The Officers & Staff of the local would like to thank all those who donated and attended the Fundraiser for Brother Mike Gowdey. Our membership through its generosity raised a significant amount of money to benefit Brother Gowdey and his family.
UNION MEMBERS APPROVE AGREEMENT WITH FAIRPOINT
Workers to Return to Work on Wednesday, February 25
AUGUSTA, ME—After three days of voting, IBEW and CWA members in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont have ratified tentative agreements with FairPoint Communications. The new agreements protect good jobs and ensure quality telecommunications service for New England communities.
“This is great news for our members, their families, and our communities,” said Peter McLaughlin, chair of the union bargaining committee and Business Manager of IBEW Local 2327 in Maine. “Our members remained united and committed to this fight for more than four months and today we have a fair deal that will bring them back to work and good service back to our communities.”
After initially demanding $700 million in concessions from workers, FairPoint implemented the terms of its proposals on August 28 saying the parties had reached an impasse in bargaining. The implemented terms included a dramatic increase in health care costs, a two-tier wage structure that would have paid new hires as much as 20 percent less to do the same jobs as current workers, and a greatly increased ability to outsource union members’ work to low-wage contractors from outside our region.
Ultimately, FairPoint agreed to a union-administered health insurance plan with better benefits that will cost workers and the company less. FairPoint also agreed to eliminate the two-tier wage structure.
“This agreement is a win for our members and for future FairPoint employees,” said Don Trementozzi, President of CWA Local 1400. “We went on strike last October because we are committed to keeping good, middle-class jobs in New England. Our members walked the lines for more than four months, not just for themselves, but for future generations. Our success will benefit FairPoint workers—and New England’s working families—for years to come.”
The unions also successfully negotiated to protect jobs from outsourcing. During the strike, FairPoint brought in replacement contract workers to do the jobs of experienced, union workers. Complaints skyrocketed in all three states as customers experienced inadequate service, delays for repairs and installations, and increased wait times when calling customer service.
“Our communities have seen the results of outsourcing these last four months, and it has not been pretty,” said Glenn Brackett, Business Manager of IBEW Local 2320 in New Hampshire. “There’s no replacement for well-trained, skilled workers. Our members are eager to get back to work and get our network functioning the way it should.”
Approximately 1,800 FairPoint workers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont launched their strike on October 17. The longest strike in the United States in 2014, workers picketed for 18 weeks.
“Our members are incredible. They walked the picket lines in blizzards and sub-zero temperatures. They stayed strong and they stayed together,” said Mike Spillane, Business Manager of IBEW Local 2326 in Vermont.
The strikers enjoyed widespread support from their communities and from thousands of allies around the world. Lawmakers in all three states walked the picket lines with members; individuals delivered hot beverages and snacks to picketers; and people and organizations contributed more than $350,000 to the Solidarity Fund to provide financial aid for striking workers to pay for everything from prescription medicine to heating oil.
“The support we’ve received over the past four months has been overwhelming,” said McLaughlin. “Union brothers and sisters from all over the country sent financial help and messages of support. And our friends and neighbors right here in New England showed us their appreciation for our sacrifice every day. They knew that our members were not just striking to protect their own jobs, but that they were fighting for good jobs and quality service for all of New England.”
The new contracts will be in effect until August 4, 2018.
IBEW Local 2323 will be hosting a Macaroni dinner in honor of Brother Mike Gowdey on February 22, 2015 @ 2:00pm in the union office.
Tickets are $20 per a person please call Ray Silvestri (401)413-8937
Also please see a steward or call the union office if you would like to purchase raffle tickets to support Brother Gowdey
Please see below –
https://anthem.allclearid.com/
HOW ANTHEM IS PROTECTING YOU
Anthem is truly sorry for any inconvenience caused by this incident and we are taking steps to help ensure your protection.
Starting on February 13, 2015, the team at AllClear ID is ready and standing by to assist you if you need identity repair assistance during the next 24 months. This service is automatically available to you with no enrollment required. If a problem arises, simply call 1-877-263-7995 and a dedicated investigator will do the work to recover financial losses, restore your credit, and make sure your identity is returned to its proper condition.
For additional protection, and at no cost, affected U.S. individuals may also enroll in the AllClear PRO service at any time during your coverage period. This service includes credit monitoring and an identity theft insurance policy. Please follow the enrollment instructions below.
You are eligible to receive these protection services if you are a current or former member (from 2004 on) of one of Anthem’s plans. For additional information regarding your protections, please visit: https://anthem.allclearid.com/faqs.
