Saturday, September 12, 2009
By Leo Canty
One of America’s biggest most profitable companies also seems to hold the title as one .everyone loves to hate. Comcast Cable Communications Inc. was a startup in 1963 and closed out 2008 with revenues of almost $9 billion. Shareholders got a good return as the company raised its rates, aggressively chased new business, trimmed its costs, and ramped up its practice of keeping the workforce union free.
It appears the Comcast business model applies the age-old theory of balloon-o-nomics. Just grab your company balloon and squeeze one end – by skimping on service, then squeeze the other end – by skimping on worker pay and benefits. The balloon expands in the middle – and pumps up profits and shareholder returns.
But squeezing services has had its consequences. A couple years ago The American Consumer Satisfaction Index found Comcast to have a worse satisfaction rating than the IRS. With all due respect to the dedicated government workers who are often scorned only by their association with the tax man, it stands to reason that an entertainment company might naturally score higher marks just for being, well, entertaining. But negative consumer sentiment ran so deep that dissatisfied customers started a revolt and made a public spectacle of fighting back Comcast’s bad service for high cost services, ironically in many cases via the internet services they purchase from Comcast.
www.comcastmustdie.com is just one of the sites that got Comcast’s attention as the site became very active, with numerous complaints finding their way to the site. While not exactly expressing a lot of love or “Comcastic” reviews, no words were spared by the squeezed and disgrunteled as they shared stories about the mega-tel-com’s high prices for lousy service. Then there’s the “I Hate Comcast” page on Facebook, www.comcastsucks.org and a few million more that can be found with a google search containing the words comcast and hate.
But consumers united will never be defeated, and that loudly voiced discontent has had an effect. This year consumer service ratings have pegged in a bit higher as the company has been responding more to the calls and discontent logged in on phone calls and internet venues. They even hired staff to monitor and respond to service complaints of all places – on Twitter – and brought in the marketing gurus who have spun out the ComcastCares concept to try to convince people they really do. While the consumer ratings have jumped a few points into the upper 50’s on a 100 point scale, questions arise as to how long that will last when profits are lost by the expenses of better service.
It’s a different story on the labor front. Comcast, more than ever has become the company cited as the best reason to support the Employee Free Choice Act. Notorious for their union prevention programs that incorporate the usual union-busting techniques of worker intimidation tactics, legal delays and terminations, Comcast has also gained status as an innovator in creating new ways to stop its workforce from gaining a voice, job protection and fair wages and benefits and they don’t seem to be slowing down on that front.
Shareholders gain with worker losses in this game, so the company is actively engaged in the sport, always dreaming up new plays. It's companies like Comcast that would be denied the option to engage in the dissolute anti-worker, anti-union behaviors .they employ, making for a more balanced union selection process.
Many of the workers in western Pennsylvania can affirm Comcast’s reputation and attest to the on-going attempts to de-unionize. The Communications Workers of America – CWA – represents one of the largest groups of organized Comcast workers in the country in their District 13 union in the Pittsburgh area. Over the last decade union organizing of Comcast workers has met with disappointing results. CWA has won representation in many different bargaining units only to be faced with Comcast delays and intimidation that resulted in a number of the units decertifying the union. This was accomplished in large part because Comcast strategically delayed the process, adding a long, discouraging time frame to get contracts settled for the workers. There are units that outlasted and persevered the Comcast delays and have contracts settled and a fourth is in the works. But Comcast's resistance to this last agreement seems to have been ramped up of late.
The union leaders in the current contest with Comcast have been feeling the effects of a cable industry in flux. Many cable systems have been changing hands as they are bought out, merged or absorbed by the tel-com giants. Many Comcast workers in western Pennsylvania were ATT workers 7 years ago until ATT “merged” with Comcast. Before that merger, ATT Broadband entered into a cooperative agreement with the CWA to remain relatively neutral when workers looked to unionize. There was a limited card check agreement that allowed union recognition when enough people signed up. And they did in big numbers.
