Verizon Business Techs in California and Florida Gain Benefits of New Contracts and Voice on the Job

Verizon Business and Video Hub technicians who work in California and Florida will soon be united by new labor agreements that go into effect in late December 2010. 

Many of the Verizon Business techs are former MCI technicians who came over to Verizon after it acquired MCI in January 2006.

As a result of CWA District Nine negotiations last May for a new agreement covering Verizon union members in California, about 152 Verizon Business techs and 4 Video Hub techs will become eligible for union membership there.  Similar negotiations in July for a new contract covering Verizon employees in Florida will allow IBEW Local 824 to gain 73 new Verizon Business techs and 12 Video Hub techs.

These two Verizon Business bargaining units are the first to gain union recognition since a breakthrough contract agreement was reached between Verizon management and the CWA and IBEW in 2008.  That contract covered about 600 Verizon Business technicians from Virginia to Maine. 

Winning collective bargaining rights and a voice at work for the Verizon Business techs represents a significant step forward in both unions' campaign to "tear down the wall" artificially constructed by management between union and non-union sectors at Verizon Communications.