RYE – Unions representing Verizon employees may strike over a contract
dispute. Following the latest round of talks, the unions – CWA District
1/IBEW Local 2213 and IBEW New England Regional Committee, union leadership
said the company’s most recent proposal “contained no movement
from their previous proposal to address the union’s critical needs
and drop all of the remaining retrogressive demands.”
As a result, the unions said CWA President Chris Shelton would announce
a strike date within the next few days.
Union leadership said Verizon’s “retrogressive demands”
include elimination of the no-layoff protections for workers hired before
2003 unless the unions agree to other concessions; a diminishment of disability
plans for members who get injured on the job; elimination of corporate
profit sharing; the closing of call centers that would result in transferring
members up to 80 miles from their current location; and other demands.
The union also said the company “had the audacity to threaten our
members that if a contract isn’t ratified by May 20th they would
have the right to temporarily transfer technicians from Massachusetts
to Virginia for up to 60 days while allowing technicians to be transferred
into your state to do your work and make Sunday part of your regular work
week.”
