The Local will be hosting a Retirement Party in the Union Hall on Saturday January 24th, 2015 – 4:00pm for all our members who recently retired. All members are welcome to attend.
Notice of P13 Jobs
P13 Jobs for Local 2323
1. Safety Coach for SSTs
• Must canvass all I/M, CXM & Special Services SSTs
• Will have an interview with Pat Regan, Larry Savarese & Jim Fennel
2. Contract Work Inspector for Rhode Island North (CXM)
• Must canvass all SSTs and OPTs in Local 2323, including Special Services
3. Contract Work Inspector for Rhode Island South (CXM)
• Must canvass all SSTs and OPTs in Local 2323, including Special Services
4. Power Follow Through Inspector for McManus District
Southeast MA and RI
• Must canvass all I/M, CXM & Special Services SSTs in Locals 2322 & 2323
Local 2323 Promotion Jobs Available
JOBS:
Safety Coach
Available to SSTs only
I/M, CXM & Specials
Contract Work Inspector – North
Available to all SSTs & OPTs Will report to 21 Business Park Dr.,
(Including Special Services) Smithfield, RI*
Will cover Northern RI area
Contract Work Inspector – South
Available to all SSTs & OPTs Will report to 2979 Tower Hill Rd.,
(Including Special Services) South Kingstown, RI*
Will cover Southern RI area
PFTI for all Southeast & RI
Available to all SSTs (Including Special Services) Will report to 15 Currant St,
in Locals 2322 & 2323 Fall River, MA (Local 2322)
*May also report to 100 New Engand Way, Warwick, RI
Power Follow-through Inspector
This is a P13 Title. The Power-follow Through Inspector provides assistance on a daily basis to Outside Plant Team Leaders, Analyzers, Engineers, and other personnel as necessary for the resolution of power influence, electrical protection, electrolysis, and other transmission related service issues. The PFTI installs (or coordinates the installation of), inspects, and maintains power substation special circuit protection equipment as engineered by the Inductive Coordination and Electrical Protection Engineer. The PFTI is responsible to assist the ICEP in conduct claim case investigations for the corporation when requested. In addition, the PFTI is responsible for conducting surveys and inspections relating to the above activities, as well as assist evaluation of new test equipment.
Contract Work Inspector
This is an Article P13 Title. Please refer to IBEW – New England Contract, general section for additional information. The Contract Work Inspector ensures that all outside contractors complete their work in accordance with Company practices, standards, quality plans, contracts and agreements and that the interests of the Company are protected.
Merry Christmas
The officers and staff of the local would like to wish our members and their families a very Merry Christmas. 
Smithfield Garage Retirement Party – 12/18/14 Asia Grill
A retirement party is being held in honor of many long time members who have decided to retire on 12/21. Please come out on Thursday 12/18 @ 3:30pm on and wish them all the best in retirement.
ASIA GRILL 12/18 3:30pm – ???
Kat Geary
Jean Perriera
Steve DiFonte
Jeff Morrissey
Danny Mello
Mike Peixioto
Warren Imman
Kevin Martin
Business Managers Report November 2014
Business Managers Report
November 2014
We have 2 upcoming events in the Local. First we have the Annual Feed-A-Family Event that has been an overwhelming success the last 2 years feeding over 400 less fortunate families.
This year, the event will be held on November 23rd at 9:00 a.m. in the Union office. We encourage every member to make a donation to such a worthy cause as well as participate in delivering the baskets. Please see a union steward to donate.
On Saturday, December 6th at 7:00 p.m. IBEW Local 2323 Solidarity Committee will be holding our Christmas Party at Twin Rivers Casino – Wicked Good Bar & Grill in Lincoln. The cost for this event is $10 per person and includes prime rib and pasta buffet.
There will be a Rally against Fairpoint that will take place on Saturday, November 8th at 12:00 p.m. held at Monument Square in Portland Maine. Also, there has been a relief fund established to help our sisters and brothers on strike in the Northern States. To donate please go to our website at www.ibew2323.org and click on the gofundme link.
The Union and the Company continue to work towards finalizing the details in regards to the Enhanced Incentive offer for our members. As the details become available we share them through our website, informational tape and membership email list.
In the FSC, we are committed to making the center a better place to work every day and have been successful over the last two years. Recently, after months of negotiating, we were able to gain two new additional tours a 7:30- 4:00 and a 10:30- 7:00. These tours may seem insignificant to some but for our members who have been forced on tours that prohibits them from spending quality time with their families, it was a huge success. The shift in tours has afforded many of our members the ability to get the tour they prefer rather than being forced to one. Also in the FSC we continue to conduct our new member orientations with fewer than 30 left to be done.
In the MCO, the company continues to canvas our members to see who wants to move the fiber network title. The training is set to begin just after the first of the year.
Assistant Chris Buffery and I met with both Area Managers for I&M on Monday to discuss numerous topics. The first was the new established staff craft positions for I&M, the companies plan to get back to doing T2D and trialing a new business version of the program, the closing of the Newport garage, construction at the Towerhill garage and Portsmouth C.O. and lastly the low-filled cable project which includes rolling over C.O.’s to strictly fiber.
Upcoming Holiday Events
IBEW Local 2323 has several upcoming events planned we encourage all members to attend. We had an amazing turnout for the Thanksgiving Feed A Family event over 150 members and familes attended and were able to again feed 200 less fortunate familes. Thank you to all who attended and donated to make this such a successful event.
