Verizon Business Techs Gain Benefits of New Contract and Voice on the Job

Former MCI technicians at Verizon Business (VZB) who had been seeking representation for nearly two years finally are united in a new labor agreement that went into effect on December 28.

During the month of January many of the techs will be initiated as members at local union meetings throughout the Verizon East footprint. Photo and interview opportunities are available.

The VZB techs gained union recognition last August in a breakthrough contract agreement reached between Verizon management and the CWA and IBEW. Since then, Verizon and the two unions have been meeting regularly to work out a smooth integration of the VZB workers into a union environment. The new VZB contract covers about 600 technicians from Virginia to Maine.

The VZB techs received strong support from CWA and IBEW members in a campaign to "tear down the wall" between union and non-union sectors at Verizon. The technicians' victory takes place amid the intensifying national political debate about enacting the Employee Free Choice Act. If enacted, workers at companies like VZB could organize simply by demonstrating majority support on union authorization cards.

The Communications Workers of America represents 50,000 workers at Verizon and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represents another 15,000 workers in the northeast.