As we all know, the contract was ratified on Friday, April 25^th. The contract takes effect on April 25^th and will remain in effect until July 22, 2017.   The contract was ratified by 76% of the members who voted.  The general wage increase will take effect on the 2^nd pay period from the 25^th.  The changes in our healthcare plan will take effect on August 1^st of this year.  We do not have a date for the open enrollment that will take place yet, but as soon as we do, we will have information at all the Unit meetings that compare the PPO plan and the EPO Plan.  We talked about this during the last 2 months and want to ensure that the membership has all the information needed to make an informed decision for their family’s healthcare needs.  If you are currently enrolled in the HMO, please remember that if you move out of that option, you will not be able to re-enroll in the HMO.  The HMO was frozen from any new enrollments in 2009.

During the TCC-II meeting this week, the delegates in attendance agreed that we need a nation-wide plan in place leading up to bargaining, beginning in the Northeast next year.  We are forming a national committee that will include all locals representing Verizon employees to put a plan in place that will hopefully have all members on the same page with information on their rights as union members and to have nationwide solidarity.  It is understood that what happens in bargaining in the Northeast sets the table for every other Local Union around the country.  As this committee meets and discusses options, reports will be provided to all members. The Local Unions within the TCC-II also decided to create a website that all members of the affiliated local unions will have access to view and get more information.  We also discussed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that is going to be altered at some point in the near future.  We are not sure yet if the plan is to rewrite the entire Act or just portions of the Act.  This is an item that we will be paying very close attention to and will have updates when any changes are proposed.

Bargaining with Verizon for a new Buried Service Wire contract has been extremely slow.  We have met several times in the last month and still have not agreed to anything other than what was listed in the last update on March 6^th.  As we have seen before, the Company continues to reject Union proposals.  The committees are scheduled to meet again on Monday, May 5^th.  When there is some progress at the table, updates will be posted.

We have had 1½ days of bargaining with ISS, the Company that employs the Bridge Tenders in District 1 and Sarasota County.  The Union committee presented numerous proposals and submitted more information requests after our initial meetings.  We have received most of those information requests and plan on talking with ISS again next week.  There have been a couple updates posted on the Bridge Tenders tab on the website and when we have some progress, more info will be posted.

Our Local Union filed a petition with the NLRB last week to hold an election for employees who work for Comcast in South Florida.  The employees are Direct Sales Representatives and there are 88 employees in this unit.  We were assigned this unit from International President Ed Hill after the employees contacted the IBEW for assistance in organizing their work place.  The election will be held on May 22^nd, and we hope that we can report that afternoon that we have 88 future IBEW 824 members.

With Core bargaining concluded, Dan Wagner has begun preparing for the next Arbitration, which should be scheduled shortly.

In Solidarity,

Robert

Last week, your Bargaining Committee proofed the contract and we are now waiting until the end of this month to receive all the names of employees who are in the wage progression because their names will be placed in the contract for Pension purposes. Once that has been completed, we will be sending the contract to the printer. When we have a date that the books will be printed, we will provide them to the Chief Stewards to hand out to the members in their areas.

We are still bargaining with the Company for a new agreement for the Buried Service Wire techs. We met 2 times this week and still there has been no movement to get us closer to an agreement. The Company has the same medical, pension, and sickness disability proposals that we had on the table with CORE. We are not scheduled to meet again until June 16, 17, and 18.

We have completed bargaining with ISS for the Bridge Tenders that recently voted to join our Local Union and their contract was ratified on May 30th. Their first agreement will go into effect on June 9th. A majority of the Bridge Tenders will see an immediate increase of over $2 per hour. They will also have an additional holiday for a total of 4 and they will now have a Holiday Allowance when they do not work a holiday. They now have a grievance/arbitration procedure and are no longer “at will” employees. We are receiving membership applications cards now from the employees now and look forward to working with them to resolve issues that are outstanding in their bridge houses. Safety is obviously a big concern, and Danny has been gathering some information and will soon form a Safety Committee from within the membership of the Bridge Tenders. As with any first contract, there are some initial issues, but we will work through them in the upcoming months. Danny Alfonso has been assigned to represent the Bridge Tenders and has been communicating with them this past week.

Also last month, the Direct Sales Reps for Comcast in the Broward and Dade county area voted to have a voice in their work place and were successful in their campaign. That election was just certified and we have sent our initial request for bargaining to the company. We have also created a new tab on our website for the Comcast employees where all bargaining information will be posted. There are 86 employees in this unit, within 3 separate classifications. Hopefully, we will begin bargaining a first contract for these employees in the very near future. Dan Wagner will be the Rep at the Hall assigned to this unit.

The question has been asked several times over the last couple of months of why are we involved with Bridge Tenders or Comcast employees – don’t we only represent Verizon workers? The answer is pretty simple…first; it is the responsibility of every IBEW member to organize the unorganized. In addition, it is our responsibility to assist workers in our industry and jurisdiction to better themselves and enable them to have a voice on the job. A higher percentage of a unionized work force helps everyone in many ways. We only have to look back a couple of decades ago when union membership was high as an example of what can be done by workers when there is higher union density within the county or state. It is imperative that we continue to assist any group of workers who desire to have a voice on the job and we will continue to do just that.

We have been notified that the Open Enrollment for healthcare (Verizon of Florida & Enterprise Delivery CORE employees) will be from June 25th through July 9th. Information will be sent to all employees on June 18th. As was stated during bargaining, the committee has a presentation on the 2 choices available, the PPO and the EPO. This presentation will be conducted at every Unit meeting this month and we will also have a meeting on Wednesday, June 11th and another one on Tuesday, June 24th, both at the Union Hall and both will start at 10:00a.m. The differences between the 2 options will be explained and we believe it will give you a better understanding before you make your decision on healthcare.

If you are a member that has been paying the Spousal Surcharge, we were notified that after the Open Enrollment ends on July 9th, the Company will be refunding that money back to you for the dates of April 1 to August 1, 2014. You will not be required to pay premiums and a Spousal Surcharge.

There have been many issues with the Coffee system being used now by the dispatchers at Westside and the CO & Broadband Techs in the field since Coffe’s inception. We have many examples of the issues and we will be having a meeting with the Company on the 23rd of this month to hopefully resolve some of the issues.

We have been notified that the Company has made some changes to their Associate Performance Plan, otherwise known to most of us as an annual Prep. The most noticeable change was that employees will not be provided with an overall performance rating on their mid-year review. The biggest change to us was that employee’s no longer are required to sign the review.

Last month we received Verizon’s 2nd quarter Surplus/ISP announcement which was posted on our website. The entire surplus is voluntary and no one will be be force adjusted or laid off. The window closes on June 10th and any member that elects and is accepted will leave the property on June 28th.

Last month we started having more detailed conversations with the Company regarding the Safety & Health Compliance Policy. This is the policy the Company implemented and started using to discipline members with red light infractions. We have requested some additional information from the Company and once we receive, we will meet to discuss this issue more. We believe that we will come up with a policy that stresses safety but doesn’t penalize the member for the rest of their career.

Last, I want to take a moment to congratulate a member for receiving their AS Degree from Nactel. Nactel is an organization that enables IBEW members to receive a degree in the telecommunications field at a reduced tuition rate. The IBEW has been a co-sponsor of this program since its inception in 1999 and I am proud to represent the IBEW on the Nactel Board. Chris Fasting, the Chief Steward in Clearwater graduated last month with an Associate of Science degree in Applied Information Technology. Working full-time, with a family, it is very difficult to make the time to study and do the work involved but Chris did it and I wanted to personally say congratulations.

In Solidarity,

Robert

Bargaining a new contract for the Buried Service Wire technicians has been as difficult as bargaining the Core contract.  On June 18^th, the Company presented their Last, Best & Final Offer to the Union.  That information was posted on the website the following morning.  The Union did present some additional counter proposals to the Company and so far, there have been no more meetings scheduled.  As with the Core contract, the Buried Service Wire technicians are still working under the agreement that expired in March, but was extended until we reach a new Agreement.  When there is more information to report, we will post on the website.

Since the last report on arbitrations, we’ve had 2 hearings where we lost one and we won the 2^nd one.  The next arbitration is scheduled for next week, July 16^th, and that is for a termination in Outside Plant from Northwestern.  The arbitration after that is also for a termination, in the CSSC.  The date has not been set for the 2^nd arbitration but the Arbitrator has been selected and we should have the date finalized shortly.  The next arbitration after that will be a language grievance that we will explain more as we choose that Arbitrator and get the date selected.

We are still in the beginning stages on bargaining a revised Safety Compliance Plan with the Company.  From the time that the Company implemented this plan, we have had many grievances filed for both Category I and Category II violations.  As was reported last month, we are hopeful that we will be able to have a Safety Plan that stresses the importance of working safely but doesn’t penalize an employee for the rest of their career.  More information will be forthcoming.

The Special Enrollment for Healthcare ended on July 9^th.  Initially, we received a lot of calls due to members not being able to access the website or get through to Benefits on the telephone.  After a couple of days, it seemed to calm down and as far as we know, everyone was able to make the selections that they wanted to make.  As of today, we are not aware of any member that has an outstanding issue or was not able to make their selections during the open enrollment.

National Group Protection (NGP) is a union company that provides supplemental benefits to our members for Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance and Whole Life Insurance.  The open enrollment period will begin August 1 and run through August 31.  Some benefits that are provided are, for example, if you were involved in an accident (on or off the job and regardless if it is also covered under Workers Comp or your health insurance) and you received initial treatment within 60 days of the accident, you would receive $200.  Also under the Accident Insurance, if you get an annual physical exam, you would receive a $60 benefit.  Again, the benefits provided by NGP are in addition to any other coverages that you may have and are paid directly to you.  NGP is not affiliated with Verizon and you are only eligible to receive these benefits if you are a member of IBEW, 824.  As long as you are a member, your eligible dependents can be covered as well.  You will also be accepted with no health questions asked and benefits will not change as you get older.  There will be a mail-out coming soon with some information and then you can decide if you want to participate in any of the benefits provided by NGP.

We’ve known for quite a while that the Company was looking to force adjust FNFT’s into Southern Division.  Last week, we met with the Company for an initial discussion of where the FNFT’s would come from and how many would be involved.  The initial numbers are 8 from Eastern Division, 4 from Tampa North, 4 from Tampa South, and 3 from Western.  The Company believes that they need most of these technicians in Sarasota.  After reviewing the information with the Company, we asked them to reevaluate the numbers of technicians needed and also the locations in Southern where they think they need technicians the most.  In addition, the Company is canvassing CZT II’s and Cable Splicer's company-wide to see if there are any volunteers to move to Southern Division.  Once they have the information we requested and the canvassing is completed, we will get back together for further discussions.  After we had that initial meeting, we notified all the Chiefs and stewards and will do the same again after the next meeting.

Also last week, the Company advised us they were going to canvass the EVRC reps to see if there is any interest in moving to the FSC.  The Company has done this several times over the last few years and included an FSC boot camp program for anyone who volunteered.  We don’t think there will be any more volunteers but will report back once the canvass has been completed.  Also in the FSC, we were notified that the Company plans on hiring the 20 employees that were bargained in the contract next year.

During the last month, we were notified that the Verizon Enterprise Delivery employees would be moved from that Company name to Verizon Select Service, Inc.  This is a Company name change for those employees only.  All benefits remain the same but there will be a few changes, like how they will report their time and some systems that are used.

Another issue that has come up over the last month is some gated communities are switching to a scan device to allow visitors into the complex.  Our members are not required to provide any personal information to any non-Verizon employees.  Every member has been issued an identification badge and that is what needs to be presented to show that you are a Verizon employee.  There are some exceptions, and that is for members who work in secure areas like the seaports and airports.  In those cases, background checks are performed and members have volunteered to do that in the past.  This is an issue that is still being addressed with the Company.

On June 30^th, we conducted a steward training class here at the hall with 12 members in attendance.  The class went well and a lot of information was provided to those stewards.  There will be another steward training class on July 30^th.

We are currently waiting for our information requests from Comcast so we can begin bargaining a first contract for a possible 85 new members.  The Comcast employees are all located in South Florida and are excited about beginning the bargaining process.  We do have a tentative date to begin those negotiations and that is September 23^rd and 24^th.  We do not expect this process to be quick and will keep you informed of the progress throughout the next couple of months.

This week we filed a petition for 12 Bridge Tenders in Pinellas County to be included in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that was negotiated for the Bridge Tenders in District 1 and Sarasota County last month.  We were successful with the petition to include these employees and did not go to an election.  The Company recognized the Union’s petition and did not call for an election.  Next month, we should have an additional 12 members and I would like to say welcome to the new Bridge Tenders.

Verizon Supply Services contract expires on September 20^th of this year and we are now in the beginning stages of preparing.  Bargaining will begin on August 19^th.  Steve Corbin, Dan Wagner and myself will be on the Union’s committee.  There will be a link on our website that says 2014 Supply Bargaining.  This is where all updates will appear.  Later this month, surveys will be mailed to all Supply members to start formulating proposals.

In solidarity,

Robert

The IBEW did reach a tentative agreement with Verizon Buried Service Wire Group on July 16^th and the ballots were counted this morning and the agreement was ratified.

