 SBC Communications, Inc. headquarters (shown at right) has been a significant part of the downtown St. Louis skyline.
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CWA Union Reaches Agreement With SBC
ST. LOUIS, MO. (SLFP.com), May 26, 2004 - The Communications Workers of America reached a tentative 5-year agreement with SBC Communications that achieves the union's major objectives of strengthening employment security, including new access to jobs in the growth areas, protecting health security for both active employees and retirees, and improving wages and pensions.
According to an announcement from the CWA Union, the agreement came as 100,000 SBC workers returned to work today following a strike that began Friday, May 21. Subject to member ratification, the settlement covers workers in 13 states in SBC territory including Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, California and Nevada..
"SBC now has a labor agreement that provides us greater control over our cost structure and flexibility to meet our competitive challenges, while continuing to provide the outstanding wages and benefits that are hallmarks of this company," stated SBC Chairman and CEO Edward E. Whitacre Jr.
"It is time now for the SBC family to come together quickly and rededicate ourselves to being the best communications company we can be," said Whitacre. "That is what our customers and stockholders expect and deserve."
Among the highlights, the settlement guarantees that there will be no layoffs of employees currently on the payroll for the life of the agreement, and it calls for the rehiring of several hundred workers who had been laid off at SBC Southwest and SBC Midwest (former Southwestern Bell and Ameritech).
The pact gives union workers access to the jobs of the future at SBC in areas such as FTTP (Fiber to the Premise), Voice over Internet Protocol, Wireless Internet, video services and business data services. CWA and SBC agreed to work together to bring back tech support jobs from overseas when the current outsourcing agreement with Accenture expires.
"This agreement helps ensure that American workers and their communities benefit from the promise of new information technology jobs," stated CWA President Morton Bahr. The settlement provides access and opportunity for members as they move from traditional telecom work to the new technologies of the industry, he noted.
The agreement provides that health care benefits continue to be fully paid by SBC, a major union goal in the talks. There are some increases in co-payments for medical services and prescription drugs. To help offset these higher costs, active employees will receive cash bonuses of $1,000 and retirees, who are now under a different plan from active workers, will receive $2,500.
The parties agreed to across-the-board base wage increases totaling 12 percent, compounded, plus an additional 1 percent lump sum in the first year and cost-of-living-adjustments in the fourth and fifth years. The initial wage increase is retroactive to April 4.
Pensions will increase 13 percent over the contract term, and the cash balance pension plan for SBC East (SNET) employees is substantially improved.
A contract successorship clause stipulates that any sale of phone lines by SBC be predicated upon the buyer assuming the existing contract.
The previous contracts expired in early April, but remained in effect as negotiations continued until May 19, when CWA gave SBC its 24-hour notice of intent to terminate the contract and strike.
Aging Workforce is Changing
Missouri's Labor Market Profile
ST. LOUIS, MO. (SLFP.com), May 23, 2004 - As the Baby Boom generation ages, it is changing the demographics and dynamics of the nation's and Missouri's labor markets.
According to a new report, A Profile of Older Workers in Missouri, the state's workforce is aging with the percentage of workers age 45 to 64 increasing by 5.5 percent to 31 percent between 1995 and 2002. The proportion of Missourians 65 years and older who continue working has also increased slightly to 3.0 percent. The percentage of workers between 14 and 44 years old dropped to 66 percent in 2002 from 72 percent in 1995.
The report was generated through the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) program, a partnership between the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) and U.S. Census Bureau. In addition to identifying the age composition of the state's workforce, the report identifies which industries are likely to be affected by the aging of the workforce, which are the most likely to employ older workers, which have the lowest turnover rates of older workers, and how much older workers earn.
"Up-to-date information on the changing composition of Missouri's workforce will be an important guide to policy makers and business owners alike who need to know which industries and regions of the state will most likely be impacted by changes in the labor market," said Kelvin Simmons, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. "Older workers will also benefit from this data as they learn where jobs are available, in what industries and at what level of earnings."
The real estate and local/suburban transit industries have the greatest concentration of older workers, with more than one in five workers in Missouri being 55 years and older in 2002. More than 5,000 older workers are employed in Missouri's real estate industry. Air transportation and apparel manufacturing in the state also have large percentages of older workers.
The industries that created the most jobs for workers 55 years and older were business services, with 1,190 jobs created on average per quarter, followed by eating and drinking places with 1,019 jobs, and health services with 908 jobs. Business services and eating and drinking places, however, also have a high turnover rate for older workers.
The highest paying industries for older workers in 2002 were security/commodity brokers, non-depository institutions, holding/investment offices, paper/allied products manufacturing and legal services.
The Department of Labor released new jobs figures, Friday, May 21, for states across the country and announced that Missouri added 20,000 new jobs in April. This follows on the 337,000 new jobs that were created nationwide in March and the 288,000 new jobs created across the country in April. In total, over 1.1 million jobs have been added since August, with eight consecutive months of gains.
No Relief in Sight as Gasoline Prices
Continue to Set New Records
ST. LOUIS, MO. (PRNewswire), May 16, 2004 - Strong demand for gasoline helped push prices higher last week throughout California as new record high prices were set virtually on a daily basis, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch.
