Frontier Bargaining Report #109

1/12/2023

Sisters and Brothers,

Your Committee did not meet with the company today. The sub-committee had a productive meeting with the company yesterday and spent the day working on our training initiative. The chairs of both committees held conversations trying to see if the elephant in the room (The FiOS Jobs of the Future MOA) could be set aside and addressed after the arbitration on it this summer. The company is unwilling to do so despite that it would almost ensure an agreement being reached. For those of you that are not in the loop of that MOA, it basically allows the company to use unlimited contracting which should be reported on the contractor report and they do not have to offer OT to those titles where the contracting is being utilized. The MOA states that Article 27, Use of Contract Labor shall not apply to any work-related activities associated with FiOS work, which is trademarked by Verizon. The company in 2021 was no longer able to use the word/term "FiOS" and regarded it as Frontier FiberOptic Internet. In the Union's opinion, this MOA has become MOOT and should be deleted. We filed a grievance on this and scheduled for arbitration this summer. By being MOOT, this would force the company to offer a minimum of 8 hours of OT to the workgroups affected by contracting. If allowed to remain in the CBA, all fiber related work would be excluded from Article 27. I hope you all can see the horrible ramifications this can cause and is a pure form of Union Busting by allowing YOUR work to be taken by contractors. This is why your committee is steadfast in not renewing a JOB KILLING MOA THAT IS MOOT!!! We encourage you to stand up and ask andDEMAND from your manager, that they delete this MOA. This will not just affect the field technician side of things. 

The deadline for this extension is tomorrow at midnight, and the company is unwilling to put this MOA aside until the arbitrator rules in favor of one side or the other. They are holding your livelihood hostage. With inflation the way it is, they do not want you to get your raise because they want to use contractors to take your job in the near future. YOU MUST STAND UP! USE YAMMER AND DEMAND A CONTRACT FROM NICK JEFFERY, BOB C., AND RICK CARPENTER!

We have not signed another extension at this point. The company/security should not be locking your badges out! Call your AVP if this is happening.

UNITED we thrive, DIVIDED we fail, so let Nick Jeffery and your supervisors know you want and deserve a fair contract!!

 In Solidarity,
 Your Bargaining Committee

TS/cmt
opeiu#13