CrossTalksPRNG2oloOFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF LOCAL 1 104 COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA. AFL-CIO VOLUME 57

George Bloom

IS IVANSURPLUS TOO?There are strong rumors that Ivan

Seidenberg's fellow Board Memberswant him off the Board. Ivan only made$17.3 million last year, u'hich is a 147c

cut from the year before. The Board hasbeen unhappy with his inability to movethe stock price up. Ivan is 63 years ofageand has to retire when he reaches 65. Thequestion is, "Will he be able to hold on?"

Verizon recently announced it hasput a hold on seeking any new CATVfranchise agreements. So that means thatif you are unable to get FiOS now, it isunlikely you will get it anytime soon.What does that mean to our members? Idon't believe it's good. Verizon hasalready declared some 4000 memberssurplus in New York State, and unlessyou are in one of the areas where theFiOS build is being completed, I thinkwork will be very slow. Fortunately, wehave job security under our presentcollective bargaining agreement. Verizonclaims they currently have a 207asaturation rate in the areas where FiOS isavailable, and they believe that a 307osaturation rate is achievable. However,in a recent conference call Ivan told WallStreet that we had better reach a 407osaturation rate or management's headswould roll. Perhaps the rest of the Board

(continued on page 9)

Tom Benedetto

GRIEVANCEUPDATE

The arbitration case for the ModifiedAbsence Control Plan remains in progress.There have been several hearings alreadywith the next date in May. I will keep youposted as this case moves alon-s.

Atthis time, we are awaiting the decisionon a dismissal case here in Locai 1 104. Thecase was concluded in late October and thedecision has still not been rendered. Wehave also secured arbitration dates for threeother dismissals. Finally, we will get achance to hear these cases before anarbitrator. Thesethree members have waitedan excruciatingly long time for their day.Along with our lawyers, we will do all wecan to put good cases together and try to getthese members back to work.

We have had success with thearbitration/mediation process that wasbargained as a trial in the 2008 contractbargaining. In the three cases we have had,one was mutually resolved, and we also hadtwo settlements prior to the hearings, whereboth members received their suspensionsback and the incidents were removed fromtheir records. We have three more cases onthe calendar. I believe it is a good processfor handling short suspensions. I handlethese cases, along with our CWA StaffRepresentative and the Business Agent ofthe grievant. The cases are argued and

Ed Connelly

FISCALLYSPEAKING

THE GOOD OLD DAYSBelieve it or not, there was a time

when it was actually fun to be a telephoneemployee.

There was a time when managementjust allowed you to do yourjob and supplytelephone service to the customer. Asemployees. we had pride in doing a goodjob and receiving a fair salary for suchlabor. New York Telephone was like a

big family, sometimes dysfunctional, buta family nonetheless. We were told thatwe were one of the most. if not the most,productive companies in the UnitedStates.

Your foreman would give out work inthe morning and give you whatever newdirectives he or she had, and you wentalong with your day. Did we sometimesstop fbr coffee more than once a day orstop at a store to pick up something notjob-related? Of course we did. But wedid our jobs and if we didn't, someonewould ask us if we were having troubleor needed assistance. No one ever gotsuspended or fired, and we took care ofthings in the workplace. Somehow, all ofthat has changed, and now, if you're nottowing the company line, you will bedisciplined or subject to termination. Ilong for the old days.

(cctntinuetl on page 8)(continued on page 8)

SPRINGPAGE 2

CAMPUS IT'S ALLABOUT HOW

BATTLEFRONT YOU TOOKAT IT

BRIEFINGKathleen Sims

We wish to thank everYone who

participated in CWA Annual Lobby Day'

As enacting the contract moneys within the

new Collective Bargaining Agreement

requires State legislative approval and the^

Governor's signature, our strategy or

meeting with every Higher Education

Committee member within both state

houses has successfully readied a base ofsupport for our bill even before its

intioduction. It is safe to say that the

passage ofthis bill is now successfully 'on

ihe radar screen' ofall pertinent players in

the state house. Such bills are not typically

controversial, bul are sometimes not

orioritized. Should we need members' help

io attract attention to this matter' I am quite

sure members are ready to make all the

noise needed! !

Throughout the State, members have

shown their support for the SB-RA Union

contract fight as we have made sure SUNY

Chancellor Zimpher and her administrators

do not forget about their unfinishedbusiness - their responsibility to martial

SUNY's shadow agencies to deal fairly and

negotiate with our membership. Together,

we will deliver as upcoming RAbargaining

sessions proceed.At the time we go to print, it seems that

our advocacy for SUNY and its Research

Foundations has moved the legislative

conversations about the Chancellor'sproposed Public Higher Educationb.npo*"t*ent and Innovation Act(PHEEIA) away from the most detrimental

proposals. However, we cannot take

unyifring for granted. Sadly, PHEEIA's

immediately proceeding "plan," UB 2020'

looks like it may be under consideration to

be launched as a pilot program at the

University at Buffalo. Convincing the

Buffalo area legislators and theirincreasingly sympathetic colleagues from

Long Island will be key to opposing these

changes and winning. We cannot express

our opposition strongly enough!

