CrossTalksPRNG2olo
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF LOCAL 1 104
George Bloom
IS IVAN
SURPLUS TOO?
There are strong rumors that Ivan
Seidenberg's fellow Board Members
want him off the Board. Ivan only made
$17.3 million last year, u'hich is a 147c
cut from the year before. The Board has
been unhappy with his inability to move
the stock price up. Ivan is 63 years ofage
and has to retire when he reaches 65. The
question is, "Will he be able to hold on?"
Verizon recently announced it has
put a hold on seeking any new CATV
franchise agreements. So that means that
if you are unable to get FiOS now, it is
unlikely you will get it anytime soon.
What does that mean to our members? I
don't believe it's good. Verizon has
already declared some 4000 members
surplus in New York State, and unless
you are in one of the areas where the
FiOS build is being completed, I think
work will be very slow. Fortunately, we
have job security under our present
collective bargaining agreement. Verizon
claims they currently have a 207a
saturation rate in the areas where FiOS is
available, and they believe that a 307o
saturation rate is achievable. However,
in a recent conference call Ivan told Wall
Street that we had better reach a 407o
saturation rate or management's heads
would roll. Perhaps the rest of the Board
(continued on page 9)
COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA. AFL-CIO
Tom Benedetto
GRIEVANCE
UPDATE
The arbitration case for the Modified
Absence Control Plan remains in progress.
There have been several hearings already
with the next date in May. I will keep you
posted as this case moves alon-s.
Atthis time, we are awaiting the decision
on a dismissal case here in Locai 1 104. The
case was concluded in late October and the
decision has still not been rendered. We
have also secured arbitration dates for three
other dismissals. Finally, we will get a
chance to hear these cases before an
arbitrator. Thesethree members have waited
an excruciatingly long time for their day.
Along with our lawyers, we will do all we
can to put good cases together and try to get
these members back to work.
We have had success with the
arbitration/mediation process that was
bargained as a trial in the 2008 contract
bargaining. In the three cases we have had,
one was mutually resolved, and we also had
two settlements prior to the hearings, where
both members received their suspensions
back and the incidents were removed from
their records. We have three more cases on
the calendar. I believe it is a good process
for handling short suspensions. I handle
these cases, along with our CWA Staff
Representative and the Business Agent of
the grievant. The cases are argued and
(continued on page 8)
VOLUME 57
Ed Connelly
FISCALLY
SPEAKING
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Believe it or not, there was a time
when it was actually fun to be a telephone
employee.
There was a time when management
just allowed you to do yourjob and supply
telephone service to the customer. As
employees. we had pride in doing a good
job and receiving a fair salary for such
labor. New York Telephone was like a
big family, sometimes dysfunctional, but
a family nonetheless. We were told that
we were one of the most. if not the most,
productive companies in the United
States.
Your foreman would give out work in
the morning and give you whatever new
directives he or she had, and you went
along with your day. Did we sometimes
stop fbr coffee more than once a day or
stop at a store to pick up something not
job-related? Of course we did. But we
did our jobs and if we didn't, someone
would ask us if we were having trouble
or needed assistance. No one ever got
suspended or fired, and we took care of
things in the workplace. Somehow, all of
that has changed, and now, if you're not
towing the company line, you will be
disciplined or subject to termination. I
long for the old days.
(cctntinuetl on page 8)

