Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
Strikers Win Groundbreaking Agreement: Job Security, Card Check, Less Overtime Among Victories at Ve
CWA members at Bell Atlantic/ Verizon set out this year to win respect from management and secure their futures at the new company that was born from the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE in June.
And they accomplished just that - but only after spending more than two weeks on the picket lines. In the end, CWA won a settlement that achieved major goals of nailing down job security provisions, guaranteeing that union members do the work associated with digital Internet lines, extending card-check organizing rights to wireless workers and improving job conditions by limiting forced overtime and easing stress in high-pressure customer service centers.
The walkout began Aug. 6, involving 87,000 union members in the former Bell Atlantic region from Maine to Virginia - 12 states plus Washington, D.C.
A settlement was first reached on Aug. 20 at the bargaining table for the former Nynex area of New York and New England. But as CWA members there, along with 15,000 IBEW members, returned to work many were immediately picketed off the jobs by CWA members from six other states.
Talks for the mid-Atlantic regional table had hit serious snags just as it looked like a complete strike settlement was at hand, leaving 37,000 CWA members still on strike. Serious problems remained over forced overtime, pensions and other issues.
Securing the Future
The pacesetting contract package achieves the union's major job security goals, including sharp limits on the transfer of work, reduction in subcontracting and a guarantee that CWA members perform the digital Internet access work. It also substantially cuts forced overtime levels and addresses stress issues for operators and service representatives.
Another breakthrough provision opens the door to unionization for thousands of Verizon Wireless workers in the 12-state former Bell Atlantic portion of Verizon by extending card-check recognition and neutrality rights to gain representation.
"This settlement secures the future for our members at this company," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "It is a breakthrough agreement that meets all of our objectives this year, and rewards CWA members for the contribution they make to Verizon's success. We only achieved it because the members were willing to fight for it."
In the mid-Atlantic area, where forced overtime is a particular problem, the agreement slashes the number of hours that customer service employees can be forced to work overtime from 15 hours per week presently to 7 1/2 hours, effective immediately. And, addressing worker complaints of last-minute overtime assignments, it calls for at least 2 1/2 hours' notice before employees are asked to work overtime.
For technicians, operators and other employees who currently can be forced to work up to 15 hours of overtime a week, mandatory overtime will be capped at 10 hours a week immediately, dropping to eight hours in January 2001.
Needlessly stressful conditions for customer service reps and operators were among other major CWA issues. The settlement includes provisions to relieve the intensity of monitoring for both operators and service reps and calls for customer service employees to receive 30 minutes of off-line time per shift to allow workers time off the phones to process customer orders and requests.
The compensation package provides general wage hikes of 12 percent over three years: 4 percent immediately, with an additional 4 percent for customer service representatives, 3 percent in August 2001 and 5 percent in August 2002. With compounding, base wages will increase a total of 12.5 percent.
A cost-of-living adjustment provision was agreed to for the mid-Atlantic area to protect wages in the event that future inflation levels top 9 percent over two years. The northeastern (former Nynex) agreement already had COLA.
Other economic gains include a corporate profit-sharing plan with maximum payout of $1,000 a year, a grant of 100 Verizon stock options to each full-time employee and 50 options for part-time employees, and a team-based incentive pay plan of up to 10 percent of wages. Also, the employer match to the 401(k) plan was increased from 80 to 82 percent.
Pensions will be increased by 14 percent over the contract term: 5 percent immediately, 5 percent the second year and 4 percent the third. In addition, operators in New Jersey, Delaware and Washington, D.C., will move to a higher pension band for accruing benefits. A lump sum pension cashout option also was added for the northeastern area and continued for the mid-Atlantic.
The agreement on restricting the movement of work limits such movement to no more than seven-tenths of one percent per year in defined bargaining units. In addition, Verizon agreed to guarantee no layoffs, no downgrades, and no forced transfer of workers.
Among other job security gains, the pact reduces the amount of work that is being subcontracted and assures that union members will perform all installation and maintenance work involving high-speed digital access lines (DSL) to the Internet. The agreement also restores substantial amounts of DSL and other customer service work that had been contracted out.
Also, maintenance work that had been performed by a lower-wage subsidiary company (BACCSI) was returned to the bargaining units in the mid-Atlantic region.
At Verizon Wireless, the company agreed to allow employees to conduct union organizing drives in a neutral atmosphere, free of anti-union coercion by managers, and to recognize the union when at least 55 percent of the employees in a work location have signed cards showing they want representation. The agreement covers non-management employees including those in the Wireless stores.
The settlement also provides for job upgrades and significant improvements in family, health and dental care, and other areas.
Negotiations on a separate agreement for Verizon Wireless technicians in New York City provided wage gains of 10 percent plus a 2 percent bonus over three years, bringing base pay for top switch technicians to $62,000 per year in 2002. Other highlights included improved health and dental benefits, improved overtime pay and a 100 percent guaranteed match to the 401 (k) plan.
A new agreement in conjunction with the mid-Atlantic talks also was negotiated for BACCSI employees in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C. The contract's expiration date was set to coincide with the overall Verizon agreement.
Heading the bargaining committees were District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino for the northeastern negotiating table and District 13 Vice President Vince Maisano for the mid-Atlantic table. District 2 Vice President Pete Catucci led the mobilization effort throughout the mid-Atlantic.