We continue to fight to restore funding

to SUNY in ProPosed State budgets'

(continued on Page 8)

Kim Young

A lot has happened recently that one

could write about that potentially willhave an imPact on us and what we do -The Reverse Morris Trust Act passing

through the House' the Health Care

legislation, the Reconciliation Bill, and

still as of this writing, no off roll dates for

the most recent surplus declaration and

very little to no detail in regard todiscussions around the "enhancement'"

RecentlY. I've sPenl' much timelistening to the radio' watching TV, and

reading various news articles in regard to

Health Care discussions. These talks have

gone on for nearly fourteen months, and

white ttre bill passed is not perfect, it has

ooened the door for millions of people to

have access to health care who have

effectively been blocked for years by the

insurance comPanies. Still' the

Reoublicans and Tea Baggers vo$' to

repeal this legislation. As a matter- of

fact, senator John Mccain is quoted as

having said, "There will be no

cooperation between now and the end ofthe year." Wow, who knew that what

they were doing was cooperating? Allalong, I thought theY were being

obstructionists.One thing that is glaring to me is the

lack of personai responsibility that

surrounds us in all aspects of our lives'

Whether it's the people in the news' or

our Senate and Congress. it seems that

there's an attempt to either cover up or

ignore the facts and pretend that we have

no ownershiP to our behavior' This

extends to our behavior and treatment ofour fellow workers as well.

For example, let's take a work location

in which there is not a regular or constant

presence of management - we are not

quasi-managers. And though we may

witness behavior that may cause us to be

disturbed, it's a manager's job to identifythat improper behavior, and if warranted

to take action. It is not for us to sit injudgment of one another. By feeding into

the situation we only exacerbate the

situation.(continued on Puge 4)

NON-STOP ISSUESWe are now into another Year with

more of the same moves thal make no

sense to the workers in the field or to us

at the Local.First, the imPlementation of a

scheduling center where they do not have

a clue about how a vacation schedule

works or what is in the contract' Then'

techs are sent to Buffalo to do routinework. It would have been smarter to not

lay off techs and give them an option to

work in Buffalo. How about temporarilytransferring techs from one department

to another department and then back to a

different department? The District can'tkeep up with all the moves that takeplaie. We also have people loaned inirom Suffolk. They don't want to be here

and the ComPanY won't Put FiOS into

the town of Brookhaven.Verizon has a sales department that

just can't sell FiOS or correct the billingproblems five years later' The Company

has decided to put every tech on N-days

and night tours to save money' but won'tdispatch a tech out to the customer's

house until the customer argues enough

with them.Now let's talk about all the poles that

need to be replaced. The Company only

does this work when the Public Service

Commission harasses them. This workshould be done every day to maintain a

safe plant for the public and employees'

Who came uP with the crazYnumber of 1041 surplus field techs?? Itis easy to write a number down when

you're sitting in an office in New Jersey

(continued on Page B)

Chris Blom

PAGE 3SPRING

V.FORCE ANDSURPLUSES

We started the Nen \-ear har ing todeal with the Scheduling Center up inSyracuse. The Field Tech: nill send a

text or an e-ntaii ri ith dar: $ e $ ant offand then it's a big nvster\ as to \\ hetheror not the)' are -Qranted. The responsesare, "You have been denied as per theprojected work load," or. "You are beingput on a waiting list." or. "You have to go

through the appeal process." The process

as a whole is totalll, off the u all.The Company can't tell us uhat the

work load is tu'o da1's fi'orn nou'. letalone three u'eeks from nou'. It is justanother way to infuriate us. Then theywonder why the morale is at an all-timelow. A committee has been formed on

the National level to sit with the Companyto get the issues resolved on the V-Forceissues and the contract violations ofArticle 23.

A surplus of 1047 Field Techs inNassau and Suffolk Counties has beenannounced as a process change. TheNational Union and the Company met inMarch to talk about an EIPP package.

The National Union told the Company itwas not adequate and they will meet

again to see if they can offer somethingsufficiently attractive so that people willbe able to retire. The message theCompany is sending is that they will get

rid of bodies one way or another, so be

smart out there and be on yourjob.On a sad note. last December 20,

2009, we lost George Jones, a Field Tech

George Magnuson

AVAYA AND LUCENTWell. the Ten Little Indians saga

continues in AVAYA as two more Indiansare sone. Ken Horan and Bob Goldenlinalll had enou-sh and retired. And thenthere u c-re three.

It ri as nice to see Iny friends and co-

workers at the breakfast for them.Nineteen of us got together and had a lotof laughs. It was just like old times. Itmade me sad to think about how muchir,'e liked the lvork. but even more. holvmuch fun u'e al1 had together.

Ercept fol one or t\\ o grottches.

nobodl n anted to be late in the morningfor two reasons. First. you didn't want tomiss whatever antics and pranks weregoing on, and second, you didn't want tobe the target of such goings-on. Most ofus older dogs are retired, and except fora few, all the young gllys are in Verizon.If you know any, ask them - they will tellyou it was the best time of their lives.Every day was fun.