The national average price of gasoline rose 6 cents last week to a record high of $2.010. This week, 16 of the 19 cities surveyed in the Weekend Gas Watch have set new record high prices: New York - $2.185, Atlanta - $1.915, Chicago - $2.159, St. Louis - $1.976, Kansas City, Mo. - $1.933, Denver - $1.937, Las Vegas - $2.239, and San Francisco - $2.392.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.319 a gallon, which is 5.3 cents higher than last week, 12 cents higher than last month and 48 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.341, which is 5.8 cents above last week, 13 cents higher than last month and 53 cents above last year. Motorists in the Central Coast pay an average price of $2.434, which is 4.7 cents higher than last week, 14 cents above last month and 49 cents higher than last year.
"Gasoline on the Los Angeles wholesale market continues to sell in the $1.70 range, which should keep pump prices at or higher than current levels," said Auto Club spokesperson, Carol Thorp. "Despite record high retail prices, demand for gas continues to be very strong. As long as motorists are willing to buy more gasoline at higher prices, there is little hope that prices will go lower any time soon."
On Friday, the Ambassador to the United States Prince Bandar bin Sultan issued the following statement with regard to oil production:
"Saudi Arabia will encourage OPEC to increase its production ceiling by more than 2 million barrels per day. We have determined, after reviewing updated projections for oil supply and demand, that this increase in oil production is necessary to maintain stability in the market and growth in the world economy.
"Saudi Arabia has already communicated to its customers that it will produce approximately 9.0 million barrels per day starting in June 2004. However, we will continue to examine the data as it becomes available to determine the supply that would bring prices within OPEC's target price range which is $22-28 per barrel.
"Saudi Arabia has been and will continue to be a strong and reliable energy partner, and we are working to bring prices down for consumers."
Majority of Youth Understand 'Copyright,' But Many Continue to Download Illegally
ST. LOUIS, MO. (PRNewswire), May 16, 2004 - An understanding of copyright law is not enough to stop kids from downloading copyrighted software, games, music and other digital media through illegal, online file-sharing networks, according to a new Harris Interactive(R) poll conducted for the Business Software Alliance (BSA).
A majority of youth are aware that digital media files are copyrighted (91 percent of young people are aware that books are copyrighted; 88 percent, movies; 88 percent, music; 86 percent, software; 83 percent, games and 64 percent, Web sites), yet many of them admit to downloading files anyway. Just over half say they download music (53 percent) and a third download games (32 percent), while fewer kids say they download larger digital files such as commercial software (22 percent) and movies (17 percent).
The nationwide opinion poll asked more than 1,100 youth, ages eight to 18, about their attitudes toward copyright law and Internet behavior, including uploading and downloading copyrighted files through online peer-to-peer (P2P) sites.
"Unfortunately, many kids and teens continue to download copyrighted works illegally even though more than half of them think there are laws against downloading digital works," stated Diane Smiroldo, vice president of public affairs for BSA.
"What's most alarming is that eight out of 10 kids and teens understand the definition of copyright and nearly all of them, especially teens, are aware that software, music and movies are protected by copyright. The fact that kids know stealing software is wrong, and yet they behave like it's okay, clearly illustrates a challenging ethical dilemma."
File-Sharing Risks Worry Young People
Kids and teens are more worried about technological problems while downloading digital media than they are about the ethics of stealing.
When illegally downloading, young people worry more about accidentally downloading a computer virus (60 percent) than they do about whether they can get in trouble with the law (50 percent) or accidentally downloading spyware (43 percent). Only 29 percent worry that the act is wrong. Girls worry more about all risks, and boys (19 percent) are more likely to say that none of these things worry them.
Anti-Piracy Education Is Key to Ethical Behavior
"What's of most concern is that kids take big risks to steal software and they perceive it as a victimless crime. One in four says 'it doesn't hurt anybody when I do this' and that underscores a cyber ethics education deficiency at home and in the schools," stated Smiroldo.
Most youth say their education about laws protecting creative works online stems from watching television (59 percent). Other sources include a parent (44 percent), the Internet (44 percent), advertisements (36 percent), friends (30 percent) and teachers (18 percent). Younger kids (ages eight to 12) are more likely to say they learn about laws from their parents (44 percent).
"It's critical that parents and teachers continue to educate our young people about the importance of cyber ethics and respect for intellectual property. Parents should supervise their kids activities online, since much of this behavior takes place at home," stated Smiroldo.
"Our hope is that parents and educators utilize the many resources available to teach youth to become good cyber citizens, so that these kids do the right thing as they get older."
To provide guidance in teaching children about respect for digital works online and becoming good cyber citizens, BSA offers parents, teachers and students a variety of free materials and tools on cyber ethics, including its curriculum, "Play It Safe In Cyberspace." The curriculum is available for free download at www.PlayitCyberSafe.com and was co-produced by the children's publisher Weekly Reader. Since its initial distribution in 2002, the curriculum has reached more than 13 million kids, parents and teachers.
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