Happy New Year Brothers and Sisters of CWA Local 2201,

I am currently in bargaining with Verizon along with the rest of the Bargaining Committee to see if it's possible to come to a favorable agreement for an extension worth voting on. At this stage, I couldn't honestly tell you whether or not we'll be able to reach an agreement or not. It is imperative that our members are prepared for the possibility of moving into full scale bargaining in the months to come where there will be bargaining surveys, mobilizations, training, and preparing for the possibility of a strike. In the meantime we will keep you updated on bargaining progress or lack there of.

You will see below a message I sent out in December. This message was sent specifically regarding the layoff events at Verizon. Let me be clear. Every word in the below message applies to all of our members. Whether you work for Verizon, AT&T Legacy, AT&T Mobility, American Red Cross, American Airlines, Avaya, Thryv, or the Virginia Department of Corrections, this message rings true.

Message from December:

As I sit here on the heels of Thanksgiving and prepare for Christmas and the new year, I cannot help but think about the recent events at Verizon. 13,000 management & non-union associates terminated. Not let go for wrongdoing. None were based on performance, skills, loyalty, or seniority.

    I am sure you could all sense the fear and lack of security expressed by management over the last few weeks. This is because, despite all of the V-Team, VZ family, “we” together, “us” messaging espoused in emails, screensavers, posters, etc.; they knew it was all B.S. It was simply a mathematical equation directed by the new CEO to meet a share value goal. That’s it! Nothing fancy.

   This was done quickly with no regard to humanity, just because they could. The ONLY reason they did not start with us is because they couldn’t. Not because of the work we do - they do not care. Not because we have been here a long time and are close to retirement - they don’t care. Not because you’ve got great numbers or you are a top seller — they DON’T CARE. It’s because of our contract — PERIOD.

    Can they come for us? Yes. But our contract requires many steps before it can get to that point, not just arbitrarily…because they need/want to. But let me be clear… to any of you who think keeping your head low, performing at a higher level, or turning on your union will provide cover…..YOU ARE WRONG!

    We are entering into a bargaining year. 100% of our leverage at the bargaining table is based on whether the company believes you are standing with us or not. That is the truth. They are constantly measuring our membership. They submit reports, respond to emails, hold conference calls on a regular basis to report to company leadership the temperature and solidarity of our members. We do the same and it is reported to our bargaining committee. These metrics dictate the strength of both the union & company proposals; not complaints, threats of dropping out, or staged bitch sessions —Solidarity.

   I spend more time than you would even believe having to convince members that the Company wants to take things from us. I have to convince people that they do not want to pay us $100 dollars an hour or that they want to destroy or eliminate health care and retirement security. This has to stop. There’s no time for this nonsense. The conversations need to be about what we can do to make certain the Company knows we are standing together.

    But now you have seen it for yourself. You have seen what they will do to their own. I don’t need to convince you anymore. The company over the last decade has gone from “just because we can do it, doesn’t mean we should” to “if we can, we will.”

    We need to be prepared to do the same. If something is wrong, file a grievance. If it happens again, file another. Do not back down just because you’re not guaranteed to win. If we send something out - read it and act on it. If we call for action -DO IT. If we have a meeting - show up.

    It’s about to get rocky so buckle the hell up and let’s be ready to fight — TOGETHER!

In Solidarity,
Bubba Craddock