3 of the largest NYC locals are advising their members to vote no on this contract. Locals 1101,1106, and 1109.
Will enough members vote no? Combined with members in the other locals who may vote no even tho their locals are recommended a yes? There's enough people in those 3 locals alone to vote down this temporary extension and send it back to bargaining...
The ibew is silent? They haven't sent out any letters or explanations..
1101 lost its clout years ago when west 1 & 2 closed. They are done.
If the CWA is not strong enough to negotiate a new contract that's better, then why am I paying them dues to represent me. People say if we do fight and we wind up on strike, we cannot win, then the CWA is not needed to represent us. Yes, the extension raises pay a few percentage to match cost of living and guarantees the company has to hire more employees. The union makes a percentage off what you make, so the more you make and the number of employees is their only main goal, they aren't as concerned negotiating for anything else.
@q5 now go get your shine box .
@j4 IBEW electricians laugh at the divided Vz unions. Union leadership reaps all the benefits. Wake up and be one unit!
@pw Why a NO vote is a risky, likely losing proposition in 2026
The current federal climate gives us ZERO backup if we strike
We're negotiating under a Trump administration with a Republican Labor Secretary (Lori Chavez-DeRemer) and a weakened NLRB. Union leaders explicitly said there's "no support from the Federal Government" and a "gutted National Labor Relations Board." In 2016, Obama-era DOL intervened to help end the strike in our favor. That kind of help isn't coming now. Rejecting this means going back to the table with no leverage from D.C.—Verizon knows it and would play hardball.
Rejecting forces new full negotiations starting ~June 2026—with real downside risk
If the deal fails ratification, the contract still expires August 1, 2026. The parties must start fresh talks 60 days before (around early June). But leadership negotiated this extension precisely because they didn't think a full fight would yield better results. The company already walked away twice in 2025 over retiree benefits and made clear caps/out-of-pocket limits weren't budging. A strike now could drag on without gains, and we'd lose paychecks while Verizon shifts more work offshore or to non-union contractors (they've done it before).
This deal delivers solid, guaranteed gains with ZERO givebacks
Wages: Extra 1% in 2026 (total 4%), then 3.5%, 3%, 3%, 3%—compounded 17.62% increase over the life. That's real money: a Field Tech in Wage Zone 1 could hit ~$132k base by end; a Rep ~$112k.
Corporate Profit Sharing: Minimum bumped to $1,200/year (up $500 from before), plus extra for newer hires deposited to 401(k).
Pension: Bands up 1% each year 2026–2029.
Retiree healthcare subsidy: Max annual benefit up to $15,440 (with subsidy hitting max after only 20 years instead of 25 for post-2008 hires).
Other wins: More CWA-represented jobs added, work brought back into the unit, Work-at-Home preserved, and union reps now allowed to sell Wireless products (new revenue/opportunity).
No concessions on job security, benefits, or anything else. Leadership called it "major gains and no givebacks"—that's rare in extensions.
Striking now won't get us more—leadership already said so
The bargaining team (with approval from every local president) chose extension talks because the environment is tougher: unstable economy, no federal ally, and Verizon's stance hardened. They met with the CEO directly. Rejecting means gambling that a strike would force better terms—but the union itself concluded it wouldn't. Ten years after our big 2016 win, this builds on those gains without rolling the dice again when the odds are worse.
A NO vote hurts us immediately—no bonus, delayed raises, uncertainty
Ratification locks in the raises starting July 2026, profit sharing, and everything else right away. Rejecting delays all that and puts everything back in play. We've already seen what prolonged fights cost families—lost wages, stress, division. This deal avoids that pain while securing improvements.
Bottom line: Voting YES locks in meaningful raises, better retirement security, and stability through 2030 without givebacks or risk. Voting NO throws away guaranteed money for a long-shot fight in a hostile climate where leadership says we can't win bigger. The bargaining committee, after months of talks and tough calls, recommends YES for good reason.
If your local has specific talking points, ratification meetings, or vote dates (some were set through late March 2026), lean on those too. Solidarity means recognizing when to take the win and build for the next round. Vote YES to keep moving forward! If you need tweaks for your local's specifics, let me know.
What job do you go ask for a raise and management tells well if you want something you have to give up something. No where except a company that makes a billion a day. Your so quick to take there scraps because union to lazy to negotiate. Tell them FU and vote NO
@k2 agree 100% .yes for me!
They voted to let the membership decide. I am voting yes I will just have to work a few more years to make up for the pre medicare health insurance. With the current administration is not exactly friendly to the working man.
@j3 There's quite a few electricians, as well as steam-fitters, who have come here seeking steady work and steady income. They were tired of being furloughed.
@jj about sums it up,and they blame the union and Verizon! Go figure! Vote yes!
So let me understand this... the pre-Medicare retirees are upset that the premiums are going up, are the same pre-Medicare retirees that allowed the Company to institute a two tiered contract.
And... they would like many of those second tier members to be willing to strike to enable them to keep the caps lower for the members who sold them out years ago? Weird, Huh?
@j3 I’m laughing all the way to the bank 🏦
@j3 I laugh at all you unioners
Watching you guys is like watching the three stooges
@gg my neighbor is an electrician for ibew and they laugh at Ibew/cwa technicians.
@a8 NY cwa only care about themselves, brotherhood does not exist anymore.
@bd
Have to agree. Once it's submitted to members it's done. Despite what people think about the vote
what would happen if cwa voted one way and ibew voted the other way?
1101 is the real union of them all
It Will pass! Already a done deal! Move on!
@aj absolutely correct! If this goes back to the table we are all fu---d! Fu-k new York!
The company is not going to revisit the medical caps. A renegotiation of the whole contract could mean losing stuff that was not on the table with the extension. Last but not least the current political makeup of the presidency, house, senate and NLRB are 100% stacked against all union members. Keep voting for Col Sanders, chickens!
ny can walk alone then. they left pa and the rest of us out on the street for 45 days while they collected unemployment benefits and for what ?
Sounds like the Union is gaslighting people the same way management does. Union and VZ are working together. The Union is trying to come across tough, but they already caved.
Thy voted yes at the bargaining table and now saying no. Talk about playing both sides of the fence! It will probably pass 70-30
I hope it gets voted down.