PAGE 2
CAMPUS
BATTLEFRONT
BRIEFING
Kathleen 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 of
support 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! ! Reoublicans and Tea Baggers vo$' to
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 unfinished
business 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's
proposed Public Higher Education
b.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 their
increasingly 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)
IT'S ALLABOUT HOW
YOU TOOKAT IT
Kim Young
A lot has happened recently that one
could write about that potentially will
have 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 to
discussions around the "enhancement'"
RecentlY. I've sPenl' much time
listening 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
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 of
the year." Wow, who knew that what
they were doing was cooperating? All
along, 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 of
our 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
- need to be replaced. The Company only
quasi-managers. And though we may
witness behavior that may cause us to be
disturbed, it's a manager's job to identify
that improper behavior, and if warranted
to take action. It is not for us to sit in
judgment of one another. By feeding into
the situation we only exacerbate the
situation.
(continued on Puge 4)
SPRING
Chris Blom
NON-STOP ISSUES
We 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 routine
work. It would have been smarter to not
lay off techs and give them an option to
work in Buffalo. How about temporarily
transferring techs from one department
to another department and then back to a
different department? The District can't
keep up with all the moves that take
plaie. We also have people loaned in
irom 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 billing
problems five years later' The Company
has decided to put every tech on N-days
and night tours to save money' but won't
dispatch a tech out to the customer's
house until the customer argues enough
with them.
Now let's talk about all the poles that
does this work when the Public Service
Commission harasses them. This work
should be done every day to maintain a
safe plant for the public and employees'
Who came uP with the crazY
number of 1041 surplus field techs?? It
is easy to write a number down when
you're sitting in an office in New Jersey
(continued on Page B)
SPRING
Mike lppoliti
V.FORCE AND
SURPLUSES
We started the Nen \-ear har ing to
deal with the Scheduling Center up in
Syracuse. The Field Tech: nill send a
text or an e-ntaii ri ith dar: $ e $ ant off
and then it's a big nvster\ as to \\ hether
or not the)' are -Qranted. The responses
are, "You have been denied as per the
projected work load," or. "You are being
put 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'. let
alone three u'eeks from nou'. It is just
another way to infuriate us. Then they
wonder why the morale is at an all-time
low. A committee has been formed on
the National level to sit with the Company
to get the issues resolved on the V-Force
issues and the contract violations of
Article 23.
A surplus of 1047 Field Techs in
Nassau and Suffolk Counties has been
announced as a process change. The
National Union and the Company met in
March to talk about an EIPP package.
The National Union told the Company it
was not adequate and they will meet
again to see if they can offer something
sufficiently attractive so that people will
be able to retire. The message the
Company 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
(contittuetl on page 8)
George Magnuson
AVAYA AND LUCENT
Well. the Ten Little Indians saga
continues in AVAYA as two more Indians
are sone. Ken Horan and Bob Golden
linalll had enou-sh and retired. And then
there 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 lot
of laughs. It was just like old times. It
made me sad to think about how much
ir,'e liked the lvork. but even more. holv
much fun u'e al1 had together.
Ercept fol one or t\\ o grottches.
nobodl n anted to be late in the morning
for two reasons. First. you didn't want to
miss whatever antics and pranks were
going on, and second, you didn't want to
be the target of such goings-on. Most of
us older dogs are retired, and except for
a few, all the young gllys are in Verizon.
If you know any, ask them - they will tell
you 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 healthy
and enjoy your retil'ement.
UPDATE AT DOWNTOWN
George Magnuson
Well, it took a long time, but we have
a new contract. It was a hard fight and
your support was greatly appreciated by
the bargaining team. With the horrible
state of the economy and all the problems
the State is having, it's good to be able to
PAGE 3
say we lost nothing and made some gains.
Your health care stays intact with no cost
to you, your pension is stable, and you
are getting raises.
There was a time I didn't see how we
could avoid a strike. but we did. If you
have any doubts about how bad things
can get, just look at St. Vincent's or the
other hospitals that have closed.
The new cancer treatment cenfer is
underway. This has caused some
problems by using up some Med/Surgical
beds, but it should creale more nursing
positions. The renovations that are going
on should make it a better and more
comfortable place to work. The grants
for the new ambulances are bringing in
more patients.
The hospital is putting out a notice of
meetin-es abor"rt the change of carrier for
medical coverage. This is because United
Health bought Oxford. There will be no
chan-qe in coverage. We are also working
with the hospital on safe patient handling.
I will probably need a couple of nurses to
get familiar with the new equipment out
there and see how we can get these into
the units where needed.
As always, for any problems or
questions. see your stewards or just call
me 516-420-1104.
-
TO ALL THE OTHER
COMPANIES I REPRESBNT
George Magnuson
Congratulations to the members at
the North Babylon Public Library! We
now have a new contract and you should
be receiving your retroactive checks, or
you may already have them by the time
you read this. I wouid like to extend my
thanks to Susan and Linda, your members
on the bargaining team. Although I could
not achieve all that I wanted atbargaining,
especially on the part-time issue, I believe
it was not for lack of trying. The Library
would not give on that issue. However,
your health care stayed as is, and you will
get your raises with some contract
improvements in these times a major
-
victory.
(cotttirtuetl ott puge 8)
PAGE 4 SPRING

