Verizon Strike To End On Tuesday

It looks like the strike will be over Tuesday, at least for now. The Communication Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have agreed to go back while they continue negotiations. Here's a quote from the Pittsburg Business Times published at 6:24 PM today.

"We have reached agreement with Verizon on how bargaining will proceed and how it will be restructured," said a joint statement released Saturday afternoon by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers . "The major issues remain to be discussed, but overall, issues now are focused and narrowed."

The two unions and the company will continue to negotiate the sticky points as listed by William Huber, president of IBEW Local 827 in New Jersey:

• Verizon wants to tie pay increases to performance review.
• Verizon wants the union workers to contribute to health-plan premiums.
• Verizon wants to freeze pensions at the end of this year.
• Verizon wants to eliminate the sickness and death program
• Verizon wants to cut the sickness disability benefits from 52 to 26 weeks.

45,000 workers will return to work under the contract that expired on August 6. At this time, there is no specific deadline for a new contract.