IBEW Local 1049 (Long Island, NY) Willing to Work for Cablevision Employees; Voting Over Three-Day Period

AWAITING SIGNAL ON UNIONS

More than 650 Cablevision technical workers on Island to decide if they want union representation


BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
STAFF WRITER

January 18, 2005

It's Round 3 this week for Cablevision and the unions that want to organize many of its technical workers.

Following votes in other service areas, including Brooklyn and the Bronx, that rejected unionization, 658 technical workers on Long Island will get their chance to vote on the issue.

The balloting, which will take place at eight locations during the next three days, will decide whether Local 1049 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers will represent the technicians. Most of the workers install cable TV service in homes throughout Long Island, while some work at cable TV transmission facilities. The IBEW represents about 2,000 employees of Time Warner Cable of New York.

Union organizers say the biggest complaints are that Cablevision contributes too little to retirement plans and that employees have no guidelines for gaining promotions or raises and have little job security.

"They are frustrated by the lack of structure," said Rick Fridell, an organizer for the IBEW. "They don't know what they need to get their next raise. It's based on favoritism, not the amount of work done or the quality of work."

Fridell said wages range from $12 per hour to $32 per hour, with an average of $17 per hour. In the 401(k) plan, the company matches half of the first 6 percent of annual salary contributions. Fridell said another concern is that Cablevision will be acquired by a company offering less security and fewer commitments. Time Warner Cable has often expressed interest in eventually acquiring Cablevision.

Citing the recent votes, Cablevision repeated a statement it has issued in the past, saying it has provided an "excellent workplace" for more than 30 years, including competitive salaries and benefits and "a strong dedication to our employees."

Cablevision Systems Corp. has been able to keep out unions from its cable TV operations, although some of the employees at its Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall operations are represented by unions.

In November, an effort to unionize 488 Cablevision workers in Brooklyn and the Bronx failed, as technicians voted 366-88 against being represented by Local 1101 of the Communications Workers of America.

Last month, Cablevision employees in Rockland and Orange counties voted 49-36 against being represented by Local 363 of the IBEW. In 1999, employees there rejected the union by a vote of 27-7.

The IBEW is also trying to help organize about 800 Cablevision employees in New Jersey. In the 1990s, some employees of companies that Cablevision acquired there were represented by IBEW Local 827 but dropped that representation after they got raises, Fridell said.

Fridell said Cablevision has told employees the company will not bow to union demands even if it means a strike and will withdraw some of their benefits if they unionize.

In 1999, after Cablevision hired a law firm to block efforts by labor organizers, chief executive James Dolan said at an annual meeting, "Our employees are better off and shareholders are better off with the direct relationship between employees and management."

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