After the merger transition period and Comcast’s assumption of the the operations, all the rules changed and the games began. The contrast in behavior between the two systems was huge. Cooperation was substituted with combat, and it took a toll as a number of the previously organized units voted to return to non-union status, covertly assisted by Comcast management.
Marge Krueger is a leader in CWA’s District 13. She has been in the forefront of organizing cable workers in Pennsylvania, working as an organizer and negotiating contracts. Her fellow union activists lovingly refer to her as the “Cable Queen.” She got the title for all her efforts in the cable organizing campaigns. She has lived through the whole cycle and has seen the changes first hand. “When ATT was here and cooperated with us in a neutral way around organizing, members joined up in big numbers," Krueger said. "Votes came in at 5 to 1 for the union. Then on that dreaded day when ATT announced the Comcast merger, it all got turned around.”
The union had heard all about Comcast’s ways as they spread their ill will in all the areas they were spreading their franchise tentacles. Comcast is the largest cable TV provider and employs over 100,000 people. Unions that dealt with Comcast in many other states knew how they worked and got their battle scars while dealing with the company. Now it was District 13’s turn.
Comcast took over operations and put their tactics into play. The lawyers and experts were brought in to hatch and execute the plans to persuade workers that they were now part of the Comcast family and the company was going to look out for them. They didn’t need a union. Where the soft talk didn’t work, things got more rough and tumble, with threats of job losses and negative consequences for union support.
“The company had barbecues and breakfasts for us. They wanted to be our friends and make us think they will give us all these great things” said Duane Eagan, a VP in the local union currently in negotiations. Eagan is a Comcast service technician by trade, and during his tenure at the company has been able to see through the empty promises Comcast has made to so many people. “It’s a management tactic to get friendly with the workers and make them feel they are liked,” said Ameenah Salaam, a District 13 organizer and representative. Salaam has seen all the tricks too. The visits, the parties, targeted freebies and giveaways. “Some of the guys even had pretty girls assigned to ride around in their trucks just to talk with them during the organizing drives. That was pretty strange and no one knew how to react to that,” Salaam said.
It appears the Comcast business model applies the age-old theory of balloon-o-nomics. Just grab your company balloon and squeeze one end – by skimping on service, then squeeze the other end – by skimping on worker pay and benefits. The balloon expands in the middle – and pumps up profits and shareholder returns.
But squeezing services has had its consequences. A couple years ago The American Consumer Satisfaction Index found Comcast to have a worse satisfaction rating than the IRS. With all due respect to the dedicated government workers who are often scorned only by their association with the tax man, it stands to reason that an entertainment company might naturally score higher marks just for being, well, entertaining. But negative consumer sentiment ran so deep that dissatisfied customers started a revolt and made a public spectacle of fighting back Comcast’s bad service for high cost services, ironically in many cases via the internet services they purchase from Comcast.
www.comcastmustdie.com is just one of the sites that got Comcast’s attention as the site became very active, with numerous complaints finding their way to the site. While not exactly expressing a lot of love or “Comcastic” reviews, no words were spared by the squeezed and disgrunteled as they shared stories about the mega-tel-com’s high prices for lousy service. Then there’s the “I Hate Comcast” page on Facebook, www.comcastsucks.org and a few million more that can be found with a google search containing the words comcast and hate.
But consumers united will never be defeated, and that loudly voiced discontent has had an effect. This year consumer service ratings have pegged in a bit higher as the company has been responding more to the calls and discontent logged in on phone calls and internet venues. They even hired staff to monitor and respond to service complaints of all places – on Twitter – and brought in the marketing gurus who have spun out the ComcastCares concept to try to convince people they really do. While the consumer ratings have jumped a few points into the upper 50’s on a 100 point scale, questions arise as to how long that will last when profits are lost by the expenses of better service.
