The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) are set to tally up member votes on the new Verizon contract today, a CWA official said.
According to Peter Sikora, CWA’s former strike mobilization coordinator for District 1, voting for the contract has been ongoing in local chapters since the agreement was announced at the end of May.
Sikora said member votes – which are submitted either in person, by mail or by drop box – will be turned in and tallied today. CWA is planning to announce the final results later this afternoon, he said.
Sikora said CWA is “confident” the contract will be approved.
The proposed contract offers union workers a 10.5 percent raise over the term of the contract, including three percent upon ratification and 2.5 percent on each anniversary of the contract.
The contract also provides for a $1,250 signing bonus in the Mid-Atlantic and a $1,000 signing bonus plus a $250 healthcare reimbursement account in the Northeast and $2,800 minimum in profit sharing over the next four years. CWA also said the deal includes three one percent pension increases over the term of the agreement.
The agreement also includes a promises from Verizon to hire 1,400 additional workers – including nearly 1,300 call center jobs – and keep its Mid-Atlantic call centers open.
The proposed contract is the result of the nearly two-month strike of almost 40,000 Verizon wireline and wireless workers.
After negotiations between Verizon and the unions broke down in April, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez stepped in in May to bring the parties back to the bargaining table. An agreement was reached nearly two weeks later.
