We travelled to the shareholder meeting to support our brothers and sisters in CWA Locals 1301 & 1302 and IBEW Local 2213.

These Locals have been engaged in a struggle with IDEARC, attempting to negotiate a new agreement, the first with the new stand alone IDEARC corporation.

We wanted to make certain our voices were heard among the shareholders of IDEARC that in order for this company to survive in the competitive world of directory advertising it will take a dedicated professional sales force. The men and women CWA Members working for IDEARC in New York and New England are just that workforce.

The day began in simple enough fashion as we travelled to the sight of the shareholder meeting. IDEARC decided to make it difficult for many of our members to attend the meeting by denying them access.

Not surprisingly, they claimed the many proxy letters we carried for admission had names that were not in their database as shareholders. It was not until we presented them with a valid control number which also didn't "appear" in their database that they decided perhaps the database wasn't as accurate as they  would have us believe.

Once inside the meeting we patiently waited while acting CEO Frank Gatto moved through the formal   business of the meeting. Once the meeting moved into the questions / answer period we respectfully asked our questions. Among the questions asked by both the CWA and other stockholders was what is  IDEARC doing to bring the negotiations in New England to a close and provide those members with a fair contract. Mr. Gatto expressed the committment to bring those negotiations to a conclusion as quickly as possible so that the employees, our members, can get back to focusing on what is most important in any business, the customer.

The two sides have returned to the bargaining table and will hopefully reach an agreement soon. We will update you as the situation warrants.

In the meantime, you can find the latest by following the link on the home page of this website.

We wold like to thank the Executive Board and members of CWA Local 6171 for their show of support at the shareholders.