And they accomplished just that - but only after spending more than two weeks on the picket lines. In the end, CWA won a settlement that achieved major goals of nailing down job security provisions, guaranteeing that union members do the work associated with digital Internet lines, extending card-check organizing rights to wireless workers and improving job conditions by limiting forced overtime and easing stress in high-pressure customer service centers.
The walkout began Aug. 6, involving 87,000 union members in the former Bell Atlantic region from Maine to Virginia - 12 states plus Washington, D.C.
A settlement was first reached on Aug. 20 at the bargaining table for the former Nynex area of New York and New England. But as CWA members there, along with 15,000 IBEW members, returned to work many were immediately picketed off the jobs by CWA members from six other states.
Talks for the mid-Atlantic regional table had hit serious snags just as it looked like a complete strike settlement was at hand, leaving 37,000 CWA members still on strike. Serious problems remained over forced overtime, pensions and other issues.
Securing the Future
The pacesetting contract package achieves the union's major job security goals, including sharp limits on the transfer of work, reduction in subcontracting and a guarantee that CWA members perform the digital Internet access work. It also substantially cuts forced overtime levels and addresses stress issues for operators and service representatives.
Another breakthrough provision opens the door to unionization for thousands of Verizon Wireless workers in the 12-state former Bell Atlantic portion of Verizon by extending card-check recognition and neutrality rights to gain representation.
"This settlement secures the future for our members at this company," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "It is a breakthrough agreement that meets all of our objectives this year, and rewards CWA members for the contribution they make to Verizon's success. We only achieved it because the members were willing to fight for it."
In the mid-Atlantic area, where forced overtime is a particular problem, the agreement slashes the number of hours that customer service employees can be forced to work overtime from 15 hours per week presently to 7 1/2 hours, effective immediately. And, addressing worker complaints of last-minute overtime assignments, it calls for at least 2 1/2 hours' notice before employees are asked to work overtime.
For technicians, operators and other employees who currently can be forced to work up to 15 hours of overtime a week, mandatory overtime will be capped at 10 hours a week immediately, dropping to eight hours in January 2001.
Needlessly stressful conditions for customer service reps and operators were among other major CWA issues. The settlement includes provisions to relieve the intensity of monitoring for both operators and service reps and calls for customer service employees to receive 30 minutes of off-line time per shift to allow workers time off the phones to process customer orders and requests.
The compensation package provides general wage hikes of 12 percent over three years: 4 percent immediately, with an additional 4 percent for customer service representatives, 3 percent in August 2001 and 5 percent in August 2002. With compounding, base wages will increase a total of 12.5 percent.
A cost-of-living adjustment provision was agreed to for the mid-Atlantic area to protect wages in the event that future inflation levels top 9 percent over two years. The northeastern (former Nynex) agreement already had COLA.
Other economic gains include a corporate profit-sharing plan with maximum payout of $1,000 a year, a grant of 100 Verizon stock options to each full-time employee and 50 options for part-time employees, and a team-based incentive pay plan of up to 10 percent of wages. Also, the employer match to the 401(k) plan was increased from 80 to 82 percent.
Pensions will be increased by 14 percent over the contract term: 5 percent immediately, 5 percent the second year and 4 percent the third. In addition, operators in New Jersey, Delaware and Washington, D.C., will move to a higher pension band for accruing benefits. A lump sum pension cashout option also was added for the northeastern area and continued for the mid-Atlantic.
The agreement on restricting the movement of work limits such movement to no more than seven-tenths of one percent per year in defined bargaining units. In addition, Verizon agreed to guarantee no layoffs, no downgrades, and no forced transfer of workers.
Among other job security gains, the pact reduces the amount of work that is being subcontracted and assures that union members will perform all installation and maintenance work involving high-speed digital access lines (DSL) to the Internet. The agreement also restores substantial amounts of DSL and other customer service work that had been contracted out.
Also, maintenance work that had been performed by a lower-wage subsidiary company (BACCSI) was returned to the bargaining units in the mid-Atlantic region.
At Verizon Wireless, the company agreed to allow employees to conduct union organizing drives in a neutral atmosphere, free of anti-union coercion by managers, and to recognize the union when at least 55 percent of the employees in a work location have signed cards showing they want representation. The agreement covers non-management employees including those in the Wireless stores.
The settlement also provides for job upgrades and significant improvements in family, health and dental care, and other areas.
Negotiations on a separate agreement for Verizon Wireless technicians in New York City provided wage gains of 10 percent plus a 2 percent bonus over three years, bringing base pay for top switch technicians to $62,000 per year in 2002. Other highlights included improved health and dental benefits, improved overtime pay and a 100 percent guaranteed match to the 401 (k) plan.
A new agreement in conjunction with the mid-Atlantic talks also was negotiated for BACCSI employees in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C. The contract's expiration date was set to coincide with the overall Verizon agreement.
Heading the bargaining committees were District 1 Vice President Larry Mancino for the northeastern negotiating table and District 13 Vice President Vince Maisano for the mid-Atlantic table. District 2 Vice President Pete Catucci led the mobilization effort throughout the mid-Atlantic.