Bargaining Update - Benefits
07/02/2008 08:59 AM Filed in: Bargaining
The Unions
and the Company met today and the session began with
discussions about the demands the Company presented
yesterday. The Unions expressed their anger over the
Company changing their commitment to limit their
agenda to “modest changes designed to change behavior
in the medical plan.” The Company is demanding cost
shifting in healthcare for actives and retirees,
elimination of the cash out option, elimination of
the COLA, elimination of the Corporate Profit Sharing
and other reductions in wages and benefits.
The meeting
turned to the Unions’ demands and the Company
rejected the Comprehensive Proposal submitted by the
Union. They rejected employment security for
all employees, protecting workers in the event the
Company is sold, job posting and bidding, elimination
of subcontracting, FIOS work performed by core
employees and other proposals. To date there is
no agreement on any issue. It is now very clear that
the Company has a wide agenda of take backs and
concessions and at this time we are even further
apart than when we first started. This is the
first time ever that the Company has bargained in
this way and their lack of credibility at the table
is making the task even harder. We must strongly urge
our members to support their bargaining agenda by
providing the Bargaining Committee with a large
strike authorization vote. While a vote to
authorize a strike does not automatically mean there
will be a strike, it sends a most important message
to Verizon. They need to understand that our
members who make this Company a success will not give
back or give up. We know there are rumors about
bargaining. Some are planted by the Company and
some are just from the rumor mill. This happens
in every round of bargaining – the only reliable
source of information about bargaining will come from
your bargaining team reports. We will make
every effort to get these reports to locals as soon
as a session ends.