Monthly Archives: January 2012

Mid-Atlantic Regional Bargaining Report #55

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Mobilization activities are crucial if we expect to get a good contract.

January 11, 2012

The Mid-Atlantic and New York/New England Bargaining Teams met this morning to review the discussions that have taken place with the Company since we last met before the holiday break. Together, the two committees reviewed the items that still need to be addressed going forward in order for us to reach a successful contract.

As previously reported, we spent the last couple of months in off the record sub-committee meetings with the company in an effort to break through on the major issues. We have moved out of the “off the record” subcommittees and are back on the record in formal bargaining sessions.

Following the meeting with the NY/NE Bargaining team, we met with the Company and in the morning session, we formally rejected the comprehensive proposal the company passed across the table on October 11, 2011.

Here are just a few of the “low-lights” from that proposal:

  • No Wage Increase Offer and No retroactivity on any negotiated items
  • Sales Commission Plan for Consultants
  • Significantly increase deductibles, co-pays & implement premium sharing for Health Care Plans
  • Eliminate the HCBC & RHCBC positions
  • Significantly increase co-pays in our prescription drug benefit plan
  • Major diminishment in our benefits including Incidental Absence, Short Term Disability and Medically Restricted Plans
  • Eliminate the Pension Plan
  • Eliminate the Pension Cash Out Option
  • Eliminate the Sickness Death Benefit
  • Eliminate the Job Security Protections
  • Increase the movement of work provision to 5%
  • Change the contractual relocation provision to any move more than 85 miles
  • Increase the forced Overtime limits
  • Reduce evening and night differential payments and eliminate Saturday differentials altogether
  • Eliminate Short Notice Excused Days and the 18% vacation provision
  • Allow Electronic Recording of Calls

Following that, we presented the company with a counter-proposal on call sharing.

In the afternoon bargaining session, the union passed to the company a counter proposal on issues related to healthcare. The company asked very few questions and stated they would evaluate these proposals and respond at a later time.

Members have been told their participation in mobilization activities is crucial if our members expect to get a good contract. The leadership from both the CWA and IBEW has spread this message to every local president in an effort to get every member involved.

If you are reading this report and you are not participating in these efforts you need to contact your union rep or local union office and get involved.

We are more than six months into these negotiations and this company is not feeling the pressure from our members.

You have no excuse for sitting back and doing nothing unless you are ready to accept the cuts the company still has on the table.

Don’t wait another day. Renew your commitment to do whatever it takes to get a good contract. Get involved now. Only together will we get the fair contract we deserve.

Verizon’s Demands Still Outragous

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January 12, 2012

CWA Local 1103: cwa1103.org

Yes Verizon members are working, yes they are earning a paycheck and yes their benefits are continuing as they were on August 6, 2011, but its no time to relax and think mobilization is somebody else’s job. These were Verizon’s Core Demands just a few weeks ago and they haven’t changed by much.

No mention of a Wage Increase

Eliminate Pensions:

  • Eliminate pension accruals. For all current employees, your pension would be frozen as of December 31, 2011 and no new employee would receive a pension.
  • Eliminate the Pension Cash-Out option.
  • Modify the 401(k) Plan and reduce the Corporate Profit Sharing (CPS).
  • Eliminate Sickness Death Benefits

Eliminate 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

Eliminate Benefits:

Eliminate the current health care, prescription, dental, and vision plans and offer plans with high deductibles and premiums.

Active Employees – Annual

Premiums range from $1026 for single to $4580 family

And

Increase deductibles in network to $850 single – $ 2250 for family

Increase deductibles out of network to $1,000 for single – $3,000 for family

And

Increase Out of Pocket Maximum to $2,000 for single and $6,000 for family

And

Increase co-pays for specialist to $25.

And

Require co-pays for X-Rays and labs

And

Reduce most in network coverage from 100% to 80%

Reduce most out of network coverage from 100% to 60%

Retirees – Non Medicare Eligible – Annually

Premiums Range from $1026 for single to $4480 for family

And

Increase deductibles in network to $850 single – $ 2250 for family

Increase deductibles out of network to $1,000 for single – $3,000 for family

And

Increase Out of Pocket Maximum to $2,000 for single and $6,000 for family

And

Increase co-pays for specialist to $25.

And

Require co-pays for X-Rays and labs

And

Reduce most in network coverage from 100% to 80%

Reduce most out of network coverage from 100% to 60%

Retiree – Medicare Eligible Annually

Premiums range from $181 for single to $1970 for family

And

Increase deductibles in network to $850 single – $ 2250 for family

Increase deductibles out of network to $1,000 for single – $3,000 for family

And

Increase Out of Pocket Maximum to $2,000 for single and $6,000 for family

And

Increase co-pays for specialist to $25.

And

Require co-pays for X-Rays and labs

And

Reduce most in network coverage from 100% to 80%

Reduce most out of network coverage from 100% to 60%

Eliminate Other Benefits

  • Eliminate accident disability benefits.
  • Reduce Sick Time.
  • Eliminate All Short Notice EWD’s.
  • Eliminate the next Step Program

High-Impact Campaign Fighting Indiana ‘Right to Work’ Bill

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CWA Helps Coordinate as Statehouse Draws Thousands of Activists Daily

With a campaign that is flooding the Indiana statehouse with thousands of activists every day, CWA and other unions are determined to stop Republican leaders from ramming an anti-union “right-to-work” bill through the legislature.

Union members with clipboards are positioned at entries in the capitol, where long lines of activists stretch down the street. Volunteers sign in visitors and direct them to the “help desk,” a table staffed with activists armed with laptop computers. They help visitors identify their representative and suggest other lawmakers to visit who are wavering on the issue.

