Bargaining Update, Nov. 7, 2013

Verizon West

After ten months of bargaining, CWA has reached a tentative agreement with Verizon West toward a new union contract covering about 4,500 workers. A ratification vote is scheduled Nov. 20 on the proposed deal, which raises wages over four years.

"Our bargaining team has unanimously recommended a 'yes' vote on this contract, which returns jobs to our bargaining unit and limits outsourcing of FiOS work," said Jim Weitkamp, CWA Vice President for District 9. "As in the rest of the country, we have had to agree to some difficult concessions in the area of pensions and medical benefits, but we also preserved many terms and benefits the company had sought to take away."

CWA members at Verizon West had been working without a contract since September, when slow progress caused the union to cancel an earlier extension. The affected workers include FiOS technicians, operators, call center representatives, customer service representatives, cable splicers, field technicians for business and residential service, buried service wire employees and other job titles throughout California.

The Washington Post

After months of difficult bargaining, interrupted by The Washington Post's sale to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Newspaper Guild negotiators have reached a tentative one-year agreement that includes raises for all Post employees, with an extra pay hike for more than three dozen of the unit's lowest-paid workers. "On the whole, the Guild's bargaining committee believes this is a good contract and has voted unanimously to endorse it," the committee said in a statement. "We would like to express our gratitude to the Post's management – and particularly its new owner, Jeff Bezos – for reaching a fair agreement."

SuperShuttle

About 100 Denver SuperShuttle drivers are waiting to hear back from management to see if they reach an agreement to end a more than year-long conflict over wages. If a deal isn't reached, we will be mobilizing throughout Denver International Airport. Read more at Denver Westword.

South Slope Communications

Workers have voted down a contract offer from South Slope Communications in Iowa. After the contract expired last week, the company immediately locked out 55 employees. Read more at KCRG.

Standard & Poor's

The New York Guild and Standard & Poor's have tentatively agreed on a new contract that includes a wage increase, extra credit in the pension plan and employment security. The new three-year contract, which is subject to Guild members' ratification, also provides safeguards for employees under a new performance appraisal review system. Read more here.

WNEM TV-5

NABET-CWA Local 54048 members picket their television station.

NABET-CWA Local 54048 is fighting for a fair contract at WNEM TV-5 in Saginaw, Mich. Members – photographers, editors, directors, on-air talent and engineers – recently voted down the latest contract offer from Meredith Corporation, a media conglomerate that owns the television station. Since then, they've been picketing in front of the studio, carrying signs that read, "TV-5 Unfair to Families" and "TV-5 Local Liars."

"WNEM's latest contract proposal would severely jeopardize workers' job security, retirement security, work jurisdiction and reduce on-air employees to 'at will' employment status," said NABET-CWA Local 54048 President Zara Maldonado. "Based on Meredith's economic success recently, our members deserve much better."

The contract expired on Nov. 3.