Verizon Regional Bargaining Report # 43

The Regional Bargaining Committee met today in Philadelphia. The discussions involved the Company’s comprehensive proposal provided to the Union on November 4, 2015. The comprehensive proposal contained modifications on the Company’s Healthcare, Tuition Assistance, Electronic Recording of Calls, and State and Municipal Paid Leave Laws proposals. While the Company has modified its proposal in these areas, each of these items still represents significant negative impact to each member.

The Company has increased their wage proposal by ½ percent over 3 years. The current proposal is 2.5% after ratification, 2% in the 2nd year and 0% in the last year. They also withdrew their proposals on modifying vacation scheduling percentages, eliminating double time after 49 hours and reducing the time frame for accepting an ISP offer. Aside from a few paltry reductions to the massive health care increases the company has proposed, their recent offering looks very much like their initial package of June 22nd.

Here is a list of a few other proposals Verizon still has in its comprehensive proposal:

Elimination of Job Security

Thousands of dollars in increased health care costs to actives and retirees

Forcing you to choose between a Defined Benefit pension that will be frozen at 30 years, or an enhanced 401(k) plan

Elimination of Accident Disability

Reduced number of fully paid weeks of Short Term Disability

Elimination of COLA Increased Contracting

Major changes to the Tuition Assistance Plan Reduced Differential Pay

Elimination of Daily Overtime Pay Elimination of Overtime Caps

Today the Unions rejected almost every aspect of the Company’s comprehensive package and made modifications on our proposals regarding Wages, Pensions, Call Sharing, Corporate Profit Sharing, COLA, Healthcare, Electronic Monitoring, Tuition Assistance, and RAMP.

Locals must continue to mobilize to demand a fair contract during this round of bargaining. Every active and retired member should be participating in mobilization activities as the changes the Company seeks will affect all of us. We cannot fail in this fight to save our jobs and standard of living.