Posts tagged customer service

    News Article ● Corruption Labor Unions

    House Oversight Republicans open Congress with rants against telework, unions

    January 17, 2025 // Rachel Greszler, a visiting fellow at the conservative Economic Policy Innovation Center and a former Heritage Foundation and Project 2025 contributor, described actions like the Social Security-AFGE telework contract update as an effort to “Trump-proof” agency workforces and suggested Congress should pass legislation allowing presidents to reopen collective bargaining agreements upon assuming office. And they should ban official time, the practice by which agencies agree to pay union officials their normal salary for time spent on representational duties, like in collective bargaining negotiations or representing employees during grievances or disciplinary hearings.

    AFGE appropriations Biden administration collective bargaining negotiations corruption Covid customer service disability DOGE Donald Trump downsizing Elon Musk Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute Glenn Grothman grievance House Oversight and Government Reform Committee James Comer Jasmine Crockett Ken Cuccinelli Pandemic productivity Rachel Greszler Republican return-to-office SSA telework Vivek Ramaswamy

    News Article ● Labor Unionization Unions

    600 Activision QA workers unionize, Microsoft voluntarily recognizes

    March 13, 2024 // “Now under Microsoft with the neutrality agreement they signed with CWA, it’s a lot easier,” Fannon said. “We don’t have to be concerned about any form of union-busting tactics. Microsoft made sure all managers were trained on neutrality. We knew that if we encountered union busting, we could bring it up so it’s addressed.” The other positive is that neither Activision’s QA workers nor Microsoft management have to go through the union election process with the National Labor Relations Board, which can sometimes take a while. Instead, Activision QA workers have been voting since Feb. 22 with either a union authorization card (a document, physical or digital, indicating approval of the union) or a confidential vote through an online portal.

    Activision Activision QA Activision Quality Assurance United Austin benefits Blizzard Albany California career development customer service CWA El Segundo job security layoffs living wage Microsoft Minnesota Neutrality Agreement quality assurance workers Raven Software severance Texas; Eden Prairie union authorization card voluntarily recognize ZeniMax

    Blog Op-ed / Commentary ● Labor

    OP-ED | A Better Approach to the Silver Tsunami

    March 18, 2022 // Too often, for unions, the customers are themselves rather than the public, which is why the state should be taking advantage of retirements by focusing on modernizing, reorganizing, retooling, and outsourcing as much as possible. The major advantage in choosing among hiring private employees/services is that change can be made quickly to accommodate the needs of customers. Not working well? Terminate the contract and find a better solution in the marketplace.

    401(k) Alan Calandro appropriated funds avoid active managing benefits better solution in the marketplace bonus bumping rights bureaucratic campaign donor Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities Connecticut cost recovery rates CT News CTNewsJunkie.com customer outcomes customer service defined benefit pensions defined contribution Democrats Department of Administrative Services employee skills employees fiscal years flexibility in operations funded annually government inefficiency governmental efficiency governmental necessity Governor Lamont grievance hazardous duty high-performing employees human resources governmental environment inflation legally tenuous long term planning management skills metro regions modernizing morale nation Office of Fiscal Analysis op ed Opinion outsourcing pay raise pension liability private employees private sector private services private-sector levels problem union employee profitability providing justice quality employee performance raises reorganizing Republicans Retirement retooling reverse incentive Salaries salary salary side signing timesheets silver tsunami solving the current budget staff development staff development funding state state employees. state union system state unions state workforce stress tentative deal Terminate the contract tied to profitability training unfunded union leaders union protections union representative unionized employees unionized state employees universal medical care upper-tier health benefits