I spoke with Tony recently while attending a dinner event. While discussing business in general and Windstream in particular, he mentioned that he and the rest of the Leadership Team fully understand that morale is well below sea level at Windstream. They also realize that the majority of employees are bitter, overworked and unhappy. Furthermore, this morale concern has gotten the Board of Directors attention and they are finally addressing the issue.
During the scheduled August 'all hands call,' an announcement will be made to address and to improve morale. Windstream will be increasing wages for those that have not had any inflationary adjustment for years immediately. This initiative will target the salaried workers who are ineligible for any other compensation such as sales bonuses, management bonuses and also exempt from OT compensation.
This initiative will be further expanded in coming months to include all non-management and non-bargaining employees as a whole.
This is why the meeting is being held in a single event at the Embassy Suites so all employees hear the good news at the same time. Drinks and snacks to be served following this wonderful announcement.
Finally a Win Win for all !!!!!
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You guys are completely missing the point... Next your argument will devolve into tell us to 'feel the Bern 2020!'...
I am not defending management, my first post on this thread said management was incompetent. What I am telling you is make your situation better with what you got or seek a better opportunities. That is the bottom line. If you are truly valuable then it will teach them a lesson, but what do you care your gone to better pastures. It will bring you some kind of personal satisfaction it appears you are missing in your life.
Folks if you are so caught up in what the very top is doing and what they are earning you will never be happy in corporate America. In a successful company or a t–d like this company. It happens, sorry. Change it if you can other wise the rest of us are going to make the best of it and earn what we can.
As far as the rural ilec goes it's not changing regardless if Windstream lives or dies it will be picked up and ran by another.
There's an undertone in some comments that if you stay at Windstream maybe you're a loser or at least you have nobody to blame but yourself if you stick around to get screwed at work.
Maybe that's true in some big CLEC towns like Atlanta, Greenville or Rochester.
Not here.
The ILEC's bread and butter is serving folks like me in small towns. The people I know still working here for Windstream have roots here. They don't want to leave behind an elderly parent in the nursing home or rip their kids out of the local high school.
The good jobs in American small towns started leaving rural areas years ago. If my neighbors lose their Windstream jobs, there's not much left that pays well here.
It's disgusting to have people like this come along and lay to waste a company many of us have worked hard for 30+ years to build. Typically they are the ones holding one bs pretend a job after another creating a worthless report of a reporters report. Then they have the nerve to tell those that have given the most to get out if we don't like them raiding the coffers. These clueless people come and go. Most of us understand that we don't work for the current corporate raiders in charge but for our local communitys and customers.
This is an amusing thread. A question about the 'Entitlement' term being thrown around. QUESTION - Which of the two group below posses and demonstrate a bigger entitlement mentality?
1- The Executives who are directly tied to the failure of the REIT plan as a whole (overpriced payment structure and losing a lawsuit due not seeking prior bondholder approval) now demanding the court approve a multi-million dollar bonus package (AKA KEIP) for only themselves.
OR
2 - The thousands of Windstream workers, that are enduring ever increasing workloads amid stagnant pay, asking when can we have a token 3-4 % raise to partially compensate for the 15% value of paycheck lost due to inflation over the years.
IMO the answer is obvious
You can sit on here and gripe about the CEO, that will get you no further in your personal goals. You can however make the best of the situation and either progress at Windstream or move on. They are not out of the blue going to give you anything.
" It's not a prison, the doors are not locked" is a sword that swings both ways.
Either you the employee is not worth what you are paid now and like hell your going to get anymore so I don't want to hear your divel
- -or-
we don't value you enough to promote or raise your value so you can leave here and seek better employeement.
Their isn't a government agency forcing you to work for Windstream. This a free country and more importantly a capitalist country so if you think you have move value elsewhere or you are not satisfied with your station at this company seek other opportunities. Otherwise eat sh!t. As this is a free country we can get on this forum and biotch moan and complain but don't get butt hurt if someone has an opposing view then yours and tells you where to shove it.
To me It seems that TT's need to publicly state and then repeat his 'JAIL' reference indicates it is not just one or two employees complaining. Otherwise, why would he ever say something of that sort in the open for so many to repeat again and agin; perhaps it is another one of his mastermind CEO ideas. Also, the division attempts via 'Crazy Millennials' and 'Entitlement' labels is a worn out strategy.
As other posters correctly pointed out - TT stated in 2019 'Raises are only available if you get promoted going forward'. So you are saying TT lie during his first 2019 call and there are ways away this policy statement? If so I would appreciate TT clarifying during the upcoming call. Not holding my breath? Though I could envision him discussing the anguish he and his wife endured by requesting and accepting the KEIP money. Employees heard similar when he accepted his new contract and bonus money negotiated and signed in the few days between losing the lawsuit and declaring bankruptcy.
