Verizon Union Workers Still Under Last Year's Contract

It's a new year, but the continuation of an old contract for Verizon's union workers, including about 8,000 employees in New Jersey, a company and union representative both said.

The union workers—— still are covered by the previous benefits package under the terms of a contract that expired last August, according to Bill Huber, president and business manager of New Jersey local 827 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Some of those across from the Verizon Center in Basking Ridge.

Full health benefits that were a bone of contention continue under the current arrangement, Huber said Monday. He noted that since then no raises were received by wireline workers, call center employees and other non-management employees covered by the IBEW and the Communications Workers of America unions.

Huber added that the terms of a new contract to replace the one that ended Aug. 6, 2011 have not been worked out, despite continuing talks between the union and Verizon representatives being held since last year in Rye, N.Y.

"We are no closer in January than we were in June in last year," Huber said Monday. He said the unions, which include tens of thousands of Verizon workers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, recently had re-enrolled in their benefits packages for this year, but Verizon potentially could seek to change those packages later in 2012.

"At some point, we expect both sides to reach one agreement that represents all sides and all issues," Rich Young, spokesman for Verizon in New Jersey, wrote in an email on Monday.

Both sides continue to meet, but have not yet reached an agreement, Young said. He said he had no information on regional issues being negotiated. But, "since talks are fluid by nature, something that’s settled today may change tomorrow," Young said.

Huber said that talks through the end of 2011 were "off the record," meaning that negotiators could throw out ideas on an informal basis. However, he said the negotiations are now set to begin on an "on-the-record" basis, with minutes being taken during meetings.

Huber said he has contended all along that the disagreement with the profitable Verizon company "is not about money." However, he said he believes the company is determined that the employees, whose longstanding health benefits program now is completely covered under the terms of their contract, should agree to open the door for paying benefits costs.

Huber said the striking workers returned to the job on shifts spread over last Aug. 22 to 23 after Verizon agreed that health benefits and other protections under the previous contract would be extended while negotiations continue.

Either side can void that agreement with seven days' notice, Huber said.

During last summer's strike, management employees——had been given training while the strike was pending to fill in when workers walked off the job.

Verizon Communications announced on Aug. 20 that its 45,000 wireline employees in nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states who are represented by the CWA and IBEW unions will return to work beginning Monday night, Aug. 22, even without a new contract.

According to a statement released at that time from the company, Verizon and the union had made headway in negotiating a number of local and regional issues. The parties also had agreed on a process for moving forward to negotiate the major issues regarding benefits, cost structure, work flexibility and job security, the release said.

Verizon said in its announcement last August that the terms of the previous contracts with the workers with be extended with no specific deadline.