It’s a different story on the labor front. Comcast, more than ever has become the company cited as the best reason to support the Employee Free Choice Act. Notorious for their union prevention programs that incorporate the usual union-busting techniques of worker intimidation tactics, legal delays and terminations, Comcast has also gained status as an innovator in creating new ways to stop its workforce from gaining a voice, job protection and fair wages and benefits and they don’t seem to be slowing down on that front.
Shareholders gain with worker losses in this game, so the company is actively engaged in the sport, always dreaming up new plays. It's companies like Comcast that would be denied the option to engage in the dissolute anti-worker, anti-union behaviors .they employ, making for a more balanced union selection process.
Many of the workers in western Pennsylvania can affirm Comcast’s reputation and attest to the on-going attempts to de-unionize. The Communications Workers of America – CWA – represents one of the largest groups of organized Comcast workers in the country in their District 13 union in the Pittsburgh area. Over the last decade union organizing of Comcast workers has met with disappointing results. CWA has won representation in many different bargaining units only to be faced with Comcast delays and intimidation that resulted in a number of the units decertifying the union. This was accomplished in large part because Comcast strategically delayed the process, adding a long, discouraging time frame to get contracts settled for the workers. There are units that outlasted and persevered the Comcast delays and have contracts settled and a fourth is in the works. But Comcast's resistance to this last agreement seems to have been ramped up of late.
The union leaders in the current contest with Comcast have been feeling the effects of a cable industry in flux. Many cable systems have been changing hands as they are bought out, merged or absorbed by the tel-com giants. Many Comcast workers in western Pennsylvania were ATT workers 7 years ago until ATT “merged” with Comcast. Before that merger, ATT Broadband entered into a cooperative agreement with the CWA to remain relatively neutral when workers looked to unionize. There was a limited card check agreement that allowed union recognition when enough people signed up. And they did in big numbers.
After the merger transition period and Comcast’s assumption of the the operations, all the rules changed and the games began. The contrast in behavior between the two systems was huge. Cooperation was substituted with combat, and it took a toll as a number of the previously organized units voted to return to non-union status, covertly assisted by Comcast management.
Marge Krueger is a leader in CWA’s District 13. She has been in the forefront of organizing cable workers in Pennsylvania, working as an organizer and negotiating contracts. Her fellow union activists lovingly refer to her as the “Cable Queen.” She got the title for all her efforts in the cable organizing campaigns. She has lived through the whole cycle and has seen the changes first hand. “When ATT was here and cooperated with us in a neutral way around organizing, members joined up in big numbers," Krueger said. "Votes came in at 5 to 1 for the union. Then on that dreaded day when ATT announced the Comcast merger, it all got turned around.”
The union had heard all about Comcast’s ways as they spread their ill will in all the areas they were spreading their franchise tentacles. Comcast is the largest cable TV provider and employs over 100,000 people. Unions that dealt with Comcast in many other states knew how they worked and got their battle scars while dealing with the company. Now it was District 13’s turn.
Comcast took over operations and put their tactics into play. The lawyers and experts were brought in to hatch and execute the plans to persuade workers that they were now part of the Comcast family and the company was going to look out for them. They didn’t need a union. Where the soft talk didn’t work, things got more rough and tumble, with threats of job losses and negative consequences for union support.
“The company had barbecues and breakfasts for us. They wanted to be our friends and make us think they will give us all these great things” said Duane Eagan, a VP in the local union currently in negotiations. Eagan is a Comcast service technician by trade, and during his tenure at the company has been able to see through the empty promises Comcast has made to so many people. “It’s a management tactic to get friendly with the workers and make them feel they are liked,” said Ameenah Salaam, a District 13 organizer and representative. Salaam has seen all the tricks too. The visits, the parties, targeted freebies and giveaways. “Some of the guys even had pretty girls assigned to ride around in their trucks just to talk with them during the organizing drives. That was pretty strange and no one knew how to react to that,” Salaam said.
