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Victory at Verizon2,000-Plus Workers Win IBEW Representation

January/February 2001 IBEW Journal

A victorious organizing drive at Verizon Communications last fall gave IBEW representation and a real voice at work to 2,000-plus telecommunications workers in the states of Maine and Massachusetts. Verizon, the recently renamed global telecommunications company, was formed by the 2000 merger of the former Bell Atlantic and GTE companies. These newly organized brothers and sisters join approximately 14,000 Verizon employees represented by the IBEW in the New England area.

On October 1, 2000, five IBEW Telephone System Council T-6 local unions launched the campaign to organize the previously unrepresented Verizon employees in the region. Earlier, during the 2000 contract negotiations, Verizon agreed to a card-check recognition of the union, an agreement which stipulates that an employer will recognize the workers choice for representation if a big enough majority signs union authorization cards.

The more publicized card-check process at Verizon Wireless does not take effect until later in 2001. But because the newly organized unit is part of the core telecommunications business, the IBEW was able to start to organize them under card check right away. Thus, they have become the first unit organized by the IBEW under the card-check provision of the contract.

On November 3, 2000, the IBEW began verifying the card-check signatures of Verizon employees. This process, which took three days to complete, was conducted by the American Arbitration Association. On November 9, 2000, arbitrator Marjorie ORielley verified that a majority of the cards were signed. On the same day, Verizon recognized the IBEW as the employees union representative.

By the time the cards were collected, reported System Council T-6 Chairman Myles J. Calvey, the unit had grown to 1,780. At press time in early December, the IBEW newly organized units had grown to more than 2,000 employees and that number is still growing.

The new telecom members at Verizon include business services representatives and some engineers and clerical employees. The five local unions in which the new Verizon members hold IBEW membership are: Local 2327, Augusta, Maine; and in Massachusetts, Local 2222, Boston; Local 2321, Middleton; Local 2322, Middleboro; and Local 2325, Worcester.

The organizing campaign to secure union representation for the 2,000-plus new members is a good start under the IBEW-Verizon card check agreement, said IBEW Special Projects Department Director Gary Heald. The IBEW hopes that these initial successes will be only the first at Verizon and that further membership gains will be made for the telecommunications workers.