Michael Presti Stella Pereyra Lindsay Abbate

CONTRACTS FORCED TRANSFERS DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU

coNTRACT, CONTRACT, Just when you think You've seen it CAN HELP SAVE A JOB?
CONTRACT, where is the contract? all, Verizon comes along once again and
pulls the rug out from under its employees Do you get a paper phone bill in the
This is what everyone has been asking
and our union members. mail? Do you mail your payment in or
lately. How come the Union hasn't given
With just a few weeks notice, Facilities pay online? Everything has a cause and
it to us yet? What is the Company/Union
Specialists from Wantagh, Brooklyn and effect. The Accounting Department, both
hiding from us? Let me set the record
Upstate and Downstate, is affected by
straight. Ifyou look in the contract books Queens were told to "pack their bags" -
that you currently have and turn to Page their new work location was -soin-s to be your day-to-day decisions. The
Lynbrook. The forced transfers to L1 nbrook Do\\'nstate Accounting -eroup prints and
93, Article 39 Copies of Contract, it
says:
-
"Effective with this Agreement the have caused quite a hardship for many of mails the phone bills associated with the
these union members. Many of them who New York and New England areas. The
COMPANY shall be resPonsible for
were forcedherefromBrooklyn andQueens Upstate Accounting group handles the
providing a copy of the contract to each
rely on public transportation to get to and payments for those bills. We cannot
Union-eligible employee." Now I will
from work. The move to LYnbrook has depend on the Company to look out for
explain the process of distribution. The
added many additional hours to their daily us, so we need to look out for each other.
Company is supposed to send the
commute. The Company has made itnearly We are losing work to technology. If you
amendments to a printer so the National
impossible for our members with child and do not receive a paper bill or pay online,
Union can review them for errors. Once
elder care issues to attend to them. This is make the switch. By receiving a paper
that is done, the Company then prints
copies for each member. Then they give
hou'Verizon rervards members who have bill you can help save someone's job.
given some thirty plus years of service to Please get the word out to your friends
the copies to the Union and the Union
them. and neighbors who don't realize that this
distributes them to each member. So
They have turned a cold shouider to the work is done by proud CWA members.
what's the holdup? The holdup, from what
union members who helped build the Please remember to wear RED on
I have been told, is the Company wanted
Company and make it as profitable as it has Thursdays.
to use a non-union Printer and the
become.
Union is opposed to this. I would like to thank the Bellmore and
The contracts that You currentlY Freeport Field Techs who donated blood on
have are still in effect nothing in that
-
book has changed (except for the ACP
March 3 I , 2010. Thanks for helping to save
many lives.
part which is in arbitration). Now what
has been added is as follows:
1. Wages effective 8/01/ 10
- How You Look At It
3.7 5Vo increase; ( corttinued .from page 2 )
2. COLA - 8/01/10 increase; do your actions walk a different talk?
3. CPS Award - minimum $700; When was the last time You thought
about how your actions related to the We all need to take responsibility for
4. Pension Band increase 10/01/
our contributions and actions in a situation
l0 3.7 57o,
outcome of whathappens? Are you voicing
-5. Pension LumP Sum Payout or expressing objective crilicism. or are because we are either part of the problem or
-
Pension distribution options remain in you just complaining or obstructing part of the solution. Which are you?
progress? Do your actions build or In solidarity.
(corttirtuerl ort page 8) contlibute to the positive growth of unity or
SPRING
FROMMYDESK
Peter Cirillo
This is not about your Health Care
Benefits. This has to do with whether
you keep yourjob or not, ifyou have an
illness or an on-the-job injury.
I learned long ago that you don't
engage a battalion of gooks with a squad
of Marines. and expect to survive without
ground. air and artillery support. This
also pertains to Verizon when you are
dealing with Metlife, Workers' Comp..
or FMLA.
DOCUMENT,
DOCUMENT,
DOCUMENT. Save all correspondence
between you and Metlife. Workers'
Comp., or FMLA. including the
envelopes. For instance. if vou knou r ou
or your doctor faxed information. save
the transmission report. This has rital
information. the time and date it ilas
sent. q hat number it u as sent to. and if it
was received. Saying. "I sent it." just
won't hold up!ll!
The letters and envelopes you get
from FMLA are just as important. For
example: You think you knorv that you
sent FMLA the properpaperwork on your
recent illness on March 1st. On April 1st.
you get a letter from FMLA stating that