Bargaining for Supply will begin on August 19^th.  We have added a new tab on the website for all bargaining updates.  We also have mailed out the bargaining surveys and also have them posted online to view and submit.  Dan Wagner and Steve Corbin will begin working on proposals the week of August 11^th.  We need to have all surveys returned prior to Monday, August 11^th.

Bargaining for the Comcast employees will begin a little more than a month later and those surveys were also mailed out to all employees and also placed on our website.  Michelle Agne will be working with the Comcast employees and will be on the bargaining committee with me.

Last month I reported that 2 additional bridges in Pinellas County, with 12 bridge tenders, filed a petition to be included in the Collective Bargaining Agreement we reached with the Company for the bridges in Sarasota County and District 1 earlier this year.  After submitting the info to the NLRB, ISS, the company that manages the bridge contracts, recognized the 2 new bridges and they were included in the CBA I mentioned without having to conduct a vote.  This is a big deal to receive recognition without a vote and as you will hear, we have well over 30 more new members from the various bridges we now represent.

We had an arbitration hearing scheduled for July 16^th, but on the 14^th the Company made a settlement offer to return the member back to work.  The member accepted the offer and will return to work on August 11^th.  The next arbitration is for a member that was terminated from the CSSC and that hearing will take place on September 30^th. 

Last month I reported that we were talking with the Company about the Safety Compliance Plan.  We have met a couple times this month and have moved closer to a plan that will stress safety but will not penalize a member for 10 years with a letter in their file.  Hopefully, we will report soon that we have a new policy in place.

It came to our attention about 6 weeks ago that members in the SFC who were performing a Lead Rep role or who were performing THC functions and also working a tour that provided for a night differential were being denied the night differential.  They were told it was pyramiding differentials and they could not receive both.  After a couple of weeks, we received the list of names of employees who was affected by this violation and all received the money they should have received retroactively.  This issue affected thirteen employees and we did settle this without filing a grievance.  If you work a tour that provides for the night differential, a tour ending after 8 p.m., or beginning before 6 a.m., and you perform Lead Rep or THC functions, you are entitled to both differentials.

Also for the SFC, located currently in St. Pete, we have heard that the center will be moving to downtown Tampa before the end of the year.  The Company has not officially provided notice to the Union and if/when they do, we will notify the members in that center. There have been rumors of when or where the center is moving, but until we are notified, we do not know when or where the center will finally be located.

The National Retention Center of Excellence (RCOE) that we helped get placed in Tampa had their 1 year anniversary this week.  We currently have 80 employees in this center and the percentage of members in this group is close to 90%.  With a recent class of new hires, we are getting closer to the approximately 100 employees to staff this center. We hope this center continues to grow and provide additional jobs for the future.

This past month we were advised that the FSC will hire 7 new Customer Support Analysts and 1 new Network Technician this year as part of the 20 new jobs to be placed in the FSC during the term of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.  When we have a date of when this hiring will be taking place, we will report back.

We were given the 10-day notice this week for the force adjustment of FNFT’s in Eastern and Western Divisions.  The numbers are: 7 from Eastern and 3 from Western.  The locations in Southern Division where the FNFT’s will move to are, Sarasota - 5 and Bradenton - 5.  This move will take place on August 24^th.  An expression of interest will be provided to every FNFT in Eastern and Western Divisions to state what location they want to choose between Bradenton and Sarasota, or remain in their current location.

We did conduct another Steward Training course here at the Union Hall this week.  11 members participated and all stated that they learned a lot and the class provided a lot of information.  At this time, we do not have anymore steward classes scheduled.

Yesterday we mailed the postcard for the National Protection Group insurance plans and you should receive them in the next day or 2.  The open enrollment begins today, August 1^st and runs through August 31^st.  If you have any questions concerning the plans that they offer for accident, illness, or group life, there is a number on that card for you to contact them directly.

In Solidarity,

Robert

The Core contract has finally been signed and reviewed and was sent to the printer this week.  We expect to have some copies arriving at the Union Hall in the next couple of weeks.  Once they start coming in, we will get them to the Chief Stewards to make sure every member that wants a copy, gets a copy.  The contract should be posted on our website around the same time.

On August 19^th, we began bargaining with Verizon Supply Chain Services for a new contract.  The Company introduced proposals that included the same proposals that we have seen with the Core bargaining and also with the Buried Wire bargaining, including healthcare and pension changes.  The Union introduced one proposal and that was to move the employees of Supply into the Core agreement.  The Company rejected our proposal and after we received more bargaining information that we requested, we met again earlier this week and introduced 16 more proposals.  All of the proposals that the Company and Union introduced were placed on the website, under the Supply Bargaining tab.  We have requested more information from the Company and are waiting for those responses before we can proceed.  We have met a total of 3 times, for less than 2 hours total so far.  We do not have another meeting scheduled yet, and will have another update posted after our next meeting.

The Arbitration that was completed last September for the bumping rights of the Comm Techs, if you remember, continued after the Arbitrator’s amended 2^nd decision and ended up in litigation in Federal court.  The final briefs have been submitted from the Company and our attorney’s and we are waiting on a Summary Judgment from the court.  Last year, we were advised that it would probably take a year to have our case heard and we are closing in on that year now.  We hope to report that decision at next month’s meeting.  Our next Arbitration is scheduled for September 30^th and we have had several pre-arbs during August but have not submitted and grievances for arbitration as of yet.  Danny is still working on a Promo/Reclass arbitration and we are getting closer to proceeding on that issue.

The force adjustment of the 7 FNFT’s in Eastern Division and 3 FNFT’s in Western Division was delayed until at least the 15^th of this month.  We have asked the Company to re-look at the numbers based on information we have from Southern Division to ensure that the Company isn’t moving overtime from one division to another.  The technicians involved will have to travel up to 2½ hrs each way to make this move and we want to ensure that every opportunity is explored before this has to happen.

We were notified last month that the Company declared a surplus within the Buried Service Wire Group.  Currently, there are 3 Buried Service Wire Assistants and all 3 were declared surplus.  In addition, the Company is going to begin doing locates in Eastern Division with our members and take this work from the contractors.  To perform the locates, the Company believes they will need 7 Locators.  The 3 Assistants will be reclassified to the Facility Locator classification, an upgrade of almost $2 per hour.  The other 4 needed for the locates will come from the current BSW Techs, but that will be a decrease in wages of almost $2 per hour.  The Company has canvassed the BSW Techs in Eastern and Tampa and they have 3 volunteers.  There were several volunteers from Western and Southern Divisions.  This change will take place on September 15th.

Bargaining a first contract for the Comcast employees in South Florida will begin on the 23^rd of this month.  We have been working evenings the past couple of weeks preparing proposals based off the surveys we received from those employees.  We are hoping that we will be able to get a fair agreement in a timely manner.  Michelle will be on the committee, along with Deborah Hernandez, who did a heck of a job assisting her co-workers to organize and join the IBEW.  Deborah did such a good job that the International Office is paying her expenses to attend the IBEW Women’s Conference later this month to talk about her organizing campaign and how joining the IBEW is going to help not only her, but all of the employees in her group.

Last week, the OCO and MCO management team met with us to discuss their plans to combine the 2 groups.  Currently, there are Center Operations Technicians in both work groups and there are Generalists in both work groups.  The Union believes that there are some functions that are similar in nature, but also some job functions that are distinctly different from one work group to the other.  We also believe that by combining these 2 groups, the Company would be violating the contract when it comes to work group language.  We expressed the issues that we believe would be created by combining the 2 groups, especially training and overtime opportunities.  The Company originally stated that they wanted to combine the groups in the beginning of October, but the Company did say they may wait until January 1, so more members can be trained before the groups are combined.

We have been reporting that the Union and Company have been trying to negotiate a new Safety Compliance Plan, and we are still in the process of doing that.  There have been several proposals passed back and forth over the last month, but we have not been able to agree to a new plan.  We will continue to work on a fair plan and will report once that has been done.

During the last month, the Company notified the Union that they would like to create a new work group. This work group would consist of Air Pressure technicians (CZT II’s) and Circuit Repair technicians (CZT II’2).  If you remember, the Company wanted a separate work group in 2010 for Circuit Repair.  We told the Company then that we didn’t think creating a smaller group would give them the “flexibility” that they needed and that all CZT II’s should be trained to perform all job responsibilities associated with a CZT II.  The Company created the new group anyway and it lasted a little over 2 years before the group was dismantled.  The Company disbanded this group for basically the same reasons we said it wouldn’t work in 2010.  The Air Pressure technicians have been a separate work group for many years and that group has worked out both for the Company and our members.  We don’t believe that this group should be combined with Circuit Repair.  Most of the Air Pressure techs have voiced their concerns that they want to continue to perform air pressure work, but not in conjunction with circuit repair.  Two weeks ago, the Company handed out an expression of interest to all CZT II’s to see who would be interested in moving to a new combined air-pressure/circuit repair work group.  We were told yesterday that only about 25% of the current Air Pressure techs wanted to be a part of a new combined group, so now the Company is going to go in a different direction.  We believe there will still be a separate Circuit Repair work group created again in all of the divisions, but that Air Pressure will remain as a separate work group.  We’re told that they are working on a new plan and hopefully we’ll have some more information soon.

The Company notified the Union this month that the SRC, formerly known as the Offline Center in St. Pete, will be moving to downtown Tampa on or about October 27^th.  We believe they will move to the Tampa Main building but not sure about what floor yet.  The Company did offer an ISP to the employees as follows:  Admin Clerk, 2 of 3; Business Sales Support Representative, 3 of 7; Service Reps, 10 of 97; and Offline Associate, 4 of 6.  I believe the only thing left in the St. Pete Main building will be the Central Office.

Danny Alfonso has been working a lot with the Bridge Tenders over the last month.  He was able to meet most of the tenders on their bridges over a 2-day period, which makes it easier to put a face with a voice on the phone.  There are some safety issues that have come to our attention and Danny is in the process of appointing a Safety Committee to hopefully address some of these concerns. He has met with a couple of their Labor Relations representatives and we are looking forward to getting some of the other issues that the Tenders have resolved in the very near future.  Danny and I also attended a Florida Department of Transportation meeting concerning the upcoming bids for the bridges that we now represent.  A few contractors were there asking questions, but we don’t know how the contracts are awarded.  We do have a Successorship clause in the Agreement we negotiated earlier this year.  We will also have copies of this Agreement back from the printer in the next couple of weeks.

Over the last couple of years, the Company has offered a boot camp program for employees in the EVRC to be able to move into the FSC.  We are down to under 2-dozen employees left in the EVRC.  We all know that the copper work has declined and the Company would love to have everyone in the FSC instead of the EVRC.  Management in the EVRC notified us that they will no longer be working weekends and the center closes at 6 p.m. every day of the week.

Also last month, the Company notified all the Unions representing Verizon company-wide that they will be transitioning out of the business of providing and maintaining unregulated “Call Taking” equipment located at 911 Centers or “public safety answering points” across its’ wireline service area.  They have a target completion date expected by the end of 2017.  This is an item that we will be talking with the Company more in depth in the near future.

Last year, the Officers of the T.C.C. II had a meeting with some of Verizon’s Executives to discuss some of the Company’s plans for the upcoming year.  We will have another meeting in October to discuss plans for next year and also some items that the Unions would like to address.  Safety is always an issue that the Unions and Company can try to work together on and that issue will be raised again.  I will report on that meeting at the November General Meeting.

We’ve had a couple members this past month get placed on a 90-day job search, due to not being able to perform their job functions due to injury or illness.  If you have an injury on the job and open a Workers Compensation claim, you need to contact your Rep at the Union Hall.  If it’s a minor injury and you are able to return to work sooner than later, we would still like to follow along with your claim to ensure you are being properly treated.  If it’s a major injury, we need to make sure that you are being taken care of by the Workers Comp doctor and we can help if issues arise.  Once you receive a 90-day job notice, time is of the essence.  We would like to be able to help from the time you have an injury because that gives us more options to assist you.  Also, I can’t stress enough the importance of Long-Term Disability insurance.  We don’t like to think about getting injured and not being able to provide for our families, but it does happen.  Every Workers Comp attorney we talk to asks us the same question…does the member have Long-Term Disability insurance?  Please review the LTD option when open enrollment comes around this year and really consider the 50% or 60% of your pay option.  Michelle and I met with an attorney last week that specializes in short-term and long-term disability claims.  We explained the process and the difficulties we have working through the benefits coordinator and he would like to assist us in the future.  This will be another avenue for our members to explore if issues arise with these types of benefits in the future.

When we moved from Davis Vision to Eyemed on August 1^st, we were told that the benefits covered in the contract would carry over from the old administrator to the new one.  Basically, that if you purchased a pair of glasses or contacts before August 1^st, that you would still have to wait 2 years to have the glasses or contacts covered again.  What we have just found out is that Eyemed does not have the Davis Vision information and that the Eyemed coverage began August 1^st and so you are entitled to the benefits covered in the new agreement, like every 12 months for an eye exam and 24 months for glasses/contacts, beginning August 1^st.

