The IBEW and CWA in New England, New York, and Mid-Atlantic have reached an agreement in principle with Verizon to extend the current contract until 2026, subject to review of the final MOU and ratification by the membership. Details will be forthcoming, however, the new agreement will include provisions for Work at Home. A meeting will be scheduled to review full details of the new agreement with all 2321 members and voting will commence once arrangements are made.
***Important Update***
Early Contract negotiations between Verizon and the IBEW and CWA unions are ongoing. Both sides have agreed to an information blackout while discussions are fluid. Because no final agreement has been reached, the unions and the company have agreed to extend the temporary Work at Home until July 16th.
Detailed information about any contract or potential permanent work at home agreements will be communicated when they are finalized and authorized for release. Please stay tuned for any updates as they become available.
Join us in honoring one of our own, Robert Doherty! Robert was awarded the “Verizon Hero Award” for his help involving a motor vehicle accident where his actions helped save a young child.
It is important to note that this honor is not something that is awarded to someone every year, it is a very rare and special honor.
All of us here at Local 2321 are incredibly proud of your actions, Robert!
In October, Verizon advised the union the company would require employees to be vaccinated. All IBEW and CWA union locals across the footprint demanded to bargain any such requirement, and began negotiations on October 28th.
Verizon initially relied upon the Presidential Executive Order (“PEO”) (Executive Order 14042, issued September 9, 2021) and the subsequent Safer Federal Workforce Task Force COVID-19 Workplace Safety: Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors, issued September 24, 2021, as their motivation for a vaccine requirement. When the OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“OSHA ETS”), published on November 5th, was issued, Verizon further emphasized their need to implement a vaccine mandate.
However, the company quickly pivoted to calling their mandate their own policy as a private employer, a status that has thus far been immune to litigation and has allowed private companies to implement vaccine policies with no successful legal challenges to date. Therefore, despite the courts having later struck down the OSHA ETS, the PEO is still in place, and Verizon is able to maintain a private policy regardless of either.
During negotiations, the unions consistently and repeatedly proposed that the company allow employees to opt out of any mandate for medical, religious, or personal reasons of any kind by allowing them to seek accommodation or utilize a testing option. The company claimed they could not due to the PEO, which does not allow for any testing option. The union asked the company to identify employees who would be subject to the PEO and carve out the other employees either entirely or allow them the option to test in lieu of vaccination. The company refused to allow either option.
The unions proposed expansion of unpaid leave which employees would be subject to if they did not get vaccinated; termination payments for employees who would be separated as a result of not being vaccinated; and specific guidelines for employees who requested accommodations for religious and medical reasons. The company adopted some of these into their counter proposals, but not all of them.
On November 16th, Verizon presented the union with their Last Best and Final Offer. The union made a counter proposal, which was rejected. Verizon then informed the union that negotiations had reached an impasse, and that the company would implement their Last Best and Final Offer as their new company vaccine policy.
The following are some of the key aspects of the Company’s last offer:
RIP, Brother
Patrick F. Lynch, age 51, of Lynn, passed away on Wednesday, November 10, 2021. He was the beloved son of Francis P. and Marcia A. (King) Lynch. A lifelong Lynn resident, he was a graduate of St. Mary’s High School, class of 1989.
Pat worked as a supply attendant for Verizon for 25 years. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Communication Workers of America. Pat was a music lover, and had an extensive array of collectibles, much of it music related.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by his loving brothers and sisters-in-law; Andrew and Bridget Lynch and Jonathan and Keri Lynch; as well as his nephew and nieces who meant the world to him; Kyle, Riley, Lyndsay, Sarah, Grace and Emma Lynch.A memorial visitation will be held on Wednesday from 4-7PM in the SOLIMINE FUNERAL HOME, 426 Broadway (Rt 129), Lynn. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Private interment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 300 5th Ave, Waltham, MA 02451.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/itemlive/name/patrick-lynch-obituary?id=31555604
