G31.1.23
Frontier
Network Technicians forced on Compensated Availability while on vacation and no rotation provision.

Unsatisfactory answer received at second step. Will be appealed to the District for arbitration.

Meeting was called to order by President Ron Scott at 6:08pm.

Those present:

President Ron Scott, Treasurer/Secretary Mary Weber, South Area Representative Mick Pafford & Assignment Center Representative April Conrad. Absent: Vice President Steve Kotel.

Mary – presented the financial report for February 2024. The checking account balance as of March 26th is $11,532.68.

Mick – An investigation needs to be made on a C. O tech supervisor who is liberal & disgruntled towards other employee’s. He seems to pick on certain C.O techs and it’s affecting other employees to want to work for this supervisor.

April – had conversation about the 2 min call work. People who are coming out of fiber training shouldn’t be pinged by RMG because they are learning on the job, but it seems to be happening. Some assigners will end up just doing copper assignment. Once fiber training is finished, management will be bringing back team meetings & weekly wrap ups. Anyone below 85% OPP8 at end of the month, will be talked to by their supervisor. Assigners are hearing from outside technicians, they’re waiting up to 30 mins to reach an assigner and some assigners are NOT being helpful.

Ron – Every year, there is a President & Political meeting in Washington in June 2024. Ron will need 4 days of lost wages, hotel, food & travel expenses. Mary made a motion to let Ron go to Washington and Steve 2nd the motion per an email sent out to the board prior to our meeting.

April & Ron were invited to a 2 hour meeting via Zoom call with State Representative w/District 4, Wendy Fonseca regarding organizing for our Local. The meeting was held the afternoon of our meeting, March 26th, so Ron sent out an email to the Board to get this approved for both April & Ron to attend and to get 2 hours of Lost wages to attend. Mick made a motion and Mary 2nd the motion.

Wendy Fonseca needs to meet the 3 officers about organizing. (Ron, Mary & Steve) to better our Local. Need to pick a day that works for us and get approved by Wendy if works for her. Meeting is for 1 day, with potentially meeting a 2nd day. Lost wages will be paid for 1 or 2 days. Motion was made by April and Mick 2nd the motion.

Ron asked Ann McNeary to be out LPat for our Local. Ann has the knowledge on the political side that would help our Local in many ways. Ron is waiting on a response from Ann if she’s interested.

Ron did go over grievances and updated them.

Rhinelander employee has a complaint about another employee. Employee went to manager & now employee feels unsafe. H.R. is investigating complaint.

We will be planning a membership meeting in May – Date will be determined at our next meeting.

Next meeting as of now is planned for April 29th, 6pm – Check with Steve to make sure works for him.

Meeting adjourned at 7:40pm



Meeting minutes taken and submitted by Mary Weber Treasurer/Secretary.

CWA Local 4671 Executive Board Meeting

(held via Zoom Conferencing)

Tuesday, February 27th, 2024



Meeting was called to order by President Ron Scott at 6:10pm. Those present:

President Ron Scott, Treasurer/Secretary Mary Weber, South Area Representative Mick Pafford, Assignment Center Representative April Conrad. Absent: Vice President, Steve Kotel.

Mary –presented the financial report for January 2024. The checking account balance as of Feb 27th is $13,709.25. The nine-month CD we had matured the middle of January. Rolled balance of that CD over to a 13 month CD. Balance that was matured and rolled over was $10,318.67.

Mary also reported, that she emptied the Union Office in Pardeeville in January and transferred all records to a Storage unit in Sun Prairie.

April-reported the new Avaya-Phone Call Assignment Expectations guidelines. Effective Feb 8th, 2024 assigners are expected to NOT exceed 2 minutes of after call work (ACW) after each call. When you exceed 2 mins, RMG send a teams message reminding you that you are over the 2 min threshold and need to take next call. Can’t go into OFFLINE to finish up what you’re doing. Assignment is struggling to finish up on a task and the messages are distracting. April thinks management should run a report to check everyone’s stats and ping those that aren’t meeting their stats. April also reported that Sun Prairie assignment was the only center that allowed us to go into End of Shift 15 mins before end of shift to eliminate over time when on calls. Now, they want us to work as close to the end of our shift, without going into End of Shift. It might become a problem if people are signing up for overtime, when going over their shift. President Ron Scott suggested that we keep techs on the line, until your task is done before hanging up. Ron also said that as long as we serve our customers, assigners can’t be reprimanded if we go over our shift and sign up for overtime if needed.

Mick- A tech was concerned about another tech, if they should have representation or not regarding their job. Company doesn’t have written policy and procedures for their job. Ongoing feud with a C.O. manager and C.O. technician. Quality control for a tech on how to do his job.

Ron- Spoke with Labor, on issues with Rhinelander. No codes for call out or stand by in tech portal. They can only report Administrative time for stand by or call out, which is false recording. Company needs to get this problem resolved.

A tech may report hostile environment, when a manager stood in front of his car and wouldn’t let him leave.

Ron talked about Officer Training in OH, that Ron & Mary went too in Feb. Training was very informative. Learned that none of our member dues go toward Political Activity and the importance of all expenses need to be documented. Also learn the process of Arbitration – we did a group pretend arbitration.

Ron discussed needing a Union credit card for union business for travel, lodging, meals…etc. He is looking into finding a card with rewards and will benefit our Local. Mick made a motion to look at the best option for a Union Credit Card for Ron and Mary 2nd the motion.

Ron mentioned he needs new Business cards, with his new President title. Mick also needs business cards as well. April & Mary passed on Business Cards. Mick made a motion to authorize new business cards and April 2nd the motion.

Steward Training was brought up. Ron will check with School for Workers. Will check on what’s cost effective if attendees go to UW campus or get

someone to come to us for steward training. More information will come on training.

We discussed next Executive Board Meeting. We decided on 6pm, Tuesday March 26th. Zoom meeting.



Meeting adjourned at 7:53pm

Meeting minutes taken and submitted,



Mary K Weber

Treasurer/Secretary





Meeting was called to order by Steve Kotel at 4:05pm. All Board member were present: President Ron Scott, Vice President Steve Kotel, Secretary-Treasurer Mary Weber, South Area Representative Mick Pafford and Assignment Center Representative April Conrad.

Steve Kotel administered the Oath of Office to President-Elect Ron Scott, President Ron Scott administered the Oath of Office to Vice President Steve Kotel, Secretary-Treasurer Mary Weber, South Area Rep Mick Pafford & Assignment Center Rep April Conrad.

Vice President Steve Kotel made a motion to obtain a credit card for President Ron Scott with a credit limit of $5,000.00 This was seconded by Mick Pafford. The Executive Board voted and the motion was passed.

Mary Weber presented the financial report. The checking account balance the end as of Dec.2023 is $11,186.28. Mary discussed that she will be emptying the Pardeeville Union Office by the end of January. She has obtained a new storage space unit in Sun Prairie The space in Pardeeville was $200.00 a month and the new storage unit is $69.00 a month.
Mary received a notice of upcoming New Officer Training in Ohio, from Sunday, February 4th to Friday, February 9th, 2024. Mick made a motion to send Ron and Mary. April second the motion. The Executive Board voted and the motion was passed.

Discussion of how future Membership Meetings, Executive Meetings and Assignment Center Meetings should be held. At this point, Zoom seems to be the best option. There has been better attendance then in-person meetings.

April discussed the possibility of having a get-together for the Assignment Center. Also discussion of the necessity of having a Chief Steward and addition Stewards. April had questions about her new position and how to obtain more training.

The situation in Rhinelander with overtime meals was turned over by Mick to Ron. There is a grievance in relation to it. Ron also discussed that there was a request of management to provide scheduling of Central Office Technicians throughout the state. Management did not provide it. There was a Labor Board Charge filed in relation to this.

Steve Kotel reported there is a retirement in his area. Lumen is restructuring its debt.
The next Executive Board Meeting will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, February 27th at 6:00 PM.
Motion was made by Mick Pafford to adjourn meeting and Steve Kotel 2nd the motion.
Board in favor and meeting was adjourned at 6:00 PM

Meeting minutes taken by April Conrad & Written/Emailed by Mary Weber






was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 6:06 p.m. Those present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, and South Area Representative Ron Scott. Absent excused: Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

The grievance report was discussed and updated. The Company's answer on "compensated availability" is not acceptable and it will be appealed to the District for arbitration.

Mary presented the financial report. The checking account balance from November is $13,576.33. We have a nine-month CD that will be maturing in the near future. Mary will be letting the Board know about CD interest rates and purchase/roll over/reinvest the CD.

Mary has asked Summit Credit Union about what we'll need to do to change the check signers on our account with the election of new Officers. All (new) authorized signers need to be there at the same time. There was discussion about adding an additional signer - since there will just be three Officers now. She also will look into a Union credit card for Ron Scott, as the new President.

Mary found a secure, dry, climate-controlled, clean, 10 feet by 10 feet storage unit in the Sun Prairie area to "house" our Local records. The cost is $69 per month, with a $69 deposit. M/S/C to rent the unit immediately. Will need to give notice and empty out the current small office in Pardeeville.

The situation in Rhinelander with overtime meals was discussed by Steve and Ron. There will be a conference call early next week with the members in the area and Staff Representative Ron Gay to update everyone.

Ron mentioned a member out on an extended absence, that involves Worker's Compensation. If more documentation is not received by the Company, the person will be terminated. Ron also filed NLRB charges against a Central Office supervisor for failure to provide requested information.

Ann sent out copies of the updated Operating Practices that will take effect on January 1st. She also sent out to the Board an updated dues report, as of today. Brightspeed has dropped off the list (as of October). And we still haven't seen the impact of the downsizing in the Assignment Center.

She also sent out a proposed list of duties and responsibilities which would take effect at the first of the year, with the combination of the Secretary-Treasurer position and many items being moved to the Vice President position, but that will be determined between Steve and Mary on a going forward basis.

Ann also reported that (hopefully) the cash dues payers have been clarified/updated with CWA National and they should be set going forward.

Steve reported that CenturyLink is not going to be purchased by Brightspeed and that, unfortunately, no investments in plant are being made by the Company.

The process for time off letters going forward was discussed and Mary will check into this further.

M/S/C to adjourn at 7:41 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Ann M. McNeary (temporary notetaker)
CWA Local 4671 Executive Board Meeting
(held via Zoom Conferencing)
Wednesday - 08 November 2023


Meeting was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 6:05 p.m. Those present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Assignment Center Representative Judy Brasda, and South Area Representative Ron Scott. Absent excused: Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

Mary presented the financial report. The checking account balance from October is $13,886.94. We have a nine-month CD that will be maturing in the near future. M/S/C for Mary to investigate current interest rates and purchase/roll over/reinvest the CD if warranted. The dues we're receiving from the National have been "charted" and it looks like we are caught up for CenturyLink/Lumen and Brightspeed. Ann worked with Michelle Winter to better understand the Aptify system - which is what the National uses. It will be important to keep monitoring our deposits on a monthly basis going forward. Aptify training will be critical so opportunities will be sought out. Mary will also check with Summit Credit Union about what we'll need to do to change the check signers on our account with the election of new Officers.

The grievance report was discussed and updated. Being on "compensated availability" every day of the year (and/or finding your own replacement) is not reasonable. The situation in Rhinelander with meals was also discussed. Ron reported that the hope is to get an MOU about that and the differential for working out of the area. More to come on those situations.

Mary will start looking for a secure, dry, clean, bug free storage unit in the Sun Prairie area to "house" our Local records which are currently in a small office in Pardeeville. This location isn't practical with the election of new Officers, as of the first of the year.

Judy noted that the printed (new) Frontier/CWA contracts are available at the Assignment Center and she will work on a plan to get those distributed to members who want them. Ron said that for outside technicians the managers are distributing the copies.

Steve reported that CenturyLink nationwide is doing lay-offs but Wisconsin should be very minimally impacted. And both CenturyLink and Frontier are possibly up for sale so more to come on that.

Ann had provided a proposed list of duties and responsibilities which would take effect at the first of the year - with the combination of the Secretary-Treasurer position and many items being moved to the Vice President position. Jane's input on this is very important so this will be finalized at our next meeting.

Ann also had sent out updated Operating Practices with the changes that took place on October 1st - no longer paying for internet or cell phones for Board members and the new salaries that will take effect on January 1st, as well as the combination of the Secretary-Treasurer position. A final updated version of the Operating Practices will be sent out at the end of the year.

Judy reminded everyone that the nominations for all Area Representatives will take place, via Zoom Conferencing, on Wednesday, November 15th, at 6:00 p.m. Based on the timeline, the process will be "open" until that Friday. She will notify the Board of the results at that point in time. If ballots need to go out, that will be handled by the Election Committee.

The next meeting of the Executive Board will be at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 13, via Zoom Conferencing. M/S/C to adjourn at 7:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Ann M. McNeary (temporary notetaker)
CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2023 via Zoom call.
All Board members were present, President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, South Area Rep Ron Scott, North Area Rep Tom Locke, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda.

Meeting was held after officer nominations were completed, Election Committee Chairperson Judy Brasda held the nominations and advised she will have the nominations and elections posted on the Local's website.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report and Steve did update the Board on the grievances.
-Ann asked Steve to get new updated senority lists and have them posted for all companies the Local represents, Steve will contact the companies and have lists posted on the Local's website. All Brightspeed employees can be taken off the site.
-Ann advised there are 2 Conferences coming up and the Local should be sending at least one representative. Discussion was held with the Board on sending Board Members.
Ann McNeary made a motion to send Steve Kotel and Ron Scott to the T & T Conference in Phoenix AZ and to send Ron Scott and Mary Weber to the CWA D4 Education Conference in Detroit MI, motion was 2nd by Jane Vander Kooy and Board passed the motion.

--Treasurer Mary Weber reviewed the Financial Report with the Board. Steve did ask about the union dues for Brightspeed employees, Mary did not have an update on those dues and Steve will check into this further.
-Mary discussed the yearly Audit coming up, she will get two Members from the Assignment Center to assist with the Audit, it will be held before year end.
-Mary did remind the Board that cell phone and internet reimbursement is no longer available to the Board Members effective October 1, 2023.
-Mary did accept the nomination for Secretary-Treasurer position, there were no other nomination and Mary did accept the position.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy verified that Board members representing the outside techs did receive the 2024 pocket calenders that were sent out.
-Union Office was discussed and what is left in the office. Judy Brasda will be bringing Bargaining Minutes and prior contracts back to the office. Board Officers in 2024 can decide what they want to do with the office, keep it or downsize to another location.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda is now retired but still representing the Assignment Center until new Area Rep has been elected and has taken over her position January 2024.
-Judy did advise of Management changes in the Assignment Center since Members did take the separation package.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke advised he would be resigning from his Area Rep position this evening due to health issues. Tom stated he is willing to help the new Area Rep and is there if the Board needs his assistance.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott had to leave the Board Meeting to attend a call regarding Compensated Availability. Prior to leaving the meeting Ron was nominated had accepted the President position for CWA Local 4671 effective January 1, 2024.

--President Steve Kotel discussed the conferences coming up and he will be attending the T & T Conference in Phoenix.
-Steve was nominated for Vice President of the Local and did accept that position effective January 1, 2024. Steve stated he will be there to assist new President Ron Scott with any issues that he may have.
-November Board Meeting was not scheduled at this time so there is no date yet for the meeting.

Motion was made by North Area Rep Tom Locke to adjorn meeting and 2nd by Ann McNeary, Board in favor and meeting was adjourned.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.




CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES, Meeting held via zoom call at 6pm on September 13, 2023.
All Board members were present, President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda.
President Steve Kotel called the meeting to order at 6:05pm.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Financial Report and reviewed report with Board Members.

--Vice President Ann McNeary provided the Grievance Report and President Steve Kotel advised there is no change to the grievance.
-Ann advised the UAW will most likely go on strike this week, at this time there is no agreement reached.
-Discussion was held regarding the upcoming elections and the timeline to get the Membership notified of the elections.
Board Members expressed their interest in running for the upcoming election,
Vice President Ann McNeary made a motion to authorize necessary expenses to notify the Membership of upcoming elections and to authorize associated costs if there are contested races. North Area Rep Tom Locke 2nd the motion, all Board Members in favor and the motion was passed by the Board.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed the negative issues with mobile tech portabililty, this provides the Techs their jobs and handles their pay but it is not working properly.
-Ron is working on a grievances for CO Tech which the company is requiring the Tech to be on call 24/7, including when the Tech is on vacation.
-A 3 day suspension was given to a Tech that went on a business property and the business required him to take a 5 minute Safety Training, the employee refused to take the training and the Manager was contacted. The Tech was given the 3 day suspension for refusing to take the training.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda discussed the Membership in the Center that will be losing their jobs the end of September. Offered to the Members leaving was a Rapid Response Meeting that discussed unemployment, insurance, training, internship opportunities and other services.
-Judy will be retiring and not be running for any positions on the Local Board so she will be the Election Committee chair for the upcoming Local's elections.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed with Steve how the Rhinelander Members want an increase for their meal allowance. President Kotel stated Frontier will bargain outside the contract, Tom and Steve will get the Rhinelander group together to discuss.
-Tom advised he did have his surgery and is unsure when he will be coming back to work but he will continue to represent the North Area.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed keeping the Membership information updated and Area Reps need to provide any changes with the Members in their area. Judy did provide the names of the Members leaving the Assignment Center the end of September.

--President Steve Kotel advised that Brightspeed Members did vote to decertify and leave the Local. There were 7 votes to decertify and 4 votes not to decertify. Steve will get Jane the names of the Brightspeed Members so we can remove them from the Locals records.
-Steve discussed the upcoming Local's election and if our Local should handle the ballot count or the District, at this time there was no determination who would be handling it.
-No other issues were addressed and Steve asked for a motion to be made to end meeting.

Motion was made by North Area Rep Tom Locke to adjourn meeting and was 2nd by South Area Rep Ron Scott, all Board Members in favor and the meeting was adjourned at 7:25pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.





EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES FOR CWA LOCAL 4671, meeting held via zoom call on August 23, 2023 at 6pm.
Board members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane VanderKooy, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, North Area Rep Tom Locke.
Excused from meeting North Area Rep Ron Scott.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report and President Steve Kotel updated status of grievance.
-Ann stated she will be updating the time line for the elections this fall for Local 4671, she will be working with Judy the Election Committee Chair on the time line.
-Ann advised at this time she is unsure if she will be running for a Local office in the upcoming election.