Last week, the Union and Company reached an agreement to upgrade the existing Retail Sales Consultants from Wage Schedule A5 to Wage Schedule D1A.  The Company will be closing 2 more stores, in Carrollwood and University.  The Consumer Sales Consultants that went to the stores from the CSSC will be moved back to the CSSC.  The General Clerks will have several options of locations to move to as well and the Retail Sales Consultants in the 2 stores that are closing will be moving to the other 2 stores in Tampa.  The upgrade for the Retail Sales Consultants will become effective on October 5^th.  That upgrade is around $6 per hour in wages.

President Hill sent out a request for all Local Unions to participate in a United Day of Action event in their jurisdictions on Saturday, October 18^th.  Our Local Union has decided to participate in the Step Out – Walk to Stop Diabetes.  Our Treasure, Pam Elleby has agreed to be the Local’s Team Leader and information was posted on our website last month.  There are fliers in the back of the room and also a link to the flier is on our website.  Please take a copy or print one when you get home and post it in your work place.  It would be great to have a lot of our members participate and show the community that Union members live and work in this area and that we contribute to our communities’ everyday.

In Solidarity,

Robert

I began my career with the IBEW right here in this local union as a steward in 1988.  I was a steward in Bay East, under then Chief Steward Floyd McKenzie.  I learned a lot from Floyd and it didn’t take me long to realize that being involved in a Union was the best way to advance the working conditions of the membership.  I decided to get more involved and attended every Union meeting that I could and volunteered for everything that was offered from the Local Union.  From learning how to organize through the International’s training in COMET in the late 80’s, to the Code of Excellence training a couple of years ago and any and all training throughout the years, I knew that by educating the membership the best that we could, we would not only survive, but thrive in Florida.

When I was asked to run for Vice-President of this Local Union in 1994 by then Business Manager Guy Langlais, I was honored for the opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of our Local.  As an Officer of the Local, I was able to attend conferences and learn more about the IBEW and how other Local Unions operate and conduct business.  In 1997, I was again honored to become a Business Representative and then an Assistant Business Manager under Danny Johnson.  I served in this position for 8 years, and over the next 4 + years knew that I had the desire and the knowledge to take the next step and lead our Local Union as Business Manager.

Since taking on the responsibilities of Business Manager in July of 2009, our Local has continuously faced many changes, most of them huge changes.  We have had more adversity in the 5 years I have served as Business Manager than the entire 8 years I served as an Assistant Business Manager under Danny.  Probably the biggest issue we faced under Danny was the onslaught of Service Emergencies (almost always only on weekends) due to the El Niño weather pattern in the late 90’s.  Since 2009, we have battled against constant threats of force adjustments and layoffs.  We have had Surplus announcements every quarter, except 3 in the last 5 years.  Every single time, myself and the Reps have done everything we can to have this downsizing as a voluntary surplus and have an ISP offered so we wouldn’t have members laid off.  We were successful on every occasion except one.  In the times we live, that in itself is a huge accomplishment and on behalf of my staff, I am proud of that fact.

We have just come through the hardest times in the history of our Local Union.  We all know how tough bargaining was over those 9 months.  We knew that the overwhelming majority of unionized Verizon workers had been forced to have their pension plans altered and that healthcare costs would now be a concern and responsibility of our membership here in Florida.  It was not an easy process, getting through bargaining and not having our benefits diminished any more than the rest of the country.  We were able to have some of our proposals accepted by the Company when other areas were not able to.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, I was the Business Manager during this time when corporate greed was the strongest that we have ever seen.  For every argument that we presented, and every Company cost-saving proposal we presented, the Company continued to say…you’re gonna pay.  Again, corporate greed at its’ best! 

I have been able to live and enjoy the good times within this Local and I have struggled with the membership through the bad times within this Local Union.  I have always believed that the only way to advance the cause of the working people is to be involved.  I accepted the responsibilities that come with being involved in this Local Union and have done everything that I can possibly do from Steward, Chief Steward, Officer, Rep and Business Manager.  I have had a lot of guidance through these times, from Floyd McKenzie to Guy Langlais, to most importantly to me, Danny Johnson.  I have learned so much from these 3 leaders and also I have continued to learn from every steward and many, many members over the years. 

After 29 years, it is with an extremely heavy heart, that I announce my resignation as Business Manager of IBEW, Local 824, effective September 26^th, 2014.  I have been appointed an International Representative within the Broadcasting and Telecommunications department at the International Office in Washington D.C., effective October 1, 2014.  I am looking forward to being a part of a team to advance the Telecommunications industry within the IBEW and anywhere that I am called to serve.

During the last 5 years, I have had Assistant Business Managers that have battled alongside both you and me.  They are all tried and true to the labor movement within our Local Union.  I am proud of the work that they have done for our membership.  It is a huge commitment and takes a lot of dedication to our members and I believe they have done an outstanding job.  For the work they have done for me and you, I can only say thank you.

I brought my resignation to the Executive Board this morning and strongly recommended that the Board appoint Danny Alfonso to the position of Business Manager to fill the remaining 9 months of my current term.  Danny has worked extremely hard for the membership over the last 5 years and has all my confidence in his ability to continue moving our Local Union forward.  He will need the help of his Reps and stewards and from every member that wants to see our Local Union move forward.  I urge you to get behind Danny and offer him any assistance that you can provide.

The Executive Board did appoint Danny Alfonso to the position of Business Manager, effective September 26^th, 2014.

The corporate greed will continue and under Danny’s leadership, we will continue to fight for the working conditions of our members and I have the utmost confidence in Danny’s abilities to lead that fight.  I hope that you will stand with Danny and if you don’t know him, call or email him so you will get to know him like I do.

I want to thank every member of our Local Union that has helped me learn and grow throughout the last 29 years.  I couldn’t have been the man I am today without your help!

In Solidarity,

Robert

As the first day of serving as your Business Manager comes to a close, I would be remiss not to thank Robert Prunn for all his time and efforts that he has dedicated to our local.  I am very fortunate and can say I learned from the best. With the dedication he has shown we all knew it would only be a matter of time before the International Office would come calling to offer him a position. Although Robert will be in Washington DC the good news for us is that his heart will always be with our local. Robert thanks again for your dedication and hard work. Best wishes to our brother and friend.

Danny

I am honored and humbled to be serving as the Business manager for our local. For those of you who do not know me personally, I have served our local as a steward and chief steward for over 26 years. Over the last 5 years I have had the opportunity to serve as a Business Representative and an Assistant Business Manager. My areas of responsibilities have included Southern division, OCO, SRC, APC, FSC, our newly organized bridge tenders, Union advocate in arbitrations, safety Coordinator for our local and have served on 3 bargaining committees. During that time I have been fortunate to be part of a great team and have worked with members who were truly selfless.  Whether it was working long hours on arbitrations or staying till 11pm preparing proposals for bargaining they never complained.  Thank you for giving your time and efforts to our local. 

As for my plans for our future are concerned, my goals are simple-

Keep our members gainfully employed.

Ensure the company abides by the contract.

Continue to take valid grievances to arbitration. 

With those goals in mind, my first difficult decision as Business Manager was who would I bring in to assist us in maintaining the level of representation we have provided over the last 5 years.  The reason the decision was difficult was that there were many candidates who I consider friends and believe could do a wonderful job but I had to choose only 1. After talking with the staff I have decided to bring Josh Saladino to fill in for 30 days. Josh has been a member for over 14 years. He has been a steward and chief steward for 12 years and has been serving this local on the executive board for the past 5 years. 

I have several positive things to report on for the month of September. 

The first one was the force adjustment of FNFT’s form Eastern and Western division that was supposed to be effective on September 15^th was canceled. This force adjustment would have negatively affected 10 FNFT’s personally. I would like to thank all the chiefs and stewards in Southern division that provided us information on a daily basis that allowed us to demonstrate that the force adjustment was not necessary. 

We had an arbitration scheduled for this past Tuesday September 30. The good news to report is that the company, prior to the hearing, made an offer to reinstate the employee and the employee will be returning to work on October 13^th.  

For the cable splicer’s, the Company has agreed to do away with Saturday coverage and replace it with on-call.  The Saturdays will rotate through the schedule as defined in Article V section 4 paragraph 4.3.  The cable splicers will be allowed to trade the scheduled on-call if necessary. In the areas that currently have a 4/10 schedule and want to continue working that shift on Saturdays that is going to continue.

Now for bargaining updates-

For Supply bargaining, the Union and the Company met for a total of 6 times since our last general meeting. During those sessions the Union presented 10 revised proposals and 2 new proposals. The Company presented 5 new proposals and 5 revised proposals. The Union and the Company have tentatively agreed on 2 proposals. The first was on Jury duty, which mirrors the language that was added to the core agreement. The second proposal that has been TA’d was on bereavement, stepsister and stepbrother was added to the current language. In addition to the meeting with the Company the committee is reviewing additional information responses we received earlier this week to formulate additional proposals. We are scheduled to meet with the Company again next week and will be reporting on any progress that is made.

For Comcast bargaining, the Union and the Company met for the first time on September 23^rd and 24^th.  During the 2 days the committees met for a total of 7 times. Since this is a new contract we are starting with the basic provisions that most contracts provide. During the second day the committees tentatively agreed on 1 proposal that was also for employees who are summoned for Jury duty. We will be meeting again on October 22^nd and 23^rd and will also be reporting any progress that is made.

Earlier this week Verizon mailed a letter to notify all employees the Annual Enrollment for your 2015 health care benefits October 21^st through November 4^th, 2014.  In the letter, in fine print in the last sentence states, “For 2015, the BCBC of Florida HMO option will be eliminated”. That plan was a non-negotiated plan and has not been offered to employees who were not already on that plan since 2009. If you are currently enrolled in the HMO you will need to choose between the PPO and the EPO option. If you do not make a selection you will default into the PPO plan. After you make your selection, please verify the Health Care plan listed is the one that you have chosen and that all of your dependents are listed as well. I would also suggest that you verify your beneficiaries for life insurance, pension and 401k and also print a copy for your records. 

A chief stewards meeting has been scheduled for November 6^th. We will be distributing the Core contracts at that time. If you would like a contract please let your chief steward know so we can ensure you receive a copy. In the meantime if you would like to view the contract it can be found on our website under IBEW 824 Contracts.

Contracts for the bridge tenders have also been printed and we will be distributing those as well. This ISS contract can also be found on the website.

Lastly a quick reminder, President Hill has requested for all Local Unions to participate in a United Day of Action event on Saturday, October 18^th.  Our Local Union has decided to participate in the Step Out- Walk to Stop Diabetes. Our Treasure Pam Elleby has agreed to be the Local’s Team Leader and information has been posted on our website. There is a link to the flier is on our website. Please post the fliers in your work place but more importantly please sign up and participate. This is a great opportunity to show our community who IBEW 824 members are.

I look forward to serving as your Business Manager.

In Solidarity,

Danny Alfonso

Last month we were able to report on several positive things that happened during the month of September. Unfortunately, the month of October was not a very positive month for us.

As you well know, last week the Company notified the Union of the 4^th QTR surplus. We have found multiple work groups in which a surplus was declared that not all employees in the workgroup were even offered the ISP and we are working to get those issues corrected. The surpluses announced were not just in Florida but are nationwide throughout the Verizon footprint. Immediately upon notification, we made multiple attempts to have the Company offer the enhanced ISP which some of the local unions in the Northeast are receiving. The response from the Company was the ISP being offered is in accordance with our CBA and the Company is not looking to increase the offer. 

The election period for volunteering for the ISP opened on November 5 and will close on November 18^th.  Once the election period closes the Company will provide to the Union a list of everyone who has elected to take the ISP. At that time we will have a better understanding of who might be affected by the surplus.

Keep in mind the off property date of December 6^th is only for the employees who elect to accept the ISP. After the off property date, the Company and the Union will meet to discuss where the surplus stands and if there is still a need to move forward with the involuntary surplus. At that time, if the Company still insists that it is necessary to move forward with the involuntary surplus the bumping process would begin. The bumping process will be a long process since there are many different wage schedules and work groups which have been declared surplus. With that said, we have received many requests for copies of the seniority roster. The problem with looking at the current seniority roster is that anyone who elects to take the ISP is still on that roster and it will not be an accurate reflection of where an individual could possibly bump.  Once the ISP election window closes the Company will provide the Union with an updated seniority roster with the volunteers removed from the list. If the bumping process begins it will start with the highest wage schedule and continue down from there.  Following the bump of each wage schedule the seniority roster will need to be updated again to reflect the changes before moving to the next wage schedule. As I stated previously this is going to be a time consuming process and will not happen in a short period of time.

On November 6^th, we held a chief steward meeting and much of the topic focused around the surplus and what we can do to attempt to avoid the surplus. The chiefs unanimously decided, since the bumping process is going to take months to get through, that we needed to take a proactive approach to possibly avert the layoff. The chiefs decided the best way to accomplish this would be to focus on retaining each and every customer we deal with on a daily basis. While much discussion was held with regard to all the system issues and faulty equipment that lead to customer frustration or customer churn our primary focus is going to be on the customer and correcting the issues we have control over. Every chief in attendance realized that with each customer that leaves it also represents a reduction in the work force. 

At the close of the meeting the contract books were given out to the chief stewards and the chiefs will be giving them out to every member who requested one.

