techs that could actually do CO work are LONG retired. Most have their hands full doing a routine and staying awake.
Well I guess y’all are down to door alarms now! :)
Not able to order battery grease and stickers anymore. Now what will DEG do all day?
Can they do that!?!?
WHO CARES?
Flexibility to work both inside and outside.
It’s a way to get rid of DEG techs in the SE. not enough work with battery grease and stickers. CO techs have work and only need CO tech help. No time to train others.
“ Your job scope expands with more forced OT without any more compensation.”
Your OT is your increased compensation, dummy.
Do not count on the Union to help you.
Despite the common belief that Contract Labor cannot be utilized to perform Union work, it is happening ( my group sits side by side with Contract Labor who is paid far more than we are ) and with full Union blessings as well.
I'm of the opinion that the Union " rules " aren't worth the paper they're printed on and subject to being bent or outright ignored when it's convenient for the Company, the Union or both.
Despite the business needing less employees doesn’t absolve them of providing a much improved retirement match, COLA, better healthcare premiums, deductions, out of pocket and better raises. With the 2008 depression, pandemic and now super high inflation. Bargained has gone in reverse for too long while the C-suite has thrived and increased their wealth. Time for change either in the contract or Union Leadership, if they can’t produce a bettter than normal contract.
Job functions are separate for now but what do you think is their end game? Need to be vigilant and speak to your union representatives. If there is to be reductions then the contract rules need to be applied not just a merging of job functions and titles. It’s a way around article 7, seniority, exchanges and the membership should have a vote on it, not just be decided by the Union President and a committee. Too many MOA’s and other agreements have been decided by union leadership without membership input or votes.
Yes, technology sunsets jobs, like operators or coin collectors for pay phones but the contract and negotiated labor rules must be followed for job descriptions, skills, layoffs, bumping rights, job bank and other options.
D3 DEG & CO reporting to same 1st level. Work still separate. No word if CO techs will be trained for door alarms, battery grease, & stickers and no word if DEG will be trained to wire an order 1 panel over with the X&R light backwards & close out all tickets “good leaving the office”.
The difference with UAW/Teamsters members is that most of them are needed. T is a largely dying business where a lot of us are no longer needed.
Next contract need cola and at least 5% each year minimum
D4-CO & Deg reporting to same 1st level manager. Job functions are still separate.
Time to swap to the UAW or Teamsters for better job security, negotiations and benefits. CWA has been going backwards in the last several contracts.
Time to move on to the Brown according to the numbers, their Union has more pull and leadership it appears.
Well DEG is usually in the parking lot or break room of the CO
Maybe have them do F1 moves on the frame to earn their pay
Retirement for bargained is terrible since they changed it in 1999, the 401k match is horrendous for such a large corporation. In the 401k, it comes to about $2k total a year for top craft titles, that’s if you are putting in the max match amount per week. Company matches that on a varying scale not dollar for dollar, usually in the low 50-60%. Almost always comes out to a low 2k match.
New hires don’t get the pension anymore and those that are grandfathered in only get 1% of their salary added each year. Not good compared to other companies, UPS or FedEx gets approximately 27k a year added to their retirements.
Wonder how many DEG techs will be pulled up next to the DDM2000 in the CO taking a nap with their laptop and scanner next to them or trying to scan the batteries. Joking, :-)
No rest for the weary in the CO, constantly on the move and working a lot of various tickets daily. Efficiency counts and as does completing many jobs.
“It’s time for unions to stick up for workers pay, benefits and job rules. The wealthy have become more enriched and average workers have gone backwards for decades now. Inflation has poured napalm on the situation. Thanks to good ole’ uncle Joe, isn’t your economy great?”
It was the U management team that agreed to our pay raises over the decades. It was also the U management team that spent our $$ supporting & telling us to vote for uncle Joe.
Any moves by upper management isn’t in your immediate manager or your best interest.
Merging then purging, a way to reduce headcount. Your job scope expands with more forced OT without any more compensation. Moves those even close to retirement or 30 years, right along. Saves company from paying severance.
It’s time for unions to stick up for workers pay, benefits and job rules. The wealthy have become more enriched and average workers have gone backwards for decades now. Inflation has poured napalm on the situation. Thanks to good ole’ uncle Joe, isn’t your economy great?
Mobility merged field ops and the mtso 4 or so years ago
It’s like they combined I&M FT’s and ST’s, result is layoffs or not replacing for attrition plus they both have to do most of each others job. Most FT’s hate doing ST work and vice a versa for ST’s on hard FT troubles. It only benefits the company, they were forcing OT a lot (evenings/weekends) and increasing their area of work too because of the reduced headcount. Long drive times between troubles now and end of day it’s bad with evening traffic, working into the dark.
Work/Life balance was very bad until this last year when the company reduced projects and budget spending because of not meeting free cash flow for Wall Street.
The company is trying to reduce manager headcount, increase their span and control. They would like to merge as many craft titles as they can without the proper training or compensation but expect more efficiency and performance.
the Union needs to push back on that and not allow it to happen. Talk to your fellow union members and Local. As previous post, different job functions, skills and training. Not that one is better than the other, just different.
D3 SE, in GA, DEG and CO recently have the same 2nd level but the 1st level nor their crews are combined and they aren't assigned each others work. Per the contract they are in different skills and the job descriptions are different. CO job description and training is about 12 pages long, DT is about 4 pages.
At least in the SE, unless the contract is changed doing negotiations, they shouldn’t be doing each other’s work. The company would like to have one super tech to do it all, not good for craft for various reasons