In closing. I'd like to wish my friends,Ken and Bob, all the best. Stay healthyand enjoy your retil'ement.

UPDATE AT DOWNTOWNGeorge Magnuson

Well, it took a long time, but we have

a new contract. It was a hard fight andyour support was greatly appreciated bythe bargaining team. With the horriblestate of the economy and all the problemsthe State is having, it's good to be able to

say we lost nothing and made some gains.

Your health care stays intact with no costto you, your pension is stable, and youare getting raises.

There was a time I didn't see how wecould avoid a strike. but we did. If youhave any doubts about how bad thingscan get, just look at St. Vincent's or theother hospitals that have closed.

The new cancer treatment cenfer isunderway. This has caused someproblems by using up some Med/Surgicalbeds, but it should creale more nursingpositions. The renovations that are goingon should make it a better and morecomfortable place to work. The grants

for the new ambulances are bringing inmore patients.

The hospital is putting out a notice ofmeetin-es abor"rt the change of carrier formedical coverage. This is because UnitedHealth bought Oxford. There will be no

chan-qe in coverage. We are also workingwith the hospital on safe patient handling.I will probably need a couple of nurses toget familiar with the new equipment outthere and see how we can get these intothe units where needed.

As always, for any problems orquestions. see your stewards or just callme - 516-420-1104.

TO ALL THE OTHER

COMPANIES I REPRESBNT

George Magnuson

Congratulations to the members atthe North Babylon Public Library! Wenow have a new contract and you shouldbe receiving your retroactive checks, oryou may already have them by the timeyou read this. I wouid like to extend mythanks to Susan and Linda, your memberson the bargaining team. Although I couldnot achieve all that I wanted atbargaining,especially on the part-time issue, I believeit was not for lack of trying. The Librarywould not give on that issue. However,your health care stayed as is, and you willget your raises with some contractimprovements - in these times a majorvictory.

Mike lppoliti

(contittuetl on page 8) (cotttirtuetl ott puge 8)

SPRINGPAGE 4

Michael Presti Stella Pereyra Lindsay Abbate

CONTRACTS FORCED TRANSFERS DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU

CAN HELP SAVE A JOB?coNTRACT, CONTRACT,CONTRACT, where is the contract?This is what everyone has been askinglately. How come the Union hasn't givenit to us yet? What is the Company/Unionhiding from us? Let me set the recordstraight. Ifyou look in the contract booksthat you currently have and turn to Page

93, Article 39 - Copies of Contract, itsays: "Effective with this Agreement the

COMPANY shall be resPonsible forproviding a copy of the contract to each

Union-eligible employee." Now I willexplain the process of distribution. TheCompany is supposed to send theamendments to a printer so the NationalUnion can review them for errors. Oncethat is done, the Company then printscopies for each member. Then they givethe copies to the Union and the Uniondistributes them to each member. So

what's the holdup? The holdup, from whatI have been told, is the Company wantedto use a non-union Printer and theUnion is opposed to this.

The contracts that You currentlYhave are still in effect - nothing in thatbook has changed (except for the ACPpart which is in arbitration). Now whathas been added is as follows:

1. Wages effective 8/01/ 10 -3.7 5Vo increase;

2. COLA - 8/01/10 increase;3. CPS Award - minimum $700;4. Pension Band increase 10/01/

l0 - 3.7 57o,

5. Pension LumP Sum Payout -Pension distribution options remain in

Just when you think You've seen itall, Verizon comes along once again and

pulls the rug out from under its employeesand our union members.

With just a few weeks notice, FacilitiesSpecialists from Wantagh, Brooklyn and

Queens were told to "pack their bags" -their new work location was -soin-s to be

Lynbrook. The forced transfers to L1 nbrookhave caused quite a hardship for many ofthese union members. Many of them whowere forcedherefromBrooklyn andQueens

rely on public transportation to get to and

from work. The move to LYnbrook has

added many additional hours to their dailycommute. The Company has made itnearlyimpossible for our members with child and

elder care issues to attend to them. This is

hou'Verizon rervards members who have

given some thirty plus years of service to

them.They have turned a cold shouider to the

union members who helped build the

Company and make it as profitable as it has

become.I would like to thank the Bellmore and

Freeport Field Techs who donated blood on

March 3 I , 2010. Thanks for helping to save

many lives.

Do you get a paper phone bill in the

mail? Do you mail your payment in orpay online? Everything has a cause and

effect. The Accounting Department, bothUpstate and Downstate, is affected byyour day-to-day decisions. TheDo\\'nstate Accounting -eroup

prints and

mails the phone bills associated with the

New York and New England areas. TheUpstate Accounting group handles the

payments for those bills. We cannotdepend on the Company to look out forus, so we need to look out for each other.We are losing work to technology. If youdo not receive a paper bill or pay online,make the switch. By receiving a paperbill you can help save someone's job.Please get the word out to your friendsand neighbors who don't realize that thiswork is done by proud CWA members.

Please remember to wear RED onThursdays.

