CWA & IBEW Members Will Not Ratify Any Diminishments In Verizon Contract

The current attack on working people that has permeated all sectors of employment has been escalated in recent months. From Wisconsin to Ohio, from Fox News to Conservative Radio; the coordinated assault on the values that we share as workers, as proud union members and as a middle-class must be met with resistance by ALL of US. The resistance must be steadfast and swift, it must be deliberate and passionate.

Therefore, we insist that the leadership of the CWA & IBEW that we have entrusted to bargain the terms of our collective bargaining agreement with Verizon, display with great vigor our collective resistance to ANY diminishments in our contract.

As proud members of the CWA & IBEW we cannot and will not accept any proposal that diminishes our quality of healthcare benefits. We will not accept changes to our agreement that allows Verizon to lay off workers arbitrarily. We will not accept a proposal that allows Verizon to move work away from our work groups and potentially offshore. We will not accept any proposal that eliminates Martin Luther King Jr. day and or Veterans day as paid holidays.

With record profits in the billions of dollars, we insist that diminishments to our benefits and adverse changes in our working conditions are unacceptable. As leaders, we place our trust in you to negotiate on our behalf. We have been right to place our trust in you in the past and know that you are working tirelessly to reach an agreement that will be ratified by all of us. The assult on workers however, and the recent propensity for workers to accept less, STOPS WITH THESE VERIZON NEGOTIATIONS.

By signing this petition, I am indicating that I will NOT vote to accept diminishments in 2011. I stand ready, under your leadership to sacrifice and participate in any and all job actions that you deem necessary.