The next General Membership Meeting is Thursday, October 16st at 6pm via "Zoom". 
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Brothers and Sisters,

Here it is, the Verizon Bargaining Update you've been waiting for! As many of you have reached out and I've had to explain.... Official bargaining updates are actually negotiated along with everything else. So the Union and the Company have to mutually agree on what information is "officially" shared. This is why you get a lackluster explanation. I'm going to do my best here to "walk the line" without getting into trouble but will be happy to discuss in our next General Membership meeting. This all started with the Company reaching out to the Union, expressing an interest in coming to an agreement on extending our current contract. The content of the bargaining being the national issues that affect all members regardless of the terms of our local contracts. This is generally pay increases, health care for active and retirees, bargained for work, retirement security, call sharing agreements, etc. The bargaining committee is made up of elected representatives from each state and is chaired by the district. There are 2 districts in the Verizon contract as well as the IBEW. EVERY member of our Bargaining Committee collectively agreed that there are too many Local Issues ( working down/up/in/out of title, per diem, contracting of work, vacation, holidays, the list goes on) to extend the current contract unless SIGNIFICANT gains were made that would be worth putting out for a vote. We made this clear to the Company from the beginning and let them know that the terms of the most recent extension would not cut it. The pillars that were make or break, that we would not leave the table without, were pre-medicare retiree health care cost improvement (almost 70% of our district is or will be retirement eligible by the end of the contract), retiree healthcare for our post 08 members, significant retirement security for our post 2012 members who don't have a pension (YES we proposed bringing them into the pension plan with retroactive contributions but also explored other methods),  and reducing the amount of contractors doing our work. These as well as the more obvious things (wages, active health care, lump sum, etc.) were the issues that we felt would need significant improvements to even consider a Tentative Agreement for you to vote on. The Company fell short on all of these issues, not even reaching the terms of the current extension we are in. We put forth our final proposal that addressed all of these issues and the Company let us know that we are too far apart to reach an agreement at this time. As it stands now, the Company knows where we stand on the issues. They know what we will not accept and we need to be ready to prove it to them as we enter into a year away from our contract expiration. It is more critical than ever that you, our seasoned members, not only prepare yourselves but assist in preparing others that were not here for our previous battles. It's more than just saving money for a strike! It's attending membership meetings, wearing red on Thursdays, participating in our mobilization activities, challenging the Company when things aren't right, and MOST IMPORTANTLY- STAND UNITED WITH ONE ANOTHER!!!! Stop the infighting and ridiculous ego trips and throwing each other under the bus! There is no middle ground ever but ESPECIALLY NOW. Anyone who has been here long enough knows or should remember that when we're fighting for a fair contract, it is literally us and them. There is NO REWARD for trying to please the Company or lifting up yourself in the eyes of management - NONE! It is time - RIGHT NOW- to prepare yourself and each other to unite and fight as one.

In Solidarity,
Bubba Craddock