--Treasurer Mary Weber provided and reviewed the Treasurer Report.
-Mary advised she will not be taking the ISP and will be staying in the Assignment Center. Mary also stated she will be running for Secretary/Treasurer in the upcoming fall election.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy advised she has been working on organizing and cleaning the Local's union office in Pardeeville. The Board has discussed moving the office items to a storage facility once the new Officers have been elected this Fall.
-Local 4671 Scholarships were announced and the Local had 3 participants and winners. Scholarship winners will be posted on the Locals website once the winners have been contacted. It was decided by the Board that on the Scholarship Form next year there will be added to the form to add persons living in household with Member. Discussion was held by the Board how families have changed and Members have not only children living with them but other family Members.
-Jane advised at this time she is unsure if she will be running for a Local office in the upcoming election.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed how Techs are being told to close job tickets before the work has been completed. Tom will provide President Kotel will additional information regarding this issue and Steve will be looking into this further. Tom will get Steve the Techs information for contacting them.
-The Frontier Rhinelander Techs are wanting their Frontier Contract to be reopened to get more for their meal allowance. Steve will reach out to the District but cautioned that if the Contract is reopened the Company can go after other items in the Contract.
-Tom advised he will be running for his position as North Area Rep this upcoming election.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda advised there are 55 Assignment Center Reps that will be taking the ISP and New York Assignment Center has 46 Reps taking the ISP. Orginally there were 57 Sun Prairie Reps that were offered the ISP but due to additional Reps in New York taking the ISP the Company agreed to 55 Reps in Sun Prairie and not forcing an additional 2 which would have been the 57. Judy stated she will be taking the ISP and retiring, she will stay on as Assignment Area Rep until her term is up the end of this year. Judy will be paying cash dues through the end of the year.
Ann discussed services available that she will be providing Judy to get information for the Assignment members leaving for assistance with insurance, flex spending, 401K, retiree information.
Judy advised the Company is letting the Assignment Techs leaving that are requesting vacation time to take it even if others are scheduled off.
-Judy offered to be the CWA Local 4671 Election Committee Chair since she will not be running for a Local Officer or Area Rep position. Tom Locke will provide Judy the documents that previous Election Committee Chair Chris Loomis had for prior elections. Tom stated there are 2 Members in his area interested in being on the Election Committee and will get Judy their names.
Vice President Ann McNeary made a motion that Judy Brasda chair the Election Committee for Local 4671 Officers and Area Rep positions, North Area Rep Tom Locke 2nd the motion. Discussion held by Board and motion was passed.

-President Steve Kotel informed that the Brightspeed decertification votes will be counted on September 5th, there are 20 Members involved in this vote.
-Steve is continuing with Brightspeed bargaining with the Company.
-CenturyLink has a new supervisor.
-Steve advised he will be running for the Local President position again and Tom Locke advised Ron Scott will also be running for the Local President position. Steve stated if he does not get President he will then run for the Area Rep position in his Area, Tom advised Ron will do the same with the North Area Rep position.

-September Executive Board Meeting for Local 4671 will be held September 13, 2023 at 6pm via zoom call.

Motion made by North Area Rep Tom Locke to adjourn meeting and 2nd by Vice President Ann McNeary, meeting adjourned at 7:24pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.


CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES, meeting held July 26, 2023 in Wisconsin Dells WI.
All Executive Board Members were present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, North Area Rep Ron Scott, South Area Rep Tom Locke(via zoom).
President Steve Kotel called Meeting to order at 10:50am.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance report, Steve did update the Board on the status of the griveance.
-Ann advised Clinton Rodgers is leaving District 4 and has taken a position as a Federal Mediator, at this time it is unknown when his position will be filled.
-Ann attended the CWA National Convention that was held in St Louis MO and discussed the convention topics and the elections. At this time CWA has 700,000 national.
Elections were held for the Officers positions at the national level and the President position was won by Claude Cummings Jr and the Secretary/Treasurer position by Ameenah Salaam. The District 4 position was won by Linda Hinton and the TNT position by Lisa Bolton.
-CWA National has members in many different companies, the telecom members is shrinking.
-The next CWA National convention will be held in Pittsburg PA on August 11, 2025 and August 12, 2025.
-Ann passed out information on the Affordable Connectivity Program which is an FCC program that helps connect families and households struggling to afford internet service.
-BEAD which stands for Broadband Equity Access Deployment will be getting $1.55 billion from the government for CLEC's, cable companies and telecom's.
-Ann discussed how the Department of Labor has gotten much more strict regarding overall local union practices such as receipts, documents, motions, raffles, etc.
-Information regarding writing grievances from the School for Workers was discussed.


--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Treasurer Report and discussion was held with the Board Members regarding the report and our Budget.
-Mary advised the Local still has five $25 gift cards that were received at no charge to the Local from our credit card loyality program. The Board agreed we would use two of the cards for a drawing at the nightly General Membership meeting this evening.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed the union office and what we still have in the office. After the Fall elections the Board will decide if the union office stays in Pardeeville or will move to another area or a storage unit.
-Jane advised she has not received any forms for the Scholarship drawing. The Board Members will bring it up again to their Members if they have eligible to have the forms sent in for the August 15, 2023 drawing.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda advised she spent a weekend proof reading the Frontier Communications contract. After the review of the complete contract Judy sent to Ron Gay to have the contractors printed. Contracts are now in the process of being printed.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke advised he has 2 Members in the north area that may be willing to be on the Election Committee. Ann stated she will check on the training for the Election Committee.
-Tom brought up that the Frontier Rhinelander Members feel they should not have to work weekends. President Steve Kotel stated he will be sending an email to the Member regarding working weekends.
-Frontier is forcing techs to work 6 days and 10 hour days, the techs are working on future tickets while working overtime. President Steve Kotel will be checking into this with the Company and following back up with Tom.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott advised there are openings for outside techs in the South Area.
-Ron discussed the issues continue with the CO Techs Compensated Availablility. The Local Manager feels he can put a CO Tech on Compensated Availablility at anytime, even if the tech is on vacation. President Steve Kotel will be checking into this and getting back with Ron.

--President Steve Kotel discussed how CenturyLink/Lumen Management had a get together on July 18, 2023 for all Members and Management, the get together was on company time and Members were paid by the company. The company had a listening sessions with the Members. Food and beverages were provided and the cost was split between the company and President Steve Kotel paid out of his pocket for the other half. The Board held discussion and agreed the Local's Fellowship Fund would pay for the half Steve paid out of pocket.
A motion was made by Vice President Ann McNeary to use the Fellowship Fund to reimburse President Steve Kotel his portion spent for the gathering in Rice Lake with Management and our Local Members that was held on July 18, 2023.
Motion was second by North Area Rep Tom Locke, Board discussion held and the motion was passed by the Board.
-Steve had discussed our finances as the Local's Membership is declining and where the Local could cut back. Jane brought up that we are not getting 6 applications for the scholarship yearly. The entire Board agreed to keep in scholarship but to drop the amount of applications from 6.
Vice President Ann McNeary made a motion starting effective January 2024 the Local will offer 4 scholarships in the amount of $500 for the yearly scholarship drawing. Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda 2nd the motion, discussed with the Board was held and the motion passed.
-Another cut was was reimbursement for Executive Board Members on their cell phone and internet bills. The entire Board agreed this would be another area to cut back.
Vice President Ann McNeary made a motion that effective October 1, 2023 the Executive Board of Local 4671 will no longer receive monthly reimbursement for internet and cellular phone bills. Motion was 2nd by North Area Rep Ron Scott, discussed was held by the Board and motion was passed.
-Discussion on the Chief Steward wage of $50 was brought up and cutting that wage. Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda made a motion to not have the Chief Steward as a paid position effective October 1, 2023, Vice President Ann McNeary 2nd the motion. Discussion was held by the Board and the motion passed.
-Steve then addressed cutting wages for our Local's Executive Board Members. The Treasurer and Secretary positions will be combined into one position starting in 2024. The Board held a lengthy discussion and Steve presented the below as new wages starting January 1, 2024.
President new wage $700 monthly, wage now is $850
Vice President new wage $500 monthly,wage now is $400
Secretary/Treasurer new wage $650 monthly, wage now is $750 for Secretary and $750 for Treasurer
Area Reps new wage $300 monthly, wage now is $400
A motion was made by Vice President Ann McNeary effective January 2024 the President's wage will be $700 a month, the Vice President wage will be $500 a month, the Secretary/Treasurer postion will be combined and the wage will be $650 a month, the Area Reps wage will be $300 a month. Motion was 2nd by North Area Rep Ron Scott and discussion held by the Board, motion was passed.
-Steve discussed Brightspeed Members are requesting to decertify from the union. Steve will be meeting with Members to discuss their concern. The Executive Board supports President Kotel to contact the Brightspeed Members to address the decertification. A motion was made by Vice President Ann McNeary for the Local to pay for President Steve Kotel's wages, lodging, mileage and meals for up to 2 days to contact Brightspeed Members regarding decertification. Motion was 2nd by Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, discussion held by the Board and the motion was passed.

Motion was made by North Area Rep Ron Scott to adjourn the meeting, motion was seconded by Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, motion was passed by the Board, meeting was adjourned at 4:48pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.



CWA LOCAL 4671 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES, meeting held at at 5:30pm at Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin Dells WI.
Present were all Executive Board Members along with 11 Members in person and zoom call.

President Steve Kotel called the meeting to order at 5:40pm.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report and President Steve Kotel explained the grievance.
-Ann provided CWA National Convention highlights along with the Affordable Connectivity Program.
-Ann advised that our Local along with all the CWA Locals have elections coming up later this year. Elections will be for all Executive Board Member positions.

--Treasurer Mary Weber provided the Treasurer Report and opened for discussion if there were any questions.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda advised effective August 20, 2023 there will be a new schedule and hours will be changing for the Assignment Center, the Assignment Center will be closing earlier.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy promoted the Local's scholarship offering, and advised the drawing is opened until August 15, 2023.

--North Area Rep Ron Scott brought up Compensated Availability and there was a lengthly discussion regarding it. The Members presents expressed their concerns and what they are experiencing with Compensated Availability. Member present brought up safety issues with being clocked in for over 20 hours and then having to drive back to their residence.
-Ron advised the Portage Garage is being sold, employees at that location have moved to other locations,

--President Steve Kotel updated Bargaining for Lumen and Brightspeed. Lumen contract has been ratified and the Brightspeed contract has been voted down. Decertification with Brightspeed is being addressed by Steve with the Members.
-Steve discussed elections this Fall and we will have all Executive Board Members up for reelection.
-Steve was asked by Member if the Local had been told about combining job titles, Steve advised no one has addressed that with him, he has not heard of combining job titles.

-Drawing was held for the 2 gift cards that the Local provided to Members present at the meeting. The gift card Members were Dan Cooper and Matt Rubeck, both received a $25 gift card.

Motion was made by Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda to adjourn the meeting and 2nd by North Area Rep Ron Scott, meeting was adjourned at 7:03pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.




CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON JUNE 14, 2023 at 1pm via zoom meeting.

All Board Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, South Area Rep Ron Scott, North Area Rep Tom Locke, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report and updates were made to the report.
-Discussion on what the cost would be if the District will handle our Officer and Area Rep elections.
-Ann will email out a timeline for the Officer and Area Rep elections along with other dates regarding meetings for elections.
-Future Board Meetings were discussed and setting up times for meetings.

--Treasurer Mary Weber reviewed and discussed the Treasurers Report with the Board.
-Mary and Vice President Ann McNeary went to a LMRDA Training and presented to the Board what was discussed. They both advised how additional information is needed for the Locals records regarding lost wages, time off records, the Locals minutes and other records. Mary and Ann were advised if we were audited by the Department of Labor the more detailed information on the Local records will assist with the audit.
-Discussion on receiving lost wages in a timely manner was discussed.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy asked President Steve Kotel if the National and District had our Local Membership count confirmed so both show the same Membership count. Steve confirmed they did and our Membership count at this time is 242.
-Pocket calendars were addressed and if we will be ordering them for 2024. It was determined that our Local will order 100 calendars.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed the Central Office compensated availability. Ron Gay with the Company along with Steve Kotel and Ron Scott had a zoom call to discuss how compensated availability is being handled.
-Ron was advised by an outside tech the Company is forcing overtime, 10 hour day.
-Dawn Flink an outside tech had taken a Local Manager position in the Eastern area.

--Assignment Center Judy Brasda discussed Follow the Sun hours. Judy and Cindy met regarding the training in the California Center, that training has been started and California will be the first to have their hours changed. Sun Prairie Assignment Centers new hours will start on August 13th, M-F hours will be 6am to 7pm and weekend hours are to be determined.
-There are some Reps that are recycling their time by going in and out of call work status on their phones and they are not getting calls. Management is aware of this and Reps are advised not to do this.
-Bargaining update: Judy proof read both Frontier and Rhinelander Frontier contracts. Both contracts are on the Locals website and Judy does have some hard copies.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke advised a CO Tech took a call out in the middle of the night and he was denied the additional pay for on call. The CO Tech tech was called for a different work location but was on call.

--President Steve Kotel stated CenturyLink/Lumen and Brightspeed Bargaining has been completed and ballots have been sent out for the Membership to vote.
-Frontier Communications has a few new outside jobs that have been posted.
-Steve will be going to the CWA National Convention in July. Discussion with the Board on who is running for National Officer positions.

Motion was made by Steve Kotel to adjourn and 2nd by Ron Scott. Meeting adjourned at 3:28pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.



Executive Board Meeting (held via Zoom Conferencing)
Wednesday - 26 April 2023


Meeting was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 1:10 p.m. Those present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Assignment Center Representative Judy Brasda, North Area Representative Tom Locke, and South Area Representative Ron Scott. Absent excused: Secretary Jane Vander Kooy who is recovering from surgery.

Tom is rehabbing from back surgery he had at the end of March. It is very slow going and he has to be extremely careful. He will participate in the meeting as possible.

The grievance report was discussed and Steve provided new information just received from the District. The updated grievance report will be sent to the Board and posted on the Local's website.

Mary presented the financial report which was the March ledger that was sent out to the Board. She and Steve have been working on figuring out the discrepancies in the amount of dues we are receiving from CenturyLink/Brightspeed and Lumen thru the National. We did receive more dues income in March so hopefully the National is catching up on the arrears. Mary and Steve will continue to monitor this with the District and the National.

Bargaining with Brightspeed will begin the week of May 8th and Lumen should be shortly thereafter Steve noted that Mike Schulte, who was just assigned as the CWA Staff Representative, is going to be replaced. With each company still being in a state of flux and the change in Staff Representative, Steve requested that Judy be allowed to be the notetaker and participate in the bargaining process. M/S/C to pay lost wages for Judy to serve as notetaker and assist in the bargaining process with Brightspeed and Lumen. In Jane's absence, she will notify her manager of the upcoming need for time off.

Ron reported that the on call/scheduling of technicians in Portage and Dodgeville is being worked out (and they are not covering the entire geographic area). There are a couple of new hires in his area but they will need extensive training and support to succeed in the job.

Judy noted that training is ongoing in California and once that is done, the schedule in the Center will change to "follow the sun" so each location will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the week and close at 5:00 p.m. on the weekends. This will probably happen at the beginning of third quarter. More fiber training will eventually happen in Sun Prairie and then everyone in our Center will be on one schedule.

Judy has tried encouraging those in the Assignment Center to apply for the open "outside" positions. The Company will allow for "ride alongs" to happen to get a feel for the job but no one has followed thru on this. She also noted that thirteen workstations will be ready by June 1st for those who are on a "performance success plan" and will need to return to work in person.

Ann reminded the Board of the need to prepare a job duties document in time for nominations and elections this fall. This process has been started and will be discussed further at the next meeting. With bargaining starting again (and the many associated unknowns), it was decided that at this time we will not set a date for the next meeting.

Steve reported the very sad news that the tragedy that happened in Barron County, where Officers Hunter Scheel and Emily Breidenbach, were killed in the line of duty hit very close to home. Hunter's stepfather, Nick Janota, is a member of our Local and works as a Network Technician in Rice Lake. Our sincere condolences go out to the family. M/S/C to adjourn at 2:04 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Ann M. McNeary (temporary notetaker)


CWA Local 4671 General Membership Meeting
Sun Prairie Public Library - Community Room
Wednesday - 29 March 2023


Meeting was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 5:48 p.m. Executive Board members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Assignment Center Representative Judy Brasda, and. Other members in attendance: Ashley Gaines and Daniel Kuper. Absent excused: Secretary Jane Vander Kooy and North Area Representative Tom Locke.

The grievance report was discussed. The need for additional stewards was mentioned (a few times in the meeting).

Mary gave the Treasurer's report (which was also handed out to all present). Our current balance in the checking account is $9,231.64.

Judy noted that most of the outstanding issues from bargaining have been resolved - backpay, for instance - but there are still a few items that need to be addressed - such as per diem and other expenses. These should be done soon.

Judy reported that, unfortunately, our Assignment Center is now last in stats. [We used to be first.] Some of this has resulted in people being put on "Performance Success Plans" and having to return to work in person as a consequence. For some members, it really is a matter of needing additional training or coaching.

She also mentioned that, probably in June, the schedule in the Center will change to "follow the sun" so each location will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Ash did ask about the "repeat call" metric - and felt it was a bad thing to measure. Unless the tech has done everything in advance, the chance of them having to call back in on a problem order or trouble is pretty great. But that shouldn't count against someone in the Center who provided the appropriate assistance on the initial call. Judy said they are not using this metric so Ash suggested they stop tracking it.

Ron reported that it is fairly quiet outside although they could really use more co-workers. There are job vacancies all over and people are stretched pretty thin. For example, a tech from the stateline area is covering the Wausau switchroom while the tech there is out on (planned) short term disability. Compensated Availability is still a problem in some areas even though the contract language was improved/clarified in this last contract. He also noted the abrupt termination/resignation of a local manager.

Steve gave a brief update on the sale/split of CenturyLink/Lumen and Brightspeed. Lots of details need to be worked out. The contract has been extended until April 15th but he's not sure what is going to happen then - if they will be bargaining two separate contracts or not.

There was some discussion how to better inform members of upcoming meetings and other things going on in the Local. Not everyone wants to use social media so we seem to miss a lot of people. We will have elections for all Board positions this fall so it will be important that everyone is aware of and can participate in the process.

Ann reminded those in attendance that there were a number of handouts at the door (where they signed in) - business cards with Weingarten rights shown, voting information, and some information from a recent conference.


M/S/C to adjourn at 7:01 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
temporary notetaker)Ann M. McNeary (


CWA Local 4671 Executive Board Meeting
Sun Prairie Public Library - Conference Room
Wednesday - 29 March 2023


Meeting was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 10:15 a.m. Those present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Assignment Center Representative Judy Brasda, and South Area Representative Ron Scott. Absent excused: Secretary Jane Vander Kooy who was ill and North Area Representative Tom Locke who is recovering from surgery.

The CenturyLink Representative position, vacated by Jonathan Stevens, was discussed and it was decided to not try to fill it at this time due to the continued structural/reporting confusion with Brightspeed (former CenturyLink) and Lumen.

The grievance report was discussed in detail and updates were given. The need to include as much information as possible on the original grievance is very important. Someone looking at it, who knows nothing about the situation, should be able to understand/follow what happened. And correct spelling of names and titles is critical as well. The updated grievance report will be sent to the Board and posted on the Local's website.

We do not have enough members interested in attending stewards training at this time. [The tentative date of April 29th will not happen.] Additional recruitment is going to have to happen before something can be scheduled. The current stewards' list was handed out and is available on our website. It was discussed that perhaps Staff Representative Clinton Rodgers could provide some training on this (and a smaller group could be trained). Ann will check with him.

Mary presented the financial report. The checking account balance from February is $9,231.64. There still are some discrepancies in the amount of dues we are receiving from CenturyLink/Brightspeed and Lumen thru the National. Many e-mails have gone back and forth about this. Mary and Steve will continue to monitor this with the District and the National.

