Email from Verizon to CWA members 11-5-2014

This is a follow-up to my recent letter to you regarding the Company’s Oct. 2 proposal for an enhanced incentive offer. On Oct. 29 the Company gave the union a slightly revised proposal and provided a deadline of Nov. 7 to reach an agreement. More than a month after the Company made its initial proposal, at 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 3 – with just four days left to reach an agreement – the Company received a voluminous information request. The union is now seeking, among other things, 12 months of data relating to overtime records, meal allowance and daily travel allowance for approximately 11,000 associates. As a practical matter, it seems unrealistic that the information requested could be compiled by the Company, reviewed and analyzed by the union, and an agreement reached within four days given the Nov. 7 deadline. The reality is that the union could have made this information request in early October if it was really necessary for them to determine their response to the Company’s proposal. Moreover, none of the other unions which agreed to the special incentive on behalf of the 22,000 associates they represent found it necessary to request such information in order to reach an agreement. As we spend time focused on the voluminous information request, there is little time left to reach an agreement.

The issue the Company and the union are negotiating about is straightforward. The Company is not seeking the union’s agreement to declare a surplus; the Company already has the right to declare a surplus. Rather, the Company is just seeking the union’s agreement to give an enhanced incentive to eligible employees who voluntarily decide to leave. If we are unable to reach an agreement, the Company will proceed under the collective bargaining agreement to declare a surplus and offer the standard EIPP. The Company would prefer to reach an agreement, but without an agreement covered associates will not be eligible for a special incentive offer which would have added a minimum of $40,000 to the standard EIPP payment.

Sincerely,
Marc Reed
Chief Administrative Officer