Verizon Regional Bargaining Report # 38

The Regional Bargaining Committee met today. The Company responded to the proposals the Union presented yesterday. Although management responded positively to a Union proposal regarding the family care and training advisory committees, there was virtually no movement on other issues. The Company continued to insist on excluding a number of courses from the tuition assistance program, restricting vacation scheduling percentages, cutting eligibility for overtime pay, taking more time to review recorded calls for disciplinary purposes, and attaching strings to voluntary separation packages.

The Bargaining Committee expressed disappointment that the Company was not willing to eliminate more of the BS that is bogging down negotiations. Management in turn complained that the Union was not offering more concessions on health benefits, to which the Committee responded that Verizon had not demonstrated a need for employees to make more concessions.

The session ended with sharp disagreement over the Company’s claims that it is under pressure to cut costs, along with complaints by members of the Bargaining Committee that the Company is acting with callous disregard toward employees regarding forced overtime and other issues. The Union addressed the Company over the abusive forced overtime issue associated with the bogus long term service difficulty and service emergencies. From all around the District, technicians being forced to work mandatory 12 hour days have indicated that many orders and troubles were called in only hours before they were dispatched on and that service effecting troubles were given less priority than new installs. The Bargaining Committee hammered the company over not properly maintaining staffing levels and that the LTSD's and service emergencies were self-inflicted. The company indicated they understood our frustrations but demonstrated no desire to fix the problem.

Solidarity and Unity in our mobilization efforts should help them change their attitude.

Your continued support and participation is critical to fighting off the retrogressive demands this greedy corporation has passed across the bargaining table. We have fought this fight before and won, together we can do it again! MOBILIZE!