The Board decided to move $10,000 from our savings account - which is accruing virtually no interest - to a CD with a much better interest rate. In addition, Mary distributed a list of outstanding/never cashed checks that the Local had written, dating back as far as 12/29/2007. QuickBooks carries these checks over until action is taken (which impacts the monthly reconciliation of our checking account). It was decided that Mary should void/cancel, with an explanation noted, a total of twenty-six checks (most recent one is dated 04/22/2020) which total $1,876.66.

Mary also reported that the Form 990 has been filed. It cost $41 to electronically file it. Mary noted that she ordered new checks as well since the supply was running low.

Mary received notice of an upcoming Department of Labor LMRDA Seminar, to be held on Wednesday, May 10th, in Appleton from 8:30a to 3:30p. M/S/C to send Mary and Ann to the training. Mary's wages, mileage, and meals and Ann's meals will be covered by the Local. There is no cost for the seminar.

Ron reported that a member in his area, who is out on Workers' Compensation, was shown with one less week of vacation. This is supposed to be resolved when he is released to "return to work" but it doesn't make sense. More checking will be done on this.

The administration of Compensated Availability continues to be an issue in the southern part of the state. And who is included is a problem as well. Once a technician is off probation, they are considered to be qualified. Ron noted that a local manager in the area was abruptly terminated, apparently for a number of infractions. There are lots of jobs open at Frontier. An existing employee can get $1,000 for a successful referral!

Judy noted that the problems with the increased per diem and other expenses approved recently should be resolved soon - and that members should be getting back pay, retroactive to the effective date of the contact. The hourly retroactive back pay has (finally) happened but this remains an outstanding problem that she is working on with Frontier.

There have been a few problems with members taking Family Medical Leave but they HAVE to follow the procedures closely (and observe all time requirements). And the Frontier Rhinelander contract has a different amount of "waiting days" for paid sick time. We discussed ways to better educate the membership on the procedures used in all of our represented companies since this is a way to protect jobs when employees need time off for either themselves or family members. In addition, stewards are needed throughout the Local but especially in the Assignment Center.

There are 112 people in the Assignment Center and most are working from home. Those with excessive absenteeism or other work-related problems who are put on a "performance success plan" will have to go back into to office to work. The Company is adding more workstations in the garage building for this purpose. [But, contrary to what was said in the recent "Listen Live" webinar, all employees will not be going back to the office. The headquarters building is up for sale/lease and there isn't room in the garage.] Probably in June, the schedule in the Center will change to "follow the sun" so each location will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Ann handed out a draft proposal for the election timeline to be used by the Local for the upcoming elections this fall. All positions on the Executive Board will have elections - Officers first and then the Area Representatives. Once the details are worked out, all members will receive a USPS mailing with the timeline and the procedure for doing nominations. In any contested races, ballots will be sent to members' homes via USPS mail.

Next, discussion took place on proposed salaries - starting on January 1st - for the new Board. The Secretary and Treasurer positions are being combined so a new salary will have to be established before that election takes place. And, unfortunately, our membership numbers continue to drop - we are at 242 from a high back in 2006 (just after the four Locals merged) of 671. In 2015, we had 385 members. There were several suggestions about what makes sense and is fair to those doing the jobs and that will be discussed further at the next meeting. Steve did ask for everyone on the Board to make a list of their duties and responsibilities. [This will be used in conjunction with the upcoming elections.]

Ann reminded everyone of the upcoming election and the State Supreme Court race. A flyer has been provided (and is available on the website) with additional information. Please vote!

Steve gave an update on the upcoming negotiations at Brightspeed and Lumen. The CenturyLink/Lumen contract has been extended until April 15th but there still is a lot of confusion - on the company's side - of what is really going to happen. The ideal would be to keep the two contracts (if that is what results) identical. There are 24 members at Lumen/CenturyLink and 20 at Brightspeed. Steve's new boss is in Iowa. More to come on this issue …

Ann will send out possible dates for the next Executive Board Meeting(s) and a Membership Meeting - probably in May in Black River Falls or Eau Claire or Rice Lake. M/S/C to adjourn at 4:05 p.m.


Respectfully submitted,
Ann M. McNeary (temporary notetaker)
CWA Local 4671 Executive Board Meeting held on Wednesday February 22, 2023 at 1pm via zoom call.

All Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, South Area Rep Ron Scott, North Area Rep Tom Locke, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda.

Meeting called to order at 1pm by President Steve Kotel.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report and President Kotel did update the status of the grievances.
-Ann addressed the CWA National Convention being held starting on July 10, 2023 in St Louis MO. The Executive Board discussed how many Members to send along with President Kotel, due to the cost spent on bargaining it was determined the 2023 National Convention our Local will be sending President Kotel and no other Members.
-CWA National President Chris Shelton will be retiring so there will be elections for his position along with the Districts Vice Presidents, these will be held at the 2023 National Convention.
-Local 4671 will have elections this Fall for the Executive Board Members, Ann stated she will be working on the time line for the elections. North Area Rep Tom Locke stated he does have Members in his area that are interested in being on the Election Committee. Other Area Reps will check for interest in their areas.
-Ann did address the Board to discuss at the next Executive Board meeting the salary for combining the Treasurer and Secretary positions, along with reviewing the salary for all other positions on the Board.
-April 4, 2023 will be the general election for the WI Supreme Court, the AFL-CIO has endorsed Janet P.
-Steward Training can be done by the School for Workers, the instructor will get a flat fee for training and will come to the location of the training. Tom and Ron have Members that are interested in Steward Training and will get a list of Members. Needed are 8 to 10 Members for a training session. Date of the training at this time is Saturday April 29, 2023 in Wisconsin Dells starting at 9am till 3pm.

--Treasurer Mary Weber reviewed the Treasurers report and discussion was held on the report.
-Steve discussed the union dues for Brightspeed Members, Steve said the National is getting the union dues but at this time they are not being distributed to our Local, this has been addressed and is being worked on.
-Mary advised she does have a list of checks that have been issued but never cashed, she will bring the list to the next meeting and then the Board will decide what to do with the checks.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy verified with the Board any Members that have left our Local, the names and dates they have left. Keeping addresses and Members information updated is highly important and we need to keep updated for the Fall elections and other mailings.
-Retired Member spouse had contacted South Area Rep Ron Scott about an insurance company that contacted her husband about 10 years ago, it was determined that the company was AIL Insurance. Their representative did meet with our Members to offer life insurance. Ron will provide that spouse this information.
-Discussion on next months meeting was held, the meeting will be in Assignment Center Judy Brasda's area. Meeting will be on Wednesday March 29, 2023.

--Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda advised that all back pay that is due regarding the Contract will be paid no later than March 3, 2023. This back pay will go back to February 5, 2022.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke brought up the grievance process starting with the IRS (issue resolution step) which is the first step. Steve discussed the IRS process along with the next steps of grievances. Board Members were all part of this discussion along with their experiences on grievance meetings.
-Tom discussed call outs in the Marshfield Area along with other areas.
-Compensated Availability for each report location that techs go to was brought up and discussed.
-Tom stated there are now weeks being blocked on vacation schedules, he believes it is the scheduling group in West Virginia that is doing the blocking.
-Tom will be out of the office in March for a surgery he is having, all Board Members offered to handle any issues Tom's area may have when he is off.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott brought up the back pay on the Frontier contract, Judy had addressed the back pay.
-Compensated Availability for the CO Techs in the South and East Areas was brought up and discussed.

--President Steve Kotel discussed the extension for the Members of Brightspeed, Lumen and CenturyLink Members, this was signed by D4 Rep Mike Schulte. Steve was not aware of the extension until the signing was completed.
-Steve advised there were 4 Members suspended for improper hours shown, Steve did work with the Company and there was a reverse in the suspensions. One of the four Members did leave the company the other 3 are back to being employeed full time.
-Steve presented 3 letters our Local received listed below asking for donations:
2023 CWA Pediatric Aids in the amount of $242.00
2023 CWA Union to Union Program in the amount of $24.20
District 4 Registration Fund in the amount of $81.30
Discussion on these 3 donation requests was held and the Board agreed to donate. Motion was made by Vice President Ann McNeary to donate to the above 3 organizations the amount they are requesting, motion was 2nd by Tom Locke, Board all voted yes and motion passed. Treasurer Mary Weber will issue payments and mail out.
-Steve reviewed what the Board Members brought up and there was no other subjects to address at this time. Steve asked for a motion to have the meeting adjourned.

Motion made by South Area Rep Ron Scott to adjourn meeting, 2nd by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, motion was passed and meeting adjourned at 3:18pm on February 22, 2023.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.






MINUTES OF EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON JANUARY 18, 2023 AT 1PM, VIA ZOOM CALL.

Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy,
North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda.

The meeting started with a moment of silence for Chris Loomis who passed away in December 2022.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report, grievances were discussed and updates were provided.
-Ann advised she updated the Local's Steward List and sent it out.
-The National has established a Pride at Work Committee on the national level. Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda will check with some of her Members if they would be interested in participating.
-Ann asked for a new seniority list for the Assignment Center, Judy will email the newest list out to the Board Members.
-Discussion regarding the Election Committee that Chris Loomis was handling and who would be handling now. Steve advised he would check with the other members on the committee if any would want to be the main contact person to handle the elections that will be coming up in 2023. Ann advised there are Fall elections for the Executive Board and CWA National Convention in St Louis that the Election Committee may be involved with.
-Tom Locke has a new email and Ann did update it on the Executive Board list.
-There will be an election in April for the Supreme Court Justice.
-The February Executive Board Meeting was discussed and it will be a zoom call meeting and the meeting in March will be held in the Sun Prairie Area, Judy will find a location and time for that meeting.

--Treasurer Mary Weber provided and reviewed the Treasurers Report. There was discussion on placing $25,000 and putting it in a CD at this time, interest rates are paying about 4%.
A motion was made by Ron Scott to transfer 1/2 of the Local's savings and put into a CD if the interest rate is 3.5% or better. Tom Locked 2nd the motion. The Executive Board voted and the motion was passed.
-Mary is working with Brightspeed to get the Local's dues deposited into our Local's account.
-Mary indicated we are low on voucher forms, Ann McNeary will check with a local union printer Wells Printing on the cost of the duplicate vouchers and order 1000 vouchers.
-The District Leadership Training is scheduled in Spring 2023, the Board discussed with our finances at this time we would not be sending anyone to this out of state training.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed 4 Members in his area that have been suspended due to GPS data and employees word did not match their time sheets. There is now mandatory overtime being worked in that area. There was also overtime worked on days that was not approved by Management.
-Ron asked the process for a Member who wants to no longer be a union member, Steve did explain the process and what needs to be done. Jane did provide the type of union card this member signed. Ron will advise Member what needs to be done.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy asked about CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens position that is now opened that Jon has taking another job. President Steve Kotel will be handling any union issues in that area until everything has been completed with the CenturyLink/Lumen/Brightspeed change.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed the meeting with Management regarding jobs per day and delays in repairs.
-There was discussion regarding the grievance process with President Kotel and Management. Steve advised he does talk with Management regarding some grievances for the benefit of the Member. Judy offered to be in IRS Meetings take notes if it would assist the process. Steve went into detail about the grievance process and NLRB charges.

--Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda discussed some attendance issues with Assignment Reps and the Company may be bringing in more desks into the office if Members exceed the attendance objection and need to work in the office.
-Sun Prairie Assignment at this time if the least productive Assignment Center.

--President Steve Kotel advised District 4 Rep Shannon Kirkland's last day was December 31, 2022, at this time the below District Reps will be taking over the below areas.
Frontier Rhinelander will be handled by Clinton Rodgers.
Frontier Communications will be handled by Ron Gay.
CenturyLink/Lumen/Brightspeed will be handled by Mike Schulte.
-Steve's Manager Jeremy Sisko has resigned from CenturyLink.
-At this time there is 26 CenturyLink/Lumen Members.

A motion was made by Judy Brasda to adjourn and 2nd by Ron Scott. Meeting was adjourned at 4:15pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.


CWA LOCAL 4671 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING HELD AUGUST 30, 2022 AT 6PM IN PLYMOUTH WI.
All Local 4671 Executive Board Members along with 7 Members present.

Meeting called to order by President Steve Kotel at 6pm.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Treasurer Report and reviewed with the Membership.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report and President Steve Kotel explained the status of the grievances. Discussion was held on several grievances.

--President Steve Kotel discussed the Frontier contract bargaining. The contract was voted down and the Bargaining Committee will be returning to bargaining but no date has been set at this time. Membership present at the meeting provided their feedback to the Contract. Members concern with the Contract was the amount of the wage increase ,cost of insurance premiums, not having health insurance for retirees. Lengthy discussion was held regarding bargaining.
Members were also asking for more updates during Bargaining, Steve advised the Local’s Facebook and Website has updates. Members provided their email addresses for information to be sent.

--Motion was made by North Area Rep Tom Locke to adjourn meeting and 2nd by Wade Peardon, meeting was adjourned at 7:25pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.



CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES, meeting held August 30, 2022 in Plymouth WI.
All Board Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens.
Meeting called to order by President Steve Kotel at 10:28am.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented and reviewed the Expense/Financial Report. Discussion was held with the Board Members regarding the report.
-Mary advised her and Jane Vander Kooy went to Officer Training along with Aptify review in Indiana, this training was presented by District 4. Mary and Jane both went over what was discussed at the meeting. Mary did let all Board Members know that all vouchers submitted must be signed.

--President Steve Kotel discussed Frontier Bargaining and the Contract vote was turned down. The Bargaining Committee will be meeting again to return to bargain but no date has been set at this time. Members are wanting a larger wage increase and better benefits. The Board Members provided feedback to Steve as to what the Members are saying regarding the contract. Steve will be taking this information back to the Bargaining Committee. There are over 600 Members covered under the this Contract.
-Steve advised he did go to the President’s meeting in Washington DC, bargaining and mobilization was discussed at this meeting.
-The District 4 Educational Conference will be held in Cleveland Ohio on October 4, 2022 to October 6, 2022. The Board discussed sending 3 Board Members to this conference and it was agreed upon.
Motion Made: Ron Scott made a motion that Tom Locke, Judy Brasda and Steve Kotel attend the District 4 Education Conference in Cleveland Ohio on October 4, 2022 to October 6, 2022. Jane Vander Kooy 2nd the motion and the Board was in favor and the motion was passed.
-Steve discussed the Wisconsin AFL-CIO Biannual Convention in Madison WI at the Concourse Hotel on September 19, 2022 and September 20. 2022. Discussion was held by the Board and it was agreed that our Local would send a Member from the Board to the Convention. Treasurer Mary Weber showed interest in attending.
Motion Made: Tom Locke made a motion to send Mary Weber to the Wisconsin AFL-CIO Biannual Convention in Madison WI on September 19. 2022 and September 20, 2022. Judy Brasda 2nd the motion and the entire Board was in favor, motion passed.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy brought the scholarship information to the meeting and advised we did receive 9 applications. A drawing was held for the 6 scholarships, Jane will be contacting the winners and then posting on the Local’s website and Facebook. The winners will receive a $500 scholarship from Local 4671.
-The Board determined our Local will be ordering pocket calendars only this year, it was decided 100 pocket calendars will be ordered.
-Jane discussed at the District 4 Officer Training there was handouts for Aptify and some questions asked. There were Members from Ohio and Indiana that expressed their Members are wanting a larger wage increase in the new Contract.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report. Steve updated the grievances and discussion was held with the Board Members.
-Ann sent out a booklet on the voting records of politicians and had other educational information for Board Members and Members attending the General Membership Meeting.
-Communication with the Webmaster regarding the Locals website and Facebook was discussed. Members go to both sites for information so the Board agreed to the importance of getting information to these sites to keep the membership updated.
-Ann stated at North Area Rep Tom Locke’s Meeting the Members were asking for more bargaining updates, when ballots will be sent out and the status of the contract. Steve stated he will verify that this information is kept updated on the Locals Website and Facebook.
-Ann provided information on the Wisconsin AFL-CIO Biannual Convention and the different unions that will be attending, along with what is generally discussed and presented at this convention.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed bargaining and what his Members wanted addressed and changes, such as bigger wage increase, lower health insurance premiums and the use of Contractors.
-Tom is looking into the cost of getting a webcam for Area Meeting and General Membership Meetings. Tom will check into this and present it to the Board at our next meeting.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott brought up his Members concern with the Contract that is being bargained. Tom Locke and Ron are hearing similar concerns from their Members. Concerns Ron brought up were retirement health benefits and wages. Steve will be taking this back to the Bargaining Committee.
-Ron stated there are job postings for outside techs in Lodi, Adams and Steve advised also Marshfield. Applicants must be vaccinated for COVID in order to be considered for the job position.

--Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda discussed bargaining and the Contract.
-Judy advised the Assignment Center is now in the supply building in Sun Prairie, most Assignment Reps are working from home. The building Assignment was in is now up to be leased.

--CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens advised CenturyLink with now be called Brightspeed starting October 1,2022. Other Members in his area will be called Lumen. CenturyLink will no longer be used. At this time the Local is unsure how Bargaining will be set up with Brightspeed and Lumen, the CenturyLink/Lumen contract is up on February 2, 2023. There are many questions on how this process will be handled. Jon and Steve Kotel will keep the Board updated as they get updates.

Board has agreed next meeting will be Zoom Call on September 28, 2022 at 1pm. There will be a General Membership Meeting held in November and Sun Prairie will be hosting the Meeting, at this time no date has been determined.

Tom Locke made a motion to adjourn the meeting and 2nd by Ron Scott, all Board Members in favor and meeting adjourned at 4:45pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.


MARCH CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES, meeting held via zoom call on Wednesday March 16, 2022 at 1pm.
All Executive Board Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, CenturyLink/Lumen Jon Stevens, Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Financial Report and was reviewed with the Board.
-Norton/Quick Book vouchers were discussed. An e-mail was received regarding a billing to the Local, when researched it was a fraud e-mail and it was deleted. There were no funds sent out.

--Vice President Ann McNeary reviewed the Grievance Report and President Steve Kotel provided updates.
-Ann discussed the Dept of Labor record keeping training her and Treasurer Mary Weber attended. The class explained the importance of record keeping and having very detailed records on everything used by the Local, such as supplies used, mileage, times sheets, etc. President Kotel discussed how he notes his receipts with detailed information.
-Steward Training was brought up and Ann was asking Board Members of the interest in their areas. Tom Locke has 5 interested Members but other Board Members were unsure of interest in their area, they will look further into it and get back with Ann.
-Ann asked for an updated seniority list, President Kotel is waiting for the updated list from Frontier. Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda does have an updated list and will be forwarding on to Steve.
-WI AFL-CIO Conference is being held March 23, 2022 – March 26, 2022, Ann is in charge of Conference and will not be available these dates.
-Political Conference and Presidents Meeting will be held in mid-June 2022 in Washington DC. Further discussion will be held as to who will be attending this meeting.

--President Steve Kotel discussed Frontier Bargaining coming up, the Local will be bargaining along with Rick Carpenter, unsure of the dates bargaining will start at this time. Expense for bargaining was discussed and the Local is looking for lodging to be shared by all the Local Bargaining Members to help with the lodging costs.
-Steve advised CenturyLink/Lumen restrictions have been dropped.
-Time off letter contacts for Frontier have been changed, now Local Managers will get the time off directly and not go to HR reps.
-Steve stated it has been a somewhat quiet winter for Century/Link.
-A CenturyLink tech was working on line when his system showed locked out from Brightspeed access. CenturyLink has not yet switched over to Brightspeed.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy did asked Area Reps of Member statuses in their areas. She advised we need to keep statuses updated to keep Local records correct.
-Members leaving were provided by Area Reps to be updated.
-Update for Brightspeed asked, President Kotel stated to continue to use CenturyLink/Lumen and not Brightspeed at this time. Sometime in summer the Company is looking to switch to Brightspeed.

--CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens advised he will be reporting to a new Manager.
-Jon stated there has been a reductions of service orders and trouble tickets with CenturyLink/Lumen.
-The Company has been relaxing the COVID restrictions.
-There is a new Member starting in Darlington, Jon will be sending in the Membership card so the Member can be added to the Local.
-CO Techs will be starting on a new system, no date as to when the system will start for the CO Techs.
-Management is attempting to put both non represented and represented employees on the same vacation schedule.
-When Brightspeed comes techs will all be getting a new log in, techs for a short time will be labeled as Contractors as this is happening.
-Jon is attempting to schedule meetings across the state for CenturyLink/Lumen members.
-CenturyLink Members are looking at other Companies and to leave CenturyLink.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott advised 2 techs may be leaving his area, he will keep the Board updated if they leave.
-Fiber supplies are coming in, Ron’s area received $85,000 of drops.
-Ron advised there is a new employee hired in Spring Green.
-Ron stated the CO position is understaffed in his areas.
-Discussed was discipline for missing call outs, if there is discipline the Local should refer to this week, there was no one on call for this entire week.
-3 people had turned down a job because of the COVID required vaccination.
-Discussion of home dispatch ending with gas prices, there is no action taken by the Company but concern of Members that they could lose home dispatch due to gas prices increasing.

--Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda discussed a few of her Members starting discipline due to attendance issues, there are no grievances for these issues at this time.
-Judy has been working on the Work From Home requirements for the Assignment Center Reps, Judy will be sending to the District.
-Judy discussed bargaining and advised the Bargaining Committee has 39 proposals to go to the bargaining table on the 1st day of bargaining.
-Office supplies that Judy needs were discussed, it was advised the Local does have supplies in our budget. Mary did state it is important to note when purchased on the receipt what the supplies were needed for. Judy stated she will be doing all the printing for bargaining. As the Board discussed it was agreed to that we will make a motion for Judy to purchase bargaining supplies.
South Area Rep Ron Scott made a motion to authorize Judy Brasda to purchase printing supplies for bargaining, such as printer ink, paper and any other supplies as needed for bargaining. Vice President Ann McNeary 2nd the motion. All Board Members were in favor and motion was passed.
-Judy was on a mobilization call with the District, the District is interested in the signs that our Local used for the picket in Wausau. Judy was going to check if we can be reimbursed for these signs. Frank Mathews from the District really liked the signs and may have more printed.
-There will be an informational picket on April 2, 2022 from 9a to noon, this will be District wide and starting in Ohio at 9am. Videos will be taken during the picket. Invites to anyone that wants to picket. Judy will be checking with the Local police department regarding the picket.
-Bargaining was discussed and the cost of bargaining, the District will be paying for 3 hotel rooms, there are 8 Members on the Bargaining Committee. The Committee is checking into if they got a B&B if that expense would be covered. The Committee wants to be in the same area as discussed of bargaining continues after they leave the meeting.
-Some Members feels that there is special treatment given to other Members, a Member gets good numbers and they are kept in certain job assignments. Some Members heated about other Members being off line every week and others never get to go off line.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed the IRS for 2 Members denied for a job due to the Company showing they are not qualified for a job position, both Members have worked over 15 years and they have all the qualifications.
-NLRB charges discussed with Steve, Tom advised he has a meeting today to discuss the details of these charges.
-Tom stated Chris Loomis is working on a couple IRS’s in the North Area at this time, Tom will keep the Board updated.
-There are Stewards interested in the Steward Training that will be coming up, Tom will keep Ann updated on the Members who want to attend.

Board discussion on next Executive Board Meeting to be held in April, at this time with Bargaining it will be held via zoom call on April 20, 2022 at 1pm. Jane will be sending Management time off letters.

Motion was made by South Area Rep Ron Scott to adjourn meeting and 2nd by Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, meeting was adjourned at 3:28pm.

Meeting minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.



CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 16, 2022 AT 1pm via zoom call.
All Board Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda, CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens.

Meeting called to order by President Steve Kotel at 1:05pm.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report and President Steve Kotel provided updates to the grievances. Discussion was held on the grievances by Board Members. Steve advised he will be meeting with Frontier Management on February 18, 2022 to discuss pending grievances.
-Ann asked for the CenturyLink/Lumen seniority list located on the Locals website to be updated, Steve stated he has requested a new list earlier this week from the Company and it will be replacing the current list.
-Kim Busch who worked out of Darlington and was an employee with GTE/Verizon/Frontier recently passed away. Kim recently retired with over 40 years of service. Ann expressed her sympathy for the loss of Kim.
-Ann stated the picket in Wausau a few weeks ago went really well, there was a good turn out to support the picket.

--Treasurer Mary Weber reviewed the Local’s Financial Report . Mary discussed Ledgers for the Local’s monthly and year to date finances.
-All W2’s have been sent out and tax forms have been completed and mailed in.
-Mary will be taking a training class from the Department of Labor regarding record keeping later this month.
-Discussion on the Local’s bylaws giving the Treasurer up to 2 days off for union business if needed. If Mary needs time off she will contact Jane Vander Kooy and Steve Kotel to advise.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy asked for update on the new Human Resources contact person for Frontier now that Gregory Blankenship has left Frontier. Steve provided the 2 new contact people until the HR position is filled.
-Jane discussed the Local will provided six $500 scholarships to Local Members children, spouses and themselves, members must be in good standing. Area Reps will be letting their Members know they will be able to apply for the scholarship starting in April, forms will be on the Local’s website.
-Verification of the CenturyLink/Lumen name, is the company using Brightspeed yet. Steve advised name change has not been changed on trucks, buildings, etc so continue to use CenturyLink/Lumen.
-Jane asked for clarification on Members in the Assignment Center that have left, Judy did provide the update.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott advised Frontier Management told Members they will be getting cameras in the Techs trucks. These dash cams will be video only, no audio.
-Frontier is interviewing for open tech positions, Ron was advised if the applicant is not vaccinated they would not be extended the offer for the job.
-Ron asked about personal days being used when a Member is out for COVID. Steve will be discussing with Management.
-Discussion on how some Managers are extremely hard to deal with and there is no action taken by the Company to deal with those Managers. Ron talked about how Navy Seals are selected for positions and if the Company followed this process, Managers with a negative management style may not be with Frontier.

--CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens stated Midwest General Manager Brian Santuilli held a meeting for CenturyLink/Lumen employees and discussed the direction of the Company. Brightspeed was brought up briefly and there will be 3 General Managers, a South, Midwest and East. Brian’s first topic was safety, and he did express the importance of safety for employees. Jon asked Steve to bring this up to Management since there may be safety issues with fire extinguishers in offices. Also discussed was fiber being built out over exchanges, no exchanges were named at this time or when the fiber build out would start. New jobs will be posted for the fiber build out.
-Jon stated the techs are busy and working some overtime, but not excessive overtime. There are not enough techs and that is what is causing the overtime, techs are being moved to different areas to help with work.
-Discussion on VRX which is an extender for HSI. Connect America Fund is to provide HSI in homes. The process the Company is using is not accurate to get data of the homes that are needing HSI. Addresses are being pulled up and if there are out buildings it is showing out buildings as homes and not buildings. CenturyLink is reviewing due to incorrect information can lead up to fines.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke asked about getting Steward Training set up for new Stewards and any Steward that would want additional training. Board discussed and all agreed face to face is the best Steward Training. Ann will be checking with the School for Workers on the cost, the training would be on a Saturday in April. The Local would pay for the training along with mileage and meals. Ann will be getting back to the Board once she gets the information on the cost and date. Area Reps will check with their Members on attending training.
-Tom discussed the Wausau picket and the great turn out. Also the media coverage by the Wausau tv stations.
-Tom addressed issues with Members not getting work done and having to carry over work, this is causing discipline to some Members. Steve will be discussing with Management on 3/18/2022 when he meets with Management on several issues.
-There was 2 positions opened in Wausau COEI but there is no update if these jobs have been filled.
-Tom advised safety concerns with underground work and safety with equipment and gas detectors. Tom does not believe equipment has been checked and calibrated, which causes unsafe working conditions. Steve explained how Members should never place themselves in unsafe working conditions and can refuse to do the work if it is not safe conditions. There are OSHA standards and employees can contact OSHA if the company does not provide safe equipment they are being told to do work that is unsafe.
Tom will be getting Steve information on this equipment and a grievance may be filed if needed.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda discussed topics of meeting her and Assignment Center Manager Cindy had regarding Members with attendance issues.
-Judy and Manager Teri Kovacs are reviewing and making changes to the Assignment Center policy guidelines. Judy and Teri are cleaning up the language so it pertains to the Assignment Center. Some of the changes are removing the dress code, changes to flex and overtime make up, along with inclement weather. Judy does need to address with Cindy before finalizing the policy guidelines.
-There is a new training Supervisor for the Assignment Center, the training will be looking at getting better documentation for some Assignment Center Reps.
-Assignment Center is discussing a Follow the Sun schedule, each area would work 6am to 7pm in their areas Monday thru Friday, and 7am to 5pm on weekends.
Sun Prairie does have both Copper and Fiber schedules, not all Assignment Centers have both.
-Judy and Steve discussed Frontier Bargaining and District Rep Shannon will be providing documents to the Company on March 1, 2022 to show the Union does want to start bargaining. At this time Bargaining may start on April 1, 2022 but there is no date determined at this time. On March 7th, 8th and 9th the Locals bargaining committee in District 4 will all meet and discuss bargaining. District 9 does have a tentative agreement, some of the changes are an additional personal day, wage increase, WFH policy which are positive. On the negative the Company is looking at no longer providing health insurance for Members when the are Medicare eligible, and no health insurance for the retirees spouse once the retiree goes on Medicare.

--President Steve Kotel discussed his meeting coming up this Friday February 18, 2022 with Management, Steve will be going over several issues along with grievances.
-Steve advised Lodi and Marshfield have Sales and Service Tech jobs available, the Company is going to the street to fill these jobs. Dodgeville does have a job on job line to fill at this time, job will be on job line from 2/16/22 to 2/25/22.
-Steve asked Board if any other issues, there were none. Steve asked for a motion to adjourn.
Motion made by Ron Scott to adjourn and second by Ann McNeary, all members in favor. Meeting adjourned at 3:20pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane VanderKooy.


CWA Local 4671 Executive Board Meeting held January 19, 2022 at 1:05pm via Zoom Call.
Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens, Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report. Report was reviewed and President Steve Kotel updated the grievances.
-Ann advised FMLA training will be held Zoom call on Saturday January 22, 2022, at this time there are 12 members signed up for the training.
-The Board discussed verbiage and ordering signs for future informational pickets. 4 different signs will be ordered, signs can be used for all companies represented by our Local. A motion was made by Vice President Ann McNeary for our Local to purchase 200 informational picket signs and 2nd by North Area Rep Tom Locke, Board discussed and motion was approved.
-Ann will develop informational flyers that can be passed out to Members.

--Treasurer Mary Weber provided the Treasurers Report along with 2 other reports regarding the Local’s finances. Discussion was held on the reports by the Board.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed Members updated status, Board Members updated the status of Members in their areas and advised Members that have left the Company and can be removed from our Locals records.
-Jane discussed the extra security she has on her computer due to having the Local Members information on line. Jane discussed there is a yearly fee for the extra security and asked for a motion to approve the yearly payment. A motion was made by Vice President Ann McNeary to approve for Secretary Jane Vander Kooy and Treasurer Mary Weber to purchase additional security for the Local’s laptops that they both use with Members information. The cost should not exceed $100 for the yearly security. Motions was 2nd by Tom Locke, discussion held by the Board and approved.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed how a Manager told his work group they needed to take one hour lunches instead of 30 minute lunches. Ron addressed this issue and it was resolved, Members are back to taking 30 minute lunches.
-Construction Members were picked to work on air pressure, these Members are on one vacation schedule and the Company is cutting overtime for these Members. President Steve Kotel and Ron will be addressing these issues with Management.
-Ron advised fiber is to be coming to some areas of Frontier.
-Ron stated Drafter Becky DeVries retired and the company plans on hiring an outside tech in the Adams area.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke advised Members in the Marshfield area called in sick one day and there was no coverage in that area the day when the Members were ill.
-Tom stated a Member in the North area did quit on Monday and will need to be removed from the Locals records.
-Tom discussed a wage issue for a Member from Frontier Rhinelander that transferred to a Frontier position. President Steve Kotel stated he will be discussing that issue with Frontier Management on Friday.

--CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens advised in Darlington there is a new hire, Jon will be meeting with this Member shortly.
-Jon straightened out a vacation issue with Management, Management had union and non union employees picking vacation schedules together, after Jon addressed they are no longer picking off the same schedule.
-Jon will be holding meetings throughout the State with CenturyLink/Lumen Members in February and March, at this time there are no dates set up yet for these meetings.
-Jon will be getting a new Manager and they will be located in Wisconsin outside of the Eau Claire area.
-Jon advised CenturyLink will be extending some type of DSL service which is called BRX, Steve did explain the equipment for BRX is being ordered at this time. Limited information was provided at this time regarding this service.

--Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda stated the Assignment Center Managers will all be working in the office at times, now there are only a couple Managers that are physically in the office. Assignment Members who are not meeting their stats will need to come back to the office for 90 days to work on their stats, at this time there are about 9 Members this would effect.
-Judy is waiting to hear back from Management on the MOA she submitted for working from home.
-Judy worked with Management on the vacation schedule which can takes months to complete, Judy working with Sarah did cut down the time of completing the schedule.
-There was changes to preference card process in the Assignment Center, there were no major issues with the changes.
-At this time there is no discipline in the Assignment Center.

--President Steve Kotel opened up meeting to any questions or concerns that were not previously addressed.
-Steve advised CenturyLink/Lumen is doing inventory at this time throughout the company.
-There are no official updates on Brightspeed the new company name for CenturyLink/Lumen.
-Discussion was held on next Board Meeting, Meeting will be held on February 16, 2022 at 1pm via Zoom call.

Motion made by Ann McNeary to adjourn meeting and 2nd by Ron Scott, Board approved and meeting was adjourned at 3:03pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.







CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON DECEMBER 16, 2021 VIA ZOOM CALL, meeting called to order at 1:07pm.
Member present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda.
Excused: CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report. Discussion held and President Steve Kotel provided updates to grievances.
-Ann discussed FMLA training being held in January, at this time there are 12 members signed up. Additional members can attend, this training is virtual and will be held on January 22, 2022 from 9am to noon. Members can contact Ann or anyone on the Executive Board for more information or to sign up.
-Discussion was held on Local’s signs and verbiage for the signs.

--Treasurer Mary Weber reviewed the Treasurers Report. Mary advised of vouchers needed from Executive Board Members.
-Local’s audit was completed on December 3, 2021 and the audit went well. There were no issues or concerns during the audit.
-Mary is finishing up the LM3 report which will be completed by the end of the year.
-Discussion was held on Mary providing monthly report to the Board on the percentage of money being used from the different areas where the Board has budgeted monies for the year. Mary stated she will start providing that report.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed address updates and advised she updated all returned addresses from the Local’s last mailing. The Board agreed that another mailing at this time to update addresses would not be needed.
-Jane reminded Board Members to keep her updated on Members that leave the Companies or move so our records are kept up to date.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed the elimination of 2 CPE Techs. One of the techs has gone to I/R and the second is completing CPE job duties at this time.
-Tom advised there is an I/R tech that is not being offered home dispatch. Tom will be grieving this and keep the Board updated.
-Discussion and date of a get together in Wausau was held.
-The Store Clerk in Rhinelander is losing his position. He will be moving from the Frontier Rhinelander contract to the Frontier contract. President Steve Kotel is working on a separation package with Human Resources.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda discussed the ISP work and adding orders. These tasks are being handled on the weekends, at this time there is no need to do during the week.
-There is a 5% increase in the Assignment Center to the corporate calls received and helping the techs.
-The Assignment Center has a new attendance line to call into. At this time there is a lot of confusion by the people answering the calls on what to do when an Assignment Rep calls into the line. There are coaching emails being sent to Assignment Reps supervisor for coaching on attendance when no coaching is needed. Judy is working with Management to get this resolved.
-Going back into the office for the Assignment Reps will be discussed in January. Judy is working on a MOA to retain the work from home status for the Assignment Center Reps.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed the techs confusion on the survey language from Frontier regarding vaccination status. Ron is waiting for clarification from the District. President Kotel advised at this time there is no paperwork from the District showing there will be no discipline.
-Ron stated there are Members asking if the Frontier Contract extension was agreed to by the Union. Steve advised the Union Reps on the Bargaining Committee did agreed to the extension.
-Discussion on holiday pay if a Member was off before or after the holiday was held.

--President Steve Kotel stated there will be a new hire in the South area.
-Steve advised that Brightspeed the new name for CenturyLink/Lumen is doing no updates on their facilities for the next 6 months.

Motion made by President Steve Kotel to adjourn and 2nd by North Area Rep Tom Locke, meeting was adjourned at 3:10pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.


MEMBERSHIP MEETING HELD ON NOVEMBER 17, 2021 AT 6:10 PM IN SUN PRAIRIE WI AT THE NITTY GRITTY.
All Executive Board Members were present along with several Assignment Center Members. President Steve Kotel called the meeting to order.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented and reviewed the Financial Report.

--Vice President Ann McNeary handed out the Grievance Report and reviewed. There was discussion on the grievance process.
-Ann advised there will be FMLA training held in January via zoom call.

--CenturyLink/Lumen Rep Jon Stevens discussed the new name of the Company, Brightspeed.
-Jon advised of the 2 billion dollars the company is putting into their network for upgrades.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed the work expectations for the techs.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed the grievances in the South Area.

--President Steve Kotel advised of vaccine mandates with Frontier and Century/Link.
-Steve explained the Frontier contract extension date of April 30, 2022. Steve discussed the pre-bargaining process.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda discussed the closing of the Mrytle Beach Office and the job tasks that will be coming to Sun Prairier. She did advise at this time these tasks will be voluntary.
-No access service orders will be coming back to the Assignment Center, Judy explained how the Assignment Techs will be contacting customers to reschedule.
-Judy discussed the Frontier bargaining process.
-The attendance changes to the national call in number was discussed. The local supervisors will no longer be tracking attendance.
-There was discussion with the Membership on issues brought up throughout the meeting.

Motion was made by April Conrad to adjourn and 2nd by Judy Brasda, meeting adjourned at 8:03pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.






EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 17, 2021 IN SUN PRAIRIE WI AT THE NITTY GRITTY, MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 11:15 AM.
Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, CenturyLink/Lumen Rep Jon Stevens.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented and reviewed the Treasurer Report.
-The yearly Audit will be held in Sun Prairie on December 3, 2021. Lori Cline and Jen Shier from the Assignment Center are on the Audit Committee and will be reviewing the Locals records.
-Mary will be working on the year end report.

