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Communications Workers Pact with Verizon Southwest Protects Health Care, Opens Up New Growth Job Are
WASHINGTON DC --The Communications Workers of America announced a tentative 5-year settlement with Verizon Southwest that meets the union's key goals of preserving and improving health care benefits for active and retired workers and giving employees access to jobs in new growth areas of the company.
Covering 3,400 workers in Texas, the new agreement, reached this morning, also increases base wages by about 11 percent compounded over the contract term and provides a one-time cash payment of 4 percent upon ratification, reported CWA Vice President Andy Milburn, who heads the union's District 6 office headquartered in Austin.
Verizon agreed to continue providing fully paid health benefits for active workers and to raise coverage caps for retirees to maintain 90 percent of premium coverage for workers with 30 or more years of service over the course of the contract. The higher caps will reduce costs substantially for many retirees.
The agreement expands the choice of health care providers for workers in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area as well as Brownwood and San Angelo. In addition, health benefit improvements include added coverage for organ transplants, maternity care and use of nurse/midwife and birthing centers, improved home health care and hospice coverage, and others.
Verizon agreed to provide training and access for union employees to jobs in advanced Internet-based technologies as well as fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) work – a major CWA goal in bargaining throughout the telecommunications industry.
Minimum pensions are increased by 5 percent, and the pension plan now will include a 65 percent survivor benefit option.
Other gains included an additional personal holiday, bringing the holiday total to 14, improved bereavement leave, and bridging of net credited service that had been lost during a 28-day strike in 1980.
CWA represents 700,000 employees in telecommunications, high tech, journalism, broadcasting, publishing, manufacturing, airlines, health care and the public sector.
Covering 3,400 workers in Texas, the new agreement, reached this morning, also increases base wages by about 11 percent compounded over the contract term and provides a one-time cash payment of 4 percent upon ratification, reported CWA Vice President Andy Milburn, who heads the union's District 6 office headquartered in Austin.
Verizon agreed to continue providing fully paid health benefits for active workers and to raise coverage caps for retirees to maintain 90 percent of premium coverage for workers with 30 or more years of service over the course of the contract. The higher caps will reduce costs substantially for many retirees.
The agreement expands the choice of health care providers for workers in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area as well as Brownwood and San Angelo. In addition, health benefit improvements include added coverage for organ transplants, maternity care and use of nurse/midwife and birthing centers, improved home health care and hospice coverage, and others.
Verizon agreed to provide training and access for union employees to jobs in advanced Internet-based technologies as well as fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) work – a major CWA goal in bargaining throughout the telecommunications industry.
Minimum pensions are increased by 5 percent, and the pension plan now will include a 65 percent survivor benefit option.
Other gains included an additional personal holiday, bringing the holiday total to 14, improved bereavement leave, and bridging of net credited service that had been lost during a 28-day strike in 1980.
CWA represents 700,000 employees in telecommunications, high tech, journalism, broadcasting, publishing, manufacturing, airlines, health care and the public sector.