For additional details or questions regarding this incident, please visit:
http://www.anthemfacts.com
IMPORTANT UPDATE on Data Security Breach at Anthem
We are writing to provide a critical update on Anthem’s data breach. Again, Anthem is working around the clock to identify who is being affected and will be contacting them directly to offer identity protection and credit monitoring at no charge.
Anthem just notified us that there are related email scams being sent in connection with the breach. These scams, designed to capture personal information (known as “phishing”) are designed to appear as if they are from Anthem or Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and the emails include a “click here” link for credit monitoring. These emails are NOT from Anthem nor Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
We are trying every way possible to spread the word. Please be advised:
DO NOT click on any links in an email.
DO NOT reply to the email or reach out to the senders in any way.
DO NOT supply any information on the website that may open, if you have clicked on a link in an email.
DO NOT open any attachments that arrive with an email.
Anthem and Blue Cross and Blue Shield are NOT calling members regarding the cyber-attack and are not asking for credit card information or social security numbers over the phone.
These emails are from scam artists who are trying to trick consumers into sharing personal data. There is no indication that the scam email campaigns are being conducted by those that committed the cyber-attack, or that the information accessed in the attack is being used by the scammers.
Anthem will contact current and former members via mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service about the cyber-attack with specific information on how to enroll in credit monitoring. Affected members will receive free credit monitoring and ID protection services.
In addition, Anthem has launched a national media campaign to alert people of this email phishing scam.
Verizon takes the privacy and security of employee of information seriously and remain committed to monitoring this situation. We will continue to update you with any important developments.
The Union has been notified by Verizon Management that ANTHEM healthcare has suffered a significant cyber security breach. Anthem is the plan administrator for a large portion of Verizon’s healthcare plans.
Initial reports indicate that 80 million customer and employee records have been compromised up to and including names, email addresses, birthdays, mailing addresses, medical card numbers and social security numbers.
Verizon is working closely with Anthem in an effort to safeguard its employees. Anthem will notify those affected by the breach directly and provide at no cost credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Please check www.anthemfacts.com or call 877-263-7995 for any questions regarding this incident.
Most members of Congress today are millionaires. Their wealth has increased 28 percent since 2007, while that of the average American fell 43 percent.
So when President Barack Obama told members of Congress during his State of the Union address to try living on $15,000 a year if they think it’s so easy, the lack of response was telling.
The smackdown was an uncomfortable reminder of how far out of balance our economy is and how many of our elected officials are benefiting from a system rigged to favor only the wealthy and powerful. It’s no wonder most lawmakers sat stone-faced after the president’s remark, perhaps hoping Americans wouldn’t notice this economic anomaly.
But we have noticed and we’re outraged. We are tired of being told that if we just work harder, we can get ahead when we know that hard work has very little to do with achieving success in a system that is rigged. There’s no guarantee anymore that putting in more hours at work will result in a raise or a promotion. There’s no guarantee that getting a college degree will result in anything more than crushing student debt.
A recent Oxfam study found the world’s wealthiest 1 percent is on track to own more than the rest of the world combined. The report said the 80 richest people in the world have more combined wealth than the 3.5 billion people at the bottom. This staggering disparity, the authors note, hits working people twice as hard. We have to make do with a tiny slice of the pie and, as the rich accumulate more, the pie itself gets smaller.
It hasn’t always been this way. There was a time in our not-so-distant past when poor Americans could work their way into the middle class. There was a time when people in the middle class could afford to buy a home, send their kids to college and save for retirement. Today, middle-class families must make a choice — a home, college or retirement. They no longer can do all three.
This fast-disappearing upward mobility was made possible by the American labor movement, which helped workers gain a fair share of the nation’s prosperity through collective bargaining and political activism. Unions were and continue to be the only organizations willing to stand up and fight for working people and the middle class. And it is unions that can get us out of the mess we’re in now.
While extremists in Congress refuse to raise the minimum wage, it is unions at the bargaining table who are hammering out contracts that raise wages for working people. As corporate lobbyists seek to eliminate regulations that protect workers, it’s the shop steward who fights for a safer workplace. When anti-worker governors come up with another scheme to steal pensions, it is union members who go door to door to warn the public.
The benefits to workers who form a union are concrete and undeniable. Unionized workers earn on average $207 more per week than their nonunion counterparts, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and are more likely to have employer-sponsored health care and access to a guaranteed retirement plan.
At a time when so many Americans are feeling beat down by an economy rigged against them, the peace of mind that comes with a good union job is immeasurable. Unions provide better wages and benefits, job security, and a better standard of living.
Unions have the ability and the track record to rebuild the American middle class and help close the yawning divide between the rich and the rest of us.
Obama acknowledged as much in his State of the Union address, calling for new laws that make it easier for workers to join unions. No one should have to survive in our nation today earning only $15,000 a year.
