Verizon Contract Includes 2,500 New Union Jobs

by James Parks, Sep 22, 2008

More than 2,500 union jobs will be added at Verizon Communications as part of a new three-year contract, which members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the Electrical Workers (IBEW) ratified overwhelmingly last week.   

The jobs will be created through elimination of subcontracting in many job areas. Workers won some of their key goals in the pact, including conversion of temporary jobs to permanent ones and new work for union members on Verizon’s cutting edge FiOS broadband technology. The contract provides for a wage increase of 10.87 percent over term, maintains quality health care for active and retired workers and increases pensions.

The pact also extends union recognition to several hundred former MCI technicians at Verizon Business who have been seeking union representation for nearly two years, and includes new opportunities for union workers to provide customer support and service at Verizon Business. It provides for a compounded wage increase of 10.87 percent over the contract term, maintains quality health care for active and retired workers and increases pension benefits.

CWA President Larry Cohen called the agreement “a breakthrough in many ways” and commended Verizon management for its commitment to work with CWA and others for real health care reform.

Myles Calvey, business manager for IBEW Local 2222 and one of the lead negotiators, said: 

An important feature of this new agreement is that more of the jobs of the future at Verizon will have the good pay, benefits and job rights that come with a union contract. 

The agreement covers more than 50,000 CWA-represented workers at Verizon and 15,000 IBEW members in the Northeast.

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