IBEW, CWA Reach Tentative Agreement with Verizon

Striking Verizon workers returned to work yesterday after reaching a tentative agreement with the company. Under the terms of the proposed agreement, Verizon agreed that no additional jobs will be outsourced overseas, while increasing the number of calls routed to domestic call centers. This will result in the creation of 1,300 new call center jobs with 850 in the Mid-Atlantic region and 450 in the Northeast. Verizon also agreed to drop its demand that technicians had to be available to travel outside their home areas for up to two months at a time. Also included in the tentative four-year agreement are: wage increases of 3% for the first year and 2.5% year after, no cap on pensions and three 1% increases over the life of the agreement, retaining competitive health benefits, and strong job security language.

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