How You Look At It( corttinued .from page 2 )

When was the last time You thoughtabout how your actions related to the

outcome of whathappens? Are you voicingor expressing objective crilicism. or are

you just complaining or obstructingprogress? Do your actions build orcontlibute to the positive growth of unity or

do your actions walk a different talk?We all need to take responsibility for

our contributions and actions in a situationbecause we are either part of the problem orpart of the solution. Which are you?

In solidarity.(corttirtuerl ort page 8)

SPRING PAGE 5

FROMMYDESK SOLD MY SOUL

Peter Cirillo

This is not about your Health CareBenefits. This has to do with whetheryou keep yourjob or not, ifyou have an

illness or an on-the-job injury.

I learned long ago that you don'tengage a battalion of gooks with a squadof Marines. and expect to survive withoutground. air and artillery support. Thisalso pertains to Verizon when you aredealing with Metlife, Workers' Comp..or FMLA.

DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT,DOCUMENT. Save all correspondencebetween you and Metlife. Workers'Comp., or FMLA. including theenvelopes. For instance. if vou knou r ouor your doctor faxed information. save

the transmission report. This has ritalinformation. the time and date it ilassent. q hat number it u as sent to. and if itwas received. Saying. "I sent it." justwon't hold up!ll!

The letters and envelopes you getfrom FMLA are just as important. Forexample: You think you knorv that yousent FMLA the properpaperwork on yourrecent illness on March 1st. On April 1st.you get a letter from FMLA stating thatthe information you sent was not filledout properly and you have 14 days toappeal. Well, guess what? The letter wasdated March 19th, two days before your2lst day to submit the paperwork andpostmarked March 25th. How are yougoing to appeal this if you received thedenial on April I st, three days beforeyour appeal can be sent in, and you haveto get the information back to them byApril 4th? Without the letter and thepostmarked envelope we can't proveanything ! !

We CAN beat them if we so intobattle PREPARED!!!

Always, always. follow up a fax witha phone call. Remember, D OC U M E NT,DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT - it justmight mean YOUR JOB!!!!!!

TO THE COMPANY STORB

Anthony Eramo

It is no secret that something must be

done about our healthcare system - andsoon. Even those lucky enough to havegood coverage are aware that the currentsystem is nnsustainable. The number ofuninsured people and the absurd costs ofour medical needs continue to risedramatically. Unfbrtunately, the problemwith our entire healthcare system lies inthe very core of its existence: on emplol,sv-based lrcalthcore model, and worse yet.

little is said about changing it. Ouremplol'er-based healthcare system islundamentally flawed and should beabolished.

The practice began dulin-t the wagelreeze of the Second World War enactedunder President Roosevelt by theEmergencl Stabilization Act of 19:+2.

This allor,l'ed emplo1'ers to attract andretain employees because the pricecontrols did not apply to fringe benefits,like healthcare. Almost seventy yearslater. the system is norv severely outdatedand no lon-ser u orks. Althougheliminating our current svstem ri ould be

c game chan ser for ull u nion: nesotietin scontracts (since these days nostnegotiations focus on heaithcare relatedissues), this is not the thrust of myargument.

An employer-based healthcare systemgrants employers enormous control andis nothing more than "the company store"reinvented. Employers hold tremendouspower not just over ou1' lives, but ourfamilies' lives as weli, through the termsof our current healthcare plans. Manyworkers toil in low wage. highlydangerous jobs

- or in jobs they dislike

- merely for the benefits they believeare valuable and good. Good. horvever.is relative. Maintaining power overworkers, the foundation of the inherentlyoppressive nature of capitalism, causeslarge corporations to remain silent about,or even worse, speak out against a nationalhealthcare plan. Although corporationswould save enormous sums of money,allowing for wage increases foremployees and the accumulation of moreprofits, they would lose powel over their

workers. And let's face it, an empoweredworkforce is the last thing an employerwants. Unionization empowers workers,but ifhealthcare is the focus ofall contracttalks, unions are yielding much of theircollective power. Only a government-run healthcare system that coverseveryone can end the abuse. We need asingle-payer system for everyone, likeMedicare, that successfully runs withonly a 3 percent administration cost. Weneed to remind ourselves that healthcareis as fundamental to our existence as

food and should never be viewed as acommodity.

Consider the following exercise. Itmay seem a little ridiculous, but I think ithighiights the flaw in our healthcaresystem. Suppose we replace healthinsurance with food. Imagine youremployer provided you with a card tobrin_s to one of the in-networksupermarkets when you go groceryshopping. The nutural organic store isout of network, so if you decide to shopthere. you are forced to pay the entire billout of pocket. Keep in mind that foodwould no longer be a big part of yourbudget. because most of the food yourfamily, needs rvould be covered through

l our plan. so any out-of-pocket expensesii ill cut into 1 our discretionary spending.At an approved -erocerl' store you beginyour shoppin_s. Nou. the particular planyou have determines not only how muchyou can acquire. but also rvhat items youare allowed to have. A Bi-e-Box retailclerk's cheap plan may cover all themilk, bread, macaroni, rice, and beansyour family needs, but you may only beallowed to have meat once a week. Youwant vegetables? Hope you like frozen,because fresh are out of network. Anotherconsequence is that out-of-network items,like fresh vegetables, will become pricedastronomically high because they are nowconsidered a luxury. Let's say you are ina union and are lucky enough to have a

"Cadillac" fbod plan. You are allowed tohave meat three times a week, and througha bitter strike, you won the right to eatsteak, but only once a week. I shudder tothink what the Food and DrugAdministration's (FDA) recommendeddiet would be if corporate lobbyists werenegotiating our diets instead of ourhealthcare.

