CWA Local 1103

What's New at CWA 1103

Updated On: Aug 31, 2010 (16:31:00)

Attention New York Verizon Associates:

Open Enrollment for Fall 2012:

The open enrollment period for the Fall 2012 semester begins on
Monday, August 9, 2010 at 9am
and will be available until Friday, November 19th, 2010 closing at 9am.
Letters with information about the open enrollment period were
mailed to all associates beginning in mid July 2010 with the registration details.

As always, to be considered a candidate for any semester, you have to be registered
for that semester. So until you are actually sitting in a Next Step class, you need to
register during each semester's open enrollment period.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE NY NEXT STEP FALL 2012 SEMESTER

Fall 2011 candidates:

What is the Next Step in the process?

We are currently in the qualifing process for
New To Craft candidates. Those candidates who are senior enough
at the college they registered for will be contacted by placement
for the qualifing process. For more information about this process.

We will be begin making offers to those associates who are
senior enough at their college beginning in early September 2010.
**We have not yet established the cutoff dates per college,
so we CANNOT tell you where you are currently on the list.

Ask Gus will be once again be available starting in early September
for Fall 2011 candidates to check their status online. A letter
with instructions on accessing Ask Gus will be mailed in early Sepember.

VZ Dependent Care Fund

Posted On: Aug 31, 2010 (16:17:00)

Verizon’s Dependent Care Reimbursement Fund has been reinstated effective week ending September 4^th 2010. Requests for reimbursement of September’s dependent care expenses must be post marked no later than October 8, 2010.

What’s new….. Changes?

Effective with September’s reinstatement employee social security numbers are no longer required. Instead all employees are required to indicate their “employee ID” on each monthly request for reimbursement and on any new enrollment applications.

Who has to re-enroll?

Employees who were participants and receiving benefits up until the fund was suspended last May 2010 DO NOT HAVE TO RE-ENROLL. ..

Unless

1- Employees who changed childcare providers must complete and forward a new application indicating the new childcare information. Employees and providers are required to complete and sign the new enrollment application and a new certification form. Applications must be forwarded to NY/NE Regional Work & Family Committee c/o Beverly Steele , Fund Administrator 240 E. 38^th Street, and floor 15, New York , New York 10016 prior to submission of September’s request for reimbursement.

2- Employees who wish to change the dependent formerly enrolled in the fund to a different dependent must also complete and forward a new application and certification form to the address indicated in above in paragraph 1.

Employees can visit www.regionalwfrc.com to obtain an enrollment application and monthly request for reimbursement form. Questions may be directed to Beverly Steele at 646 227 6878 or via e-mail to Beverly.steele@verizon.com. Union members may also contact their Local Union committee member for information.

General Membership Meeting

Posted On: Aug 31, 2010 (15:02:42)

CWA Local 1103 General Membership Meeting

Sept 22, 2010

5:30pm

Westchester County Center

CWA National President Larry Cohen reflects on Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" Speech

Updated On: Aug 31, 2010 (16:16:00)
I grew up in a Philadelphia family that very much identified with the civil rights movement and Dr. King. I remember being gathered around the black and white TV watching coverage of the march and speeches. Then when I was older, everyone kept coming back to "I Have a Dream" and it stood out from all the other speeches that day. Later, in high school, I read the speech and Dr Read More...

Demand Workers Rights: Get On The Bus!

Updated On: Aug 20, 2010 (08:16:00)

On Oct 2^nd Unions across American will join with community groups to march on Washington for Working Middle Class Rights. For too long, the media has failed to fairly cover Labor’s issues, rather focusing on the “if it bleeds it leads mentality”. Our elected officials need to know the tea party pales in comparison to sheer numbers of Working Americans who demand that government work for working people and not Corporate Aristocrats. The only way to do this is with a demonstration so gigantic we can not possibly be ignored.

Throughout American history men and women have assembled on the Washington Mall with the backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial to protest and demand their rights. On Saturday Oct 2^nd 2010, CWA will join tens of thousands of working Americans to raise their collective voices to demand protections from employers who trample our rights, gain opportunities for new and protection for existing good paying Union Jobs, and put an end to Corporate Aristocratic rule that have been waging a war against working Americans.

