Tentative Agreement Reached at
Verizon-East!
We Did It!
Just hours ago, the bargaining committees reached an
agreement in principle with Verizon. The unprecented level
of education, engagement, and mobilization of the united CWA and
IBEW members brought us this contract in a very tough economic
and political environment.
We made progress on all of our key objectives:
| Break down the wall between the core and
Verizon Business |
- Union recognition for 600 Field Techs and inside techs
- Guarantee small and medium business exclusively for
represented commercial
- Bring new VZ B work to CWA-represented locations 100 at end
of 2009 and 100 at end of 2010
|
| Fair wage increase that
protects our standard of living in a time of escalating food and
fuel costs |
- 10.87% compounded increase
- COLA increase
|
| 100% company-paid health
care premiums |
- 100% company-paid premiums continue for actives
and current retirees
- Future hires will have a defined contribution formula for
retirement health care
|
|
Increase pension bands |
- 10.87% compounded increase
|
|
Creating more permanent, quality union
jobs |
- 2,500 new union jobs (including VZB techs)
- Approx. 75 video headend techs
- Approx. 1,200 temps and terms converted to permament
employees
|
|
Settle VZ Wireless, VCS, GNI
contracts |
- Fair settlements achieved at all
tables
|
More detailed information on the settlement and the
ratification vote will be provided by your local. |
"This is a breakthrough
agreement in many ways. It creates new union
jobs including major growth areas like FiOS, it takes a big step
forward on health care and it brings hundreds of Verizon
Business employees the union rights they deserve. ”
- CWA President
Larry Cohen
“This agreement is a tribute to the
solidarity and activism of IBEW and CWA members working at
Verizon. Our members mobilized strong and
negotiated hard for a good contract that will benefit workers
and their families now and in the future.
.”
- IBEW
President Ed Hill
Welcome to our
new union brothers and sisters at Verizon
Business! |
|
 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.
- Wages
a. Effective 8/3/2008 3.25 %
b.
Effective 8/2/2009 3.5 %
c. Effective 8/1/2010 3.75 %
- 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
- Corporate Profit Sharing
a. $700 minimum
distribution
b. Paid in March of 2009, 2010, 2011
- Pension Band Increases
a. Effective
10/1/2008 3.25%
b. Effective 10/1/2009 3.5 %
c. Effective
10/1/2010 3.75%
- 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
- VZ Business
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
- Video Head End – Video Work. Approx. 75 in
plant contracts with carve outs
- Temps and terms to Perms (Approx
1,200)
- Three times a year discussion on union jobs and
efficiency/growth with top management
- Active Health Care: Maintained full employer paid
coverage with limited plan design changes
- 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 or 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.
- Agreement to work for National Health Care Reform
and provide $2 million a year during term of
contract.
- New Dispute Resolution for Faster resolution of
grievances
- 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.
- 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.
- Retirees who were hired after 8/2/2008 will be
eligible for the minimum $20,000
- Increase supplemental insurance with ability to
purchase 5 times salary
- Commercial Issues
a. Collection
b. Jt
Marketing Letter
c. Local Presence Centers
d. NJ
collection office issues
- Extend all existing District and Local Agreements
and adjust all dates.
- CWA-NETT will discuss how to publicize
- Unique Regional Items
a. Scope agreement
CWA D2
b. Contract Initiative Letter fixed
c. Job Share
Language (North)
d. ACFC will outstanding pay current bills
$486K
e. Increase ACFC wage rate top wage rate in
contract
f. Supplemental Retiree Life Insurance: five times
implemented as soon as possible |
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