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Regional Bargaining Report #1
Wednesday June 22, 2011
CWA Districts 1, 2, and 13 as well as IBEW New York (NY), New England (NE) and New Jersey (NJ) opened negotiations with Verizon today. CWA District 1 and IBEW NY and NE are negotiating for new contracts at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester County. CWA Districts 2, 13 as well as IBEW NJ are negotiating for new contracts in Philadelphia.
System Council T-6 Chairman Myles Calvey opened the bargaining session at the Regional table in NY on behalf of the IBEW in New England. Chairman Calvey made it very clear to the Company that any problems or issues they are having with the business falls solely on them. The Unions have not had any input and the direction this Company is heading is a result of their decision to leave us out. Chairman Calvey also stated that this Company has been built on Union Labor and has succeeded on it as well. We have Contract language that is decades old and hard fought by our membership. We will not just toss it aside as if it never existed. Bargaining is a two way street and we will work very hard to maintain the level of benefits that we deserve.
Chris Shelton, Vice President CWA District 1 gave an opening statement to the Company at the regional Bargaining table in NY. Chris closed his statement by stating, “We need to be able to grow with Verizon. The Company cannot keep claiming surplus after surplus while hiring more contractors every day. It is not fair to your employees to tell them there are too many of them but yet you need contractors to do their work. It is not even good business to do this. We know that Verizon has an ideology of union avoidance and that shrinking the Union workforce is a priority. When ideology flies in the face of good business sense sooner or later the business and the stockholders suffer.
Our members are not only loyal to the Union they are loyal to Verizon as well. They want to see Verizon succeed, they work hard every day and have for the last half century to see Verizon and its predecessors succeed. However, Verizon’s success should not be, cannot be, at their expense.
So we come here today to negotiate a contract that is fair to the Company, one that protects good Union jobs and that gives our membership the opportunity to grow along with the Company.
The Regional Bargaining Committee also discussed logistics and a tentative schedule. Bargaining has adjourned for the day and is scheduled to resume tomorrow Thursday, June 23rd and it is expected that the Company will provide a benefit presentation to the Union. All Local Bargaining will also begin tomorrow.
There will be a rally at the Rye Town Hilton tomorrow at 5:30 PM.
Fraternally,
Dave Keating
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