As I stated previously the 4^th QTR involuntary ISP was not limited to Florida. During the fall meeting of the TCC II the primary topic was the nationwide surplus as well.  Since Verizon has not budgeted any money toward the construction of any new FiOS green field or overlay areas for the 2015 fiscal year the question was posed how were we going to show the value of each IBEW member to Verizon.   Local 827 in New Jersey stated that they have decided to partner with the Company in the Lead To Succeed program and have seen a significant increase in the amount of work and an increase in revenue generated by the partnership.  Since the partnership they have been successful in having Business cases presented to have new fiber builds budgeted for 2015.  All locals in attendance agreed that this would be a good opportunity to not only demonstrate the value of each member but to hopefully increase the fiber build as well. This was also discussed in depth with the chief stewards as well and they also agreed with this approach. 

For those who are not participating in the Lead To Succeed now, what does that mean to you? We are not asking for everyone to become a salesperson, all we are asking is that in the daily performance of your job duties, when you are interacting with the customer, if there is an opportunity and the customer is interested in either adding services or upgrading services, to make a referral for someone from sales to contact them as soon as possible. Our goal would be to make the customer interaction with our members as seamless and easy as possible with the primary focus of keeping each customer we come in contact with. 

The Company provided the Sales Compensation plans for 2015, those plans are for the Business Sales Representatives, Account Associates, Retail Sales Consultants, Consumer Sales Consultants, and Customer Contact Sales Associates. We will be meeting with the Company within the next few weeks to go over the intended plan changes.  

As for the Safety Compliance Plan, we met again last week and introduced our 5^th counter proposal that would shorten the timelines for each step of the process. In addition, we made additional information requests that we are waiting for a response on. On Monday the company notified us that they were rejecting the Unions most recent proposal. We have requested to meet again after we receive the responses to our information request.

Bargaining updates- 

Supply- during the month of October the Union and the Company met on 4 separate days. Unfortunately there has been no significant movement to report on. We will be meeting again next week and will update the website on any movement that is made. 

Comcast Bargaining- we met again on October 22 and 23. During those sessions the Union and the Company have TA’d 4 proposals which were-

Comcast Products and Services

New Bargaining Employees

Layoff and Recall

Union Representative Visit

We will be meeting again on November 18^th and 19^th and will update the website on any progress that is made. 

With the leadership of Pam Elleby Our local raised over $1000 for the Step Out Walk to stop diabetes was on October 18^th. I would like to thank everyone who participated by either walking or donating. 

Lastly, I would like to thank Josh Saladino for filling in for the last month. He came in and has done an excellent job and with all the issues we are battling I’ve decided to keep Josh on staff as a Business Rep. His areas of responsibility will be all of Eastern and Southern Divisions as well as the bridge Tenders In Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

In Solidarity,

Danny

The 4^th quarter ISP results are in. There were 55 employees who elected to take the ISP and all were accepted. Their last day on payroll was December 6^th.  We will be meeting with the Company to discuss the outcome of the ISP and determine where the surplus stands and if any other action will be necessary.

 In November we had several discussions on the safety issues that arose for FNFT’s while placing a drop under a sidewalk. The Company has agreed to ensure that each work center will have a sidewalk sleeve kit available for the FNFT’s to use as needed. The kits will include a sidewalk sleeve tool, sections of conduit, sledgehammer and a trenching shovel.  As with any job you are performing, please use the correct tool for the job to ensure the job is being done as safe as possible.

 The Retiree meeting was held on November 12. There were 80 retirees’ in attendance. The main topic was their annual selection of medical coverage. During the meeting we demonstrated how, on the benefits website, they could perform a side-by-side comparison of their medical options available. Following the meeting Michelle Agne assisted many of our retirees’ through the selection of their medical coverage.

 
Bargaining Updates- 

For Supply Bargaining, The Union and the Company met for a total of 6 times since last month. Unfortunately, there has not been any progress to report on.  We plan on meeting again on Monday December 8^th and will update the website on any progress that is made.

 For Comcast bargaining, the Union and the Company met on 4 days since October 23^rd . The meetings were extremely productive as we were able to tentatively agree on 15 additional proposals. That brings the total to 25 proposals that we have tentatively agreed to since bargaining began on September 23. Comcast Bargaining will resume on December 17^th and 18^th. We are encouraged by the progress that has been made and will update the website with any additional progress that is made.

 We will be conducting another stewards training class on Dec 10^th. This class will have members form the Core Agreement as well as National Buried Service Wire and the Bridge tenders. The training will include a detailed explanation of contractual language for their respective contract, grievance writing, steward rights and responsibilities, the 7 tests for just cause and investigatory interview training. We look forward to working with our newest stewards.

 During the first few days in November we were able to settle our first grievance filed for a bridge tender that was terminated. The member was reinstated prior to the top step of the grievance procedure and returned to work. It is with heavy heart that I report that the same member was involved in a traffic accident and unfortunately he passed away on November 29^th.  Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

 Also in November, our bridge tenders notified us that the Company was going to change their payroll period. The effective date of this change would have caused their last paycheck before Christmas to be short by as many as 2 days. Fortunately for our bridge tenders we were successful in getting this change postponed until after the Holidays.

Please remeber the General meeting that was scheduled for Friday January 2, 2015 has been moved to Friday January 9, 2015. We hope you enjoy this time with your family and friends.

 Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year.

 Danny

First of all I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

I want to start out with some good news we received on January 8th. The article XI Bumping lawsuit that we filed in 2013 with the US District Court, the Judge has rendered his decision. As a reminder, the reason we filed the lawsuit was that the arbitrator originally ruled in our favor and when we requested clarification on his award the Company argued their case again and the arbitrator completely reversed his decision and ruled in favor of the Company. We were notified that the judge has ruled in our favor and the original award has been confirmed. The Company does have 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision and we will continue providing updates as they come available.

2014 was an extremely busy year and the month of December was no different.  

On December 10^th we conducted a stewards training class and have added 11 well trained stewards to help represent our members. The steward’s are-

Bruce Mallicote- FSC

Jesse Newland-OCO/MCO

Trishana Seabrook-Retention Center Of Excellence

Shawn Compton- Southern FNFT Business Group

Sam Davila, Nick Saladino-Sarasota FNFT

Jeff Stanley- Lakeland FNFT

Mike Wall-NBSW Southern Division

Dave Demick,Bill Fink and Jim Wells-Bridge Tenders 

Also in December, after four months of extremely frustrating and hard fought bargaining the Company presented their  “last, best and final” package for Supply bargaining. Knowing that there has been nothing left “on the table”, the committee has no choice but to recommend ratification of this agreement. On January 8^th a ratification meeting was held for all Supply Services members to explain the changes in the contract. In addition, the bargaining summary has been placed on the website for review. The ballots have been mailed out and will need to be received back at the P.O Box by 9am Monday January 26^th. As soon as the ballots are tabulated we will notify all Supply Chain members of the outcome and will also post it on the website. I would like to thank Steve Corbin and Dan Wagner for all their hard work and efforts while serving on the bargaining committee. 

Along with the New Year came changes in several departments. The OCO/MCO were merged together and the first issue we had to address was the first schedule and the New Years Holiday bid. We have a meeting scheduled on Monday January 12^th with the stewards and management to address the additional concerns.

In Southern Division a change the Company made was the handling of the schedules by the DRC. The Company’s stated purpose of this pilot program is to limit the number of hours technicians spend on unproductive time while building the schedules. We have held several conference calls to address the issues that have come up and have an additional meeting scheduled to get responses to the issues that were raised. 

Also in December we were notified that ISS, which is the Bridge Tender Company who we have a collective bargaining agreement with, lost it’s contract for 6 of the bridges in Sarasota County.  Those bridges are owned by the Florida Department of Transportation (2 bridges) and Sarasota County (4 bridges). The maintenance of the bridges are contracted to a company which is Infrastructure Corporation of America who then places the bridge tender function out for bid. While the Collective Bargaining Agreement we have with ISS does contain a successor clause, the Company that was awarded the bridge tender bid (Florida Drawbridge) has declined to recognize and/or bargain with this local. Subsequently, we are working with the National Labor Relations Board to file the appropriate changes against Florida Drawbridge. Meanwhile the Collective Bargaining Agreement also contains bumping language that does allow employees to bump to the remaining (6) bridges which ISS still has the contracts for. Josh and 2 of our newest stewards Bill Fink and Dave Demick have been assisting our members with the bump to ensure that anyone who elects to bump has been given the opportunity to exercise their option.  

Also in late in December we were notified that the 4^th Qtr ISP was not offered to all CZT I’s in Tampa. The Company did correct the mistake and offered the ISP to the technicians who were missed. This afternoon we were notified as a result of the additional ISP offer that 1 additional CZT 1 in Tampa did accept the ISP which reduced the involuntary surplus of CZT 1’s in Tampa to 1. 

As for the involuntary surplus of the Jeop desk (FNFT) is concerned, the Company is attempting to absorb them back into the Tampa area and deny them the opportunity to bump. Please remember that the declared involuntary surplus was specific to the Jeop desk that is located at 610 Morgan with a Universe of 14.  I have notified the Company that we will arbitrate the bumping language again since they are attempting to circumvent the bump process. 

Also in December, the Company put out an expression of Interest for FNFT’s in Tampa and Eastern for vacancies in Sarasota (1), Seminole (1) and Clearwater (1). In addition, an Expression of Interest was also offered to all CZT II’s and Cable Splicer’s in Eastern for vacancies of CZT II’s in Bradenton (1), Sarasota (2), Venice (1) and for Cable Splicer’s vacancies in St. Pete (1), Clearwater (1) and Sarasota (1). The results of the expressions of interest have not been determined as of yet but we will notify all the affected stewards once the information has been shared with us. 

Earlier this week, we met with Comcast for another round of bargaining and were able to tentatively agree on 2 more proposals, which were Military leave and Union shop stewards. Also during these sessions the Company and the Union exchanged proposals on the compensation plan. We are scheduled to meet again on February 4^th and 5^th.  We will report on any progress that is made.

In Solidarity, 

Danny

The rumors of a sale have been out there for months now and if you have been listening to what Lowell McAdams has been saying for quite some time, it is official we have been sold to Frontier. Unfortunately, Verizon was not the first to officially notify us of the sale, it was Frontier.  On February 5^th, Frontier Executive Vice President of Human Resources, Cecilia McKenney, along with Frontier Senior Vice President Labor Relations, Bob Costagliola, IBEW Telecommunication Director, Martha Pultar, I/O Telecommunications Representative, Robert Prunn, and I were on a conference call where it was explained that the sale was official. During that call Mrs. McKenney explained that Frontier will acquire Verizon’s wireline operations that provide services to residential, commercial and wholesale customers in Florida, Texas and California for $10.54 billion in cash.  Mrs. Mc Kenney stated Frontier expects the sale to pass all regulatory approval necessary and that the sale will close within the first half of 2016. Upon completion of the sale, Frontier will honor our Collective Bargaining Agreement that is in effect until July 22, 2017. In addition, it was explained that the pension fund will be 100% funded at the time of the sale and that Frontier will retain the rights for the FiOS brand for 5 years as of the sale date. 

While the sale is going through the regulatory process our local, along with the assistance from the International Office of IBEW, will be staying on top of the progress to ensure we will be prepared to present any and all legal challenges that may be necessary to protect our members.  

While it is entirely too early to determine what this will mean for our members, one thing is perfectly clear, over the last few years Verizon has proven that their primary focus is with Verizon Wireless and that they are not interested in building out the FiOS network or retaining the wireline customers in this market. While this is an unsettling time of uncertainty, please understand that we will present any and all questions that our members may have, to Verizon Labor and provide the response as soon as possible. We will keep you informed of any new information as it becomes available.

Now an update on the 1^st round of Bumping, there has been a total of 5 bump calls held to explain the process. John Glye and Josh Saladino have been on the calls to assist our members through the bumping process as well as answer any questions the employees may have.  In this round, multiple issues with the seniority roster were discovered. First, was that the seniority rosters had remote parking locations listed instead of the actual reporting locations. After the reporting locations were corrected, it was discovered that the roster was not sorted correctly. Birthdays were not sorted correctly so when 2 employees had same seniority date the roster was in alphabetical order. This issue has also been corrected and the first round of bumping will not be completed until Monday. We are asking each employee involved in the bump to fax a copy of their bump selection sheet to the union hall so we can stay on top of the process and verify everyone will be placed in the job that their seniority will allow. We were notified today that round 2 of bumping is scheduled  begin the week of February 9^th .  In light of the announcement of the sale to Frontier, we contacted labor on February 6^th to stop the bumping process until we get clarification on what workgroups will remain with Verizon and which will become Frontier at the close of the sale. We will keep everyone involved informed once the Company responds. 

Beginning January 1 the OCO/MCO workgroups were merged together and, as I reported last month, this caused many concerns. On January 12^th John, our stewards Dennis Gregory, Bryan Seigler, Matt Boudreaux, Jesse Newland and I met with Labor and the manager to address the concerns. As a result, the schedule has been revised and from the feedback we are receiving from our members the issues are being corrected. In addition, the overtime roster had multiple errors that were addressed and, since the meeting, the roster has been corrected. Another concern was that the necessary training was not being held. John has been back to the department and has verified the training is taking place and is working to ensure that the cross training continues. 