(torttirttted ott page I5)

SPRINGPAGE 6

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SCHOLARSHIP RULESLocal 1104 has a Scholarship Fund for the benefit of its members

and their families. The number of scholarships awarded each year is

determined by the Executive Board based on the funds available. Thisyear we will award thirteen scholarships - ten fbr active members and

their families ($1000 each); two for the retirees and their families -E. PatMyers Memorial, ($1000each);and one in memory olBob Lilja($2000), open to active and retired members and their families.

There may be only one winner per family per year. An individualmay win only once.

To be eligibte for a regular Local 1104 Scholarship Award you

must be:1. An active member of CWA Local 1104.

2. Thespouse or child of an active memberof CWA Local 1 104.

For the E. Pat Myers Scholarships you must be:

1. A retired member of CWA Local 1 104'

2. The spouse, child, or grandchild of a retired or deceased

member of CWA Local 1104.

For the Bob Lilja Memorial Scholarship you must be:1. An active member of CWA Local 1104.

2. The spouse orchild of an activememberof CWA Local 1 104'

3. A retired member of CWA Local 1104.

4. The spouse, child, or grandchild of a retired or deceased

member of CWA Local 1104.

Member, for the purpose of these Scholarship Awards, means:

1. Active member: Member in good standing at the time the

application is submitted and thereafter.2. Retired member: Member in good standing at the time of

retirement.3. Deceased member: Member in good standing at the time of

death.

The applicant must be either:1. A college student working tull time toward an undergraduate or

associate degree (matriculating) at an accredited college or

university.2. A high school student or graduate who has been accepted at an

accredited college or university.

Scholarship Fund Application Instructions1. Fill our Section A. Answer all questions.2. Take or mail form, along with your letter of acceptance or other

documentary proof from the college or university where you

have been accepted or are presently attending, to CWA Local1104 Headquarters, One Florgate Road, Farmingdale, NYI 1735 between 8:00am and 5:00pm weekdays and have a LocalOfficer fill out Section B.

3. Final determination on the eligibility of any application will be

made by the Local I104 Scholarship Committee. The deadline

for applications to be received at the Union Office is 5:00 pm on

Friday, August 13, 2010.

If you have any questions, please call Ed Connelly at the UnionOffice (516) 420-1104.

Applicatiott on Page 7

SPRING PAGE 7

APPLICATION FOR LOCAL 1104 SCHOLARSHIP AWARD - 2O1O

SECTION A:Name of Applicant:

Home Address:

(last) (first) (middle)

Date of Birlh:

Sex:

(street)

(month) (day) (yea|

(city)

Social Security #:

Home Phone #:

(state) (zip)

(male or female)

Name of Sponsoring Local 1 104 Member:(last) (first) (middle)

Home Address:

Work Location:

(street) (city) (state) (zip)

(street)

Your relationship to sponsoring Local 1 '104 Member:

ls the sponsoring member in good standing?

lf the answer to the second or third oart of the a

Retired: Deceased:(yes or no)

bove question is yes, indicate the date of retirement or death:

Are you attending, or have you been accepted by an accredited college or university?

You must attach a letter of acceptance or other documentary proof with this application, showing acceptance or attendanceat an accredited colleqe or universitv.

Do you fully intend to obtain a college degree?(yes or no)

lf the answer is NO, explain:

lf selected for this scholarship award, I fully agree to adhere to the rules and decisions that are made by the Local 1104Scholarshio Fund Committee.

(signature of applicant) (date)

SECTION B:This is to certify:( ) An active member of CWA Local 1 104;

( ) The spouse or child of an active member of CWA Local 1104;

( ) A retired member of CWA Local 1 104;

( ) The spouse, child, or grandchild of a retired or deceased member of CWA Local '1104.

(yes or no) (yes or no)

LI

is:

Signature of Local Officer:

Title: Date:

SPRINGPAGE 8

Grievance Update(continued.from page I )

settled within a four-hour period. Hopefully,it will free up our lawyers so our members

don't have to wait these long periods oftime to get their long suspensions and

dismissals heard. But this process is a

"Trial," so we'll have to see if this willbecome a permanent part of our grievance

procedure. I do wantto thankthose involvedwith these cases. Team efforts fromStewards, Chiefs and Business Agents have

resulted in these wins. I'll say again, the

preparation for grievances starts on the

shop floor with our Chiefi and Stewards.

The importance of gathering the pertinent

information and writing a detailed grievance

is paramount in achieving success.

On a lighter note, I would like to send

thanks to those involved with the St.

