If I knew the status of all the depots, I would have a better grasp at the situation. But to be blatantly honest with you, you HAD a great chance for victory if not for the Bronx bowing down to their inane, pointless, brain-dead assumption that, in the long run, Altice will not let them down. If you were Altice, or a general trying to defeat the enemy, you aim at the enemy's strengths, then little by little, chip away at the weaknesses. The Bronx and Brooklyn represent the largest number of techs in a depot. Brooklyn is unionized. If the Bronx had followed suit, all the other depots would've joined in. The problem with the other depots, I assume, is their size. Therefore their impact would be small. Also, add the uncertainty that some depots may be sold off to other systems, thus, Altice wouldn't care less. But...... but..... IF ALL THE OTHER DEPOTS UNITED...... NOW...... ALL OTHER DEPOTS...... then that's a different story. Communication between all the other depots, with a tech representative for each, in a meeting SIMULTANEOUSLY, to agree on a plan of action. From what I read on this website, no one seems to know what the hell the other guy is doing. Technicians are asking a ton of legit questions. And they're getting bogus, untruthful responses. I, for one, will give you my source and prove my point. Not to prove I am right, but to make sure NO ONE is misled. How you care to use that information is on your conscious. As far as the separate feelings or stances between the seniors (veterans) and the newbies..... it's two entirely different sides. Veterans earn much more and rightfully so. They've earned it. Veterans have been there and done that. But it is more difficult to accept the reality that you are no longer needed due to your current age and wage. And due to their age, to try to start a new career is difficult to accept. Most of the Bronx veterans KNOW who is speaking to YOU right now. I've known you for a long time. I've seen some of you guys go from field service to engineering. You busted your butt. The veterans need to tell the newbies that they should expect the same fate when their time comes. And Altice will NOT wait till you hit the ten-year level. It'll be sooner. Newbies already know they are at the bottom of the food chain, not realizing that this is what Altice would prefer. Therefore there is no fear. So the only "weapon" you would have is simply mathematics. Compute their "possible" salaries, minus the health costs and see if that'll knock some sense into them. You need to break it down for them. If you were Altice and read everything on this website (and GUARANTEED they have), would it seem to you that technicians know what the hell they're doing? Hell no. One question leads to 5 different answers. What you need is ONE SPOKESMAN.... a technician.... WITHOUT an agenda.... who stands to gain nothing just for him, or herself.... but stands to lose everything. And that person should come from the veterans, a clear communicator, conscious of facts and figures (you'll be asked questions) WITHOUT FEAR OF INTIMIDATION. That's your guy. Or, guys. My only regret is that I left too soon. Not that I needed to work for a living. We all do. But my time with Cablevision was already fulfilled. I met and will never forget the friends I have made. So I would've given myself up in a heartbeat. Nuff' said about moi.
But for those wondering what Altice is paying other technicians in your field, I've provided a link to a website called Glassdoor, which simply gathers volunteered salary information from employees.
https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Altice-Salaries-E1315515.htm
For those too lazy to check out the link, here's a synopsis....
Customer Service Representative - Hourly, begins at $14.00, average salary $18.20
Traffic Coordinator - salary, begins at $35K, average $40,664 per year
Senior Manager - salary, begins at $125K, average $125k - $136k
Lead Technical Support Representative - Hourly, begins at $32, average $32 - $36
Field Service Technician - hourly, begins at $15, averages $21
Keep in mind that employees volunteer this information. Also, there is NO INDICATION of the number of years it would take to reach those salaries. From the 96 responses in the website, the CEO received a 27% approval rating. And recommending this company to a friend was at 31%. DAMN !!!! That stinks!
And just for comparison, prior to the Altice purchase, the Cablevision CEO received a 40% approval rating. And recommending Cablevision to a friend was at 52%. In other words.... YOUR SITUATION GOT WORSE !!!
And for those wondering what is happening with IBEW, their website states...
Altice Workers: Union Informational Meeting
Location
IBEW 1049 Union Hall
100 Corporate Drive
Holtstville , NY 11742
Event Date Wednesday, February 8, 2017 - 7:00pm
By the way, they misspelled Holtsville at the site, so I corrected it.
Well, I hope this will help you guys out. And to all you veterans.... this will probably be the greatest fight you've ever had. Be the example, get the gloves out.... and give'em hell... and the finger !!!