Customer Service Implementer Bargaining Report
CWA AND VERIZON SERVICES CORP.
CUSTOMER SERVICE IMPLEMENTER
BARGAINING REPORT
REPORT DATE May 7, 2009
Contract Negotiations Opened May 5, 2009
Negotiations opened between CWA Local 13500 and Verizon Services Corp for a first contract covering the Customer Service Implementer (CSI) employees in PA.
The Union proposed that the CSI’s be integrated into the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that CWA hold with the “Core” Verizon employees working in the Business Office environment. The Union’s bargaining team, including Jim Byrne, CWA Staff Rep and Sandy Kmetyk, CWA Local 13500 President, argued that this makes sense in light of the work the CSI’s perform and the overlap between the CSI and Consultant work functions. The Union agreed that some of the so-called Management Benefit Plans could remain in place for these employees and we could work around some of the differences in other working conditions as we have done in other work locations.
The Company’s bargaining team, consisting of Maryanne Crompton, Director of Labor Relations in PA and Cindy Marinari, Labor Relations Specialist, insisted that the Company is only interested in a separate contract for this group of employees. To that end, they presented the Union with a prepared model contract.
The Union will be working with several CSI in the bargaining unit, including Heather Miller from the Pittsburgh area, to develop a counter offer at out next scheduled meeting on May 14th in Pittsburgh.
The Union described the Company’s offer as the “worst of all worlds”, noting that the Company’s proposal maintains all of the management plans and policies when they are worse than the Core associate policies and removes any of the more beneficial management policies. Of particular note is the imposition of a defined number of incidental sick days per year. Currently, both the management and the associate plans (under the Local 13500 CBA with Verizon) pay incidental sick time on an unlimited basis. The offered plan would cap payment at 4 days if the employee has more than 24 months of service. With less service, the days of payment decreases.
Updates will be posted on district13.cwa-union.org under “Latest News”
Our next Bargaining meeting is scheduled for May 14, 2009.