Patrick's Day Parade. As a Local, weparticipated in the parade on March 20,

2010 in Rockville Centre. It was a great

day, with beautiful weather, and it was a

real joy to be a paft of it. I'm alreadY

looking forward to next year. I rvould loveto see more of our members turn out for a

nice event.Our thoughts and prayers go out to the

families of three Local 1 1 04 members who

recently passed away - Field Techs George

Jones and Frank "Chip" Goldsmith, and

also Retiree Bilt Barci. May they rest inpeace.

Campus Battlefront(continuetl fron page 2)

advocating responsible revenue generation

over slashing-and-burning economicdevelopment prospects which SUNY is

uniquely positioned to deliver.

To get involved, contact us at

www.gseu.org and sign up for e-updates at

http://www.unionvoice.o rgl cw a_l 104 Ijoin.html.

SUPPORT

Non-Stop Issues(continued from page 2)

or 140 West St. If those people lived here

and saw how bad the plant really is, that

number would probably be a lot smaller or

even a plus to bring back laid-off employees.

The Company has decided to use safety

as a new tool to discipline the techs. Since

this is the case, every tech should go through

every safety procedure every day on everyjob. There is no reason to cut comers on ajob because accidents will be documented.

Don't be a fool. Think safetY first.The list of issues is so long I only gave

a handfttl for you to read about. While the

employees come to work every day to eam

a paycheck and work on customer service.

Verizon has decided to take a differentapproach. Drive the employees ctazy and

treat the customers badlY.

Ivan, go on (Jndercover Boss and see

what really is going on in this Company ! !

SAFETY TIP: Do all safety proceduresevery day!!

Chris's Quote: Verizon, rl'here are thenew contracts??

To All The OtherCompanies I RePresent(continued fi'om page 3)

To the members of OHS Technologies,

I am bargaining rvith the owners as ofthis writing and hope to have somethingto put to a vote in the next ferv weeks.

Also, I am starting to bargain withCreative Cabling and CommunicationsInstallation Corp. We also have just sent

out the new contracts for ALSAB.Let's hope this economy opens uP

and makes all of our lives better.Remember to call me - 5 16-420-1104 ifyou have any problems or questions.

Fiscally Speaking(corttinuetl frottt Page | )

In this edition of Cros'r Zalk you willsee the application for the LocalScholarships. The form is self-explanatory and the drawings will be

held in August. Good luck to all entrants.

V-Forces and Surpluses( continued .from page 3 )

from the Covert Avenue Garage. Georgewas known to many as "Noodles." Hewas a well-liked guy, a gentle giant whoaffected the lives of the people he workedwith every day. The Field Techs in the

Covert Avenue Garage and the rest of his

CWA family will miss him. George, we

will never forget you and may your spiritlive on.

Also, Frank Goldsmith, known tomany as "Chip," passed away on March24,2010.Chip worked out of the Wantaghand Bellmore Garages. I know that Chipwill be deeply missed, and CWA lost agood friend on March 24. Chip, may you

rest in peace and may your spirit live on.

Our deepest condolences to both of the

families.

Mike's Message - Work safelY, besafe, and ifthejob is unsafe, it doesn'tget done. We are not refusing to worklwe just don't want to be Placed on aSafetl' Compliance steP.

Contracts(continuecl .from pttge 4)

contract with no change in the languageby which the amount is calculated,available at any time, for the length ofthe contract:

6. Medical;1 . Verizon Business issues;

8. 401k. Roth IRA;9. Commercial issues (Business

Office);10. Accounting issues;1 l. LiveSource issues;12. Plant/TRG issues - These issues

were to create 70 new COEI positionswhich was done. Upstate - 24 new FieldTech positions, Molding Trial, DuctWork Trail;

13. TRG Warehouse Issues;14. Extend all existing District and

Local Agreements and adjust all dates.

For the most part, that is all that was

added to the contract. If anyone has

any questions regarding any of these

items you can always call the Local Office

- 516-420-1104.OUR TROOPS

SPRING PAGE 9

Retirees Corner(continued from last page)

In addition to the doughnut holechanges - within the next six monthsalone, the new law:

Provides a $5 billion reinsurance fundto help employers who provide healthbenefits to early retirees ages 55 to 64(goes into effect in 90 days);

Eliminates pre-existing conditions fornon-dependent children up to age 26;Prohibits insurers from placing lifetimelimits on coverage;

Restricts new plans' annual limits oncoverage;

Provides $5 billion to states to createa high risk insurance pool for those deniedinsurance due to pre-existing conditionsand who have been without insurance for6 months;

Prohibits rescission. or droppingcovera_se. u,hen individuals become sick:

Creates a public health and wellnessfund. and requires new private insuranceplans to offer preventive services withoutco-payments;

Provides up to 35 7c tax credits tosmall businesses that offer health carecoverage; and

Creates a nerv and independent healthinsurance appeals process for consumers.

Of course. like anything else, thisBill rvill have its ups and downs and willhave to have corrections made to it alongthe u'ay. But it is something that wasbadly needed.

Chapter members will be going to see

the play "Chapter Two" in May and wewill take our annual cruise down to theStatue of Liberty in August.

For those of you who haven't been toany of our Chapter meetings lately, youhave missed out on some very good guestspeakers.