the information you sent was not filled
out properly and you have 14 days to
appeal. Well, guess what? The letter was
dated March 19th, two days before your
2lst day to submit the paperwork and
postmarked March 25th. How are you
going to appeal this if you received the
denial on April I st, three days before
your appeal can be sent in, and you have
to get the information back to them by
April 4th? Without the letter and the
postmarked envelope we can't prove
anything ! !
We CAN beat them if we so into
battle PREPARED!!!
Always, always. follow up a fax with
phone call. Remember, D OC U M E NT,
a or even worse, speak out against a national
DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT it just
might mean YOUR JOB!!!!!!-
SOLD MY SOUL
TO THE COMPANY STORB
Anthony Eramo
It is no secret that something must be
done about our healthcare system and
soon. Even those lucky enough to - have
good coverage are aware that the current
system is nnsustainable. The number of
uninsured people and the absurd costs of
our medical needs continue to rise
dramatically. Unfbrtunately, the problem
with our entire healthcare system lies in
the very core of its existence: on emplol,sv-
based lrcalthcore model, and worse yet.
little is said about changing it. Our
emplol'er-based healthcare system is
lundamentally flawed and should be
abolished.
The practice began dulin-t the wage
lreeze of the Second World War enacted
under President Roosevelt by the
Emergencl Stabilization Act of 19:+2.
This allor,l'ed emplo1'ers to attract and
retain employees because the price
controls did not apply to fringe benefits,
like healthcare. Almost seventy years
later. the system is norv severely outdated
and no lon-ser u orks. Although
eliminating our current svstem ri ould be
c game chan ser for ull u nion: nesotietin s
contracts (since these days nost
negotiations focus on heaithcare related
issues), this is not the thrust of my
argument.
An employer-based healthcare system
grants employers enormous control and
is nothing more than "the company store"
reinvented. Employers hold tremendous
power not just over ou1' lives, but our
families' lives as weli, through the terms
of our current healthcare plans. Many
workers toil in low wage. highly
dangerous jobs or in jobs they dislike
- benefits they believe
merely for the
-are valuable and good. Good. horvever.
is relative. Maintaining power over
workers, the foundation of the inherently
oppressive nature of capitalism, causes
large corporations to remain silent about,
healthcare plan. Although corporations
would save enormous sums of money,
allowing for wage increases for
employees and the accumulation of more
profits, they would lose powel over their
PAGE 5
workers. And let's face it, an empowered
workforce is the last thing an employer
wants. Unionization empowers workers,
but ifhealthcare is the focus ofall contract
talks, unions are yielding much of their
collective power. Only a government-
run healthcare system that covers
everyone can end the abuse. We need a
single-payer system for everyone, like
Medicare, that successfully runs with
only a 3 percent administration cost. We
need to remind ourselves that healthcare
is as fundamental to our existence as
food and should never be viewed as a
commodity.
Consider the following exercise. It
may seem a little ridiculous, but I think it
highiights the flaw in our healthcare
system. Suppose we replace health
insurance with food. Imagine your
employer provided you with a card to
brin_s to one of the in-network
supermarkets when you go grocery
shopping. The nutural organic store is
out of network, so if you decide to shop
there. you are forced to pay the entire bill
out of pocket. Keep in mind that food
would no longer be a big part of your
budget. because most of the food your
family, needs rvould be covered through
l our plan. so any out-of-pocket expenses
ii ill cut into 1 our discretionary spending.
At an approved -erocerl' store you begin
your shoppin_s. Nou. the particular plan
you have determines not only how much
you can acquire. but also rvhat items you
are allowed to have. A Bi-e-Box retail
clerk's cheap plan may cover all the
milk, bread, macaroni, rice, and beans
your family needs, but you may only be
allowed to have meat once a week. You
want vegetables? Hope you like frozen,
because fresh are out of network. Another
consequence is that out-of-network items,
like fresh vegetables, will become priced
astronomically high because they are now
considered a luxury. Let's say you are in
a union and are lucky enough to have a
"Cadillac" fbod plan. You are allowed to
have meat three times week, and through
a
a bitter strike, you won the right to eat
steak, but only once a week. I shudder to
think what the Food and Drug
Administration's (FDA) recommended
diet would be if corporate lobbyists were
negotiating our diets instead of our
healthcare.
(torttirttted ott page I5)
PAGE 6 SPRING