On January 26^th the ballots for the Supply contract were counted and the contract was ratified by 100% of members who voted. As a result, the ratification bonus will be paid on the February 13^th paycheck and the 2% GWI will be reflected on the March 13^th paycheck. 

Thursday February 5^th , we were notified by the Company that Anthem (Company that administers Verizon’s health care benefits) was the target of a cyber attack that caused a major security breach. During the breach, personal information was exposed for about 80 million of Anthem’s customer and employees.  Verizon stated that they are working closely with Anthem to understand the extent of the impact the breach may have had to Verizon employees. Anthem will individually notify all members whose data information were accessed, and will be providing credit monitoring and identity protection services to those members free of charge. Anthem has set up a website www.AnthemFacts.com and a toll free number 1-877-263-7995 to answer questions. We will update our members if or when additional information becomes available.   

Comcast update-The Union and the Company met on February 4^th and 5^th for a total of 5 sessions. During those sessions we were able to reach tentative agreements on fringe benefits and duration of the contract.  The primary focus during this round of bargaining was their compensation plan and the counter proposal that the Company provided. We are reviewing the proposal and will be presenting a counter proposal at the next bargaining session, which is scheduled for March 25^th and 26^th.  

Safety Compliance Update- After finally receiving the information back from the Company regarding the Safety Compliance Plan, a meeting has been scheduled next week to continue bargaining. The information was critical in order to present another counter proposal. As a reminder, if you are asked to perform your job in an unsafe manner, please explain that safety is your individual responsibility and contact us immediately. 

As I reported last month, the article XI Bumping lawsuit that we filed in 2013 with the US District Court, the Judge rendered his decision in our favor and the original award was confirmed.  As a reminder, the reason we filed the lawsuit was that the arbitrator originally ruled in our favor and when we requested clarification on his award the Company argued their case again and the arbitrator completely reversed his decision and ruled in favor of the Company.  The Company had 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision and on February 6^th we were notified that the Company has appealed the decision.  We will continue providing information as it comes available. 

Lastly, we are in the process of planning another Family Fun Day. We are trying to get it scheduled before it gets too hot and are planning it for the middle of April. The Solidarity Committee will be meeting on Feb 20^th to start putting together the plans and setting the date. Once the date is confirmed we will post it on the website. 

In Solidarity,

Danny

I’d like to begin my report with an update on the sale to Frontier. Since the announcement of the sale, there have been many rumors circulating. The rumors ranged from the Frontier employees make 20% less than we do, to Frontier took Pension Plan Lump Sum Payment Option away from the employees.  In an effort to get clarification on the current IBEW/Frontier Collective Bargaining Agreements, I have reached out to several Business Managers, as well as the International Office, to request copies of the last CBA that was in effect at the time of the sale of Verizon to Frontier, as well as their current CBA’s. The purpose of having a copy of the previous Verizon agreements is so we can do a side-by-side comparison to understand what was lost or gained in bargaining. One thing that is important to understand is that our current contract with Verizon is not the exact same as Texas, California or the Northeast.  For example we have XI (bumping language) and the B is a B Letter of Understanding that most of the other states do not have. One of the things we found out, which is interesting to us, is how Frontier bargains their agreements with IBEW local unions. The IBEW contracts are called MIFA’s, which stand for Multi-unit IBEW/Frontier Agreements, and they are broken down into 3 areas. MIFA-1 has local unions from Michigan, North Carolina and South Carolina. MIFA-2 has locals from Indiana and Illinois while locals in the states of California, Oregon and Washington are considered MIFA-3. The MIFA language portion of the contract contains language that is specific to that region and is specific to the locals listed. Behind the MIFA section is where the individual local contract language would be found. 

As for the MIFA-1 contracts are concerned, the contract expired on March 29, 2014 and they are still in negotiations. They last met with Frontier on Feb 2-Feb 6 and are scheduled to resume again on March 9^th.  I have been in contact with members of the bargaining committee who stated the current negotiations have been difficult but stated they should have more information to share after they meet again next week. 

This week we received all of the MIFA#2 previous Verizon and current Frontier contracts and are in the process of reviewing those contracts to compare their current agreements to see if there were any gains or losses. The MIFA-2 contracts went in to effect on May 6, 2012 and will expire on May 7, 2016. We have been able to verify that the MIFA-2 contracts do include items such as the Lump Sum Payment option, Education and Life Long Learning (tuition assistance) and that there were no reductions in wages after becoming Frontier.  Once we have completed an extensive comparison we will explain the differences. 

We have not received any of the MIFA-3 contracts yet. 

During my conversations with the Business Managers who deal with Frontier one of the questions I asked was, outside of bargaining, how is Frontier to deal with on a daily basis. They each stated Frontier does not have the same structure of management that they were used to with Verizon and that Frontier has General Managers instead of A-coms or directors. They stated that in the areas where the general managers have a background in telephony they are able to resolve most of the issues sensibly. In the areas where the general managers do not have telephony background the focus is more geared toward sales, which lends to more issues. Another thing they stated was that Frontier does not spend money frivolously to micromanage their members and does not have departments like RMG or GPS analysts.  We will continue to be in contact with the various Business Managers to continue gathering as much information as we can. 

Another question we have been asked since the announcement of the sale was, what about the 401k Plan.  I spoke to Jim Lohnes with Scarborough Alliance and asked him to reach out to his counterparts within Scarborough who assist IBEW members that work for Frontier to find out any pertinent information. What he found was that the Frontier 401 K plan is also managed by Fidelity and the Verizon stock portfolio is an available option. The main difference is, that if you ever choose to move the funds out of the Verizon stock portfolio you will not be able to get back into it. Another difference is that the Frontier company match to the 401k Plan is in real money and you choose the portfolio in which to invest the Company match in. 

If there are any specific questions you would like us to find out about please send us an email and we will get back with you as soon as we have an answer. 

Frontier Executive Vice President, Cecelia McKinney sent me an email to share their advertising plan for the next few weeks within our area. And if you receive the Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay Times, Sarasota Herald-Tribune or the Bradenton Herald you may have seen the Full page advertisement from Frontier that was in this past Sunday’s edition. If you didn’t see it, it was a simple ad that said, “We are Frontier. Verizon Customers, we look forward to becoming your broadband, entertainment and communications service provider.” At the bottom of the ad was a link to www.frontier.com/intro where residential and commercial customers could read their pledge that they “will maintain continuity of services and provide world class support after the completion of the transaction, including FiOS services.” After receiving the email I called her office to speak with her and was surprised that she does not have a secretary screening her calls but she answered her own line. During the call she explained that Frontier’s goals are to grow FiOS, invest in our copper wireline markets and stop landline loss.  Their primary reason for spending “real money” on the advertising was to show that their focus is on the customer. She added that they are aware that the copper network is a fixer upper, to say the least, but that they are going to rebuild the copper network town by town.  She stated that Frontier lives by their 3-P principle, which is, People, Product and Profit in that order for a reason. They believe that with the right motivated people, the right products they will attain the right profit. IF, Frontier actually lives up to the 3-P principle I will certainly be encouraged to be working with a company that understands the value of our members. 

As I reported last month, the day after the sale was announced, the company notified us the 2^nd round of bumping would continue the week of February 9^th.  We immediately responded by asking how could the Company move forward with the bump when the affected employees in the first round had no knowledge of the sale and, we still do not know which specific departments will remain with Verizon and which will become Frontier. As a result, the bump is currently suspended and we are hopeful that it will be completely called off. As for the CZT II’s that were force adjusted out of Eastern Division we will continue to press to have them returned to their previous work centers. 

Last month I also reported on the Anthem breech and I just want to remind everyone about the 2 year identity theft protection service that anthem is providing free of charge. To sign up go to www.anthemfacts.com and follow the instructions which will direct you to https://anthem.allclearid.com/. The only thing you will need to provide is your legal name and an email address for them to send you a confirmation email. You will need to follow this process for each member of your family that is covered under your medical plan but it is really simple process. 

During the month of February we received the National Buried Service Wire contracts back from the printer. As we did with the Core contracts we are asking the chiefs/stewards who have buried wire techs and assistants in their work center to provide a list of members so we can get the contracts to them. 

John Glye and I had the opportunity to attend several 2015 kickoff meetings in the EVRC/FSC last month. And it gives me great pleasure to announce that the Tampa EVRC/FSC ended 2014 as the top ranked center nationally. Great job keep up the good work.

Now for some great news we received earlier this week from the National Labor Relations Board. In May of last year we filed a charge against Comcast for discriminating against the DSR’s for their Union activity. As a result of the NLRB charge, Comcast has agreed to pay all affected DSR’s back pay that will include interest and an excess tax. The DSR’s will be receiving their checks within the next few weeks and will be paid based on their individual sales. This is a huge win not only for our local but also for organized labor as well. Michelle and I will resume bargaining with Comcast on March 25^th and 26^th. 

Over the last month Dan Wagner and I conducted several pre-arbitration meetings with several terminated employees. Following the meetings we requested additional information from the company that is necessary to determine whether or not to pursue the grievances to arbitration. 

I would like to announce that Josh Saladino has stepped up to take over the responsibility of Union safety advocate and will be chairing the quarterly joint Union safety committee meetings. One thing he is currently working with the company on is revamping the approach to safety training. Within the next month, instead of having safety rodeos in the each division, the company is going to have a “Day of Safety”. Over the next 6-8 months, every Cable Splicer, CZT II and FNFT will go to the training center for a full day of safety training. Last week Josh and I worked with the company to set up the safety curriculum and perform a walk through of the training facility. In addition, our Union safety advocates will be partnering with company safety advocates each day to provide the hands on training that will be given.  

Lastly, it gives me great pleasure to announce that our very own International 5^th District Representative and former Business Manager, Danny Johnson, will retire from the IBEW effective on April 1, 2015. I would like to say thank you to Danny for not only his help and support of our local through all these years but for helping me personally as I transitioned into the position of Business Manager. 

Ed Mobsby has filled the vacated position of 5th District International Representative. Ed previously was the Business Manager for IBEW System Council U8. Ed and I have attended multiple Arbitration conferences together and I look forward to working with him in the future.

On Sunday April 12^th we will be having our annual family fun day with lunch being served at 11:30am. At that time we will also recognize and honor Danny Johnson for all of his years of service and dedication.  This year for the kids, we will have a fire-truck, games and bounce houses along with corn-hole, volleyball and horseshoes for the adults. The solidarity committee is looking for volunteers who are willing to help with this event. In addition, the suggestion was made to have a bloodmobile also come to this event so our members could donate blood. In order to have the bloodmobile come to the Family Fun Day we will need a minimum of 15 people who are willing to sign up to donate blood. If you are interested in volunteering to help with the family fun day or wish to donate blood, please contact Michelle Agne at the Union hall.

In Solidarity,

Danny

I’d like to start with an update on the 4^th QTR surplus that was declared last October.  As it stands right now, the company has still not provided the list of specific departments, by manager, that will be staying with Verizon and which will become Frontier following the sale.  As a result, the layoff is still suspended and we are working to have it canceled completely. In addition, we are still working to have the CZTII’s, who were force adjusted from Eastern division to Southern and Western Divisions, sent back to their original work centers since the Company does have the need for these technicians.  Earlier this week we received a call from Eastern division where the Company was using FNFT’s to perform work in the cable splicer work group. Keep in mind, since there was a force adjustment declared for the Cable Splicer and CZT II workgroups, the Company cannot bring in other work groups to perform their work unless they recall the force adjusted employees. As soon as we were notified we addressed the situation and the Company will not be using other work groups to perform work in either the Cable Splicer or CZT II workgroups.

 Now for an update on the sale, in talking with Frontier we have learned that one of the stipulations of the sale is that Verizon must start spending their construction budget that has not been used over the last few years. It was announced this week that the money has been allocated and an Area Manager has been put in place specifically to oversee the spending of the funds and placement of FiOS in Greenfield areas that have not yet been built or completed. The new construction is expected to continue for at least a year following the sale. Our Cable Splicers should start seeing these work orders coming out within the next few weeks. In the areas (central offices) where FiOS is not available, Frontier has also stated they will be spending a portion of the allocated money rebuilding the copper network and this will be done “town by town”.   The new construction should help with our efforts to have the layoff and force adjustment recalled.

 Over the last month Dan Wagner has been comparing the first sets of IBEW/Frontier contracts that we have received.  As everyone is aware, not all Verizon contracts are the same, so in effort to have a real comparison, he began by comparing their last contract with Verizon to our current contract and made notes of the differences.  Then he went back and compared their current Frontier contracts to our contract and created a spreadsheet of the items that changed.  Please keep in mind, there is still research that needs to be completed and we will continue performing this review of the contracts as we receive them.  There are an approximately 16 more IBEW contracts that we are waiting on and approximately 25 CWA contracts as well.  The staff and I have been attending numerous parking lot meetings over the last month to share the information we have gathered so far. I would like to thank our members who have attended these meetings for their input and for providing additional questions for us to research.

 The Verizon Shareholders Meeting will be held on Thursday May 7^th  and if you are a stockholder, you should have received your proxies in the last week or so.  The recommendations of the IBEW are still being decided. As soon as the selections are confirmed we will be post the information on our website.