--Vice President Ann McNeary reviewed the Grievance Report and grievances were updated.
-Ann reviewed the new Operating Practices.
-There will be a FMLA Zoom Meeting held on January 22, 2022 from 9am to noon. This meeting will be reviewing FMLA, there will be an opportunity for questions to be asked.
-Ann will be checking into the cost to send out post cards to all Members so the Local can update the addresses. Ann will report back at the December meeting. Address will be updated if needed and email addresses can be added.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed setting up on going dates for Board and General Membership Meetings. In 2022 the Board will be meeting the last Wednesday of the month.
-Wall calendars were passed out to the Area Reps that had ordered them.

--CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens stated CenturyLink/Lumen announced their new company name given on 11/17/21, new name is Brightspeed and the company will start using the new name in mid 2022. All members in District 4 will be Brightspeed, some states not in District 4 will remain CenturyLink/Lumen.
-Jon discussed how the Company is reviewing COVID testing and how it will be done. There are Members advising the company for religious reasons they will not be vaccinated for COVID.
-Century/Link announced they will be putting up to 2 billion dollars into their facilities nationwide to upgrade their network.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda announced that Mrtyle Beach offline will be closing and their work will be coming to Sun Prairie.
-Sun Prairie Assignment Center has new job tasks coming, some of these tasks are DOR’s, ISP and new service orders that are no access. The Assignment Center Reps will be calling the no access customers to reschedule, this task is for service orders only. These tasks will be volunteer only when it first starts.
-Assignment Center is now on a new attendance policy for calling into the 877# when a tech is calling in to be off or late. The National Attendance Center will now be handling all these calls, an email will be sent to the Techs Manager to advise of the employees status. This process will be starting late January or February 2022.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed the work expectations for the techs. President Steve Kotel went over the company documents.
-CPE Business Systems are going away, this work will now be done by the I/R Techs.
-There are 2 fiber to the premise projects that are tentatively to start in Wisconsin soon.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed a Member who had gotten a written warning for sending jobs back that he was unable to be completed. The Member did advise the Manager earlier in the day that he was unable to complete all the jobs.
-Vacation selection will be starting for 2022 and the techs will have 24 hours to select their vacation, this is being handled by the National Group.
-The company may be adding CO Techs in the South Area and there is an open req for a Field Tech in the South Area.

Motion was made by Jon Stevens to adjourn and 2nd by Ann McNeary, meeting was adjourned at 5:29pm.



CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON OCTOBER 27, 2021 AT 2PM VIA ZOOM CALL.
MEMBERS PRESENT: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Treasurer Report and reviewed the financials of the Local, discussion held with the Board.
-Mary has all the documents needed and will be scheduling the audit of the Local’s records.

--Vice President Ann McNeary reviewed the Grievance Report. Discussion was held on the pending grievances and Board Members provided updates to the pending grievances.
-Ann did discuss what she had observed on the call for the National Convention. The National Convention was not in person due to COVID and held via zoom call.
-Ann stated she is working on updating the Local’s Bylaws and Operating Practices at this time.
-At the convention this year it was determined the CWA National Convention for2023 will be held in St Louis MO in July of 2023.

--President Steve Kotel provided information regarding the 2021 CWA National Convention held virtual. Steve stated he was unable to vote along with many other Members that attended the Convention virtual due to errors getting him and others into their system. After a day and a half the issue was finally resolved. At the convention membership information was provided regarding the loss of telecom membership, the telecoms have lost 30,000 members since COVID started.
Leadership of the convention advised money will be withdrawn from SIF to hire 28 new staff members, but there was no details of where these staff members would be located, there are 45 vacancies of staff members. It was not determined what sector of CWA they would be working for, whether telecoms, flight attendants, etc.
Steve observed the major focus at the convention was on AT&T and the Flight Attendants, no focus on the smaller locals. Steve along with many other members at the Convention felt frustrated from the National and the District with the lack of attention to the telecoms besides AT&T.
At this time there is 360,000 CWA Members.
The funds amounts in the National CWA accounts were provided, the amounts are as follows as approximate, SIF has $120 million, Growth Fund has $53 million and Strike Fund has $425 million.
Steve and other members of our Local and other Locals all felt frustration with the convention being virtual, they was no interaction between members that you experience at conventions in person. This convention was listening to the parties doing their presentations and no input from the delegates.
-CenturyLink/Lumen announced if an employee is not fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021 they will be placed on 60 day unpaid leave of absence, if after 60 days they are not fully vaccinated they would be terminated. Steve stated within the last couple weeks 3 employees have quit Century/Link. The vaccine policy is for both Management and Hourly, CenturyLink is stating this is a Federal mandate that they are following. The union will be addressing the vaccine policy.
Steve will be having a call with Frontier Management regarding their vaccine policy, at this time Frontier is not taking any action towards unvaccinated employees.
-Steve advised Rhinelander contracts have finally arrived, Steve will get the contracts passed out to Members and the Board.
-Frontier Management told Steve there will be 7 techs hired in the state and 2 COEI techs hired in the Wausau area.
-Meeting was held with Management and Hourly regarding the Work and Home life, an item brought up was using Instagram instead of Facebook and the Local may want to look into started a Instagram account. Management brought up starting ride alongs and job shadowing again, at this time with COVID unsure when it could be started but it was discussed.


--South Area Rep Ron Scott presented his view on the CWA National Convention. Ron expressed his frustration with the inability to interact with others at the Convention due to it being virtual. Ron felt an in person convention would have been more successful.
Ron stated there was time spent on some groups such as women, minority and political and not all union members, he felt all members should be addressed and not certain groups. Ron noticed the strength AT&T has when it came to voting, there are thousand of AT&T members in some of their Locals, when other Locals such as our Local only has hundreds of Members.
-Ron discussed when a tech is unable to complete their jobs for the day, the tech is reaching out to Management and the Manager is telling the tech to call other techs to see if they can assist when the Manager should be doing this. Managers will not advise the techs when they can return the ticket. This is happening in certain areas, not all areas.
-Portage and Dodgeville grievance was discussed regarding 1 vacation schedule for these 2 work groups.
-Ron is working with HR regarding a member who is unable to get STD or Workers Comp when there was an incident with an independent doctor that was provided by the Company.

--Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda discussed a termination meeting she had with Management regarding a Members absence. Judy will be working with Management to get the Members equipment returned so the Member will receive their last paycheck.
-MOA was discussed regarding increase of wages.
-Discussion on Assignment Center Membership meetings and members questions regarding bargaining and frustrations members have. Judy provided an explanation but there was still member frustration. Next Board Meeting and General Membership meeting is being held in Judy’s area.
-Judy discussed getting Members more involved in the Local and what can be done statewide. Members of the Board provided their input and will continue to work to get information out.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed battling with work expectations for the techs, there was another email sent out by Management with the expectations on it. Techs are getting more jobs than time available during the day, the company is aware of the employee shortage. Steve advised he has addressed the work expectations with the District and is pursing this. Steve stated techs are now getting disciplined and is looking for direction from the District on how to pursue the work expectations. Tom along with the Board how to bring more attention to this issue.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed the ordering of wall calendars, it was agreed by the Board that 150 wall calendars would be ordered.
-Discussion on cleaning out the union office in Pardeeville on November 17, 2021 was addressed and some of the Board Members will be there for the cleaning.
-Time off letters were discussed and President Kotel clarified when the letters are needed.

--CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed keeping the Board Members updated when Members leave the Company. Jon advised Management is not telling the Local when Members leave.
-Jon discussed the mandatory vaccine that CenturyLink advised must be done by 12/8/21, Jon stated with some vaccines there is not enough time for Members to be fully vaccinated by that date.
-Inventory Program at CenturyLink is still happening, the offices are being video and any spare parts located will be sent to Denver.
-Health Care enrollment will start next week and premiums will stay the same.

Next Board and General Membership Meeting will be held on November 17, 2021 in Sun Prairie WI.

Ron Scott made a motion to adjourn meeting and 2nd by Tom Locke, all members in favor and meeting was adjourned at 4:10pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.








SEPTEMBER GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING HELD AT 6PM IN WISCONSIN DELLS WI, PRESIDENT STEVE KOTEL CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 6:15PM.
MEMBERS PRESENT: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens.

--Bylaw changes were provided and voted on for approval. Vote was approved by all Members present for the Bylaw changes.

No other topics discussed and motion was made by South Area Rep Ron Scott to adjourn and 2nd by Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda.
Meeting adjourned at 6:20pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 IN WISCONSIN DELLS WI, MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 10:20AM BY PRESIDENT STEVE KOTEL.
MEMBERS PRESENT: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report, discussion was held and report was updated.
-Ann presented the Local’s Operating Practices to the Board. The practices were reviewed and changes along with updates were made. The Board will continue to work on updating the Operating Practices at another Board Meeting.
-Ann provided prior Expense Reports and Financial Income Reports with the Board. Ann and Mary discussed these reports and the Board found it would be beneficial to have these forms used in the future.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Treasurer Report to the Board, the report was reviewed with the Board Members.
-Mary discussed equipment and supplies Board Members along with any other Members have in their possession that is the Local’s property. The Board agreed the Local should have a list of all equipment that was provided to the Board Members or others paid for by the Local. When a Board Member or any other Member have Local’s property and they are no longer a Board Member or on a Committee the supplies and equipment must be returned to the Local. All Board Members agreed the property should be returned to the Local’s Office and not to be sold to the Member, for security reasons laptops will not be sold to the Member.
-Mary will be scheduling the Local’s audit, she will be getting Members from the Assignment Center for the audit.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy handed out pocket calendars to the Area Reps to provide to their Members.
-Jane will continue to research costs for wall calendars for Members.
-Discussion of address updates and importance of correct addresses was discussed to keep Members updated if needed.

--Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda advised HR and CWA District Rep met and the Assignment Center will continue to work from home until 2/1/22 at this time. Work from home extension will be reviewed again at a later time.
-Judy has had meetings with Management regarding Assignment Center Reps productivity when working from home along with discipline. Judy will continue to work with Management and Members on these issues.
-Judy discussed that herself and President Kotel the end of August worked on bargaining proposals with other Members from the District, members were from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio. These Members will be on the Bargaining Committee with Judy and Steve. Proposals regarding Compensated Availability, Wages, Health Care, Overtime, Personal Days, Seniority were some of the subjects discussed. Discussion was also held on the dues taken for the Strike Fund.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed Member being sent to a company doctor, the doctor caused additional injury to the Member.
-Frontier Management told Members that Frontier will have fiber to all homes by the year 2025.
-Adams Central Office received a new roof and other CO’s will also be reroofing.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed 2 Members having backing accidents and being placed on discipline for backing into a stationary object.
-Techs are working 10 hour days and continuing with overtime due to lack of employees. Company is showing emergency that is forcing Members to continue to work 10 hour days.

--CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed the maintenance and facilities in the state for CenturyLink.
-Jon reported there is no discipline in the CenturyLink area at this time.

--President Steve Kotel discussed bargaining and working with the District on issues concerning the Local. Steve will continue to work with the other Members on the Bargaining Committee to prepare for bargaining.

Motion was made by South Area Rep Ron Scott to adjourn and 2nd by Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda, meeting adjourned at 5:39pm.
Meeting minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

CWA LOCAL 4671 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING HELD ON AUGUST 19, 2021 IN BLACK RIVER FALLS WI, meeting called to order at 6:30pm.
Board Members present President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens.
Membership present Chris Loomis.

President Steve Kotel called the meeting to order and turned the meeting over to Election Committee chair Chris Loomis. Chris did nominations for the CWA National Convention in New Orleans LA on October 18, 2021 and October 19, 2021. North Area Rep Tom Locke nominated South Area Rep Ron Scott, nomination was 2nd by President Steve Kotel. Ron Scott accepted the nomination. Chris asked for other nominations multiple times, there were no other nominations and nominations were closed.
Ron Scott and Steve Kotel will be attending the CWA National Convention.
Chris stated he will be providing Secretary Jane Vander Kooy updated addresses that he received from the mailing for the Convention notice.
Meeting was turned back over to the President Steve Kotel.

Steve discussed Frontier Bargaining updates, advising the District 4 Local Presidents and Local Bargaining Committee members will be meeting the end of August to get prepared for bargaining. There will be no District 4 staff members present.

Grievances were discussed at the IRS level, Managers are not meeting face to face for these meetings. The reasoning the Managers are using is due to COVID they are not doing IRS face to face meetings.
President Steve Kotel will be contacting Greg Blackenship in HR to explain Weingarten Rights for the membership. Steve will have North Area Rep Tom Locke and South area Rep Ron Scott on the call.

Chris Loomis discussed backing accidents in his area and the next steps to be taken.

There was discussion on Frontiers Work Expectations.

Secretary Jane Vander Kooy advised of the 2 winners of the Local’s scholarship.

Motion was made by Chris Loomis to adjourn and 2nd by Vice President Ann McNeary, meeting was adjourned at 7:30pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.


CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON AUGUST 19, 2021 IN BLACK RIVER FALLS WI, Meeting called to order at 10:30am.
Executive Board members present President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens.

--Treasurer Mary Weber provided and reviewed the monthly treasurer report.
-Mary discussed the Local’s audit was held in July with Members from the Assignment Center and previous Treasurer Sherry Gehring reviewing the Local’s financial records. Mary requested on receipts there needs to be an itemized list with what was purchased and names of parties involved in receiving the items purchased, this will provide clarification on all purchases. The 2021 Audit will be held in October of this year with Members from the Assignment Center assisting, the audit will be held in Sun Prairie.
-Mary advised she received documents from a Member regarding his union dues being removed when on disability. The Member is receiving ½ pay but the union dues are being removed at full rate instead of ½. The Board had discussed and agreed with the Member if he is only getting ½ pay he should only be paying ½ union dues. Mary will be contacting Michelle in the District Office regarding this issue and how it was previously handled and how it should be addressed in the future.
Ann McNeary made a motion on a one time exception basis the Local would pay the Member $96.12 in back union dues while the Member was on disability. There was an incorrect dues withholdings by the Company while the Members was on disability.
Ron Scott 2nd the motion and the Board agreed and motion was passed.
-Previous Budget Report from prior year was handed out and discussed, Mary will follow the budget form for next years budget.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy advised there were 2 winners for the CWA Local 4671 Scholarship, Members were called and Treasurer Mary Weber will be sending out $500 checks to the winners. The winners are as follows:
Drake Locklear son of Grover (Wesley) Locklear from Denmark WI, Drake will be attending Anoka Ramsey Community College.
Kyle Holmen son of Mike Holmen from Prescott WI, Kyle will be attending UW River Falls.
-Discussion on 2022 calendars was discussed, Jane will be ordering both pocket and wall calendars as requested by the Area Reps.
-Cleaning and removing outdated items from the Local’s office in Pardeeville will take place in October.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report, the report was discussed and updated.
-Discussion on the Local’s Membership list was held and the importance of keeping our Members status and addresses updated. Secretary Jane Vander Kooy has the most recent list of the Membership and will be sending to Ann.
-Dates and locations for the September and October meetings were scheduled. September Meeting will be an Executive Board Meeting and a General Membership meeting held in Portage WI on September 29th. October 27, 2021 will be an Executive Board Meeting in Pardeeville WI.

--CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed a couple CenturyLink Members have left the Company and CenturyLink is not filling their positions at this time.
-Jon reported that the Link to Success has been quiet lately, there have been no discipline issues at this time.
-Jon discussed he had a meeting and represented an employee for 2 ethic complaints.
-CenturyLink/Lumen has sold 20 states to Apollo and have kept 16 states. As of this time the new name is Newco, that name may be changing in the future.

--Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda stated HR advised they have extended work from home for the Assignment Center to January 3, 2022 at this time. Attendance and productivity has been much better since work from home started.
-There is no longer an IT person in Sun Prairie.
-An Assignment Center Member who was off since February resigned the end of July.
-Judy advised the performance stats are changing and she will watch how the change will effect Members and the discipline process.
-Discussion on how overtime is being offered in the Assignment Center, Judy will continue to monitor overtime scheduling.
-At this time training is being done for CT Assignment Center employees.
-Scheduling for the 2022 vacations and New Years Day holiday was reviewed, Judy will be meeting with Cindy to discuss when the New Years Day holiday will be shown on schedules due to it falling on Saturday.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott asked President Steve Kotel about the Frontier Bargaining Committee and when they will be meeting. Steve advised the District 4 Local’s Bargaining Committees will be meeting for 4 days then end of August and preparing for bargaining with Frontier.
-Ron advised he will be meeting with 3 CO Tech Members who work out of 3 different CO’s to discuss work and vacation schedules. If a grievance is necessary to resolve any issues Ron will handle.
-Network Expectations discussed pertaining to per diem and compensated availability. Frontiers Network Expectations conflict with Contract language.
-There was discussion on grievances not be addressed by the Company in a timely manner, grievances for the IRS and 1st formal step one are being ignored by some Managers.
-Discussion on how personal day time off is being implemented for COEI Techs who have (4) 10 hour day schedules.
-Contractors are installing CO equipment and Members have safety concerns that the equipment is not being installed correctly.
-TDS is bringing their construction department back to TDS and not contractors, Windstream is doing the same by bringing construction work back to their Company.
-On July 17, 2021 Area Reps Tom Locke, Judy Brasda and Ron Scott went to Neenah for an Area Meeting, there was a very low turn out for that meeting.
-An email came out for Operation Ignite that shows a change in Frontier Management is coming.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed he has 2 backing accidents in his area, one accident was a verbal warning and one was a written warning. Tom will be working on getting the written letter removed from the Members file after a period of time.
-There were rumors that Tom was telling Members to call in sick, these are just rumors and at this time unsure of who would have started these rumors. This was completely false and Tom has never told Members to call in sick. President Steve Kotel is aware of these rumors and addressing with Management.
-Discussion on the Family Welfare Committee was held and a 2nd meeting will be scheduled. In the future all Area Reps will be attending this Committee Meeting along with a couple of their Members.

--President Steve Kotel discussed the Frontier Bargaining and the Local Presidents and their Bargaining Committees will meet the end of August to prepare for bargaining, at that time the committee will go over proposals and discuss steps to take to get ready when bargaining begins. Discussion of an updated member list was discussed so we can get information to the Membership regarding the Contract when needed.
Vice President Ann McNeary made a motion that our Local pays for lodging, meals, mileage and lost wages for President Steve Kotel and Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda to attend the pre-bargaining meeting. Motion was 2nd by North Area Rep Tom Locke, the Board agreed and motion was passed.
-Steve stated on his Local’s credit card he has 20,000 in points that need to be used. The Board discussed having a drawing for our Members who provide an email address along with a cell phone number. The drawing winners will be receiving a gift card.
-Scholarships were discussed for our Members and their families. The 2 Local Scholarship winners were discussed along with a Networth Scholarship that Judy Brasda’s daughter had won. The Board agreed that we need to promote all scholarships that are offered to our members.
-CenturyLink contracts have been received and sent out to the Members. At this time the Rhinelander contract has not yet been received.

Treasurer Mary Weber made a motion to adjourn the meeting and was 2nd by Vice President Ann McNeary.
Meeting was adjourned at 5:30pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.


CWA LOCAL 4671 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING, Meeting held at the Wausau Labor Temple on June 30,2021 at 6:30pm.
Executive Board Members were all present along with several Members from the North Area.