Unionized cable workers are better paid, have better benefits and more protections than the non-unionized workforce, yet the cable industry unionization rate hovers in low single digits. A wide array of union prevention tactics play a key role in keeping those numbers low, Where a manipulative tactic works, Comcast will use it. “Comcast gives bonuses to a small group of the cable workers in western Pennsylvania where we were looking to organize," Krueger said. "They don’t do bonuses anywhere else. This is a single incidence tactic that was put in place very specifically to keep the workers there from unionizing."
Salaam gets upset that the company does this to its workers. “It makes me mad to see how these very capable, dedicated workers are manipulated by a company that pretends to care but really doesn’t,” Salaam said. “The company makes more money if they don’t have to pay decent wages, provide benefits or offer job protection to reward the good work and effort of the employees,” she added.
Overall what Comcast may spend on the tricks, manipulation, legal and illegal maneuvers and the trust game costs less than being fair, and they do a superb job in distracting the employees and hiding the reality about their insincerity. The fight will continue in the effort to organize the cable industry and get past the union prevention barriers. IBEW has joined with CWA in a national organizing strategy and action to work together in cable organizing. Consistent with the consumer movements, workers and unions also have information sites that describe the misgivings of America’s largest cable company; www.comcastwatch.com or www.comcastworkers.com and others.
Unions and many others are working to push for a fairer organizing process and rules that allow for a more orderly and timely contract completion. A good process is offered in the Employee Free Choice Act and many unions and organizations are campaigning for its adoption. CWA District 13 even has a member, John Pezzana, who has become a cause celeb for his efforts and involvement in support of the campaign. “I became a part of the Employee Free Choice Act campaign about 5 years ago and was able to tell stories about the things Comcast does to prevent unionization and win workers favor when it comes to preventing or decerting the union,” Pezzana said. His image and quotes have been put on flyers, posters and billboards as he became the face and voice of fairness for workers all over the country who want to join unions.
In the mean time, there’s one more contract to finish, and the negotiations continue as Comcast has ramped up its stalling efforts. David Bahus, Local President of unit 116, is in on the talks. ”We want to be helpful in solving problems, but Comcast is all over the place," Bahus said. "We have money, we don’t have money. If we solve a problem there’s another one that crops up. We’re going around in circles and there’s no relief and then there’s no response.”
Sounds like there’s been a similar tactics playbook for consumers and the workforce that makes it a bit easier to understand why Comcast is so well liked….not.
Overall what Comcast may spend on the tricks, manipulation, legal and illegal maneuvers and the trust game costs less than being fair, and they do a superb job in distracting the employees and hiding the reality about their insincerity. The fight will continue in the effort to organize the cable industry and get past the union prevention barriers. IBEW has joined with CWA in a national organizing strategy and action to work together in cable organizing. Consistent with the consumer movements, workers and unions also have information sites that describe the misgivings of America’s largest cable company; www.comcastwatch.com or www.comcastworkers.com and others.
Unions and many others are working to push for a fairer organizing process and rules that allow for a more orderly and timely contract completion. A good process is offered in the Employee Free Choice Act and many unions and organizations are campaigning for its adoption. CWA District 13 even has a member, John Pezzana, who has become a cause celeb for his efforts and involvement in support of the campaign. “I became a part of the Employee Free Choice Act campaign about 5 years ago and was able to tell stories about the things Comcast does to prevent unionization and win workers favor when it comes to preventing or decerting the union,” Pezzana said. His image and quotes have been put on flyers, posters and billboards as he became the face and voice of fairness for workers all over the country who want to join unions.
In the mean time, there’s one more contract to finish, and the negotiations continue as Comcast has ramped up its stalling efforts. David Bahus, Local President of unit 116, is in on the talks. ”We want to be helpful in solving problems, but Comcast is all over the place," Bahus said. "We have money, we don’t have money. If we solve a problem there’s another one that crops up. We’re going around in circles and there’s no relief and then there’s no response.”
Sounds like there’s been a similar tactics playbook for consumers and the workforce that makes it a bit easier to understand why Comcast is so well liked….not.
Watch the video "Standing Up for Pittsburgh Area Cable Workers" by Randy Croce.