 During last month additional pre-arbitration meetings have been held to gather information on cases we are reviewing for arbitration. As a result, our next arbitration will be for the unjust termination of a member. We are in the process of selecting an arbitrator and are planning to have the arbitration scheduled within the next few weeks. 

 Last week a conference call was held to discuss the new work rules for supply that have been put in place, company wide. According to the Company, Supply has never had written work rules for Supply. We do not agree with these new work rules and are discussing these changes with labor and the director of Supply to address the concerns of our members. We will continue working with the chief steward Steve Corbin to continue fighting this.

 As we all know whenever there is a new manager over a particular workgroup there always seem to be changes made. With that said the FiOS business group has a new manager who is making changes to the Tampa North and Tampa South work groups. In Tampa North they are looking to add 2 FNFT’s to the business team and they are also looking to reduce the Tampa South business team by at least 2 FNFT’s. The original plan was to simply move 2 from Tampa South to Tampa North. However we informed the Company that is not the contractual way to make these changes. As a result, the FNFT’s in Tampa North were canvassed and 2 FNFT’s volunteered to go into the business group. In Tampa South they are currently canvassing FNFT’s in the business group to go to the residential side in Tampa South.

 On April 8^th training will begin for “Day of safety “ this training is replacing the safety rodeos. The first few classes that have been scheduled will be for the Company and Union safety advocates who will be providing the hands on training to our members. After the advocates have been through the training the Company will start scheduling Cable Splicer’s, CZT II’s and FNFT’s for the training. We believe the day of safety will provide our members with a more in depth awareness for safety and the hazards we face every day. 

 The National Labor Relations Board is continuing to investigate the charges that we filed against Florida Drawbridge who has failed to recognize local 824 as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for the bridge tenders who work in Sarasota county. The Collective Bargaining Agreement that was negotiated with ISS does have successor language in place to protect these employees. Unfortunately, in an effort to circumvent the contract, Florida Draw Bridge intentionally retained less than 50% of the former ISS employees. The NLRB is continuing to take sworn affidavits from bridge tenders in an effort to substantiate the charge and we are hopeful that the charge will be validated and these members will be reinstated with full back pay.

 Comcast update- Last week Michelle and I met with the Comcast DSR’s on the eve of bargaining to gather their input on additional proposals and to address any concerns they would like to address in bargaining. The next day we presented 1 additional proposal to Comcast and requested additional information regarding their compensation plan. We will be having a conference call again next week with the DSR’s to share the information with them and gather additional input from them. 

 Verizon is asking for our partnership in giving back to the community by supporting The American Heart Association. We have members and their families who have benefited from the American Heart Association. One of the fundraisers for this cause is a golf tournament that is scheduled for May 9^th at Renaissance at Sun City Center. The cost is $85 per player and the deadline for registration is April 27^th. To register for this tournament please contact Joey Santiago at 813.416.6206.  Since we have so many of our members who like to fish, we thought it might be a good idea to have an IBEW fishing tournament which would be scheduled this September to raise money for this cause.  If you are interested in fishing in the tournament or would like to volunteer to help put this tournament together please contact John Glye at the Union Hall as soon as possible.

In Solidarity,

Danny

First I would like to thank everyone who came Sunday April 12^th to our family fun day and helped us honor and recognize Danny Johnson for his service to our local. More importantly I would like to thank and recognize everyone who helped make the event such a huge success.

Now for some great news-

For those who may not have read the news on our website or been made aware. As a result of our efforts and partnership with Jeanmarie Milla, we were notified on April 17, that the 4^th Qtr surplus and resulting bump has been completely canceled.  If the surplus had not been canceled, according to the seniority roster, there would have been approximately 10 rounds of bumping with 260 employees negatively affected by the bump. While I was ecstatic for our members and what we were able to accomplish I didn’t fully understand how big the accomplishment was until the following Monday. That is when my excitement turned back to heart ache for our fellow Sisters and Brothers in Texas who are also being sold to Frontier who were not as fortunate. That Monday, I received a call from the president of the CWA in Texas who said one of his members forwarded him the email I sent out stating the 4^th Qtr surplus was canceled. He asked how we were able to get the declared Surplus canceled since they were not even successful in getting the bump slowed down after the announcement of the sale. I explained immediately following the announcement of the sale, we contacted the company and explained that there would be no way to proceed with the bump until they provided us with the departments, listed by managers, that would remain with Verizon and which would become Frontier so our members could make an educated decision on where they may chose to bump. I also explained how we reached out to our stewards in the affected departments and locations in which the surplus was declared seeking information regarding the amount of work and amount of overtime in those departments. More importantly I explained the good working relationship we have with our President Jeanmarie Milla and how she helped us to get it canceled. Following my explanation, he said the company went through with their declared surplus and that their employees were laid off on April 3^rd and the employees who bumped moved to their new jobs on April 6^th.  While my heart aches for the employees who were laid off in Texas my main focus will continue to be on our members in local 824.

On April 15, Josh and I attended a round table discussion meeting with our Building Service Technicians, their director, managers and Safety and environmental managers. During the meeting it was apparent how much responsibility our Building Service Technicians have and how dedicated they are to performing their job. One of the topics was concerning the sale to Frontier and which buildings will become Frontier and which will remain with Verizon and if Frontier will continue to use contractors. The director explained it is yet to be determined if the use of the contractors is saving the company money or if the contractor will remain on site following the sale. He went on further to say the decision will be made by the transition team and they should have a better understanding by the end of the year. One of the concerns we raised was the elevator issue we are having in the EAX building.  The director stated that the elevators in that building are budgeted to either be repaired or replace by the end of this year. 

What is new to report on with Frontier? This month Erik and I will be attending the BMT conference and will be meeting with the IBEW Business Managers who represent Frontier employees to gather additional information that will be helpful for our members. In addition, we have a conference call scheduled with Frontier and our International Office to have further discussions regarding the sale. We should have quit a bit of information to report on next month.  

Last month the FSC made the decision to cancel weekend coverage as well as reduce the hours of operation. We are working with the chief steward Keith Laplant to gather information on why the center is not taking all of Florida’s calls and why there is such a reduction in the call volume. We will keep the members informed as the information becomes available. 

2015 Verizon Shareholders Meeting – Proxy Information

The 2015 Verizon Communications Annual Shareholders Meeting will be held onMay 7, 2015 at 8:30am in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 You can vote online or by telephone; 24 hours a day, seven days a week; Call 1-800-652-8683 and vote by phone, follow the voice prompts;You can do so electronically by visiting: www.envisionreports.com/vzOr if you receive a paper ballot, please mail them in before the May 7^th Shareholders meeting.

The IBEW is making the following recommendations. 

Section A: Number one   Board of Directors; Items 1 through 9 vote AGAINST

Section A: Number 2 and Number 3; Vote AGAINST these proposals

Section B:  Numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 VOTE FOR these proposals

For those sending in Paper ballots, under Section C:  Sign and Date your proxy, return it in the enclosed envelope. 

On April 17^th John Dan and I attended a chief stewards round table discussion to address any concerns in Tampa North, Tampa South, Western and Northwestern divisions with Melanie Williams. Every chief was given the opportunity to present their issues or problems that they were experiencing in their respective work centers. Each issue was documented and assigned to a manager for follow-up and the managers will be providing feedback once the final resolution has been determined.  

Last week we were informed that the Company was looking to combine the Ybor and Orient work centers with the University work center and place the current employees in their respective work groups on the same rosters. We reached out to management to explain the areas are explicitly defined in the contract and that it would be a contractual violation we would fight. As a result the work centers were not combined and the work groups will remain on their current schedules.  

The Day of Safety training has begun and has been getting great reviews. I would like to thank our Union Safety advocates who have stepped up and volunteered to take a leadership role by providing this very important training. In addition, Michelle Agne along with the Stress Committee has also been participating and is available from 7:30-10am to provide information concerning the Employee Assistance Program and Health and Fitness tips as well. 

For those who may not be aware, last year the International Office of IBEW conducted an organizing campaign for Comcast Direct Sales Representatives in Miami. The employees elected to have IBEW represent them in negotiating a contract and our local was chosen to bargain their first contract. Michelle, Kevin Curran (from the I/O) and I began bargaining the contract on September 22 of last year. During that time we have been successful in reaching tentative agreements on the basics of a good contract. The main issue left to negotiate is the Sales Compensation Plan and on April 7^th we held a conference call with the DSR’s to gather their input on what they would like to have included in the proposal. Since not all of the DSR’s participated in the conference call we mailed out a survey which included the current proposal the Company currently has on the table along with 2 possible counter proposals for the DSR’s to consider. The surveys are to be returned by May 15^th. Once we receive the surveys back we are going to schedule another conference call to discuss the results with the DSR’s.  

 On Wednesday of this week we held a chiefs stewards meeting and provided them with information and training to assist them in their roles as a chief steward. Michelle provided information regarding FMLA and MetLife- Attending Physicians’ Statement and changes that have occurred on Workers Compensation. John gave them a refresher on the grievance procedure and the critical information that is necessary to have in each grievance file. Josh presented a power point presentation regarding the 7 tests of just cause and how that should used in the second step of the grievance procedure. Dan provided everyone with an update on the Frontier contracts we have finished reviewing and how they compared to our contract.  In addition, a detailed explanation of the arbitration process was given as well as a breakdown of the costs associated with the arbitration process was explained. The last segment of the day focused on the steward’s role and rights when representing employees in an investigatory interview.  John, Michelle, Dan and Josh provided an excellent skit of a security interview and how the investigation can go wrong and how a steward can avoid the same problems if they go into the meeting prepared.  

Last month I reported we were preparing the next case for arbitration, which was the unjust termination of one of our brothers. Earlier this week we conducted another pre-arbitration meeting with that member.   The good news I have to report on is, the company has agreed to reinstate the member without having to go through the arbitration process and he will be returning to work within the next few weeks.

In Solidarity, 

Danny Alfonso

Brothers and Sisters,

Last month we were successful in getting 2 upgrades in 2 different departments. In the Verizon Customer Care workgroup, due to additional work being brought in, that included additional job duties, all (8) Business Sales Representatives (wage schedule C1) in that workgroup were upgraded to the title of Business Sales Support Specialists (wage schedule C). The increase in wages of $1.80 per hour became effective May 31^st.

In the Overall Control Office (OCO) additional work had been brought into that department as well. With the additional work, current Center Operations Generalists (wage schedule C1) have been THC’ing and performing some of the duties of Center Operations Technicians (wage schedule A). As a result, all (18) current Center Operations Generalists are being given the opportunity to be upgraded to Center Operations Technicians provided they pass the appropriate testing. John went to the department to ensure that every employee was provided the information necessary to prepare for the testing. The employees who are reclassified will receive pay in accordance with Article XIV of the contract and will be placed in the 36 month progression in wage schedule A and receive an increase of $1.39 per hour.

Last month Jim Emminger, Greg Flick, Erik Jones and I attended the IBEW- Broadcasting, Manufacturing and Telecommunications conference where we had an opportunity to be part of the System Council T-7 meetings with the Business Managers who represent Frontier employees.  In those meetings we were able to gain insight on some of the issues their locals are dealing with Frontier on. Ironically some of the issues are the same issues we are currently working on with Verizon. Also, we did get another set of Verizon/Frontier contracts to continue our bargaining comparison.  In addition to the council meetings, the International Office provided excellent training sessions on contract negotiations.   The training included preparation and planning leading up to bargaining as well as the pitfalls to avoid to presenting proposals or counter proposals. 

With regards to the Frontier sale, last month we had a conference call and a face-to-face meeting with the frontier transition team that was in town meeting with Verizon in preparation of the sale.  During the meetings we were able to share information with Frontier concerning several departments and job titles that they were not familiar with and how each department plays a vital role in Florida’s overall success.  They reiterated their commitment to providing the best customer service not only for our FiOS customers but our copper customers as well.  The Frontier team also stated that on May 11^th the first hurdle of the sale, which was the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, has been passed.  They are still awaiting approval from the Federal Communications Commission and certain governmental authorities in Florida, Texas and California.  The transaction is targeted to close at the end of the first Qtr in 2016. 

Comcast update- Last month we mailed out a survey to all the Comcast DSR’s and requested that they provide feedback on 3 possible compensation proposals.  The decision was unanimous on which proposal the entire group wanted us to present and last Friday we presented the proposal to the company.  After very little discussion the Company has rejected that proposal and we are currently working on another possible counter proposal. 

Last week we were notified that within the Florida Service Fulfillment Center the Company intended to establish a separate Service Representative Offline workgroup.  The chief steward Henrietta McPherson did an excellent job of gathering everyone’s concerns with splitting the workgroup.  We have presented those concerns to the Company and will be meeting with the company next week for a follow up.  We will keep the workgroup informed as information becomes available. 

Also last week, the entire staff attended the town hall meeting. One thing that I found interesting was that in the FiOS footprint areas, Verizon is the #1 Internet and TV provider in the Tampa Bay area.  More importantly, since the 4^th Qtr of 2013 Verizon surpassed Brighthouse in the broadband market share and have seen the increase grow with each quarter.  I would like to congratulate all of our members for this achievement. Due to your dedication and hard work we are bringing a tremendous amount of value to Verizon. More importantly, it shows Frontier, that we currently have the right motivated PEOPLE, providing a great PRODUCT that results in the right PROFIT.  Keep up the great work! 