At our October meeting, we had twospeakers, one from the L.I. BloodServices to remind us that many of us arestill eligible to give blood and theimportance of giving back to ourcommunity. We were also fortunate tohave a U.S. Postal Inspector talk to usregarding fraud in the mail and what todo to prevent this. In November, we alsohad two speakers, Pete Cirillo from theLocal spoke to us regarding changes in

our health and benefit plan with Verizonand he fielded questions from thosepresent. Pete does a greatjob at the Localfor both the active and retired 1 104members. In addition to Pete speaking,we had Patrick Inscrimb from the NassauCounty Veterans Affairs Office bring usup to date on veterans' issues.

December brought the people fromDavid Lerner to speak to us. No, "Poppy"didn't come, but the team of people hesent was very good in explaining thevarious types offinancial tools available.

With the start of the New Year, ournext speaker spoke about a subject thathas been infiltrating our schools for sometime and increasing. Patricia Rykert fromthe L.I. Council on Alcohol and DrugDependence spoke on the increasing useand availability of drugs in our schools.She also spoke about prescription drugsand our dependence on them.

At the membership meeting inFebruarl . \\'e \\'ere a captive audience toNassau County Police Officer JohnDoxwell. No, he wasn't giving outparking tickets, but he did enlighten allof us on the many issues that thehomeowner must be aware of and thework of your locai police force.

Finally. in March. we had Dr. LindaCocchiarella from the L.I. Occupationaland Environmental Health Center. Thegood doctor spoke about the many job-related illnesses from asbestos, lead andhigh pitch tones that we have encounteredover the many years as employees in theBell System.

So, as you see, we have had a varietyof guest speakers at our meetings. And,of course, our master chefs alwaysprepare a good lunch before we send youon your way.

So stop by, we meet the first Mondayof each month at 10 AM at the same spot,the Knights of Columbus Hall inLevittown.

Finally, in February, we lost one onour original charter and committeemembers. Bill Barci passed away after along illness. Bill was our V.P. at Largeand served in that capacity from the verybeginning of this Chapter. When LeoDick was installed as the first Presidentof this Chapter, the first person he tappedto be on the board was Bill. He served ourChapter well over many years. The

sympathy of all our members goes out toBill's wife, Barbara. and the entire Barcifamily.

That's about enough of me for now. Ido hope to see you at one of our upcomingevents in the near future - "ChapterTwo" in May or the cruise to the Statueof Liberty in August. Whateveryourplansare, enjoy the spring and summer.

Be well and enjoy your retirement.

Is Ivan Surplus Too?(continued from page I )

of Directors in Verizon is right; Ivan justdoesn't have it anymore. It seems hisanswer to everything is to cut jobs. Iguess at 63 Ivan is having difficultyremembering back when he was aSplicer's Helper in the Bronx. Yes, that'sright. he was a little guy once who wasgiven the fast track, one where he sat atthe top of the manhole and did hishomework on Company time and leftalmost everyday at,2:30 PM so he couldgo to school. Just think how times change.If you did this, you would be suspendedimmediately or worse. Hey, Ivan, youneed a walk down memory lane to remindyou what a dirty manhole looks like andwhat the little people have to do to makeends meet.

Recent negotiations fell apart becauseVerizon wanted to crush the little people.They offered some people a little money,kept some of their pets, and wanted tocontinue contracting out our work. Theywanted us to agree to bargain away ourjobs for the present and the future, andthen threaten us with massive layoffsthis year. The press release they have putout is far from the full story and onlythose who are self-serving would everbelieve it's true.

Your union is in the business ofrepresenting people and putting them towork, not giving away their jobs. Standstrong, stand tall, and tell them if youwant to negotiate, bring us a deal like yougave Ivan when he was one of the littlepeople. He is still little, but he's very richbecause the people he worked for gavehim a break.

PAGE 10 SPRING

WHO'S WHO IN CWA LOCAL IIO4OFFICERSPresidentExecutive Vice Presidents:

Telecommunications Div.Operator Services Div.Education Div.

Secretary/Treasurer

Business Agents - Telecommunications Division:Construction & Real EstateInstallation & RepairAvaya and Non-TelClericalCentral Office

Director/Member Assistance ProgramAssistant Director/Member Assistance ProgramMedical and Insurance ProblemsRetirees Chapter PresidentLegislative and Political DirectorOrganizerDefensive Driving

Business Agents - Operator Services Division:At-LargeNortheast AreaWestern AreaAccounting

Business Agents - Education Division:At-LargeAlbanyBinghamtonBuffaloStony Brook

George K. Bloom

Thomas BenedettoKim YoungKathleen Sims

Edward W. Connelly

Christopher BlomMichael IppolitiGeorge W. MagnusonStella PereyraMichael Presti

Edward W. ConnellyNancy StockPeter CirilloDaniel S. ParisiAnthony EramoJames McAseyEugene Lanza

Evelyn KluczynskiDenise CummingsMary M. BagenLindsay Abbate

Monazir KhanArindam MandalDan JohnsonMia JorgensenMarcelo Disconzi

Tel: (516) 420-1104 NassauTape:(516) 420-1153Fax: (516) 420-8390Retirees Tape: (516) 420-9126

