On August 13th, the Union (CWA) was notified that a surplus condition existed, and that to alleviate the surplus condition the Company was invoking Article 55 Force Adjustment Plan (FAP) of the collective bargaining agreement.  If the Company decided to use the Enhanced Income Protection Plan (EIPP) under step three (3) of the FAP Article to alleviate the surplus, the Company would also make Special EIPP offers to employees as described in Section XIV of the May 29, 2016 Memorandum of Understanding and Section IX of the July 14, 2022 Memorandum of Understanding. Special EIPP offers were tendered to those employees in the surplus titles and FAAs involved, including FAA 3, by August 27, 2024. An employee’s election to leave the service of the Company and receive Special EIPP payments must be in writing and transmitted to the Company within 15 days of the offer, in this case by tomorrow, September 10, 2024. 

Your Local 1103 Executive Board's goal is to secure jobs, protect work, preserve our contracts, push into new lines of business and grow the bargaining unit. So, on August 13, your Executive Board met and discussed the merits of the declared surplus and concluded that in FAA 3 the surplus was bogus. It didn’t exist.  It’s important that any surplus declaration reflect a true surplus so that employees have sufficient time and numbers to train, permitting the departure of eligible employees from the payroll.  We also concluded that the company was hiring and transferring into titles and FAA while declaring a surplus in the same titles and FAA.  The same day, we sent out an email to our Verizon members stating that “we will weigh all options including but not limited to filing a grievance contesting Article 55” due to what we maintain is a violation of the contract.  

Notwithstanding CWA Local 1103’s right to file a grievance or continue discussions with the company on this matter, the decision to leave the service of the company or not is strictly up to you and unrelated. The union did not, does not, and will not advise any member to leave or stay.  Your decision should be dependent on your own personal situation and finances.  You should have discussions with your spouse and family.  Your decision should also be based upon a consultation between you and your financial advisor(s).  CWA Local 1103 has long recommended that our members seek the consultation of multiple financial advisors, including our own endorsed advisor located on our website, before making decisions to leave the payroll.

CWA Local 1103 will continue doing what is best for its membership, as we always have. If you decide to leave the payroll, we thank you for your solidarity and the sacrifices you have made, which is leaving the Local and our next generation of members in a better place.   

In unity,

Kevin Sheil, President, CWA Local 1103