Tuesday, November 17, 2009 6:30 p.m. Local Hall at 920 11th Street SE, Washington, D.C. (Walking Distance from Potomac Ave Metro Stop)

The following Verizon Organizations have a need to reduce force and intend to offer EISP:

• Network Engineering
• VPS
• Public Communications
• Potomac Regional Operations

Distribution of packages to impacted employees began on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. The volunteer period will begin on November 4, 2009—volunteers will be accepted as necessary to meet business needs. Volunteers whose applications for EISP are accepted will have a last day worked of December 19, 2009.

In the Potomac Regional Operations organization, in the judgment of the Company, it is unlikely that EISP will be sufficient to meet its force reduction needs. In that event, the Company intends to invoke the force adjustment provisions under Article 35 of the General Agreement which may require part-timing, reassignment to lower paid job titles or classifications, involuntary transfer who necessitates a change of residence and termination or layoff of regular employees with a net credited service date of August 3, 2003 or later.

Job security protections provided for all members under M. J. Johnston with a NCS after 8-03-03 as a result of the "Loaned Technician Issue" established back in April of this year is no longer in affect.

The fall CWA-COPE Fundraising Drive has been extended through November 25, 2009. While we have made some small progress in the last six weeks, we have a long way to go to set the stage for the work we have to do for the 2010 elections.

The primary way we can be successful is to ask people to participate at every opportunity. This will include membership meetings, workplace meetings, stewards meetings and all of the conversations we are having with our members about health care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act. Every contact we have is an opportunity to ask someone to participate in CWA-COPE or increase the amount they give.

When President Larry Cohen announced that Wednesday, October 28^th would be a National Call-in Day for CWA, Local 2336 responded by mobilizing the Local’s Legislative/Political Committee to get the message out to our entire membership as to what is at stake concerning healthcare reform. 

"We support health care reform, but taxing our health benefits is not health care reform," says Local Steward Kaye Doye. 

"Make all employers pay, and the wealthy should pay their fair share, too," says Local Steward Tolya Elliott-Chandler.

"Right now, the U.S. Senate is threatening to pass health care reform that would tax our health care benefits," say Local Steward Bonnie Barrett

"The tax would encourage employers to cut benefits and shift costs to workers and retirees," says Local Steward Chris Collins.

Call your Senators right now at 1-888-580-0792 and tell them: taxing health benefits is not real health care reform