Tel: (601) 162-1104 BinghamtonFax: (607) 7'73-5415

SPRING PAGE 15

Sold My Soul(contintted from page 5 )

This all sounds ludicrous, right? Is itthat far off from the healthcare plans thatare currently offered? Who gets rvhatand how much? If you are wealthyenough, it doesn't matter - you willalways buy what you need and want (andthen some). So what happens to the restof us? We fight every day for somethingthat should be a fundamental right ofer ely human being . . . maintaining ourhealth I

Our salary and work title should notdetermine our healthcare options. \\-hris a day-care worker's iife ri'orth lessthan a CEO's? A day-care riorke r perhour creates more utilitl for :ocieir inrelation to his/her u a-ue ihan anr one in acorporate boardroom. \\'hr shouldn't

low-wage workers receive the sameprevention and options for theirhealthcare services? If you are wealthyenough to afford extra services, great for1'ou and your family, but everyonedeserves proper and robust healthcare.After all. aren't all men and womencreated equal? A lot ofour elected leaderslike to talk about their faith. Ifthey trulywere faithful servants, then they know intheir hearts that universal coverage isnoble and godly. Unfortunately, the faiththey really have is in capitalism, and theyplay the role of obedient servant to thefree market.

The public option is a good start tobe-sin untangling the mess that is ourcurrent healthcare system. Providingcompetition and an affordable, dynamichealthcare option for the American peopleshould help lead us to a system that

works for everyone. Eventually we needto eliminate the employer-basedhealthcare model;I just wish it was soonerrather than later. In order to level theplaying field with corporate interests,there mnst be a massive uprising led bythe labor movement with support fromall social and progressive movements.Publicly-funded elections would be a

catalyst to achieving fairness in ourelectoral and legislative process. Untilthat balance is restored, we will allcontinue to beg for our healthcare andour lives at the "company store."

With great pleasure we welcome threenew advertisers to Locai 1104: Mr. JohnCarbonara, a Certified Financial Plannerfiom Securities America, Inc., and Dr.William J. Mitrus, a Chiropractor. Theirads appear on this page. John Fielding,Tim Cheriaparampil and Patrick Gunther,of David Lerner Associates' ad appearson oage 6.

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ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

OFFICERSPresidentExecutive Vice Presidents:

Telecommunications Div.Operator Services Div.Education Div.

S ecretary/Treasurer

Tel: (516) 420-1104Tape: (516) 420-1753Tape: (516) 420-9126Fax: (5 l6) 420-8390

Tel.: (607) 762-1104Fax: (60'7) 773-5475

o@sc

TIME -VALUED

George K. Bloom

Thomas BenedettoKim YoungKathleen SimsEdward W. Connelly

Nassau

Retirees

Binghamton

NON-PROFIT ORG,

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERNlIT #14

HUNTINGTON. NY

Dan Parisi

THE RETIREES CORNER

CHAPTER CHATTER

By now, we are all hoping that springis jrist around the corner. This winter waspretty bad for all of us, including many ofour chapter members living in the Mid-Atlantic States. You thought )rou weregoing to get away from the sno$'? Sorryabout that.

If you have read any of the articles inthis issue of Cro.rs Talk. from President

George Bloom to all of the businessagents, you will know all about the surplusdeclaration by Verizon currently on thetable. It is a disgrace how Verizon planson mnning this company. But then again.when did they really plan anything thatwas for the benefit of the employees orthe customer? I reaily don't know howthey plan on -uetting the work done, bothin the field and inside. But then again.when did they really care about theiremployees?

With the Senate passing the HealthCare Bill strictly across party lines, andthe opposition trying to sabotage it, alongwith a dozen states appealing it in court,one wonders what are we doing and whereis this country going. The Bill, as itstands today, will have little effect onretirees from Verizon at this time. Belouare some of the things that will aid seniors:

Covers preventive services; in 201 I,seniors in Medicare will receive freeannual check-ups with no co-paymentsfor mammograms, colonoscopies andother preventive screenings:

Supports early retiree covelase.providing linancial assistance t()

employer health plans that corer elrlrretirees:

EnCOurageS OOCiLrr> ii ; - - :Jinale Care

and improve qualitr. crcai:iS i::,intivesfor providers to work together and reducewasteful care like repeated tests:

Removes obstacles to changing PartD prescription drug plans, allowing PartD enrollees to make a mid-year change intheir enrollment if their olan makes an

unexpected change;Expands the Medicare Part D low-

income subsidy. which will significantlyhelp struggling seniors afford their healthcare costs:

Enacts the CLASS Act, creatin-{ newlong-term assistance for seniors and thedisabled;

Enacts the Elder Justice Act.authorizing new criminal backgroundchecks on long-term care workers whohave access to residents or patients: and

Eliminates wasteful overpayments toMedicare Advantage plans while creatingincentives for coordinated. high qualitycare across the health care spectrum,extending the solvency of the MedicareTrust Fund by 9 l,ears and improvingMedicare for generations to come.

I t'otttirtued on page 9)