Sunday, August 7, 2011  12:01 PM

The current round of negotiations with Verizon has been unprecedented,

both in terms of the scope of Verizon’s attacks on the middle-class jobs

of our members, and in terms of the company’s absolute refusal to engage

in serious collective bargaining towards a new contract.

There has been absolutely no movement by the company at the table since

talks began on June 22nd. Over 100 concessionary company proposals

remain on the table.  We have never seen anything like this in 50 years

of bargaining with Verizon and its corporate predecessors.

As a result, CWA and IBEW have decided to take the unprecedented step

of striking to force management to stop its Wisconsin-style tactics, and

to start bargaining in good faith.

45,000 CWA and IBEW members walked off the job at midnight to demand

that a company which made $19.5 billion and paid its top executives $258

million over the last four years start bargaining in good faith and stop

its attack on middle class jobs.

If and when the company agrees to bargain, then we will return to work and bargain until a fair agreement is reached.

The following is a message from Chris Shelton:

CWA/IBEW TAPE MESSAGE

AUGUST 6, 2011   11:59 PM

BROTHERS AND SISTERS

          WE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO NEGOTIATE A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH VERIZON SINCE JUNE 22, 2011.   I SAY ATTEMPTING BECAUSE SINCE VERIZON PUT THEIR DEMANDS ON THE TABLE ON JULY 1, 2011 THEY HAVE NOT MOVED ONE INCH.

THEY PUT DOZENS OF DEMANDS ON THE TABLE ON JULY 1^ST WHICH COVER CONCESSIONS ON WAGES, PENSIONS, MEDICAL BENEFITS, WORK RULES, JOB SECURITY, DOUBLE TIME, DIFFERENTIALS, SICK PAY, DISABILITY PAYMENTS, REDUCING VACATIONS, TUITION REIMBURSEMENT, INCREASING RETIREE COSTS FOR BENEFITS…AND ON…AND ON….AND ON.

THE COMPANY’S DEMANDS COVER EVERYTHING WE’VE NEGOTIATED OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS AND THEY WANT CONCESSIONS ON ALL OF IT.   AS OF TODAY, THE COMPANY HAS ACTUALLY INCREASED THEIR NUMBER OF DEMANDS. 

THE COMPANY IS NOT BARGAINING.  THEY ARE NOT TRYING TO NARROW THE ISSUES.  AS THE DAYS WORE ON WE HAVE GOTTEN FURTHER AND FURTHER APART. 

IN SHORT, THEY ARE NOT BARGAINING TO TRY TO REACH AGREEMENT, THEY ARE, AT BEST, SURFACE BARGAINING.

  WE CAN NO LONGER PARTICIPATE IN THIS EFFORT IN FUTILITY.

I MUST INFORM YOU THAT AT 11:59PM WE ARE ON STRIKE UNTIL VERIZON DECIDES TO ACTUALLY NEGOTIATE WITH US IN GOOD FAITH.

PICKET LINES AND ALL OTHER MOBILIZATION ACTIVITIES WILL BEGIN ON SUNDAY MORNING.  KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THIS TAPE AND OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION. 

It’s Midnight

We are fighting for the Middle class

Mobilize! – Mobilize! – Mobilize!

Regional Bargaining Report # 5

Wednesday June 29, 2011

CWA District 1 / IBEW Local 2213 Regional and Local Bargaining Teams as well as the IBEW New England Committees met with the Company today at the Rye Town Hilton in Rye, NY. CWA Districts 2, & 13 and the IBEW Locals 827 and 1944 Regional Bargaining Teams met with the Company today In Philadelphia.  Your Union Bargaining teams collectively have decades of bargaining experience.  In all of our experience we have never seen such an aggressive agenda as the package of proposals the Company brought to the table today.  Verizon has made it clear they want to take away almost every protection we have as Union workers.

Verizon wants to:

Wages:

• Wages - both annual and progression increases will be tied to your yearly evaluation.  If you receive a “Does Not Meet Position Requirements” you will not receive an increase.
• Eliminate Night and Saturday Differential
• Eliminate Sunday premium pay.
• Eliminate Double Time for hours worked past 49 in a week
• Eliminate all Overtime Caps.
• Eliminate city allowances.
• Create new job titles for the consumer and business call centers that would work on a commission based wage schedule.

Pensions:

• Eliminate pension accruals. For anyone currently on the payroll your pension will be frozen as of December 31, 2011 and after that, there will be no more pension plan.
• Eliminate the Pension Cash-Out option.
• Modify the 401(k) Plan and the CPS.
• Eliminate the Sickness Death Benefit.

Benefits:

• Eliminate the current health care, prescription, dental, and vision plans and offer plans with high deductibles and contributions.
• Eliminate accident disability benefits.
• Cut in half the sickness disability benefits.
• Reduce sick time pay to 5 days per year for those members with 20 or more years, 4 days for those with 15 - 20 years, 3 days for those with 7- 15 years, 2 days for those with 2 – 7 years and 0 days for those with less than 2 years.
• Reduce Paid Holidays to seven.

Job Security:

• Eliminate the Job Security Provisions for all employees.
• Eliminate the Movement of Work Protection
• Eliminate the 35 mile transfer provision
• Eliminate provisions in Force Adjustment Plan
• Eliminate New Contracting Initiatives agreement – which would allow them to increase the level of contracting

Other:

• Eliminate the Next Step Program
• Eliminate the half day on Christmas Eve
• Reduce the notice to the Union on Major technological changes from 6 months to 30 days
• Eliminate the Dependent Care Reimbursement Fund

This is not a Company facing a financial crisis. They are extremely profitable. This is not a Company coming to its union employees seeking ways to work together to face the challenges of the future. Their proposals seek to destroy our future.

We need to send a very clear message that this is not acceptable, that we will not be passive as they seek to gut our contract.

Districts 1, 2, and 13 as well as the

IBEW in New York, New England,

New Jersey and Pennsylvania stand unified and ready to fight

We stand unified and ready to fight for your Wages,

Benefits, and Working Conditions.

We stand unified and ready to fight for the middle class standard of living that you have earned

and rightfully deserve to keep.

_{Now more than ever we need to mobilize!}

Mobilize!  -  Mobilize!  -  Mobilize!