--President Steve Kotel began the meeting and welcomed all members, he then had Treasurer provide the Financial Report.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Financial Report and explanation of the report.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report and there was lengthy discussion on past and present grievances.
-Ann reviewed the Weingarten Rights document and FMLA document with the Members.
-The Local’s Bylaws were passed out to Members, Ann explained the changes and discussion held on the changes. Members present agreed with the $100 fee if a Member leaves the union and wants to rejoin, previously there was a $5 fee.
-ProAct post cards were explained and provided to Members present to complete and send into Senator Tammy Baldwin and Senator Ron Johnson.

--President Steve Kotel, Area Reps and Members present discussed issues involving Members and Management. Steve will be contacting Management and HR to discuss issues that were addressed. Steve did explain some of the issues brought up can also be addressed when the Work Life Balance Committee meets, there will be Members from all areas on this committee. Steve is working with Management to set up a date and time for the meeting.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke made a motion to adjourn and Secretary Jane Vander Kooy 2nd the motion. Meeting adjourned at 8:50pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES. Meeting held June 30, 2021 at the Wausau Labor Temple, meeting called to order at 10:30am by President Steve Kotel.
Board Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda, South Area Rep Ron Scott, North Area Rep Tom Locke, CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Financial Report and reviewed report.
-Mary explained the audit of the Locals financials will be held in Sun Prairie on July 13, 2021.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report and discussion by the Board Members regarding grievances. Tom Locke stated he has an IRS meeting regarding a Member moving from one cost center to another cost center, if not resolved this may lead to a grievance.
-Ann provided a document explaining Weingarten Rights, the Board reviewed and documents will be posted and given to Members.
-Handout providing information on Federal and State FMLA was provided and discussed. All Board Members felt this would be very beneficial to Members.
-There will be changes to the Local’s Bylaws, Ann had presented the changes and there was discussion on the changes. Members that attend the General Membership Meeting this evening will also be given a copy of the bylaws to review and discuss.
-Discussion on getting Members t-shirts, cups, hats, etc that would be provided by the Local. The Board all agreed that the Local would provide one free item to the Members. Jon explained a site where Members could order and have the item shipped directly to their residence. Ann will check into this and will discuss at the next Board meeting.
-Ann attended the virtual T & T Conference, she discussed the Unit Meeting and Bargaining Meetings were all 45 minutes each.
-On June 29, 2021 there was a webinar by CWA with the Secretary of the FCC and discussion was regarding Broadband Service with funding up to $50 a month, this program is referred to “No Child Left off Line”.
-Ann met Marty Walsh the Secretary of Labor in Madison, Broadband was one of the issues discussed.
-CWA Local 4671 Operating Practices were handed out to be reviewed and discussed for any changes. Due to time limits the discussed will continue for the next Board Meeting.

--CenturyLink/Lumen Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed the one lay off the week of June 24, 2021 for a union member, there was 8 non represented employees laid off. This effected Network Tech’s.
-At this time CenturyLink is doing no hiring for non management positions.
-Changes in Management is happening for the 4th time this year, Management is being shifting to different areas around the state.
-There are no contractors in the CenturyLink areas at this time.
-Results of employee surveys were discussed.
-Jon discussed CenturyLink/Lumen and Quantum will be having an announcement regarding a fiber roll out. Jon was unsure if any grant money was offered to CenturyLink/Lumen.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed the Local’s scholarship drawing, she asked Area Reps to make their Members aware of the drawing.
-Discussion on ordering calendars for 2022, Board asked for it to be discussed at the next Board Meeting.
-Steve Kotel will be coming down to the union office in Fall to remove outdated records and destroy. Board discussed having future meetings at the Pardeeville Union Office.
-Jane passed out Membership Cards for the Area Reps to review and provide any updates.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed Frontier providing fiber to the home in larger exchanges.
-Ron discussed how the company wants to combine two work groups of CO Techs to one group for picking vacations. President Steve Kotel will contact HR to resolve, if he can not reach a resolution it will be grieved.
-Ron had checked into our Local paying for an Arbitrator regarding pending grievances, Ron indicated for $1800 an Arbitrator will review and respond to 3 grievances. This process must be done within 90 days of the companies response.
-Frontier is changing check portal, changing out to IPhone platform.
-Discussion on when new techs are ready to be on compensated availability. There are techs that have been employed for 18 months not yet trained so they can be on compensated availability. President Kotel will be checking into this and getting back with Ron.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke made a motion to send a delegate to the 2021 CWA National Convention, the motion was 2nd by North Area Rep Ron Scott. Motion was passed by the Board.
-Discussion was held if CWA can fill vacant positions for outside techs, CO techs and other hourly positions. Steve advised that management needs to handle filling all empty positions.

--Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda discussed a Member that has not been coming to work and their absent percentage along with the lack of action the Company is taking in this case. The company is not using the same objectives for all members.
-At this time the Assignment Center Members are still working from home and will be until September 30, 2021. It will be determined if Members will continue to work from home after that date.
-Judy is looking into an event for the Assignment Center Members using the Fellowship Funds.

--President Steve Kotel discussed contractors in Frontier areas with the North and South Area Reps.
-Steve received American Income Life Insurance letter he had received, the Board agreed not to forward to Members due to the negative previous experiences Members had.
-Frontier Bargaining was discussed and possibly will be starting sometime in August, no set dates at this time.

Motion made by Ron Scott to adjourn and second by Tom Locke, meeting adjourned at 5:25pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.






CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES, MEETING HELD ON JUNE 14, 2021 VIA ZOOM CALL.
MEMBERS PRESENT: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens.
Meeting called to order at 6:02pm by President Steve Kotel.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented Grievance Report, discussion was held on grievances were updated.
-Discussion was held on getting an updated Frontier seniority list, President Steve Kotel will contact HR for an updated list and any errors on the list. Ann advised there is an active member that is not on the seniority list. Ann asked the Area Reps to verify the new list when received if they can locate any other members that may not be on the list so it can be corrected.
-A new Stewards list was sent out to the Board Members by Ann, Ann was asking for clarification of Stewards and Chief Stewards.
-Virtual Stewards Training was discussed, there is only a minimal of Stewards interested. Area Reps will check with their Stewards if there is any additional interest and contact Ann to advise.
-CWA National Convention is being held October 18th and October 19th this year in New Orleans. At this time there the meeting will be held in person but it may be changed to a virtual meeting. At the June 30, 2021 Board Meeting it will be decided by the Board if we will be sending one person which would be President Steve Kotel, or if the Local will send additional Members.
-Discussion on Zoom accounts being set up for Area Reps holding meetings, Ann offered to assist any Area Reps on setting up the Zoom account.
-Ann will be printing and filing the Grievance Log/Report.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Financial Report and discussion was held.
-Mary stated she will be working on quarterly taxes the end of June.
-Discussion was held regarding the yearly audit, Mary has contacted previous Treasurer Sherry Gehring who will be assisting in the audit. Mary checked for a location in the Sun Prairie Area with a reasonable cost, Prairie Lanes has a meeting room to rent for $100 along with lunch that would need to be ordered but not covered under the room rental fee. Mary is working on setting up the meeting for July 13, 2021. There will be 2 audits done for the years 2018 – 2019 and 2019 – 2020. Due to COVID there was a delay in the audits being completed.
A motion was made by Ann McNeary to pay for Sherry Gehring’s mileage to the audit along with her lunch. The motion was 2nd by Jane Vander Kooy and motion passed.
A motion was made by Mary Weber for the Local to cover the $100 room rental, lost wages, breakfast food and lunch for Members doing the audit along with their mileage. Ann McNeary 2nd the motion. The motion was then amended to clarify there will be 4 members doing the Local’s Audit. Amended motion was passed.
-Mary will update the Board when she will be scheduling next years Budget to be worked on.

--Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda discussed at this time Frontier does not want the Work From Home Members back in the office, the Members working from home will continue to work at home. The Members working from home that are not making the objective of 70% may need to come back into the office for coaching, at this time it is being reviewed on how to move forward with those Members. There are approximately 10 to 12 not making the 70%.
-Judy advised she did get her Zoom purchase completed for her Area Meetings.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed a member who is on Long Term Disability is requesting his dues to be paid at 50% and get a refund for what was paid in full. Tom will be getting the pay stubs from the Member to verify what is being paid in at this time. Tom will then follow back up with the Board.
-Discussion on the MOA in the contract regarding a committee for Work and Family Issues. Tom was questioning when these quarterly meetings will start up. Steve will be contacting Management to set up to have these meetings start. The Local will have 2 Members from the North, 2 Members from the South and 2 Members from the Assignment Center participate in these meetings.
-Tom asked Steve Kotel abut the Safety Committee in the contract and when those meetings will start, Steve will be checking into this with Management.
-Discussion on the last 3 years at Frontier our Local has lost Members in the CO Installer position along with Constructions Detailers and Construction. These jobs are being done by Contractors. The loss of these positions is a concern.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott is being asked by Members why there is no bargaining for Frontier since Frontier is now out of bankruptcy. Discussion was held if Wisconsin can have its own contract. Steve stated he will ask CWA Legal Dept if WI could be their own bargaining unit. Ron stated Members are getting very frustrated by the lack of action by the District and they do not believe they are being represented properly.
-Ron is asking for the number of Contractors working for Frontier in the state of WI. Steve will send an e-mail to HR to ask for the number of Contractors. Construction has more Contractors than any other department.
-Ron asked if Steve or the District can reach to IBEW regarding 2 years of back pay that was in the IBEW contract and get clarification on the back pay. Steve will be checking into that and getting back with the Board.
-The CO Techs in Portage and Dodgeville have their vacation schedules combined. Ron will be doing further checking into this and then contact Steve Kotel to discuss.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed the scholarships being offered by the Local, Jane has only received 2 forms back. Area Reps will be reaching out to their Membership to advise of the scholarship drawing.
-Jane did state she has not had any recent updated information on Members leaving their employer and any address changes. This needs to be sent to Jane so she can keep the Locals records updated.

--CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed the reductions in CO Techs for CenturyLink. The company is doing 20% reductions of CO techs, this will effect 2 of the Locals members. One Members does have bumping options, the other does not and will be laid off. There was discussion for any Member that gets laid off if they an get Cobra coverage. Federal law will cover Cobra up to September at this time if the employee does qualify for Cobra. The date after September may be extended.
-There is discussion of Saturday coverage starting back up for CenturyLink.

--President Steve Kotel discussed Frontier bargaining, Steve does not have a date when the bargaining will be starting with Frontier.
-Managers are asking Members if they have been vaccinated – Steve stated EOC ruling says a company can mandate vaccinations, an employer can required the employee to have the vaccine.
-There is a T and T Meeting next week, there are break out meetings for CenturyLink and Frontier.
-Face to face Board Meeting and General Membership meeting will be held in Wausau on June 30, 2021.

Motion was made by President Steve Kotel to adjourn and 2nd by Ann McNeary. Motion passed and meeting was adjourned at 8:29pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES VIA ZOOM CALL FROM MAY 11, 2021, MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY PRESIDENT STEVE KOTEL AT 6:03PM.
Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda.
Members absent: South Area Rep Ron Scott, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Financial Report and discussion was held regarding lost wages when Members are off for union business. Mary asked to be copied on the e-mails that are requesting time off to Management. Jane advised she will be sending Mary a copy of request for time off e-mails moving forward.
-MLO81 form was discussed, Jane advised she is working with Michelle from the District Office regarding the document that needs to be completed when Members retire but want to stay on as Members of the Local. Retirees do pay union dues.

--Vice President Ann McNeary discussed changes to the Local’s bylaws and the updates. The updated bylaws will be presented at two General Membership meetings. One change is the Treasurer and Secretary position will be combined into one position effective 1/1/2024. Another change will be a $100 fee for any Members that become Right to Work and then want to come back and join the Local. All changes will be noted when the updated bylaws are presented at the meetings.
-FMLA training was discussed and it was determined it would be of value for Stewards and Board Members to take the training. It may be difficult to schedule the training with the summers months coming up but Ann will check into this.
--A new Frontier seniority list had come out but there are some Members not on that list, President Steve Kotel is aware of this and will be working with Management to get resolved.
--Ann brought up doing the Local’s audits for the last two years. Mary stated she will be talking with Sherry Gehring to discuss the documents needed for the audit, Sherry has some of the Local documents needed. When Mary talks with Sherry they will get a date when the audit for both years can be completed.
--Ann presented the grievance report and discussion was held and grievances were updated.
--Ann had sent out information to the Area Reps regarding a Stewards training course from the School for Workers for the Stewards to attend. Training is for writing grievances and other tasks for the Stewards. The training is $99 a student, self paced course and should take one full day.
Ann McNeary made a motion to send any Stewards and Executive Board Members to the training for one full day and the Local would pay for the training and one full day of lost wages, the Area Reps will work with Management to schedule for time off. North Area Rep Tom Locke seconded the motion. Motion discussed and passed by Executive Board.
--Ann discussed Area Reps setting up their own Zoom Meetings, Ann is willing to continue to set up if needed and will assist Area Reps if help is needed to set up the meetings.
--Face to face meeting was discussed for the Executive Board for June, the Board Members do feel comfortable with now having a face to face meeting. Location and time is to be determined.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed the Scholarship forms and previously we only accepted forms US Mail. Jane asked if we can now be receiving US Mail and Email. Board discussed and agreed forms could be received either way, US Mail or Email.
-Jane is working with the District regarding Members that had left other CWA Locals and are now joining CWA Local 4671, the District office needs to make the changes so the Members can join our Local.

--Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda stated her daughter won a $1200 scholarship from CWA National, her daughter is attending school in New York.
-There are no changes in the Assignment Center as far as Members coming back into the office, Members are still working from home.
-Members are asking about Frontier Bargaining and when will it start.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke discussed pending grievance in his area, Tom will be working with Steve on the grievance.
-Tom inquired about the Frontier Rhinelander contract, Steve will be checking into the status of the contract and get back with Tom.

--President Steve Kotel stated there are no updates for the Frontier Bargaining at this time.
-Scott from Networth Financial contacted Steve and stated they are doing webinars regarding Frontier bankruptcy and how it can effect our Members, Steve will have Cathy post on the Local’s website if any Members are interested in signing in.
--CenturyLink is offering packages to Members, they are also discussing lay offs.
--Steve discussed the Drivers Safety Management Program which is CenturyLink having a 3rd party who monitors Members driving records.
--Local 4671 will be donating 10 cents a Member to the CWA Union to Union, total donation from our Local would be $29.90. Also the CWA Pediatrics AIDS Foundation will be sent a check for $299.00 which is $1 per Local Member. Our Local has donated to these two organizations previously.

Motion was made by North Area Rep Tom Locke to adjourn meeting and 2nd by Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda. Motion passed and meeting adjourned at 7:40pm.

Minutes submitted respectfully by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.






General Membership Meeting - Done via Zoom Conferencing
Tuesday - April 27, 2021

Meeting was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 6:04 p.m. Executive Board members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Assignment Center Representative Judy Brasda, and North Area Representative Tom Locke. Other members in attendance: Lori Cline, April Conrad, Becky De Vries, Ed Dinges, Rose Hernandez, Chris Loomis, Tracy Martinmaas, Courtney Ribarchek, Jennifer Shier, and Terry Woller. Absent excused: Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

Mary gave the Treasurer's report. Because of the pandemic, we have not been meeting in person so our expenses have been much less than in the past. Our current balance in the savings account is $50,568.13 and, in checking, it is $41,413.37.

The grievance report was discussed in detail and updated (and the report is always available on the Local's website. Ann reported that there is a lot of activity currently in trying to pass the federal PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act. It has passed the House of Representatives and is now in the US Senate. Senator Tammy Baldwin is a co-sponsor. So we need to work on Senator Ron Johnson. To quote the National AFL-CIO, this legislation is "… the most significant worker empowerment legislation since the Great Depression". It would help workers form Unions and would increase all of our rights on the job. Ann also mentioned upcoming training sessions that we hope to schedule - stewards training and FMLA. [If interested, let your Area Representative know.] And if anyone has suggestions about items the Local can purchase for our members, please let Ann know. [A few years ago, we did t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, and hats.]

Judy noted that work has slowed down a bit in the Assignment Center and that the Company is offering surplus time. There is training coming up and the Company will require that employees use company-provided cameras. This is ONLY for the training and not an ongoing thing. Judy also reported that Frontier bargaining conference calls continue - trying to go thru the existing contract and MOUs to note where changes need to be made. Wisconsin will be well represented since Judy will be joining Steve. [Note: Also bargaining will be Aaron Carpenter, Local 4372, OH; John Cosgrove, Local 4375, OH; and Eric Baxter, Local 4385, OH.] The Center is a significant portion of the membership district-wide so having a voice at the bargaining table will be especially important.

Tom reported that they are understaffed in the North. This and the BAT requirements are making for a number of tense, not good work situations. He is working on getting his stewards training as soon as possible.

Steve reported that a date for Frontier bargaining has not been selected yet and there is an MOU in place to extend the existing contract. Frontier's pension fund is still underfunded so, as of now, lump sum payment is not an option. The bankruptcy process continues. Steve also announced that Lumen Technologies (new name for CenturyLink) is cutting back a great deal - can't order supplies, … and have laid off 20% of the workers in Ohio. Some Wisconsin Lumen employees were offered early separation packages.

There was a general discussion next - the BAT infraction system is being utilized more fully in the Assignment Center (but there has been no discipline so far). The requirements really don't help workers do the job any better, they just add stress. All who filled out bargaining surveys were thanked for sharing their thoughts and suggestions. Any additional ideas should be forwarded to someone on the Executive Board. Steve would like to have some e-mail and/or text notification system for bargaining updates. [More to come on that.] Please do let the Local know if there is a death or illness involving a member. The companies do not let us know and we do have a bereavement benefit available. Also, FMLA is an option that may help members cover time off - and not get in trouble. If you have questions, please ask Ann or an Area Representative.

M/S/C to adjourn at 7:19 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Ann M. McNeary (temporary notetaker)


CWA Local 4671 Executive Board Meeting Minutes from March 2, 2021. Meeting was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 6:05pm.
Members Present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens.

--Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Treasurer Report.
-There was discussion on moving money from the Local’s checking and saving accounts to other accounts, no action taken at this time.
-Mary discussed her and Ann McNeary are in Officers Training this week, training is being done virtual.

--Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed the computer issues she was having and her computer was turned in for tech support, at this time unsure if the computer will be repairable or if a new computer will be needed.
-Any new Local Membership cards should be mailed to Jane for her to enter.
-The Local’s office is located in Pardeeville, Treasurer Mary Weber will meet Jane at the office to go over documents in the office.
-Jane received notice regarding our pocket calendars and payment was not received, Mary stated she had called the vendor and did issue the payment that was due.

--South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed issues techs are having with some Managers who are giving techs directives that can be taken as unethical.
-Area Reps discussed codes techs are using when clearing out tickets.
-Members are getting frustrated when a grievance goes to the District, the District does not pursue the grievance any further.

--North Area Rep Tom Locke reported his membership is getting frustrated with the same issue as the South Area Members regarding grievances going to the District and then not being pursed any further.
-Tom is working on board charges against Weingarten Rights regarding disrespect of a Steward during a meeting.
-Discussion on how Members are doing all work involved on tickets to complete everything on the job and provide excellent customer service.
-Tom discussed possibly doing a golf outing or some other type of outing for North Area Members.

--CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens will get together with Secretary Jane Vander Kooy and review the seniority list for CenturyLink Members.
-Members not meeting numbers, Member did get written up. There is a reoccurring pattern of techs being written up for performance issues.
-Jon was asking Members to get their Link to Success numbers at the end of the day and to have Managers provide those numbers at the end of the day, this way the Member will know their numbers everyday.
-Discussion on how drive times effect techs daily measurements, it is not a fair measurement due to some techs have increased drive times.
-Possible rotating Saturday schedules will be addressed at a meeting with the Company, President Steve Kotel will be addressing.

--Assignment Rep Judy Brasda discussed Fiber Adjusters accommodation forms to get equipment changes – HR has gotten rid of these forms since work from home started. Now with work from home there is no reason for accommodation requests. Judy will run it by Kari Karr and Cindy.
-Judy provided update on Members in the Assignment Center leaving for Management position or leaving the company.
-Ann will be hosting the meeting for Judy on March 18, 2021 at 6pm.

--Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report and discussion was held.
-The Officer Training at this point is disappointing, not much new information provided.
-Locals Facebook and Website postings for the Local needs to be the same postings on both sites.
-There are Members interested in joining the meeting site for the Executive Board Meetings.
-There are no dates for Frontier Bargaining at this time per President Steve Kotel.
-Discussion on getting Members items from the Local for Frontier Bargaining.

--President Steve Kotel discussed the bargaining for Frontier being on hold.
-Districts are having monthly calls and less Members are showing up for these calls.
-In District 6 the Company wants to lay off Members and hire with Contractors.
-Steve stated how Judy being on the bargaining calls really helps with clarification of what is happening in the Assignment Center.

Motion made by Tom Locke to adjourn the meeting and 2nd by Ann McNeary. Meeting ended at 8:20pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.




Executive Board Meeting held on February 2, 2021 at 6pm via Zoom Call.
Members Present were President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, South Area Rep Ron Scott, North Area Rep Tom Locke, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda
Excused: CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens

-Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report, discussion was held on the grievances.
Ann discussed zoom meeting for the next General Membership meeting. At this time meetings will still be held virtual due to COVID.
Additional trainings be held for 2021 was discussed with the Board, at this time meeting will not be held in person but virtual.
Ann will be reviewing and updating the Local’s operating practices.

-Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Treasurers Report, discussion was held.
Mary discussed she has had a few issues with not receiving mail at her residence. Mary asked if anyone mailing her a voucher can send her an email advising the voucher has been sent US Mail.
Blank vouchers and where they are located was brought up, Jane advised she does have vouchers and there are also vouchers located at the Union Office in Pardeeville.
Mary had sent out all the W2’s last week.
Officer Training was discussed for new officers, Mary would like to attend the training. Training was discussed with the Board and other Board Members who attended the training all said it was a good training to attend. Training will be held March 1, 2021 through March 5, 2021, this training will be held via Zoom, training is from 9am to 4pm each day. A motion was made by Ann McNeary that her and Mary Weber will be attending the officer training on March 1, 2021 to March 5, 2021 and Mary will be paid 40 hours for her lost wage, there will be no lost wages for Ann McNeary. Ron Scott 2nd the motion. Board voted and motion was passed.

-Assignment Center Judy Brasda advised there are 3 members that are no longer in the Assignment Center.
Judy will be working with the Bargaining Committee to ask questions regarding the Assignment Center. Steve and Judy will be presenting Assignment Center concerns and issues.
Discussion on Sunday coverage for the Assignment Centers, Sun Prairie and Sherburne NY share a Supervisor, there was an issue with the Supervisor allowing personal time for the same day. Judy did get this issue resolved.
Judy will be off work for 4 – 6 weeks starting on February 17, 2021, she will be available by phone or e-mail if needed.

-South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed an issue in the Eastern Area of the state. One issue is overtime was not being offered by seniority. 2nd issue is Ron appealing final chance letter due to notes a Member had on a ticket.
Ron then discussed a tech who had gotten a one day suspension due to no mask on when he was alone in the CO, someone walked in and saw the tech had no mask. The Board discussed where the work stations are for employees that work outside and in central offices. There are Managers who have been seen in their offices with no masks on, but said they were 6 feet apart so no masks needed. Ron will be continuing to check into the clarification of mask wearing.

-North Area Rep Tom Locke had brought up holding Local Meetings in the North Area. Ann said she will assist him via Zoom with setting up the North Area Meetings.

-Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed the 2021 Local 4671 Scholarship, the Board agreed we will continue with the scholarships and have 6 as we have in the previous years.
Jane has additional wall calendars and Ron stated he would take the additional calendars, Jane will send to Ron.
There are processing issues with Jane’s Actify system, Jane is working with CWA Data Specialist to get it corrected.

-President Steve Kotel discussed the Bargaining Surveys and how to get more surveys out to the Members. Surveys does keep the Membership aware of the bargaining and keeps the Members updated.
There are 3 Members that have quit CenturyLink recently.
In Ohio there are 39 exchanges that are offering packages to CenturyLink Members.
There is a Sales and Service Tech job posting in Lodi WI.
CenturyLink Members will have dues being taken out of the checks starting in February.

Motion was made by Ron Scott to adjourn the meeting and 2nd by Tom Locke. Meeting was adjourned at 7:40pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES FROM JANUARY 5,2021
Meeting was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 6pm.

Member Present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Tom Locke, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda
Member Excused: South Area Rep Ron Scott

-Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report to the Board and grievances were discussed.
Frontier Bargaining surveys are on the Local website, at this time 23 Members have responded to the survey.
Ann updated the Executive Board Members list and the Local’s Steward List.

-Treasurer Mary Weber presented the Financial Report to the Board.
At this time Mary is working on W2’s and the Local’s taxes.
Mary had completed the 2 day training for Quick Books that was done on line.
Members need to send in vouchers timely so payments can be made monthly. If there is a reason a voucher can not be sent in monthly the Member can talk with Mary about the delay in sending in the voucher.

-Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda discussed changes in the Assignment Centers. In West Virginia the Complex Assigner/Cutter positions will no longer be in the Assignment Center, these jobs are going to the Engineering Dept. Sun Prairie did not have any of these positions in the Assignment Center.
Overtime is being offered to everyone in the Assignment Center for 1 hour a day, during the day the overtime is then being canceled. Overtime should be offered by seniority. Judy had addressed with Cindy and her and Cindy will be meeting to discuss overtime issues.
There were Assignment Techs that had an issue with the holiday pay over New Years, Judy had addressed and it has been resolved.

-North Area Rep Tom Locke attended his first Board Meeting, Tom has replaced North Area Rep Chris Loomis.
Tom addressed updating the Local Union Bulletin Boards in some of the offices. Tom will present to President Kotel what he plans on posting.

-CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens advised the CenturyLink ballots went out and will be counted on January 11, 2021.
Link to Success was discussed, there are some Members who were being coached and at this time there are Members that may now be disciplined.
The Company is having non union members and members picking schedules against each other.
The CO Techs coverage areas have now increased and the Techs have much larger areas to cover.

-Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed the Pardeeville union office and having some filing cabinets moved back to the Labor Temple in Wausau.
Board Members when submitting union cards need to verify all information on the card and it is clear and able to be read. Board Members need to keep Jane updated on the status of the Members if there are any changes.
There were a couple Members status in question, Board Members will check and follow back up with Jane.

President Steve Kotel stated Frontier bargaining will start in one month, there has been no update from the District at this time. Steve will be contacting the District to discuss the Bargaining.

Motion made by Steve Kotel to adjourn the meeting and 2nd by Jon Stevens.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.



CWA Local 4671 Executive Board Meeting - Done via Zoom Conferencing
Wednesday - December 02, 2020

Meeting was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 6:04 p.m. Those present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, (outgoing) Treasurer Sherry Gehring, Assignment Center Representative Judy Brasda, CenturyLink Representative Jonathan Stevens (who was a bit tardy due to work), North Area Representative Tom Locke, (outgoing) North Area Representative Chris Loomis, and South Area Representative Ron Scott. Absent excused: Secretary Jane Vander Kooy. [Our condolences to Jane on the recent loss of her Mother.]

As a first order of business, at the direction of Chris Loomis, Chair of the Elections Committee, Steve administered the oath of office to Ron (recently re-elected) and Tom (newly elected).

The grievance report was discussed in detail and a number of grievances that had been pending for some time were closed - mainly due to lack of support from the District/National. The current contract language contains too many ambiguities or allows too much leeway for managers. Several of these issues, especially compensated availability, will need to be addressed in upcoming Frontier bargaining. The updated report will be sent to the Board and posted on the Local's website.

Steve reported that the Frontier Local Presidents have elected the CWA Frontier bargaining team - Aaron Carpenter, Local 4372, OH; John Cosgrove, Local 4375, OH; Eric Baxter, Local 4385, OH; and Steve Kotel, Local 4671, WI. CWA Staff Representative Shannon Kirkland will be representing the National. Steve did commit that in some way the Assignment Center will be represented at bargaining - perhaps serving in the notetaker role - since the Center is a significant portion of the membership district-wide.

We need to start preparing for Frontier bargaining. There hopefully will be additional mobilization training. Ann will develop and share a draft survey with the Board. Once it is finalized, it will be posted on the website and mailed as necessary. Ann will compile results as they come in. We will be working to collect contact information from all members - personal e-mails, cell phone numbers, home addresses - so we can provide updates during bargaining and plan mobilization activities.

Sherry reported that the finances are looking pretty good - balance of $40,372.75 in the checking account. We still are not getting any dues from CenturyLink (because of the ongoing negotiations and expired/lapsed contract). Mary has purchased a new computer and printer. They will be working on getting the Local's financial information transferred. M/S/C to allow Mary up to three days lost time in December to train with Sherry. The Officers will need to go to Summit Credit Union together to change the signatories on the Local's account.

Sherry asked Steve about the audit of the Assignment Center's fellowship fund. After a lot of back and forth, Steve feels that funds were not misused but the necessary documentation - including detailed receipts - were not kept or have been misplaced. The Local will need to tighten up the process surrounding the fellowship funds and decide if it's an appropriate use of the members' dues. Also we need to have an inventory of equipment owned by the Local (and who is currently using it and where it is located).

Chris noted that there still is not a printed copy of the Frontier Rhinelander agreement. This must be addressed. Steve will again contact the District. Chris also talked about a very serious work situation where, in a very retaliatory way for reporting a workplace situation, a member has been subjected to multiple investigatory interviews and is being "over" supervised. Several ideas to assist the member were discussed.

Jon reported that the tentative agreement at Lumen/CenturyLink was rejected by the membership. While the voting was going on, the company announced that all non -Union employees would be getting a paid holiday on Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday. [This proposal by the Union during bargaining was rejected by the Company!] Jon and Steve are trying to set up a next bargaining session with the company - to see if there is any possibility for modifications or new proposals. Jon noted that they are stretched very thin - not enough employees and lots of "drive time". COVID-19 has further depleted the workforce in the past few weeks. The nomination meeting for CenturyLink Representative will be held via Zoom Conferencing on Monday, December 21st.

Ron reported that he was part of an investigatory interview recently for a member and notations that were made on a pending job ticket. Many of the same issues happening in the North Area are happening in the South. Everything that a technician does can be measured and/or watched.

Judy noted that the nomination meeting for the Assignment Center Representative is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8th, at 7:00 p.m.

Ann noted that Chris Loomis deserves a BIG thank you for the time and energy he has put in as Chair of the Elections Committee. He has put a great deal of effort into creating a membership list that can be easily divided by Area. Also, as a result of the various mailings, there have been many address updates. We will need to make sure the election process is well documented and, for any upcoming elections (such as for the CWA National Convention), a timeline needs to be established well in advance. Thank you, Chris!

Looking ahead, the Local will need to figure out what changes need to be made to the bylaws and how that will be done - since ours call for in person meetings. Also the Operating Practices need to be updated to better reflect what is currently happening, especially as pertains to "virtual" meetings. And, finally, Ann did mention that the WI State AFL-CIO is looking for volunteers to either send postcards or make phone calls to fellow Union members in Georgia to encourage them to vote in their upcoming run-off election for the US Senate. Those two seats could have a huge impact on national legislation that is enacted over the next four years.

M/S/C to adjourn at 8:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Ann M. McNeary (temporary notetaker)


EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON OCTOBER 28. 2020 AT 6PM VIA ZOOM CALL, MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER BY PRESIDENT STEVE KOTEL.
Executive Board Members present were President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Mary Weber, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, South Area Rep Ron Scott, North Area Rep Chris Loomis, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens. Former Treasurer Sherry Gehring was also present on call.

-Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report. Grievance report was discussed and updated.
-Ann discussed the National Election coming up on November 3, 2020 and encouraged all members to vote.
-Discussion was brought up about the Local’s Budget and the monthly wage for the Vice President. The VP pay is $800 a month and since Ann was the Vice President of the Local she has only taken $400 a month. Ann stated the duties of the Vice President are to keep the grievance report updated and to present the report at the Local and Membership Meetings, also to support the Local President and to assist in any duties assigned to her by the President. Ann believes the duties of the Vice President she has done for the last 3 years should be paid at $400 a month and not $800 a month. Ann McNeary made a motion that the Local 4671 Operating Practices show a change in the wage for the Vice President to $400 a month from $800. Judy Brasda 2nd the motion. Discussion was held by the Board and President Steve Kotel called for the vote, there was 7 yeah votes and 1 nay vote, motion was passed.

-Former Treasurer Sherry Gehring along with Treasurer Mary Weber discussed the transfer of the Treasurer duties to the new Treasurer. Discussion was held on getting a new computer, printer and 2021 Quick Books. Sherry had stated the printer and computer need to be replaced. Mary had checked into the cost of the new printer and computer and what is needed for the Local. Ann McNeary made a motion that the Treasurer purchase a new computer and printer and spend up to $1200, and to purchase the 2021 Quick Books and spend no more than $700, motion was 2nd by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy. Discussion was held and President Steve Kotel called for the vote, all Board Members were in favor of the purchase of the new computer, printer and 2021 Quick Books, motion was passed.
-Sherry stated the Wisconsin Labor History Society requested a donation from CWA Local 4671, Ann McNeary made a motion to donate $100 to the Wisconsin Labor History Society and motion was 2nd by Ron Scott, discussion held and motion passed.
-Sherry stated she and Mary Weber have been working together weekly to get Mary trained on the Treasurer position. Sherry and Mary will be working on the new 2020/2021 Budget. Sherry stated she will be handling the December vouchers and to have the vouchers sent to her. Sherry is working with Summit Credit Union to get the Financials for the Local to be transferred out of her name and into Mary Weber’s name.

-Secretary Jane Vander Kooy discussed Area Reps need to get new union cards to her so Local records can be updated.
-CWA Local 4671 wall calendars should be received the week of November 2nd and Jane will mail out the wall and pocket calendars to the Area Reps as they requested.
-Discussion on the audit of the Fellowship Fund was held, President Steve Kotel stated on any Local events all receipts need to be kept and turned in to the Area Rep, Treasurer and Secretary.

-South Area Rep Ron Scott stated is has been quiet in the South Area. In the East Area management is asking members in that area about a first line Supervisor and asking members if they are having any problems or issues with this Supervisor.

-CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed ballots going out for the CenturyLink contract. Election Committee Chairperson Chris Loomis advised he hopes to have the ballots mailed out by October 30, 2020 and the count will be held on November 18, 2020.
-CenturyLink sent out a statement on Monday that all non represented employees will be getting Martin Luther King Day off as a holiday along with Good Friday. Good Friday can also be used as a floating holiday if the employees did not want to take off on Good Friday.
-Jon held a conference call for CenturyLink members to discuss the contract, there were about 21 members on the call.
-Jon discussed how CenturyLink is handling COVID for members. Members need to do a mandatory sign in to an app to have their temperature taken, the app will let the members know if they can sign in before they have any face to face contact with employees. Discussion regarding the questionnaire the Company is requiring Members to complete, the questions are yes and no questions and they do not violate HIPAA. The National union has sent questions to the company regarding their COVID policy but there has been no response back. Members have been getting 80 hours off paid if they or a family member has COVID or has been in contact and needs to be quarantined. At this time the maximum amount of time to be given out is 80 hours, then the members need to use personal time.
President Kotel stated time will tell how CenturyLink will continue to handle the COVID issues, this is all new and the National Union will be getting involved.
-Jon stated there are no new issues with the Link to Success.

-Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda discussed the issuing of overtime not being done by seniority in the Center. Judy did address with Management and it was agreed that overtime will be given by seniority.
-With Members working at home from the Assignment Center, Management is doing screen shots to check on techs work product. Management is finding that some employees are clearing out tickets but never working the ticket. There are also members calling customers and then hanging up before the customer answers. Judy is concerned Members could be terminated if this continues.
-Judy did offer to close out the Entertainment account if needed, she would go to Summit Credit Union to close out.

-North Area Rep Chris Loomis discussed the mailing for the ballots and how to keep the Local’s addresses updated. The Board all agreed that a yearly mailing would assist in keeping address changes updated in the Local’s records.
-Chris stated ballots for the Local election for President and Vice President were mailed out today, ballots will be counted at the Labor Temple on November 17, 2020 at 4:30pm.
-There are a couple disciplines in the North Area, one is a COVID issue and another is daily completing of tickets.
-Chris will need an updated spread sheet from Secretary Jane Vander Kooy of all the Local’s Members for the election.
-There will be nominations coming up for Area Reps for the North Area, South Area, Assignment Center and CenturyLink. These nominations will take place after the ballots have been counted for the Officers positions of President and Vice President.

-President Steve Kotel stating the addressing of the wages of the Board Members will be held at another time, there will be future discussion with the Board.

Motion was made by Jane Vander Kooy to adjourn the meeting, 2nd by Sherry Gehring, meeting adjourned at 8:05am
Meeting minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.



CWA Local 4671 Membership Meeting held via Zoom call on October 15, 2020 at 6:40pm.
Executive Board Members present were President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Sherry Gehring, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Chris Loomis, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda, Century Link Area Rep Jon Stevens. Excused was North Area Rep Ron Scott.


-Treasurer Sherry Gehring presented the Treasurer Report.

-Vice President Ann McNeary presented the Grievance Report and updates were presented.
-CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed sending an e-mail with all the proposals from CenturyLink Bargaining. Jon will have a Zoom meeting with the CenturyLink Members regarding the Tentative Agreement.

-President Steve Kotel turned the meeting over to Election Committee Chairperson Chris Loomis.
--Nominations were held for CWA Local 4671 President;
-- Jane Vander Kooy nominated Steve Kotel. Jon Stevens 2nd the nomination for President. Steve accepted the nomination.
--Joe Herbst nominated Ron Scott, Ron declined the nomination.
--Dionne Ratliffe nominated Desari Ratliffe, Desari accepted the nomination.

--Nominations were held for CWA Local 4671 Vice President;
--Dionne Ratliffe nominated Scott Walker. Scott was not present to accept or did not send in an acceptance letter, nomination was not valid.
--Sherry Gehring nominated Ann McNeary, nomination was 2nd by Judy Brasda. Ann did accept the nomination.
--Desari Ratliffe nominated Dionne Ratliffe. Dionne did accept the nomination.
--Myron Holley nominated Derek Wishowski, Derek declined the nomination.