The time to sit back and wait for change is over, we as Union Americans built the working middle class and must show our numbers and willingness to fight for our rights. In the next few weeks CWA Local 1103 will canvass members to get on the bus to Washington on Saturday Oct 2^nd 2010 to demand our rights! All Retirees and Members who have been laid off by Verizon are welcome and encouraged to get on the bus and demand our American rights! Call the Hall at 914-939-8200 and leave your name and contact information to reserve a seat to fight for your jobs, your retirement, your rights! GET ON THE BUS, ONE NATION FIGHTING FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM!

Info: Verizon Laid Off Members

Posted On: Aug 19, 2010 (09:51:13)

CWA Local 1103 is committed to providing up-to-date information to our Verizon laid off Members regarding the arbitration against Verizon for violating the contract which lead to 250 Members being laidoff. At the present time, 1103 and other Locals have been assisting District One by gathering information the will be helpful to getting our Members back on the job. The District has selected an excellent labor law firm to handle the case, however at this time hearing dates have not been established. We will keep you informed as developments occur.

As a service to our Members please find in the Important Links section of the homepage on this website a link to the NY Unemployment Life line. Here you will find vital services for your needs in this most troubling time.

To our Sisters and Brothers who have suffered under the ill-conceived decision by the Company, have faith the Union has not faltered in its fight to win back your jobs.

Union Pride at Verizon

Updated On: Jul 22, 2010 (23:38:00)

CWA's Local 1103 Executive Board's responsibility, first and foremost, is to work everyday toward keeping every Member we represent gainfully employed.

In addition to the CWA triangle of core principles: representation, organizing/community, and legislative/political action, which we utilize daily as part of our effort to secure our jobs, we have a responsibility to educate our Membership about specific concerns that threaten our job security

Our customers are what keeps us working and secure. Everyday we work we must work toward caring for these customers. Our jobs depend on it! When one customer leaves to go to cablevision or some other competitor, we lose our own job security. By properly servicing and retaining customers, the Union and Company have a mutual interest, because it means jobs. This is not an exaggeration, but a stark reality.

One specific way we can help retain customers is by controlling what we can control; our craftsmanship.

Union craftsmanship is the discernible difference. Our professionalism, personal presentation and skill-sets are what separates us from the cable companies and their out of town carpet-baggers working in peoples homes and businesses. Union pride and precision enables us to meet the ever-changing industry standards.

For CWA Local 1103 to continue protecting quality union jobs, we must exceed our customer expectations. We must provide customers with a high quality experience. We must treat our customers as if we were the customers.

When we do that we secure our own jobs.

In solidarity,

CWA Local 1103 Executive Board

National Union Response to Vz Misleading Message: Landline Merger Bill

Updated On: Jul 14, 2010 (21:53:00)

Don’t help the company kill our bill that will protect workers and consumers if Verizon sells its network or merges with another company.

Instead, call to support the bill!

Verizon just sent out an e-mail to every employee warning that CWA’s bill in Albany to strengthen consumer and worker protections in the event of a telecom merger or line sale will “kill jobs” and “stop the FiOS build.”

Surprise, surprise. They’re lying. Creager’s message can mean only one thing: they want to sell in New York. Our bill would prevent New York workers and consumers from suffering what New England went through after Verizon sold its network in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to tiny FairPoint in 2008. Fifteen months after the sale, Fairpoint went bankrupt, thousands of customers experienced major service quality problems, and workers face severe cuts in future bargaining because Fairpoint is a small company loaded up with debt.

Verizon tried to sell Upstate in 2005 – and they are selling 14 states to Frontier right now. A sale of telephone access lines endangers our jobs and undermines good service, including through a bankruptcy that prevents new infrastructure investment.

S.7263/A.2208, the “merger and line sale bill” (“S” is the Senate bill # and “A” is the Assembly), passed the Assembly on July 1^st 103-34, and could come to the Senate floor for a vote any day. Day after day, Verizon has had over a dozen high-priced lobbyists in Albany working furiously against it. If they’re working so hard against it, you know it must be a good thing!

The bill requires the PSC to meet strengthened standards for worker and consumer protection if Verizon or Rochester Tel sell their lines or merge. Contrary to Verizon’s claims, if a sale occurs, this bill would help ensure infrastructure investment such as the fiber build. Instead of padding corporate profits, this bill helps protect our jobs and our customers.

PROTECT OUR JOBS! Call 518-455-2800 Right Now. Urge Your State Senator to Vote for S.7263 to protect workers and consumers.

