Monday, August 11, 2008

CWA, IBEW and Verizon Settle

The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have tentatively settled on a three year contract, avoiding the 12:01 AM August 11 strike deadline. Here's some details on the agreement from the CWA website:

Verizon will extend union recognition to 600 former MCI technicians at Verizon Business who have been seeking representation for nearly two years.

New opportunities for union workers to provide customer support and service at Verizon Business are also included.

The tentative settlement also eliminates subcontracting of work in a number of job areas, converts many temporary jobs to permanent and brings additional jobs associated with Verizon's cutting edge FiOS technology into the union bargaining units.

Overall, the settlement should create 2,500 new union jobs.

Verizon and the unions have agreed to meet regularly during the course of the new agreement to review technological and business developments affecting employment, which will allow the company to stay current with business opportunities while also insuring that the unions are able to continue to represent employees as the business environment changes.

The settlement preserves fully-paid health care premiums for all active and retired employees.

Future hires will have a defined contribution formula for retirement health care with the amount of Verizon's contributions subject to negotiation in each subsequent contract.

Verizon agreed to work with the unions in a joint effort to achieve meaningful health care reform. The company will provide funding of $2 million per year to the project.

The settlement calls for wage increases totaling 10.87 percent compounded over the three-year contract term.

COLA (cost of living adjustment) language remains in the contract.

Pension bands will be increased by 10.87 percent compounded over the term of the agreement.

The settlement also provides for a streamlined grievance dispute resolution system which will speed up a process that has been taking as long as three years to complete.

Good news for all - workers, Verizon, the unions and most importantly...... Verizon customers.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Not all of the Verizon Business Technicians wanted to unionize, as a matter of fact most don't. It's too bad that I'm being forced into a union that I don't want or need, and my benefits are going to be less than they are now. I'll not be paying any forced dues and when I'm fired I'll be starting a class action law suit naming Verizon and the CWA for those Verizon Business workers that were forced into the union without a vote.