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Northern Unit Executive Board Seat Declared Vacant

Steve.Murphy — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:57:32 -0500

During the previous Executive Board meeting, President Steve Murphy declared the Northern Unit, Executive Board seat vacant. The IBEW Constitution article XVI section 16 states "vacancies occurring in any L.U. office shall be filled by the L.U. Executive Board until the next regular election". If any members are interested in being considered for the Northern Unit, Executive Board position, please send a letter to the President stating your interest by February 23, 2012. The Executive Board will review all applicants at the next scheduled meeting.

All letters are to be mailed to:

IBEW Local 2323

Attn: President Steve Murphy

1150 New London Ave. Suite 350

Cranston, RI. 02920

Rally at the State House today at 3:30-5:30

Steve.Murphy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:04:39 -0500

Rally at the State House today at 3:30-5:30. Let's get out and support the brothers and sisters that supported us in our fight against Verizon.

IBEW Youtube Page

Steve.Murphy — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:34:50 -0400

We have created an IBEW 2323 Youtube page for our videos. The channel name is Theibew2323. The channel curently contains 2 slideshows and the meeting from 8/9. Here is a linke to the playlist for the meeting. This is a link to the channel.

Bargaining Report/Business Managers Reprt

Steve.Murphy — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:24:38 -0400

Business Manager’s Report - July 2011

Our current Collective Bargaining Agreement with Verizon expires at midnight on August 6^th. The same expiration date applies for approximately 45,000 Verizon employees represented by the IBEW and CWA from Massachusetts to Washington, DC and Maryland, including New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Representatives of both unions met with Verizon on June 3^rd in Washington, DC. At that time, Verizon detailed their costs of providing health care benefits to both active and retired employees and their dependents, which totals $3.6 billion for active and retired Verizon employees - $14,700 annually for medical benefits on average for active employees, and $10,900 , on average, for retirees (both Medicare and non-Medicarre eligible).

Verizon put the unions on warning that to stay competitive, they would be proposing major changes to our Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Regional bargaining with Verizon formally began on June 22^nd. The IBEW in New England is bargaining jointly with the CWA in New York on regional issues, which are defined as wages, health care benefits, pensions, and job security for the former NYNEX region. True to their word, Verizon has proposed major and catastrophic diminishments to our existing Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Specifically, in the area of health care benefits, Verizon has proposed to eliminate all existing health care plans effective January 1^st,2012. The existing plans would be replaced, under the Company proposal, by two medical plans.

Option 1 is an in-network and out-of-network plan, and Option 2 is an in-network only plan. Under Option 1, employees would contribute a $390 annual co-pay , or $990 if they smoke. A family plan would require an annual co-pay of $1380 – or $1980 if any family member smokes.

Under Option 2, a single plan employee who smokes would be required to pay $1420 annually, while non-smokers would pay $820. Family plan contributions would be $3810 annually if any family member smokes and $3200 for non-smokers. By the way, if you claim you don’t smoke and and Verizon finds out that you or a family member does smoke, that would be considered a Code of Business Conduct violation.

In addition to the contribution required, members would have to dish out an annual deductible of $1000 for a single plan, or $3000 for a family plan (under Option 1). Annual out-of-pocket maximums would be an additional $2000 per individual and $6000 per family. Other lowlights include a proposed $200 emergency room co-pay, chiropractic treatment only covered to 60 percent, and hospital stays only 80 percent covered in-network and 60 percent out of network.

Option 2 would include in network-only out of pocket annual maximums of $1000 for a single plan and $3000 for a family plan. Anything out-of-network would not be covered.

In addition, Verizon has proposed eliminating all Class II dependents.

Verizon has also passed a proposal across the table which would give the Company the ability to share calls among many centers “with no limitations, geographic or otherwise, on the Company’s right to transfer and route calls between and among centers, CONTRACTOR LOCATIONS, and individuals working at home”.

In addition, Verizon has proposed to:

· Eliminate the movement of work .7% restriction language. This would impact the CSSC, MCO, FSC, CFS-Collections, APC, and NAC.

· Eliminate Job Security language for all employees.

· Eliminate any wage increase unless employees make a year-end performance appraisal.

· Eliminate Corporate Profit Sharing.

· Institute a Pension Band freeze effective 12-31-2011.

· Eliminate the Pension Lump-Sum Cashout option.

· Reduce Sickness and Disability pay by 50%.

· Terminate the Next Step program effective 1-1-2012.

· Eliminate paid ½ day before Christmas.

· Terminate the Work and Family fund.

· Eliminate Short-Notice EWDs

· Payment for incidental absence would be a maximum of 5 days with 20 years service, 4 days for 15-20 years, 3 days for 7 to 15 years, 2 days for 2-7 years, and 0 days for employees with less than 2 years service.

To beat back these offensive proposals, and to demonstrate that the IBEW and CWA are committed to fight to protect collective bargaining gains earned through negotiations over the past several decades, we need your support.

VOTE FOR STRIKE AUTHORIZATION

MOBILIZE – STAY UNITED

VERIZON MUST BE PUT ON NOTICE THAT OUR MEMBERS DEMAND NOTHING LESS THAN A FAIR AND JUST CONTRACT.

2011 Convention Delegate Election

Steve.Murphy — Fri, 20 May 2011 08:38:34 -0400

Ballots have been mailed to the membership. If any member has not received a ballot please contact the Election Judge Chris Buffery at 401-440-8251.

2nd Annual IBEW Golf Tournment

Steve.Murphy — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:08:21 -0400

Start: All day event

Being Held at the Cranston Country Club Sunday May 15th begining at 1:30pm for only $100 a person.

Price includes 18 holes of golf, food, and golf carts. There will be raffles and lots of fun. Please conact your Stewards or Ray Silvestri at 413-8937. Count and Money Due by May 6th

Register to Vote

Craig Duffy — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:01:27 -0400

If any member is not registered to vote please take a few minutes next Monday and visit the Local 2323 table in the lobby at 234 Washington St in Providence.

August 6th Bargaining Update

Craig Duffy — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:06:31 -0400

Yesterday, the parties continued marathon bargaining throughout the day, ending at 11 p.m. last night. Today, negotiations have resumed. Is progress being made? Yes. Is it slow going? Also yes. Do we have a plan for success? You bet. We have presented Verizon with a unified and united front and strong position on all our critical issues. Now, we're working through some of the most difficult issues in the areas of jobs and employment security for members at our company. Our strength in bargaining has been reinforced by the highly visible and widely reported to the company mobilization that continues. Verizon hasn't come around yet, but we're pressing the company on all our critical issues, especially when it comes to jobs. This bargaining involves serious issues health care, retirement security, and especially jobs. These negotiations are all about ensuring that our members will be full participants in the future of this company and in this industry, not walled off and excluded from the jobs and future that we have made possible. There are more than 60 people involved in the bargaining process from our two unions. In addition to the elected bargaining committees, there are experts on health care, pensions, economics, communications and legal issues. Needless to say, the company has many, many more people on its side. Verizon's rapid shift from copper to fiber and beyond in the future makes it clear that we must negotiate a contract that secures the jobs of the future and opportunities for our members, addresses subcontracting, expands bargaining rights for workers and provides for employment security. We will not be bypassed by the company that we built and helped make so successful. If our efforts to secure a fair agreement that provides for jobs today and for the future are not fully successful at the bargaining table now, we will secure it on the picket line when necessary. Theres no doubt about that. Our goal is to win on these issues and we will.