In the last week, American Income Life Insurance Company mailed out an informational flier. They are offering, FREE OF CHARGE, an Accidental Death Dismemberment Benefit of $4000.00 for all IBEW 824 Members and retirees.  To receive your certificate of coverage and designate your beneficiary please fill out the card and mail it back in or respond online at www.ailife.com/benefits/sg5pp.  It is that simple. Please take advantage of this offer that is only available to members or retirees. 

On May 27^th after nearly 6 decades of service to the IBEW, President Ed Hill announced his retirement effective June 1, 2015.  International Vice President Lonnie Stephenson has been appointed as our new President, which also became effective on June 1^st. 

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who participated, and mailed in your ballot, for our election of Officers, Executive Board members and I/O delegates.  In addition, we would like to thank our election judge Bobby Bellott and all 33 of the tellers who assisted him to ensure the voting process was handled correctly. 

On behalf of your current Officers, Executive Board members and staff, we would like to say THANK YOU for your overwhelming vote of confidence and support for us. We all look forward to serving our membership for another 3 years. 

In Solidarity, 

Danny

Thank you for your overwhelming vote of confidence and support that was shown to our officers, executive board and staff in our recent election. We look forward to serving the membership for the next 3 years.

On January 26^th of this year the 7 most junior CZT II’s were force adjusted out of eastern division and were relocated to work centers in southern and western divisions. One of the technicians was spending a minimum of 3 hours of driving per day just to go to and from work. After much discussion we were successful in having the force adjustment called off and all of the CZT II’s have been given the opportunity to return to Eastern division. Some of the technicians decided they liked working in the area they were force adjusted to and did not want to return to eastern division and those technicians were allowed to stay in the locations they were force adjusted to. The technicians who wanted to return have been sent back to their previous work location. Hopefully, the amount of copper work in Eastern will continue to be steady and keep everyone busy. 

Also in Eastern division last month, as a result of the record floods in Texas there was a need for FNFT’s to go to Texas to assist them with their customer demand.  On June 18^th, 9 FNFT’s from eastern division flew out to Texas to perform FiOS work. The technicians were there for 2 weeks and returned to Florida before the 4^th of July Holiday weekend. 

Last month contract negotiations in the Northeast began.  On the first day of bargaining, Verizon presented a comprehensive proposal that was filled with concessions.

Here are some of the "low lights" of the company's comprehensive proposal:
ELIMINATION OF JOB SECURITY LANGUAGE
ELIMINATE SUNDAY DIFFERENTIALS, PREMIUM PAY AND EXTRA PAYMENTS
OVERTIME PAY PAID ONLY FOR HOURS IN EXCESS OF 40 HOURS WORKED
ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE-TIME AND OVERTIME CAPS.
SUNDAYS INCLUDED AS REGULARLY SCHEDULED WORKDAY

PENSIONS
Elimination of Pension Lump Sum cash out
Employees given “irrevocable choice” to remain in Pension plan up to 30 years and capped at 30 years for all service time after.  Employees can participate in 401K with no company match.
Employees can opt for the 401K choice, all time accrued for pension will be capped at that point and employees opting for 401K will have 100% match up to the 6% of 401K contributions and also be eligible for company “discretionary” performance related company contributions.
Current employees with 30 years or more are only eligible for the 401K plan with company contributions.
Addition of a “recordkeeping and administrative fee” for employees in 401K plan; $6.25 per quarter and a $50 Loan processing fee on all 401K loans.

DISABILITY BENEFITS
Eliminate accident disability
On duty accidents count toward 10 days sick time.
52 weeks of disability benefits pay at 100% (based on years of service) for 5 years.  If employee goes on disability more than once during the 5 years the 52 weeks accrues, then reduced to ½ pay (based on years of service).
New 5 year rolling period commences once last disability commenced in previous disability.
“Approved Care” requirements for musculoskeletal, mental health, alcoholism, drug addiction, as a condition for receiving benefits.  Mandatory Doctor care requirements for first 14 days of illness and for 30 days and beyond.

CALL SHARING
Elimination of negotiated call share provisions on centers and protections with management discretion to add change and modify terms.

TUITION ASSISTANCE
Additional 30 Exclusions and 39 Limitations for tuition assistance.

ELIMINATION OF FAMILY CARE LEAVE (FCL)
Family Care Leaves are eliminated.

WORK-AT-HOME
New Work-At-Home conditions with installation of two-way camera and 14 day notice if company chooses to end the program.

MEDICAL
Increase monthly Premiums
Increases in co-pays, co-shares, deductibles
Total Discretionary Authority to Verizon Third Party administrators to make changes to dental, vision, and Prescription Drugs.
Elimination of the EPO option
Retiree Negotiated Health Care Plans Eliminated and changed to company sponsored Medicare Advantage Plans with Verizon having “sole discretion” and “full discretionary authority” to designate and changes the insurer(s), the Third-Party Administrator(s) TPA’s of the plan. 
Excise tax on Health Care benefits for employers will be passed on to employees to pay.  40% Tax on cost of plan above the government set thresholds. 

SAME-SEX MARRIGES
In states where Same Sex marriage is legal, couple must be married for partner to receive benefits.

 As you can see our brothers and sisters have a huge fight on their hands. Some locals are currently conducting an authorization to strike vote. IF they do go on strike and supervisors from Florida are sent up there for strike duty we will be asking all of our members not to THC to management. 

Last month the company finally responded to the information request regarding which departments will be remaining with Verizon and which will become Frontier. As we have stated previously all of Verizon Supply and National Buried Service wire will be transitioning to Frontier. As for the Core agreement is concerned, there is currently a total of 2,582 craft employees of Verizon.  After the sale there will be 2,467 Frontier employees and 115 employees retained by Verizon. Of the 115 employees who will be retained by Verizon the majority of them work in or support the Verizon Business or Verizon Enterprise Delivery side of the company. The only exception is with the Senior Technicians who work in the VHO or the SHE at Telecom Park. Currently there are 11 senior techs that perform work in both offices. Following the sale there will be 8 senior technicians working in the VHO, which will be retained by Verizon, and 8 senior technicians working in the SHE which will become Frontier. The Company is currently canvassing those senior technicians to determine whether the want to work in the VHO or the SHE. Once the technicians decide, and we are closer to the sale, there will be 5 senior technician openings in area(s) that the vacancy exists. All departments should have already been notified of whether they will be transitioning to Frontier and if they will remain with Verizon. If you have any additional questions regarding the transition please contact your representative at the Union hall. 

Article XI lawsuit update- On July 29^th oral arguments will be heard in the United States court of appeals in the 11^th circuit court. We will report on the decision once we receive the final answer. 

Comcast update, last month an employee who is not in support of the union presented a petition to the NLRB to hold an election for the employees at Comcast to decertify and not be represented by a union. As soon as we were notified we set up a meeting and held conference calls with the employees to discuss the benefits of working under a collective bargaining agreement and the protections it provides. The vote was to be held on July 1^st.  At the same time, Comcast was also holding meetings with the employees to tell them how much better it would be without the union being involved. During one of the meetings the Company made a few statements that violated NLRA and we filed a charge to have the statements investigated. As a result, the election has been put on hold pending the investigation. Meanwhile we are continuing the bargaining process with Comcast and presented 4 additional proposals regarding concerns the employees have recently brought to our attention. We are scheduled to meet with the Comcast on July 23^rd for the next round of bargaining. 

With regards to the NLRB charge that was filed against Fl drawbridge, earlier this week we received a letter from the NLRB dismissing the charge against Fl drawbridge. The letter stated, the investigation revealed that the Employer hired a total of 37 employees to work at the six bridges. It further revealed that about 21 former ISS employees submitted timely applications to the Employer. Sixteen of those applicants were offered jobs and 15 accepted the offer. Unfortunately the witnesses were unable to provide enough evidence that proved Florida Drawbridge intentionally hired less than 50% of the employees back on the bridges.  We are working with an attorney to appeal the ruling. 

As I reported last month, in the Florida Service Fulfillment Center the Company wanted to establish a separate Service Representative Offline workgroup with separate schedules.  After several discussions with the Company regarding the additional work that has been brought back into the workgroup, it has been decided to leave the workgroup together to see if there is even a need to separate the workgroup.  The results the additional work will have on the workgroup will be reviewed again sometime in August and we will have further discussions at that time. 

Lastly we are looking for all of our artists to come up with a new logo for our local to have printed for a new t-shirt design or created into a pin. The logo should be representative of our area, the telecommunication industry (ie. phone Internet or TV) and include local 824. There will be cash prizes of $150 for first place, $100 for 2^nd and $50 for 3^rd and will be decided on the floor of the October 2^nd general meeting.  Entry forms will be available on our website and will need to be submitted on or before September 30^th. 

In Solidarity, 

Danny

I would like to begin with a report on bargaining in the Northeast. Their contracts expired at midnight on August 1^st with the two sides remaining far apart. The following is the bargaining update that was sent out at midnight on August 1^st from IBEW System Council T 6 MA & RI- 

“After considering all of our options, your leadership has decided not to go on strike at midnight tonight, even though we have not yet reached a contract agreement.

The two sides remain far apart. Despite $18 billion in profits over the last 18 months, and a quarter of a billion in compensation to its top executives over the last five years, this greedy corporation is still insisting on destroying our job security, forcing us to pay thousands of dollars more for our health care, and slashing our retirement security.  They have basically not moved off their opening bargaining position from June 22^nd.  It’s a disgrace.  

We are disgusted by Verizon’s attitude at the bargaining table.  Their greed knows no bounds.

But we are not going to let our anger allow us to walk into a trap.  It’s quite possible that Verizon is trying to provoke us into a long strike in order to try to break us.  They have spent tens of millions of dollars preparing for a strike, training managers, hiring scabs and contractors, advertising against us on TV and radio.  So your leadership has decided that if and when we strike, it will be on our terms, on our timing.

We know that you are angry.  We are all furious at this greedy company.  Now our job is to turn that anger into pressure on the job and in the community.  We cannot have business as usual.  We will rally, engage in informational picketing, build political and regulatory pressure on the company, follow all the company rules to the letter, never take shortcuts, pressure company executives and members of the Board of Directors.  We will be disciplined, militant and united. 

This was not an easy decision.  But it is the smart decision. One day longer.  We will win. And if and when the time comes, we will strike the company on our terms.”
 

As you can see, our IBEW and CWA brothers and sisters in the northeast are in a difficult fight to protect their hard earned and longstanding benefits. We are firmly behind and will support our brothers and sisters it this difficult fight. 

In an effort to foster a good working relationship with Frontier, International Telecommunications Representative, Robert Prunn and I will be meeting with Frontier next week to discuss effects bargaining. Although CWA in California and Texas have agreed to a Memorandum of Agreement on effects bargaining with Frontier, we are performing our due diligence to present language that will best protect and ensure stability for our members during the life of the agreement. We will keep everyone informed if or when an agreement is reached. 

Late last month I attended the Article XI court proceedings that was presented to the 11^th circuit court of appeals.  The court of appeals is not a typical court proceeding where lawyers present witnesses and evidence to a jury. The case was presented before a panel of 3 judges who were very well versed on the facts surrounding the case.  In this setting, each party has 15 minutes to present their case before the panel of judges and the lawyers are the only witnesses who testify. Since the Company appealed the courts initial ruling, the burden of proof was their responsibility and they were required to present their case to the panel of judges first. The company attorney reserved 5 minutes for rebuttal and only had 10 minutes to present their case.  As I stated earlier, the panel of judges have a very active role in the proceedings by asking straightforward questions relative to the case. And by their line of questioning, it was apparent that the panel of judges had read the arbitration briefs of both parties as well as the transcripts of the arbitration.  Our attorney who presented the case before the court did an excellent job addressing the critical facts of the case and referring the court to contractual language and prior cases heard within the court system.  Once we receive the courts decision we will report on it. 

Comcast bargaining resumed on July 23^rd where we met for a total of 3 sessions with the Company. I would like to thank Comcast Direct Sales representative Francisco Cou for continuing to serve on the bargaining committee. During the sessions, discussions took place regarding the Unions proposals on the DSR turf protection, no knock exception, Charge Back Exemption and Sales Success Plan-Order Cancellation.  We were able to reach a tentative agreement regarding a Sales Cancellation Report and Review. In addition, we presented an Interim Agreement proposal that stated, until an agreement on a final contract has been reached and ratified, the parties agree that all DSR’s will be eligible for the same severance packages and sales compensation plan improvements offered to non-union employees in the Florida region. The company is reviewing the proposals and will respond during the next meeting. 

Josh Saladino along with the Chief Stewards in Eastern division met with Kim Wiley and the L-coms for a round table discussion. There was a lot of good dialogue and some key points have been addressed.  In addition, Josh and I held a very well attended parking lot meeting in Haines city. We would like to thank everyone who came in 30 minutes early to participate and provide feedback. We appreciate the help and support. 

In southern division, there were 25 FNFT jobs that were posted on July24th.  The bid has come down and the company has begun processing the applicants and setting up appointments for testing. 