“We’re really focusing on educating people about the issue and how to lobby for it,” said CWA Local 4900’s Angie Schritter, Legislative-Political Action Team coordinator. “We talk to them about the facts about ‘right-to-work’ states, the fact that wages are lower in those states, that on-the-job injuries and fatalities are significantly higher, that even infant mortality rates are higher.”

As hundreds of activists visit various Indiana statehouse offices each day, “It’s driving some of the office staff crazy,” Schritter said. “We are sending a very strong message.”

Based on the fire marshal’s estimates during the first week of January, Schritter said 3,000 is the fewest number of people who came through the capitol. Typically, 5,000 to 7,000 people arrived daily, from union members and allies to people who wish they had the chance to join a union.

“I had a 73-year-old grandfather here today and he said, ‘I’m doing this for my grandkids,'” Schritter said.

The capitol was filled to the brim the night of Jan. 10, as Gov. Mitch Daniels gave his State of the State address. TVs were set up in overflow rooms, but it was almost impossible to hear with the huge crowd, many of whom angrily booed their governor and the Republicans for pushing “right-to-work.”

Many Democrats skipped the speech, and have been refusing to show up to legislative sessions, denying the Republican majority the quorum it needs to pass the bill, which has been approved by House and Senate committees. Last year, Democrats fled Indiana for five weeks to block the bill in the 2010 session.

“After the speech, the Democrats who did attend got up and left immediately to absolutely roaring applause,” Schritter said. “They came through and shook everyone’s hands. It was great. Then the Republicans got up to leave and the boos were unbelievable.”

Although she couldn’t see inside the chamber, she heard that “quite a few Republicans” didn’t stand and cheer when Daniels talked about right to work. “We are definitely having an impact,” she said. “We know there are Republicans who don’t want to support this bill, but they are afraid to go against their leadership. We are appealing to them to do the right thing.”

Among the broad support for workers, NFL players, who are union members themselves, are calling on Republicans to kill the bill. “‘Right-to-work’ is a political ploy designed to destroy basic workers’ rights. It’s not about jobs or rights, and it’s the wrong priority for Indiana,” the NFL Players Association said in a statement last week (PDF).

Daniels and Republican leaders are anxious to pass the bill so the controversy will die down before Indianapolis hosts the Super Bowl on Feb. 5.

As the CWA Newsletter was being published Jan. 12, union activists in their favorite NFL gear were preparing for a march from the statehouse to the Colts’ stadium.

Regional Bargaining Report # 52

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January 10, 2012
CWA District 1/IBEW Local 2213 and IBEW New England Regional Committees and the CWA District 2-13/ IBEW Mid Atlantic Regional Committees have been meeting at the RyeTown Hilton in Rye, NY. The meetings are back “on the record”. For the last couple of months, we have been meeting in “off the record” discussions in Sub Committees focusing on several major areas of our collective bargaining agreements.

Today, Vice President Chris Shelton had a District 1 Local Presidents and Regional Bargaining Committee Meeting at the Ryetown Hilton to discuss the status of contract negotiations. The Local Presidents were given an update and asked to go back to their locals and update their Executive Boards and their membership.

Starting tomorrow and continuing into next week, every CWA Local Executive Board Member in District 1 will be visiting work locations and they will also be in the field to talk to every CWA member to tell them exactly what the company’s proposals would mean to their future. Every Executive Board member will be explaining what must be done to fight this Company. We are asking every member to give four (4) hours a week to your local to do what is needed to win a fair contract. We need every member to tell your Executive Board Member that you are ready to do whatever it takes and to pledge your 4 hours and your support in this struggle.

It is more important than ever that our members continue to mobilize and that EVERY member commit to spending 4 hours per week participating in mobilization activities.

Remember to wear RED!!!

Now more than ever we need to mobilize!

Mobilize! – Mobilize! – Mobilize!

Bargaining Update!

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January 3, 2011

Bargaining continued today with your Regional Bargaining team presenting a comprehensive counter proposal on Call Sharing to the Company. Verizon responded briefly with a few questions and then advised us that they would have more questions after they review the proposal over the next few days.

Last week, Chris Shelton, District 1 Vice President, Ed Mooney, District 2-13 Vice President, Dennis Trainer, District 1 Bargaining Chair, Gail Evans, District 2-14 Bargaining Chair, Myles Calvey and Bill Huber from IBEW met with representatives from Verizon including Bob Mudge, President of Consumer and Chris Creager, Senior Vice President of Consumer concerning the recently announced joint venture with Comcast Cable, Time Warner Cable and more recently Cox Cable.

This meeting was requested by US to ascertain the affects this was going to have on our members, as well as negotiations. Their response was that this was a deal between Verizon Wireless and the Cable companies. and that it didn’t have much effect on us. They advised is that the wireline company would still be competing with the Cable companies regardless of the partnering with wireless.

The answers they supplied made absolutely no sense especially after Mc Adam told UBS that he would honor their commitment to build out FiOS only to the numbers it committed to and no more. The deal also includes Verizon and cable companies selling each other products. Honesty is not a trait that exists with in this organization!

We are now waiting on the probe by the Department of Justice into this deal. The D. O. J. thinks the deal has the potential to hurt competition in the wireless and cable industries. Recently the D.O. J. pushed back on the AT&T / T-Mobile deal and the deal fell apart.

Finally, members should have received notice of the corporate profit sharing award bargained for in 2008. A minimum payment of $700.00 with the possibility of more based on the Company’s financial results of 2011. Payment will be made by March 1, 2012. Please read the information mailed to you on deferring this award to your savings and Security plan. Your decision must be done between January3 and February 3, 2012.

From Keith Edwards Local 1105, cwa1105.org
Tape Number: 718-904-1105