Regional Bargaining Report #37
CWA District 1/IBEW Local 2213 and IBEW New England Regional Committees met this week at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester.
The Company passed modified proposals on Tech Change Notice, Work Family Funding and Observations in the Commercial Bargaining Units.
As you know, the Company originally proposed to reduce the notice requirements for Technological changes from six months to thirty days. They modified their proposal, first to sixty days and this week they modified it to ninety days. Under the current language the Company is required to provide a minimum of six months notice and to meet with the Union about the changes to discuss the impact of theses changes upon the various bargaining units and the Company’s customers. Verizon’s current proposal cuts the notice requirements in half.
This proposal resembles the attitude that Verizon has toward everyone lately. They want to do whatever they choose with little or no regard to how it affects employees or their customers.
Verizon also presented a modified proposal for the Work Family Funding. Under the current contract, the Company funds the Work Family Committee at 1.5 million per year. This fund is used to provide subsidies for employees who incur costs for approved child and /elder care. The fund is also used to pay for other projects, such as Domestic Violence Awareness training programs. Verizon originally proposed to cut the funding for this Committee by $500,000 per year. They have modified their proposal and are now looking to cut the funding by $300,000 per year.
They want to cut the benefits that help working families and raise awareness of Domestic Violence.
Finally, the last modified proposal was their proposal on monitoring in the Commercial Bargaining units. They want to eliminate certain restrictions on monitoring in the Commercial Bargaining Units.
Verizon will surely distribute their weekly bargaining update and try to make it sound like they are making big moves at the bargaining table. As you can see, their moves still represent retrogressive demands.
It is more important than ever that our members continue to Mobilize and that every member commit to spending at least 2 hours per week participating in off the job mobilization activities.
Call your local or talk to your steward and find out what you can do to help.
IT’S TIME TO FIGHT BACK!
NOW MORE THAN EVER WE NEED TO MOBILIZE!