The 2^nd quarter OSP regional safety meeting was held on July 21^st at the Hall.  It was a productive meeting with very good discussions surrounding safety.  Some of the issues the safety committee is currently working on include, tweaks to the Day of Safety training, driver training, and locations where vegetation is encroaching on X-box’s and Fiber Distribution Hubs.  Also, the topic of temp drops was discussed and it was agreed between all parties that a drop should NEVER be laid over a sidewalk and should only be laid over yourcustomer’s driveway as a last resort and with their permission.  If you are aware of any of our drop vendors violating either one of these rules, please call us at the Hall so that it can be recorded and given to management to get it corrected. Our next scheduled Outside Plant Safety meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20^th at 9:00a.m. at the Hall. 

Also with regards to safety, Josh, Dan and Jim Wells, Steward for our Bridge tenders, met with ISS in Pinellas County regarding safety concerns on the Park Bridge.   We are currently looking into options for the Tenders to be able to get from the parking lot where they park their vehicle to the bridge house in a safe manner.  Once we get more information we will share it with the Tenders on that bridge.   

The Supply contracts books have been printed. Steve Corbin, Chief Steward for Supply, picked them up this week and will be delivering them to all our members.  Just a reminder, all of our contracts are also available from our home page under the IBEW 824 Contracts tab.

In an effort to promote solidarity and help get our members involved with our local we have come up with several different events and committees.

First, Zaida Menendez, Zammy Pastor, Henrietta McPherson, Pam Elleby, Michelle Agne, Erik Jones and I met on August 6^th to begin organizing a joint Women’s/Young workers committee. The initial committee meeting will be held at 6pm on September 4^th before the general meeting. ALL MEMBERS ARE INVITED, and encouraged, to attend. 

Our first annual IBEW 824 Bass Fishing tournament has been scheduled for Saturday October 3. The tournament will be held at the lake behind IBEW local 915, which is right around the corner from our hall. The entry fee is $50 per angler with cash prizes of $100 for 1^st place $75 for 2^nd and $50 for 3^rd. All proceeds raised from the tournament will be donated to the American Heart Association. The tournament will begin at 8 am and will conclude with a live weigh in at 1pm. In addition, there will be a fish fry luncheon at a cost of $5.00 a plate that will lead up to the awards ceremony. Whether you are an angler or not, please come out and help support our local raise money for a good cause and give back to our community. There are a limited number of boats allowed on the lake so please contact John Glye to sign up for the fishing by September 25^th. If you do not have a boat but would like to fish in the tournament, there will be a limited number of open spots on other boats for you to participate, please make your reservation by September 25^th as well. If you are interested in coming for the luncheon we will need you to RSVP by September 25^th.

As reported last month, we are looking for all of our artists to come up with a new logo for our local to have printed on a t-shirts or created into a pin. The logo should be representative of our area, the telecommunication industry (i.e. phone Internet or TV) and include local 824. There will be cash prizes of $150 for first place, $100 for 2^nd and $50 for 3^rd and will be decided on the floor of the October 2^nd general meeting.  Entry forms will be available on our website and will need to be submitted on or before September 30^th.

 Lastly, the Southern Division Solidarity Cookout will be held on August 16^th at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota.  Lunch and sodas/water will be provided and Chris Emrich is trying to put together a corn-hole tournament.  All members and their families are invited to attend.  If you are interested, please contact Chris Emrich, Chief Steward Sarasota (941) 914 0689, or Fred Lauper, Steward (727) 480-1796, to RSVP.

In Solidarity,

Danny

Bargaining in the Northeast- Our IBEW/CWA Sisters and Brothers are no closer to reaching a fair an equitable agreement with Verizon than they were on August 1^st when the contract expired. 

Over the last month IBEW Telecommunications Director, Martha Pultar, IBEW Telecommunications Representative, Robert Prunn and I have held several meetings with Frontier in an attempt to reach a contract extension that would protect and ensure stability for our members. The bargaining process, with Frontier, has been very different from what I have become accustomed to with Verizon. Although we have not yet reached an agreement, the dialogue with Frontier has been open and quite productive.  Please understand, although we are not renegotiating the entire contract we are attempting to make gains and provide protections with this agreement. We will inform our members once an agreement has been reached. 

In November of last year, the company forced several of the junior FNFT’s out of the University work center and had them report to either the Carrollwood or Airport North work centers. The company contended there was not enough work in the University work center and that there was a need to move FNFT’s out of the University yard.  After months of diligent work by the chiefs, stewards and members, we were able to provide the company with each time technicians were moved from other areas into the university area to cover FNFT work.  As a result, on August 24^th all FNFT’s who wanted to return were sent back to the University work center.  Thank you to everyone who provided John Glye the information necessary to have these techs returned.   

Although we were successful in having the 2014 4^th Qtr surplus and sub sequential bumping canceled, the work for several of the effected work groups has not picked up. Through an open dialogue between the Union and the company, several expressions of interest are being conducted to fill vacant positions. Prior to the expression of interest forms were to be filled out, meetings were held with the effected work groups where it was explained that the expression of interest was strictly voluntary and if no one volunteered there would not be a surplus or force adjustment. In the Senior Techs classification, where a surplus of 5 was originally declared, the Senior Techs have been canvassed for 5 senior tech vacancies in the VHO and the SHE.  2 of the Senior Techs expressed interest in the VHO (Frontier) and 1 expressed interest in the SHE (Verizon). There are still 2 Senior Technician jobs to be filled in the SHE and the jobs are expected to be put out for bid prior to the close of the sale to Frontier.

In the Comm Tech classification, where a surplus of 8 was originally declared, an expression of interest is being performed to fill vacancies in the following classifications- Center Operations Tech (8 vacancies) CZT I (Multiple locations 9 vacancies) Building Services Tech (multiple locations-2 vacancies). Each of the vacancies would be a downgrade in pay for any Comm Techs who voluntarily elects any of these positions.  John, Josh and I participated on the conference call and reinforced that the expression of interest is strictly voluntary. I reminded the Comm Techs that the CPE work which they perform, and Verizon chose to get out of the business, Frontier has made it clear they will be pursuing the CPE work. Following the completion of the canvass the remaining jobs will be put out for bid.    

In eastern division, last month, an expression of interest was distributed to CZT II’s to fill vacancies in multiple yards within the division. Once that canvass is completed, FNFT’s will be given the opportunity to fill out an expression of interest to fill the remaining CZT II vacancies. The canvass of FNFT’s is strictly voluntary and will not result in any FNFT’s being forced adjusted to the CZT II classification. 

The process to fill the 25 FNFT vacancies in southern division has begun and many employees have taken the structured interview. The positions have not been filled as of yet.  

 Comcast update- Negotiations with Comcast continued on August 20^th and 21^st. The major item yet to be agreed upon is the Sales Compensation plan and unfortunately we still have not been able to reach an agreement.  

As a precautionary reminder, please verify your beneficiaries are current and accurate. In addition, please print out a copy of your benefit selections and provide it to your beneficiary for them to keep.  

Although the Labor Day weekend is behind us, I would ask that we all pause and reflect on all of our brothers and sisters who came before us and fought for the benefits we enjoy today. Please visit http://www.dol.gov/laborday/history.htm to educate yourself on the full history of Labor Day.  

LABOR DAY: WHAT IT MEANS

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. 

Please take this opportunity to share with your family and friends what Labor Day is all about and that you, as a union member, are part of the same labor movement today.  

Reminders-

Our first annual IBEW 824 Bass Fishing tournament has been scheduled for Saturday October 3. The tournament will be held at the lake behind IBEW local 915, which is right around the corner from our hall. The entry fee is $50 per angler with cash prizes of $100 for 1^st place $75 for 2^nd and $50 for 3^rd. All proceeds raised from the tournament will be donated to the American Heart Association. The tournament will begin at 8 am and will conclude with a live weigh in at 1pm. In addition, there will be a fish fry luncheon at a cost of $5.00 a plate that will lead up to the awards ceremony. Whether you are an angler or not, please come out and help support our local raise money for a good cause and give back to our community. There are a limited number of boats allowed on the lake so please contact John Glye to sign up for the fishing by September 25^th. If you do not have a boat but would like to fish in the tournament, there will be a limited number of open spots on other boats for you to participate, please make your reservation by September 25^th as well. If you are interested in coming for the luncheon we will need you to RSVP by September 25^th. 

As reported last month, we are looking for all of our artists to come up with a new logo for our local to have printed on a t-shirts or created into a pin. The logo should be representative of our area, the telecommunication industry (i.e. phone Internet or TV) and include local 824. There will be cash prizes of $150 for first place, $100 for 2^nd and $50 for 3^rd and will be decided on the floor of the October 2^nd general meeting.  Entry forms will be available on our website and will need to be submitted on or before September 30^th. 

Lastly, on August 27^th the staff and I participated in something that I don’t believe our local has ever done previously. We had the pleasure of taking part in the recognition and retirement party for Jeanmarie Milla. Through our partnership with Jeanmarie, our local has been extremely successful in avoiding numerous layoffs. In appreciation of her partnership, the staff of 824 purchased a plaque which stated- 

Jeanmarie Milla

On behalf of the staff and all IBEW Local 824 members, we would like to thank you for your leadership and the willingness to work with the Officers of Local 824 to make Florida the best region within Verizon and to do everything possible to keep our members gainfully employed.The partnership between you and Local 824 has benefited us all.  You have proved time and time again, that to do the right thing, you have to account for the employees and the work they perform.  You have worked tremendously hard to bring the Florida region to where it is today, always keeping the members at the forefront, and that will not be forgotten.As you retire as President of the Florida region, we congratulate you on a job well done and wish you nothing but the best! On behalf of the Officers, Staff and Members of IBEW Local Union 824

Thank You!

In Solidarity, 

Danny

Brothers and Sisters,

Although the month of September was extremely busy, it proved to be rather productive for our local. On October 2^nd we were pleased to announce a Memorandum Of Agreement was reached between IBEW 824 and Frontier. Some of the highlights are-

2 year extension of the current Verizon Enterprise Delivery, Verizon Supply Chain Services and the Verizon National Buried Service Wire Agreements 

Addition of 100 new jobs in Florida 

Job security  

2% wage increases in 2017 and 2018 

The entire agreement was explained in detail at the general meeting and will be shared at each unit meeting this month. The entire agreement can be found on our home page at ibew824.org . If you are unable to attend any of the unit meetings and need clarification please feel free to call your representative at the union hall. 

Also in September, after a long year of bargaining, it gives me great pleasure to announce that on September 22^nd we were successful in reaching a Collective Bargaining Agreement with Comcast for the Direct Sales Representatives located in Hialeah, Redlands and Davie. A ratification meeting was held on September 28^th and a copy of the entire agreement was provided to everyone in attendance. In addition, prior to the vote, everyone in attendance was given the opportunity to ask questions regarding the entire agreement. Once all questions were answered, the vote was conducted and the employees voted to accept the contract. While contract negotiations are completed, the hard work has just begun. Within days upon ratification, Comcast has chosen to take an extremely adversarial role towards the employees and this local.  We will continue to be diligent in protecting the employees as well as enforcing the contract by all means necessary. 

 The Day-At-A-Time Vacation Scheduling Trial, which was added during 2013 negotiations, has been extended through the end of the contract. The trial period, which began during the 2015 vacation selection period, provided employees with the opportunity to request to schedule up to five (5) days of day at a time vacation in the same manner as Floating Holidays.  

Within the last month there have been several job requisitions that the Company has been filling. Unfortunately, several of the openings were originally filled incorrectly. Several meetings were held with labor to address the issues that caused employees to be skipped over in order of consideration. Although we were successful in addressing the issues on several requisitions, please keep track of the job requisition bid number and contact us if you feel the contract is not being followed with regards to promotions and reclassifications. We need to be notified as soon as possible to try to address the problem before the job is filled.  

It is getting close to the 2016 benefits selection time. If you are interested in receiving the annual credit of $100 towards your Health care premiums in 2016, the Health Risk Assessment will need to be filled out prior to December 10^th 2015. If the Health Assessment is completed after December 10, 2015 and before December 31, 2015 you will receive the $100 credit for plan year 2016, however, due to timing limitations the credit may not be reflected in the first paycheck. If you filled out the Health Rick Assessment in 2014 or at anytime in 2015 you will not need to fill it out again.

On Saturday October 3^rd our First Annual IBEW 824 Fishing Tournament and Fish Dinner was held to benefit the American Heart Association. Thank you to the 16 anglers that participated in the tournament and everyone who came out for the fish fry. All who attended had a good time and I am proud to report this event raised $1,070 for the American Heart Association. Steve Robinson won the 1^st place prize of $100 with a total of 7 lbs 7 ounces.  2nd place prize of $75 was won by Alan Cameron (4 lbs 2 oz) and 3rd place with a $50 prize was won by Keith LaPlant (1lb 8 oz).  I would like to thank Zaida Menendez for setting up our team IBEW 824 American Heart Association donation page. If you were unable to attend but would like to make a donation on behalf of IBEW 824, please go to our team page at-

http://tampabayheartwalk.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=1125668&lis=1&kntae1125668=5D7C066C65AE410F978E087868DA2DBC&team=6549296&tlteam=6279619

In Solidarity, 

Danny