Why do you think TT has to resort to publicly stating "WINDSTREAM IS NOT A PRISON"?
For poster stating "Don't have to lick manager t@nt when you have skills that are in demand."
TT's wages and bonuses have grown and grown. Remember his 22% pay increase in 2017 alone whiles others got squat. So lets review his accomplishments and skill set.
TT has lead a company from having a stock market presence with a 4 Billion dollar capitalized value to being a delisted company worth less than a few million that is now only traded 'over the counter'. His leadership team has completely destroyed morale within the company. Now they are looking for any means to further enrich themselves with no conscious regarding the 99% of the workforce via KEIP.
So my STEM degree and skills involve developing and building a network. In contrast TT's seem centered to destroying a company. Why do you think TT has to resort to publicly stating "WINDSTREAM IS NOT A PRISON"? Because his tenure has done so much good for so many or because his schemes have only done good for a few and employees are angry?
In the meantime, please wipe that brown stuff off your nose, its disgusting !!
Don't have to lick manager t@nt when you have skills that are in demand. Now if you are a cry baby good for nothing entitled waste of life, like it looks like you are it won't matter if you work for the Titanic of Telecom or ma-bell you will never progress in rank and pay if you just do enough not to get fired, and have some notion that good things should just come to you because you can fog a mirror... It's not that hard folks, really isn't.
And yes I am a HR troll in TTs pocket as I tell you ways to get more money out of Windstream during it's downfall... Sure am...
Look around you, unless your stuck in the field or a sales office. there is ways to progress. But indeed it takes some effort on your part. It will take some politics and some bootstrapping. This advice isn't just for Windstream because let's face it, place is doomed.
Sorry, but I have to call BS on Crazy millennials post. It sounds more like an HR troll since we all know that management has pretty much conceded that the only way to get a raise is to move from job to job. Of course, it's possible I'm wrong and Crazy Millenials is making the rounds licking manager's $cr0tum$.
Draxx them sklounts
Competent management = a continuation of the company this a continuation of your job. So what would you like a raise every now and then or the stability of your job. Assuming you have not seeked out other employement, I would say your pay is acceptable. That is what management knows. Now I on the other hand have had a 5-8% raise every year. How? By crafting skills and progressing group to group. Never go into management it's a dead end. Each of the different jobs and their levels have a high pay range and overlaps with the higher title, as long as you don't care for titles you can be demoted by title and still get a bump in pay... what is a title mean anyways? They also have consultant principal titles with Sr levels to both their is plenty of ways if you have value to seek raises on your merit and performance... Perhaps you just don't deserve them? If you don't think you are being valued or compensated as you deserve then leave. I will the moment I feel I am not. Hate to quote ole TT here but, his now infamous saying is a sword that cuts both ways; This place isn't a prison, if you can do better then do it. Your not entitled to jack squat. If you are that valuable to your sub management they will try and compensate you to keep you, if not then it's their loss and f'em.
For the poster that stated "Alot of us would be happy for competent management (talking middle management) over higher wages.".
For how many years without raises would this work for you? Are you still being paid what you made in 2014 while your work load has grown and grown? Would not a good boss acknowledge your worth and ensure you pay stays at the appropriate level. I cannot even count the number of times that my boss stated "its out of my hands and there is nothing I can do" since 2014.
So when leadership yet again aggrandize themselves to justify their bonuses on this call, and then request that everyone else work harder for the company - remember what you were told last time you asked about raises.
Obviously it was sarcasim. Employees expects the usual.
Was this is a dinner function or a all you can smoke crack party as you have to be completely stonned out your gourd to believe this bullsh!t.
But seriously back to reality here. Alot of us would be happy for competent management (talking middle manement) over higher wages. That is just lipstick on the pig but I guess we are circling the bowl might as well cash in... The executives are...
If anyone who reads this believes this, then they should believe that donkeys fly around also.
Great news - this should help stabilize the situation for both Windstream and Unity. Windstream is losing many of the skilled workers needed to modernize the network. If true this will allow the vital work needed to replace and upgrade equipment to proceed.
Otherwise, expect the network'd reliability to fall, Windstream losses to accelerate and eventually liquidation to follow. As many have stated, the 911 traffic issue prevents any of WIndstream's systems to be turned down quickly preventing assets to be sold to a third party. I also do not believe that Unity wants to run a telecom network. So could be a Win Win - but will believe it when I hear it.