Contract
Summary
A Message
to members from the Combined Bargaining Committee on behalf of the
Regional Bargaining
Committees for District 1 (Verizon North), 2 and 13 (Verizon
mid-Atlantic) and
the IBEW.
After many months of bargaining with Verizon
Communications, our united bargaining
committees have reached an agreement in principle with management pending document
review.
Throughout this process, we focused on ensuring our
place in the work of the future.
Our critical goals also included health care for active and retired workers, retirement
security and a fair wage increase.
The involvement and mobilization
of tens of thousands of our members made a huge
difference in these negotiations. All of us together showed our strength,
our commitment,
our determination to get the best possible agreement.
We’re proud to have represented the 65,000 union members at Verizon in these
negotiations.
Chris Shelton, District 1; Ron Collins, District 2; Ed Mooney, District 13;
George
Welker, District 1; Steve Holland, District 2; Sandy Kmetyck, District 13; John Miller,
IBEW Local 827 and
Myles Calvey, IBEW Local 2222.
Following is a summary of the
tentative agreement.
1. Wages
a. Effective 8/3/2008 3.25 %
b. Effective 8/2/2009 3.5 %
c. Effective 8/1/2010
3.75 %
2. COLA
a. Effective 8/1/2010
b. One half of the increase in the CPI-W in excess of 3.75% between May
‘09 and May ‘10
3. Corporate Profit Sharing
a. $700 minimum distribution
b. Paid in March of
each year
4. Pension Band Increases
a. Effective 10/1/2008 3.25%
b. Effective 10/1/2009 3.5 %
c. Effective
10/1/2010 3.75%
5. Pension Lump Sum Cash-Out
a. Pension Distribution Options remains in contract with no change
in the
language by which the amount is calculated
b. Available at any time, for the length of the contract
6.
VZ-B
a. 445 Field Techs in plant contract with carveouts
b. 145 Inside Techs in plant contract with carve outs
c. Guarantee small and medium business exclusively for represented
commercial
d. Bring new VZ-B work to CWA represented
locations 100 at end of 2009
and 100 at end of 2010
7. Video Head End – Video Work. Approx. 75 in plant contracts
with carve outs
8. Temps made Permanent (Approx 255)
9. Three times a year discussion on union jobs and efficiency/growth
10. Retiree Health Benefits
a. Fully paid, no retiree pays during life of agreement
b. Any changes in future health
benefit plans for retirees will be negotiated
with the Union in the same manner as that for actives and for future
retirees.
c. No current retiree will pay for health coverage through the end of 2011.
d. No active employee who
retires during the term of this agreement will pay
for health coverage through the end of 2011.
e. Caps on the Company’s
contribution to the cost of retiree health coverage
in 2012 and after have been raised as follows:
i. Prior to Age
65 and Medicare Eligibility
1. Retiree Only: $12,580
2. Retiree + 1 25,160
3. Retiree + Family 31,450
ii.
Age 65 and after and Medicate Eligible
1. Retiree Only: $ 6,330
2. Retiree + 1 12,660
3. Retiree + Family 18,990
f. Employees hired after August 2, 2008 will be covered under a new retiree
health program.
i. Once they retire
(under the same eligibility requirements as
currently required), they will receive an annual payment equal to
$430
times years of service (to a maximum of 30 years).
ii. The parties will negotiate this amount in future years to reflect
changes in the cost of health coverage.
11. Agreement to work for National Health Care Reform and provide $2mn a year
during term of contract.
12. New Dispute Resolution for Faster resolution of grievances
13. Savings and Security
Plan
a. Add a Roth option to the 401(k) plan
b. Allows investment of post tax dollars with no taxes applied to investment
returns when assets are later distributed.
14. Retiree Life Insurance
a. Company-paid retiree life insurance benefits
will be frozen at one-times
the wage level attained on 8/2/2008.
b. The minimum amount to be paid to beneficiaries
of retirees who retiree
after 8/2/2008 will be $20,000, even after age 65.
15. Retirees who were hired after 8/2/2008
will be eligible for the minimum $20,00
16. Commercial Issues
a. Collection work added
b. Marketing Campaign
Letter
c. Local Presence Centers
17. Accounting Issues
a. Billing printing/mailing/remittance work obtained
b. Downstate—Forced transfers reversed
18. Live Source Issues
a. Job Share return to Full time offer
19. Plant/TRG Issues
a. 70 new COEI positions
b. Upstate-24 new Field Tech positions for outside plant
c.
Molding Trial
d. Duct work Trial
20. TRG Warehouse Issues
a. Work completed temps returned to payroll
21.
Extend all existing District and Local Agreements and adjust all dates.
22. CWA-NETT will discuss how to publicize
23. Supplemental Retiree Life Insurance: five times implemented as soon as possible
