Bargaining Update

Breaking! NABET-CWA Reaches Tentative Contract at NBC Universal

The NABET-CWA Network Negotiating Committee reached a tentative agreement with NBC Universal for a new master agreement, following numerous bargaining sessions in New York and Los Angeles over the past several months. The tentative contract covers all NABET-CWA members at NBC, including some 2,700 staff and daily hire employees working as broadcast technicians in the studios and in the field for NBC News, NBC Sports and NBC Entertainment. It also covers building maintenance, air conditioning and plant maintenance personnel, staging services personnel, and couriers at network and TV station operations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.

NABET-CWA's NBC Universal bargaining team. From left: Ed Dabrowski, Local 54041; NABET-CWA President Charlie Braico; Lou Marinaro, Local 51011; Jodi Fabrizio-Clontz, NABET-CWA staff; Ed McEwan, Local 51011; Steve Ross, Local 59053, and Steve Mitnick, Local 52031.

The tentative agreement has the unanimous recommendation of the bargaining committee. Details will be provided to members and NABET-CWA Locals 51011 (New York), 52031 (Washington, D.C.), 54041 (Chicago) and 59053 (Los Angeles) will hold informational meetings in advance of the ratification votes that will be conducted over the next few weeks. The votes will be tallied on Aug. 14.

The tentative agreement provides for a general wage increase of 8.25 percent over the three-year contract term and significant economic gains for daily hire employees.

If ratified, the new contract will run through March 31, 2018.

Verizon: This Saturday Will Be Huge!

Expect a sea of red outside VZ headquarters as thousands of CWA and IBEW members from Massachusetts to Virginia rally in New York City this Saturday. We'll tell Verizon that "we will do whatever it takes for a fair contract" as the Aug. 1 contract expiration date nears.

Throughout Districts 1 and 2-13, members have been mobilizing to make sure management gets it: we want good jobs, and customers deserve a network that works, as well as state-of-the-art fiber optic FiOS.

Across Verizon territory, CWAers held informational pickets to stand up to Verizon. From left, CWA Local 2204 techs and operators in New River Valley, Va.; Local 1101 members in New York City and Local 1106 members in Queens, N.Y., all hold practice pickets.

CWAers from every local in District 2-13 will be getting on buses, as will CWA members from throughout District 1. Van pools also are being organized. If you haven't signed up yet, contact your local to get on the bus and get to the rally.

Members now are voting on authorizing leaders to call a strike if a fair contract can't be reached; the results will be announced at the Saturday rally.

Read more here.

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AT&T Southeast Contracts Expire Aug. 8

With contracts set to expire on Aug. 8, CWAers throughout District 3 have been turning up the heat on AT&T. Workers are mobilizing for fair contracts at AT&T Southeast, AT&T Utility Operations, YP Holdings and BellSouth Billing. The contracts cover more than 28,000 workers.

AT&T is a very profitable company, posting a net profit of $6.5 billion in 2014. But at the bargaining table, it's demanding givebacks. AT&T has made a substandard health care proposal, is looking to contract out more work and hire more temporary employees, and wants detrimental changes in work rules.

CWAers across District 3 are fighting back against AT&T's giveback demands. Here, members of Local 3204 (left) in Atlanta build support for bargaining. Members of CWA Locals 3410 (center) in New Orleans and 3902 (right), Birmingham, Ala, tell AT&T: we want a "fair contract and nothing less."