The New York Times recently reported on a study that shows union workers are just plain happier, and no wonder. Not only do they earn more, but they’ve got a real voice at work. Unions are the agents of change that our nation so desperately needs.
Lee Saunders is president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He wrote this for CQ-Roll Call.
The following opening is available under Article P13 of the IBEW Labor Agreement.
VZCareers Req #: 378370
TITLE:
BUILDING EQUIPMENT MECHANIC
# OF POSITIONS:
1
WAGE TABLE:
2
TOP PAY:
$1,589.00
LOCATION:
234 Washington Street, Providence RI
INITIAL TOUR:
7A – 4P (40 hours)
REQUIREMENTS:
• Candidate has to be BMQT qualified
• 2 Year Associates Degree from vocational/technical school
• Experience in ventilating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical work and heating plant operations and maintenance
• Must have valid refrigeration license
• Must have oil burner’s license
• Must have EPA certification
Applications should be faxed to:
Labor Relations
125 High Street, Boston, MA
FAX: 617-737-0624
Applications should include the following:
Job Title
NCS
Work Location
Rating Date (if applicable)
List all relevant qualifications
Questions may be directed to:
Jeffrey Coaston cbr 617-696-4020
Human Resources Guideline
Weather – New England (Associates)
OBJECTIVE:
It is the expectation of Verizon to maintain essential services and operations during any severe weather or emergency condition while providing for the protection, safety and health of all employees and customers.
SCOPE:
These guidelines apply to all associates in the following states:
· Maine
· Massachusetts
· New Hampshire
· Rhode Island
GENERAL:
Because of the essential telecommunications services Verizon provides to the community at large, the Company is not at liberty to cease operations during severe weather and emergency conditions.
Service demands, weather, and transportation conditions may vary from location to location. The administration of this guideline should be appropriate to meet the situation in each location and should be uniform between locations and departments to the extent that the situation is similar.
If travel bans or curfews are imposed by federal, state or local authorities, Verizon leadership will contact civil authorities and will seek appropriate exemptions for essential employees to report to work and perform their jobs.
Authorization, Coordination and Notification:
In the event of inclement weather or other abnormal condition, the respective Area/Region Presidents and/or Business Unit Leader(s) will work through the appropriate Area Control Center (ACC) and the National Emergency Coordinating Center (NECC) to establish an incident management bridge. The ACC/NECC will engage the required Working and Planning Committee Members for the affected area. In consultation with regional Health, Safety, Environmental, HR Business Partners and Labor Relations, a decision will be made by the respective Area/Region Presidents and/or Business Unit Leader(s) on whether to release employees and/or trigger facility closure(s).
Once a declaration to release employees and/or close facilities is made, the ACC/NECC will work with Employee Communications to craft and distribute the appropriate messaging to the affected employees and their line management.
Any access issues due to restrictions implemented by government authorities (local, county, state or federal) should be addressed with the ACC/NECC and will be managed in accordance with their existing standard operating procedures.
Employee Responsibilities
An understanding should be developed with each employee, outlining his or her responsibility in an emergency.
Generally, each employee is responsible for the following:
· To report to his or her regular place of employment on time.
· If delayed, to call his or her manager or the coordinator for the work unit and advise of his or her progress or problems in reporting to work. This will enable the manager to plan and coordinate the force necessary to meet the service needs and to give advice to the individual. The supervisor may be able to offer assistance in transportation or suggest an alternative location where the employee can be of needed assistance.
Payment Criteria
Payment
Most employees recognize their personal responsibility and conscientiously respond to emergencies. For this reason, generally an employee will be paid if he/she meets one of the following criteria:
Employees who reach their regular work location:
· Employees who work some part of their normal assignment will be paid for the full assignment.
· Paid absence for part of a session will be considered as “Time Worked” for purpose of determining overtime payments.
Employees who do not reach their regular work location:
· When taken in accordance with a prearranged plan or upon the direction of his/her supervisor or coordinator, employees with necessary skills and experience who report to a different work location, where they can be of real assistance in an emergency.
· Employees who have medical conditions that may jeopardize their health or safety by attempting to travel during a severe storm. For example, an employee with a chronic serious health condition, or who is currently recuperating from recent surgery, illness, or accident.
· Employees who, despite making reasonable and conscientious efforts appropriate for the circumstances and being in communication with their supervisor, are unsuccessful in reaching their work location.
Non-Payment
Employees who do not report to work and fail to meet any of the above criteria should not be paid. This determination and recommendation should be made locally based on close, detailed knowledge of the individual, of his or her effort, and the prevailing conditions. Appropriate entries should then be made on the
Despite mother nature we will still be holding the party tonight as planned please make every effort to attend and please drive safe.