--Nominations were held for CWA Local 4671 Secretary;
Steve Kotel nominated Jane Vander Kooy, Jane accepted the nomination.
Des Ratliffe nominated Scott Walker, Scott was not present to accept or did not send in an acceptance letter, nomination was not valid.
Des Ratliffe mailed in her nomination for Secretary, a Member is unable to run for more than one position and she was nominated for President.

--Nominations were held for CWA Local 4671 Treasurer;
Sherry Gehring nominated Mary Weber, Mary accepted the nomination. (Mary also sent in her nomination by US Mail)
Dionne Ratliffe nominated Abby Inman, Abby was not present to accept or did not send in an acceptance letter, nomination was not valid.
Des Ratliffe nominated Abby Inman, Abby was not present to accept or did not send in an acceptance letter, nomination was not valid.

Chris Loomis discussed the next steps for the President and Vice President election. The 4 Members will have a conference call with the Election Committee on Saturday to discuss the next steps for this election.

President Steve Kotel sworn in Treasurer Mary Weber and Secretary Jane Vander Kooy at the meeting.
Discussion was held on the newly elected Treasurer Mary Weber and pay for her due to her now being the Local’s new Treasurer. Mary will be paid for ½ the month of October and then continue for her term. Sherry Gehring the former Treasurer will stay on training Mary Weber through December and will be getting a salary for the rest of the year. Sherry stated Mary will need time off for union business so she can train her and take her to the bank to get her name on the Locals account.
Ann McNeary did state that Sherry Gehring can leave prior to the end of December if Mary has gotten the training needed.

Discussion was also held on mailing to the Members, the Members running for position can send letters or post cards to the Election Committee and they will put on mailing labels and mail to the Members. The Members running must pay for the postage of the mailing.

Sherry Gehring made a motion to adjourn and Jon Stevens 2nd the motion. Meeting adjourned at 7:53pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.



SEPTEMBER EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD VIA ZOOM CALL. Meeting was held on September 28, 2020 at 6pm.
Members present President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Sherry Gehring, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Chris Loomis, South Area Rep Ron Scott, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda

-Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report and discussion was held by the Board on the pending grievances.
-Discuss was held on the upcoming elections for the Local’s officers and Area Reps.

-Secretary Jane Vander Kooy advised both pocket and wall calendars have been ordered and will be sent to her.
Aptify the system the Secretary uses for the Membership will be down October 16, 2020 through October 22, 2020. There is be no access to this system to make Membership updates or changes.
Area Reps need to continue to keep the Secretary informed on any new Members or Member changes.

-Treasurer Sherry Gehring reviewed the Treasurer Report. Sherry is attempting to report cash dues to the National.
There are a couple Members that retired and would like to join the Local as a retired dues paying Members. Discussion by the Board is if a Member does want to stay a member of the Local there is a calculation provided by the National on what amount the retired member would pay yearly for their union dues.

-South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed the Company using the Accountability Tool – Points per day, this tool is what the Company is using to go after behaviors of the Membership. The Local has concern of disciplinary action towards our Members.

-CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed going back to the bargaining table with the Company on September 30, 2020.
CenturyLink has a new program called “Length of Success”, this is the 1st step meeting with Management and Members. Jon will be reaching out to the Members to have a Union Rep with them at these meeting, Jon is concerned with discipline towards the Members.

-North Area Rep Chris Loomis discussed the Election Committee and updated the Board on where the committee is at for the mailings getting ready for the elections coming up. The Election Committee will be mailing out a letter to all Members to explain the nomination and election process coming up.
The Board had several questions regarding the mailing and upcoming elections that were discussed.

-Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda had nothing to be addressed at this time.

-President Steve Kotel advised that Frontier should be out of bankruptcy by the end of this year. Frontier does plan on hiring more employees.
There was more discussion on the election coming up for our Local.
Nomination meeting will be held on October 15, 2020 at 6:30pm via zoom call.

Motion was made by Ron Scott to adjourn the meeting and second by Sherry Gehring. Meeting adjourned at 7:40pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.



CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ZOOM CALL at 6pm
Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Sherry Gehring, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Chris Loomis, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens, Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda
Excused: South Area Rep Ron Scott

-Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report and it was reviewed, report was updated.
Discussion was held on the elections for the Local’s Officers and Area Reps, elections will be held the 4th quarter of 2020. Nominations could be held via zoom calls or US Mailings. The election committee will have a post office box where the ballots will be sent. There will be notice to the members on how the nomination procedure will be handled. There will be at least 3 members on the Election Committee. Chris Loomis volunteered to be on the committee.
The bylaws for the Local will not be able to be changed prior to the election due the limited amount of time prior to the elections. Bylaw changes are on hold at this time.

-Treasurer Sherry Gehring discussed the Local’s savings and checking account balances.

-Secretary Jane Vander Kooy advised of there were 3 scholarship forms received, all 3 applications were approved. There are 2 Frontier members and one CenturyLink member who will be receiving the $500 scholarship from the Local for their children’s ongoing education.
Discussion on the amount of calendars to order this year, with members working from home there will be a limited amount of calendars ordered this year.

-Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda discussed mobilization training being held on September 10, 2020 in the afternoon. Judy and other Board members will get a list of members attending the meeting.
There are some members in the Assignment Center working from home that have received verbal warnings, Management has been keeping Judy updated.
Hours will be changing in the Assignment Center, Copper Reps will be done at 7pm and Fiber Reps will be done at 9pm.

-North Area Rep Chris Loomis asked about the printing of the Rhinelander contract, Steve Kotel will be checking into the printing.
Discussion was held regarding the staffing for out of the area tickets.
CO techs at this time are working 10 hours a day, 6 days a week at this time.

-CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed back to the bargaining table on September 24th – 26th for the CenturyLink contract.
District 7 took a pension freeze with their CenturyLink contract.
There may be federal mediation at the end of the month if bargaining does not move forward with CenturyLink bargaining for Wisconsin.
CenturyLink is pushing employees to complete an Employee Engagement Survey.
There is concern with the Membership about losing their jobs with the Link to Success Service Measure.

-President Steve Kotel discussed e-mail scams that Board Members are receiving that are stating they are from Steve, they are not from Steve but an e-mail scam.
More discussion was held on the elections coming up.

Motions was made by Judy Brasda to end meeting and 2nd by Sherry Gehring, meeting was adjourned at 7:55pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.






LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES FOR JULY 30,2020
Present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Sherry Gehring, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, South Area Rep Ron Scott, North Area Rep Chris Loomis, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens.
Excused: Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda

Meeting was called to order at 6:02pm and roll call taken by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

-Treasurer Sherry Gehring presented the Treasurer Report and discussion held on report.
Sherry did ask about the mobilization meetings and Steve Kotel provided the information.

-Vice President Ann McNeary addressed the grievance report and grievance updates were given.
Discussion was held on the bylaw changes and how we can proceed with the changes without any face to face meeting due to COVID19. President Steve Kotel will be contacting the District for suggestions on how our Local can proceed with bylaw changes without any Membership Meetings.
Members need to be chosen for the Election Committee, each Area Rep will get a Member in their area willing to be on the Election Committee. The Assignment Center will have 2 members on the committee.

-Secretary Jane Vander Kooy brought up the scholarship drawing and asked the Board to let their Members know to apply for the scholarship if it applies. Steve will be putting on the Locals face book page. The Local will put another notice on the Locals website.
Discussion was held on 2021 calendars and the count each Area Rep will need for their members. Area Reps will get back with Jane on the number of calendars needed.

-CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens discussed the Company and Union are back to bargaining. There is still no contract, if there is no movement with bargaining there may need to be a Mediator called in to assist. There are conference calls being held with the membership on bargaining and Jon stated there is a good turn out on the call.
CenturyLink non-represented are asking about the bargaining and about the treatment towards the bargaining unit.
Manager John King from CenturyLink has resigned.
CenturyLink has another re-organization coming soon.

-President Steve Kotel discussed mobilization meetings for the Frontier Bargaining, there will be 2 classes, one held on August 6th and one on August 11th. This will be held as a Zoom Meeting.
There will also be Election Committee training with the Dept of Labor.
Steve made a motion as follows, Local 4671 subscribes to Zoom to hold the Local’s Meetings, Ron Scott 2nd the motion. Motion was passed by the Board.
There will be a test zoom call held on Tuesday 8/4/2020 at 6pm with the Board.
Steve discussed the CenturyLink bargaining, at this time the wages presented would be non union members at 2% and 1% for the union members.
The T & T office was reached out to by Steve for mobilization items but none were received. Steve does have a local printer that will provide items for mobilization.
Motion was made by Jon Stevens for the Local to purchase materials for CenturyLink bargaining up to $500 in cost, the motion was 2nd by Sherry Gehring. Motion was passed by the Board.
At this time no CenturyLink Members are paying union dues because CenturyLink bargaining is still taking place and there has been no agreement reached. The CenturyLink members are still in good standing even though they are not paying union dues.

-North Area Rep Chris Loomis discussed Behavior Accountability Tool (BAT) being used by Management. Techs are getting low key threats at this time due to BAT.
There are some techs now working 10 hours a day and 6 days a week.

-South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed CO Techs in the South area now have combining the Dodgeville and Portage areas. These techs have 150 central offices and MUX sites to cover.
Techs are being called out in the evening and the driving to get to the call out could be a safety issue, due to the calls being at night and the distance to get to the location.
There was an e-mail from WI Management that Frontier needs to get back to business as usual and the tech needs to go back into the customers houses.
BAT was discussed with Chris and the Board, BAT is measuring work performance and measurements.


Motion was made by Ron Scott to adjourn the meeting, 2nd by Sherry Gehring. Motion passed by the Board and meeting ended at 8:10pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.




CWA Local 4671 Executive Board Meeting - Conference Call
Wednesday - June 17, 2020


Meeting was called to order by President Steve Kotel at 6:02 p.m. Those present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Sherry Gehring, Assignment Center Representative Judy Brasda, CenturyLink Representative Jonathan Stevens, North Area Representative Chris Loomis, and South Area Representative Ron Scott. Absent excused: Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.

Sherry went over the ledger for May, which was sent out yesterday. We are not getting any dues from CenturyLink (because of the ongoing negotiations and expired/lapsed contract). And there really hasn't been any decrease in the amount of dues received from Frontier, which doesn't make sense - since so many members left in the first quarter of the year.

We then covered the grievance report. There were no updates or changes from last month. Steve will check to see if there are any updates on the grievances pending in Ohio (that are very similar to ours).

Ron reported that Joe Moua is now the Acting State Director (after the last person abruptly left). There is a technician who had two on the job injuries over the past couple years who was going to try to take a job in the Assignment Center but it didn't work out. Ron is going to follow-up, to see if he wants to challenge his separation or pursue any workers' compensation claim. CO Technicians are being asked to cover huge geographic areas while on compensated availability - which doesn't make sense and isn't practical or safe. And two CO Techs are being forced to work in Portage on the 3rd of July (which is the observed holiday). A technician received a five day suspension for an inappropriate interaction with a customer. There are three new members in the South area.

Chris reported that in Rhinelander overtime is being scheduled again. Same situation as in the past. And noted that essentially everyone being required to work the holiday is very expensive, especially for a company that is in bankruptcy proceedings. Chris asked Steve about the Rhinelander contract. Staff Representative Shannon Kirkland is looking at it now (but he was not the one who bargained it).

Judy noted that the work from home MOA expires on 06/29/20 but that Cindy wants people to stay at home longer as the CDC is RECOMMENDING (but not requiring). There was a recent incident where Frontier internet was down and people were not able to work. The MOA only "allows" one hour of paid down time - no matter the circumstances. Judy is going to look into that further. There are eight new hires in the Assignment Center and seven joined the Local. Judy reported that everyone is being scheduled to work on Friday, July 3rd. Again, this seems odd - during a bankruptcy - and it will be discussed further. This was just announced so many people have already made plans.

Jonathan reported that there has been a "shake up" on the non-represented side of CenturyLink for both hourly and management workers. The company offered separation packages but only actually "awarded" a few of them. They are understaffed and the contractors are gone. They could not handle the work, which is now bid by the job and not by the hour. There are a few seasonals but not enough to cover the workload. Steve and Jon will be going back to the bargaining table with CenturyLink. The contract extension was overwhelmingly voted down but there was some confusion as to what certain things meant. [Jon spent a lot of time explaining the specifics to members.]

Ann asked when people thought we could have an in person Board Meeting and Membership Meeting. The COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions vary greatly across the state and, for sure, we want people to be safe. Ron said that in his area, it probably would be hard to find a meeting please that could/would accommodate us since many of the hotels have not fully opened. Jon said that he may be able to find something in here area so he will start checking. The plan is a weekday meeting - with the Board meeting during the day and then a Membership Meeting in the (early) evening. All of this will have to happen around CenturyLink bargaining so more to come …

Steve reported on the CWA Presidents Meeting, held "virtually" on the 5th of June. Voting was done online. He will be bargaining with CenturyLink in July and then the Local will have to start getting ready for bargaining with Frontier. The hope is to have some sort of online survey available. And we need to redouble efforts to collect personal contact information from our members - so we can provide updates during bargaining and plan mobilization activities.

M/S/C to adjourn at 7:26 p.m.


Respectfully submitted,
Ann M. McNeary (temporary notetaker)
CWA LOCAL 4671 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD AT 6PM ON MAY 20, 2020 VIA CONFERENCE CALL.

Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Treasurer Sherry Gehring, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda, North Area Rep Chris Loomis, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens.
Not present excused: Ron Scott

-Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report, report was discussed and updated.
There was discussion on bylaw changes, Ann will be e-mailing out the bylaws to the Board Members to review if there should be any changes, if so, changes need to be submitted by 5/29/20.
Discussion on having a timeline and rules for the membership regarding elections. Chris Loomis made a motion and 2nd by Judy Brasda that the Local will present a timeline and rules for the membership regarding elections.
The Local will set up an Election Committee and it will have 5 members on the Committee, the Election Committee must have at 3 least members present to move forward on any election business. Each Area will have a member on the Election Committee.
There will be a virtual legislative meeting on June 4th at 4pm, this information will be provided to the Political Chair.

-Treasurer Sherry Gehring presented the Treasurer Report to the Board.

-Secretary Jane Vander Kooy advised the Local has received 2 scholarship forms, Board Members to remind the Membership of the Local's scholarship.
There were 5 new members in the South Area, one member did leave the Company.
CenturyLink Ballots are being sent out for the vote to extend the CenturyLink Contract, the ballots will be returned to Jane Vander Kooy and the count will take place on June 9th.
Discussion on Membership Application cards being received, Jane asked that these cards be sent to her asap so she can get these cards can be sent to the Local for dues to be taken from checks.
Melissa Arndt is running for District 42 Assembly position and she reached out to Jane Vander Kooy, Jane did give her information to Ann McNeary.

-North Area Chris Loomis reported overtime issues in the North Area continue.
There is a new hire in the North Area and Chris will get their information to Jane to enter in the Local's records.
Discussion on face to face meeting were discussed, at this time we will continue the conference calls due to COVID19.

-Assignment Center Area Rep Judy Brasda advised there is a new training class for 9 new members. The Company will have social distancing, masks and they will follow COVID19 guidelines. Judy will have the members fill out membership cards.
There are 13 people working in the office for the Assignment Center. The Company is looking into working from home possible to be discussed in the next contract. The benefits being seen at this time for work from home are less tardies, better productivity and others.
Assignment Center has made changes to vacation schedule, if you cancel a full week you can take day at a time now.
Judy is holding Zoom meetings for membership, her last meeting had 12 members present.
MOA for work from home has been extended to June 26.2020 at this time, it may be extended again if legal requirements.

-CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens was called out for work and had to leave the meeting, President Steve Kotel presented his report.

-President Steve Kotel discussed the bargaining and ballots are being mailed out to the Membership. Pension is froze and there is no wage increase for 2 years. If the contract is voted down the Company can sign an extension.
CenturyLink District 6 extended their contract.
Membership are receiving PPE for COVID19, but there is no hazard pay being paid.
There are Contractors in the CenturyLink areas, the Company is attempting to hire seasonal employees but there are no takers.

Motion made by Sherry Gehring to adjourn and 2nd by Jane Vander Kooy, meeting was adjourned at 7:20pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy.



APRIL EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD MONDAY, 4/21/2020 VIA CONFERENCE CALL AT 6PM.

Members present: President Steve Kotel, Vice President Ann McNeary, Secretary Jane Vander Kooy, North Area Rep Chris Loomis, South Area Rep Ron Scott, Assignment Center Rep Judy Brasda
Not present: Treasurer Sherry Gehring, CenturyLink Area Rep Jon Stevens

Vice President Ann McNeary presented the grievance report, report was discussed and updated.
-Discussion on the bylaw changes was held, the Local’s website will have the bylaw changes.

-Secretary Jane Vander Kooy advised the CWA Local 4671 Scholarship drawing will be held in August. The forms will be on the Local’s website. Area Reps should let their members know the scholarship form is on the website.
-CWA National sent booklets named Fighting for our Future at Frontier. President Steve Kotel stated to send to Judy Brasda.
-Discussion on the file cabinets located in the union office, Chris Loomis will check if the Labor Temple wants their file cabinets that were brought down to the Pardeeville Union Office from the Labor Temple in Wausau.

-North Area Rep Chris Loomis discussed Frontier has Field Tech Contractors, President Kotel will get a list of contractors in the State of Wisconsin for the Area Reps.
-Field techs are now scheduled to work 6 days a week and 10 hour days.
-There is a Local Manager that is threatening techs due to their concerns of working with the COVID19 pandemic.

-Assignment Area Rep Judy Brasda discussed the members in the Assignment Center who are working from home. Judy and Manager in the Center put together a program for the WFH Members. A Member checked if they moved out of state to Florida could that member work from home, out of state location was not in the MOA so it was determined that member could not. There are still 18 members working in the Sun Prairie center due to internet issues or other issues.

-South Area Rep Ron Scott discussed that techs are concerned about their performance plans, the Company is not producing data for performance plans. Techs do not feel the data would be accurate, Ron may file a NLRB charge.
-2 CO Tech positions has been filled internally in the South Area.
-Discussion on Contractors in the State were discussed, Ron advised they are keeping track of repeats by the Contractors.

-President Steve Kotel discussed the communications between the Local membership and the District.
CenturyLink Members are now working without a new contract. Bargaining has been halted at this time, members are not paying in dues in the month of March and will continue to not pay dues until there is an agreement on a new contract. CenturyLink has 51 bargaining members at this time. Steve will work with Treasurer Sherry Gehring to collect these dues. CenturyLink is wanting to freeze wages and pension, at this time there is no date to go back to the table.
-CenturyLink is not getting PPE for COVID19 to their employees.
-Frontier Communications bankruptcy discussed, the CWA National Union is trying to get a committee together to keep updated on the bankruptcy. Frontier retirees are concerned about losing their health insurance, at this time the Local has not heard of any changes.
-Fall elections for the CWA Local 4671 Officers and Boards Members are still plan on being held.

Motion was made by Judy Brasda to adjourn, 2nd by Ron Scott, meeting ended at 7:30pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Secretary Jane Vander Kooy