Senate Republicans Vote as Bloc to Kill Tax Loophole Repeal

Posted On: Jun 27, 2010 (20:40:15)

Once again corporate interests win over American jobs! With all U.S Senate Republicans voting to block cloture, CWA’s efforts to stop the sales of landlines that have resulted in bankruptcy, jeopardizing CWA & IBEW jobs have been made that much harder. On June 24, 2010 the repeal of the Reverse Morris Trust, the vehicle that Verizon has been using to sell off entire states died at the hands of Republicans. All Republicans by voting “NO” denied workers the needed 2/3 vote to get our bill on to the Senate floor for a full vote. With 200 voters present the cloture vote was 57 Yes, 41 No and two votes absent (60 yes votes are needed to meet cloture, in this case, 40 Republicans and 1 Democrat voted No). Clearly if this vote would have made it to the floor we would have won and received the added protection for our jobs.

The repeal of the Reverse Morris Trust initially won in the House of Representatives with help from Congressmen John Hall in the NY 19^th district as part of H.R 4213 The American Job and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010. This legislation was an important part of CWA’s LPAT (Legislative Political Action Team) fight and 1103’s tactic to get the 10 –20 more years many of our members need to reach retirement with dignity. This bill was also vital for our Brothers and Sisters who were laid off by Verizon in that it would have provided them with additional unemployment benefits.

At the direction of the Executive Board, our LPAT successfully worked to get all Senators that live in CWA 1103 jurisdictional areas on board and voting YES for H.R 4213. CWA 1103’s LPAT has also been laboring tirelessly on a NY state bill to protect Members from sales or mergers that hurt jobs. S7263 The Landline & Merger bill in the NY Senate is also subject to a Republican blockade in an attempt to kill that bill.

To beat these Republican Blockades we need Members participation. CWA Local 1103 Members have been hammering Republican Senator Vinny Leibell with phone calls demanding he co-sponsor and vote for S7263 the landline & Merger bill over the last month (to date Leibell nor his senior leadership will confirm his vote). We need an all out effort this Monday June 28^thto get Leibell to commit to CWA jobs. Please call Senator Leibell at 518-455-3111 and tell him you are a CWA 1103 member and need him to co-sponsor and vote for S7263. It’s our jobs, we have to fight each year for every year we want to be on them.

Congressmen Hall fights the Reverse Morris Trust

Updated On: May 27, 2010 (21:41:00)

Congressmen John Hall of the 19th district has taken the first step to repeal the Reverse Morris Trust and stop sales of Telcom landlines using a no-money down scheme. Below is an email from the Congressmen in response the National Union E-mail campaign. After reading Hall's letter you can send him a message asking him to continue the fight against this tax loophole that negatively affects CWA telcom workers by clicking the link below:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/hr4213cwa

Thank you for contacting me about Reverse Morris Trusts. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this issue.

A Reverse Morris Trust (RMT) is a loophole in federal tax law that essentially allows a tax-free merger of two companies. The loophole was infamously exploited by Verizon a few years ago in New England. By selling off their $1.7 billion of landline communications to another company, Fairpoint, while retaining a majority of shares, Verizon essentially rid themselves of unprofitable assets, and left a local company and workers in the lurch, all without paying taxes on the transaction.

I believe the RMT loophole gives corporations a blank check to behave irresponsibly, hurting workers while avoiding paying their fair share of taxes. With the unemployment rate still too high and our economic recovery still fragile, we simply cannot afford to allow such reckless behavior. For these reasons, I recently voted for H.R. 4849, the Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act. In addition to providing tax relief to small businesses and extending effective financing measures to create jobs and improve America's cities and towns, this legislation closes the RMT loophole.

H.R. 4849 passed the House on March 24, 2010 with my support. The bill is currently under consideration in the Senate. Please be assured I will keep you thoughts in mind as Congress considers legislation to protect American jobs.

Again, thank you for sharing your concerns. If I can assist in any other way, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

John Hall
Member of Congress

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Updated On: May 23, 2010 (10:25:00)

Click the link below and find out how the American Recovery And Reinvestment Act that was signed into law in February 2009 has provided funds for work, jobs and improving our quality of life in the 18^th district (CWA Local 1103 working jurisdiction). This map has been provided by Congressmember Nita Lowey’s office and illustrates how her office has been fighting to keep New Yorkers working in Westchester and Rockland counties.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act works in Westchester and Rockland