CWA Asks Bankruptcy Judge to Appoint Examiner To Investigate Adelphia's Labor Practices
Adelphia Communications' labor relations practices have provoked strikes that not only have wasted company resources but also have damaged community goodwill and employee morale, the Communications Workers of America today charged in a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York.
CWA urged the court to appoint an examiner to investigate what it termed a "scorched-earth strategy" toward its unions, charging that, "Adelphia's blatant hostility towards labor undermines confidence in the Debtors' ability to manage its reorganization."
The union cited two recent strikes at Adelphia cable operations in
Morgantown, W.Va., and Auburn, N.Y., as examples of a destructive pattern of labor policies where the company has wasted tens of thousands of dollars fighting its unions while also tarnishing its reputation with customers and community leaders. In both cases, the costs of hiring replacement workers and security forces have far exceeded the expense of peaceful labor settlements, CWA said. "As a debtor in possession, Adelphia owes a duty to its creditors to exercise the utmost care in expending estate resources," the filing states. "Instead, strike inducing conduct at two locations has resulted in wasteful expenditures, has soured community relations and damaged employee morale. In a reorganization burdened by the impact of corporate scandal, it is essential that the Debtors effectively regain the confidence of their creditors, employees, customers and other critical constuencies."
CWA urged appointment of an examiner "to instill confidence that the reorganization can be managed competently."
View the motion. [Acrobat 624K]
