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VIS Workers Finally Win a Union
VIS Workers Finally Win a Union
Hundreds of Verizon Information Services workers in New York finally have won CWA representation after a long organizing struggle, and others throughout the mid-Atlantic states are awaiting recognition following AAA certification last week of majority card-check support.
The organizing push involves about 1,500 workers altogether at 20 offices of Verizon's yellow pages sales organization throughout the former Bell Atlantic territory. They work as sales representatives, graphic artists and support personnel.
The breakthrough in their organizing effort, which began over a year ago, came when top level talks between CWA and VIS officers recently resolved a dispute over interpretation of the negotiated card check organizing procedures at Verizon and the definition of bargaining units.
Hundreds of VIS workers signed CWA authorization cards early in 2001 but their drive was stalled by a series of lawsuits and arbitrations. Rather than growing frustrated and giving up, however, "their determination to win a union has just gotten stronger all the time," said Executive Vice President Larry Cohen.
Two VIS workers from Baltimore represented the entire group as they addressed last summer's CWA convention, and they received rousing support from delegates as they returned to continue mobilization efforts. "Leadership in this group has been outstanding, and other locals where we already represent VIS workers have been incredibly helpful" in aiding the drive and establishing a better relationship between CWA and VIS management, said Cohen.
After months of talks with the company, involving Cohen, Vice Presidents Larry Mancino, Vince Maisano, Pete Catucci and President Morton Bahr, CWA and VIS worked out differences on the organizing issue and agreed to a process for building more cooperative labor relations.
Negotiating committees for the five offices in New York are developing bargaining goals, and talks are expected to begin shortly in Westchester County, the first location to win recognition.
Hundreds of Verizon Information Services workers in New York finally have won CWA representation after a long organizing struggle, and others throughout the mid-Atlantic states are awaiting recognition following AAA certification last week of majority card-check support.
The organizing push involves about 1,500 workers altogether at 20 offices of Verizon's yellow pages sales organization throughout the former Bell Atlantic territory. They work as sales representatives, graphic artists and support personnel.
The breakthrough in their organizing effort, which began over a year ago, came when top level talks between CWA and VIS officers recently resolved a dispute over interpretation of the negotiated card check organizing procedures at Verizon and the definition of bargaining units.
Hundreds of VIS workers signed CWA authorization cards early in 2001 but their drive was stalled by a series of lawsuits and arbitrations. Rather than growing frustrated and giving up, however, "their determination to win a union has just gotten stronger all the time," said Executive Vice President Larry Cohen.
Two VIS workers from Baltimore represented the entire group as they addressed last summer's CWA convention, and they received rousing support from delegates as they returned to continue mobilization efforts. "Leadership in this group has been outstanding, and other locals where we already represent VIS workers have been incredibly helpful" in aiding the drive and establishing a better relationship between CWA and VIS management, said Cohen.
After months of talks with the company, involving Cohen, Vice Presidents Larry Mancino, Vince Maisano, Pete Catucci and President Morton Bahr, CWA and VIS worked out differences on the organizing issue and agreed to a process for building more cooperative labor relations.
Negotiating committees for the five offices in New York are developing bargaining goals, and talks are expected to begin shortly in Westchester County, the first location to win recognition.