Saturday 5:00pm November 29th, 2014
Christmas Tree Lighting Event @ the Union office.
22 Amflex Drive Cranston, RI 02921
Saturday 7:00pm December 6th, 2014
IBEW Local 2323 Christmas Party
Wicked Good Bar & Grill
Twin River Casino
Fairpoint Rally – November 8th, 2014 & Donations
November 8th, 2014
12:00pm
Monument Sq (Congress St & Monument Way)
Portland ME
Donations
www.gofundme.com/IBEW-CWA-STRIKE-RELIEF
Scarborough Alliance – Retirement Planning Workshop
Attend a Retirement Planning
Workshop
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
6:00pm
IBEW Local 2323 Union Hall
99 Amflex Drive
Cranston, RI 02920
Spouses are welcome! Refreshments will be served!
To RSVP, or for more Plan information, please call
Steve Raymond at:
(978) 239-6999
Attention IBEW Local 2323 Members
We have been working with IBEW Members for more than 35 years
Service Pension Eligibilty Requirements
The Union has received many questions regarding if members are eligible for retirement with a service pension and medical benefits the following is the guide from the Summery Plan Description for the NY/NE Associate Pension Plan – Also the entire Summery Plan Description can be viewed on the Verizon Benefits Connection website.
Your Age / Net Credit Service
Any Age / 30 Years or more
At least 50 / 25 years or more
At least 55 / 20 years or more
At least 60 / 15 years or more
At least 65 / 10 years or more
Super EIPP Agreement reached
The Union and the Company have reached an agreement on an upgraded EIPP offer. We encourage all members interested in taking this offer, to begin to speak to a financial advisor and plan accordingly. The details of the offer are as follows –
With respect to any employees who elect to voluntarily leave the service of the Company pursuant to the Enhanced Income Protection Plan (EIPP) offer made on November TBD, 2014 (“the Offer”) under the terms of the Force Adjustment Plan of the parties’ collective bargaining agreement, the parties agree as follows:
A. One Time Supplemental Voluntary Termination Bonus
Those employees who leave the service of the Company pursuant to the Offer shall receive a lump sum amount of $40,000, less taxes and withholdings, in addition to the EIPP payment and related benefits and the voluntary termination bonus and continuation medical coverage to which the employee is otherwise eligible under the terms of the parties’ collective bargaining agreement.
B. Raising of Caps on EIPP Payment
Those employees with greater than 30 years of net credited service will have their EIPP payment calculation capped at forty years of service, rather than thirty years.
C. Waiver of Age-Based Pension Reductions for Early Commencement
The Pension Plan will be amended such that Service Pension eligible employees who leave the service of the Company pursuant to the Offer will not have the age-based reduction for early commencement, if any, applied to the calculation of their pension.
D. Lump Sum Interest Rate
The Pension Plan will be amended such that, regardless of the specific date on which an employee leaves the service of the Company pursuant to the Offer, the determination of the interest rate and mortality basis used for converting such employee’s single life annuity to a lump sum amount will be based on the better of (a) the applicable interest rate and mortality basis as of such employee’s elected pension commencement date following his or her actual separation from service or (b) the applicable interest rate and mortality basis as of a December 2014 pension commencement date, provided that such employee’s age will be determined in accordance with his or her elected pension commencement date rather than a December 2014 pension commencement date.
II. Employees who elect to leave the service of the Company pursuant to the Offer will be separated from the Company on one or more dates in 2014 and/or 2015 to be selected at the discretion of the Company. The Company, in its discretion, will determine how many employees will be separated on each date in each job title and work location. The Company will honor requests by seniority, to the extent consistent with the requirements of the business, when assigning the date on which each employee will be separated. Notwithstanding the provisions of the parties’ collective bargaining agreement, there shall be no layoffs in a title, work group and work location during the time period between the first and last off payroll dates if there are employees in the title, work group and work location who are designated by the Company to be separated in 2015.
III. Except as modified by this Memorandum of Agreement the Income Protection Plan provisions of the parties’ collective bargaining agreement shall apply.
IV. The Company agrees that through June 30, 2015 there will be no layoffs of Administrative Assistants, Special Assistants, Facility Assigners, Driver As or Driver Bs.
V. There will be no involuntary force transfers of over 35 miles pursuant to the Force Adjustment Plan through June 30, 2015, except to locations where the union demanded that the Company declare a surplus which are set forth in Attachment A. VI. There will be no office consolidations on or before June 30, 2015, except those consolidations announced by the Company prior to October 1, 2014.
VII. In relation to the Offer, the Company will use best efforts to ensure that individuals who request pension calculations receive their calculations within 14 days.
VIII. The two Wage Table 51 employees in the Traffic bargaining unit will be upgraded to Wage Table 31 effective XXXX.
IX. The titles that will receive the Offer are specified below:
Administrative Assistant 76
Building Equipment Mechanic 3
Central Office Technician 81
Customer Service Assistant 6
Driver A TBD
Driver B TBD
Equipment Installation Technician 5
Facilities Assigner 20
Fiber Customer Support Analyst 6
Fiber Network Technician 4
Material Attendant 3
Network Services Coordinator 11
Operator 12
Outside Plant Technician 28
Service Assistant 3
Service Representative 15
Special Assistant 31
Splice Service Technician 368
Toll Assigner 1
Translations Administrator 3
Transmission Technician 1