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SCHOLARSHIP RULES
Local 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. This
year 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
- 3.
($2000), open to active and retired members and their families.
There may be only one winner per family per year. An individual
may 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.
Office (516) 420-1104.
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.
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 Instructions
1. 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 Local
1104 Headquarters, One Florgate Road, Farmingdale, NY
I 1735 between 8:00am and 5:00pm weekdays and have a Local
Officer 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 Union
Applicatiott on Page 7
 SPRING PAGE 7

APPLICATION FOR LOCAL 1104 SCHOLARSHIP AWARD 2O1O

-
SECTION A:
Name of Applicant:
(last) (first) (middle)

Home Address:
(street) (city) (state) (zip)

Date of Birlh: Social Security #:

(month) (day) (yea|

Sex: Home Phone #:

(male or female)

Name of Sponsoring Local 1 104 Member:

(last) (first) (middle)

Home Address:
(street) (city) (state) (zip)

Work Location:
(street)

Your relationship to sponsoring Local 1

'104 Member:

ls the sponsoring member in good standing? Retired: Deceased:

(yes or no) (yes or no) (yes or no)
lf the answer to the second or third oart of the a 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 attendance
at 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 1104
Scholarshio Fund Committee.

(signature of applicant) (date)

L
I

SECTION B:
This is to certify: is:
( ) 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.

Signature of Local Officer:

Title: Date:

PAGE 8
Grievance Update
(continued.from page I )
settled within four-hour period. Hopefully,
a
it will free up our lawyers so our members
don't have to wait these long periods of
time to get their long suspensions and
dismissals heard. But this process is a
"Trial," so we'll have to see if this will
become a permanent part of our grievance
procedure. I do wantto thankthose involved
with these cases. Team efforts from
Stewards, 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, we
participated 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 love
to 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 in
peace.
Campus Battlefront
(continuetl fron page 2)
advocating responsible revenue generation
over slashing-and-burning economic
development 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 I
join.html.
SUPPORT
OUR TROOPS
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 every
job. There is no reason to cut comers on a
job 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 different
approach. 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 procedures
every day!!
Chris's Quote: Verizon, rl'here are the
new contracts??
ToAll The Other
Companies I RePresent
(continued fi'om page 3)
To the members of OHS Technologies,
I am bargaining rvith the owners as of
this writing and hope to have something
to put to a vote in the next ferv weeks.
Also, I am starting to bargain with
Creative Cabling and Communications
Installation 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.
5 16-420-1104 if
Remember to call me
-
you have any problems or questions.
Fiscally Speaking
(corttinuetl frottt Page | )
In this edition of Cros'r Zalk you will
see the application for the Local
Scholarships. The form is self-
explanatory and the drawings will be
held in August. Good luck to all entrants.
SPRING
V-Forces and Surpluses
( continued .from page 3 )
from the Covert Avenue Garage. George
was known to many as "Noodles." He
was a well-liked guy, a gentle giant who
affected the lives of the people he worked
with 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 spirit
live on.
Also, Frank Goldsmith, known to
many as "Chip," passed away on March
24,2010.Chip worked out of the Wantagh
and Bellmore Garages. I know that Chip
will be deeply missed, and CWA lost a
good 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, be
-
safe, and ifthejob is unsafe, it doesn't
get done. We are not refusing to workl
we just don't want to be Placed on a
Safetl' Compliance steP.
Contracts
(continuecl .from pttge 4)
contract with no change in the language
by which the amount is calculated,
available at any time, for the length of
the 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 positions
which was done. Upstate - 24 new Field
Tech positions, Molding Trial, Duct
Work 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.
 SPRING
Retirees Corner
(continued from last page)
In addition to the doughnut hole
changes within the next six months
alone, the- new law:
Provides a $5 billion reinsurance fund
to help employers who provide health
benefits to early retirees ages 55 to 64
(goes into effect in 90 days);
Eliminates pre-existing conditions for
non-dependent children up to age 26;
Prohibits insurers from placing lifetime
limits on coverage;
Restricts new plans' annual limits on
coverage;
Provides $5 billion to states to create
a high risk insurance pool for those denied
insurance due to pre-existing conditions
and who have been without insurance for
6 months;
Prohibits rescission. or dropping
covera_se. u,hen individuals become sick:
Creates a public health and wellness
fund. and requires new private insurance
plans to offer preventive services without
co-payments;
Provides up to 35 7c tax credits to
small businesses that offer health care
coverage; and
Creates a nerv and independent health
insurance appeals process for consumers.
Of course. like anything else, this
Bill rvill have its ups and downs and will
have to have corrections made to it along
the u'ay. But it is something that was
badly needed.
Chapter members will be going to see
the play "Chapter Two" in May and we
will take our annual cruise down to the
Statue of Liberty in August.
For those of you who haven't been to
any of our Chapter meetings lately, you
have missed out on some very good guest
speakers.
At our October meeting, we had two
speakers, one from the L.I. Blood
Services to remind us that many of us are
still eligible to give blood and the
importance of giving back to our
community. We were also fortunate to
have a U.S. Postal Inspector talk to us
regarding fraud in the mail and what to
do to prevent this. In November, we also
had two speakers, Pete Cirillo from the
Local spoke to us regarding changes in
our health and benefit plan with Verizon
and he fielded questions from those
present. Pete does a greatjob at the Local
for both the active and retired 1 104
members. In addition to Pete speaking,
we had Patrick Inscrimb from the Nassau
County Veterans Affairs Office bring us
up to date on veterans' issues.
December brought the people from
David Lerner to speak to us. No, "Poppy"
didn't come, but the team of people he
sent was very good in explaining the
various types offinancial tools available.
With the start of the New Year, our
next speaker spoke about a subject that
has been infiltrating our schools for some
time and increasing. Patricia Rykert from
the L.I. Council on Alcohol and Drug
Dependence spoke on the increasing use
and availability of drugs in our schools.
She also spoke about prescription drugs
and our dependence on them.
At the membership meeting in
Februarl . \\'e \\'ere a captive audience to
Nassau County Police Officer John
Doxwell. No, he wasn't giving out
parking tickets, but he did enlighten all
of us on the many issues that the
homeowner must be aware of and the
work of your locai police force.
Finally. in March. we had Dr. Linda
Cocchiarella from the L.I. Occupational
and Environmental Health Center. The
good doctor spoke about the many job-
related illnesses from asbestos, lead and
high pitch tones that we have encountered
over the many years as employees in the
Bell System.
So, as you see, we have had a variety
of guest speakers at our meetings. And,
of course, our master chefs always
prepare a good lunch before we send you
on your way.
So stop by, we meet the first Monday
of each month at 10 AM at the same spot,
the Knights of Columbus Hall in
Levittown.
Finally, in February, we lost one on
our original charter and committee
members. Bill Barci passed away after a
long illness. Bill was our V.P. at Large
and served in that capacity from the very
beginning of this Chapter. When Leo
Dick was installed as the first President
of this Chapter, the first person he tapped
to be on the board was Bill. He served our
Chapter well over many years. The
PAGE 9
sympathy of all our members goes out to
Bill's wife, Barbara.and the entire Barci
family.
That's about enough of me for now. I
do hope to see you at one of our upcoming
events in the near future "Chapter
Two" in May or the cruise -to the Statue
of Liberty in August. Whateveryourplans
are, 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 just
doesn't have it anymore. It seems his
answer to everything is to cut jobs. I
guess at 63 Ivan is having difficulty
remembering back when he was a
Splicer's Helper in the Bronx. Yes, that's
right. he was a little guy once who was
given the fast track, one where he sat at
the top of the manhole and did his
homework on Company time and left
almost everyday at,2:30 PM so he could
go to school. Just think how times change.
If you did this, you would be suspended
immediately or worse. Hey, Ivan, you
need a walk down memory lane to remind
you what a dirty manhole looks like and
what the little people have to do to make
ends meet.
Recent negotiations fell apart because
Verizon wanted to crush the little people.
They offered some people a little money,
kept some of their pets, and wanted to
continue contracting out our work. They
wanted us to agree to bargain away our
jobs for the present and the future, and
then threaten us with massive layoffs
this year. The press release they have put
out is far from the full story and only
those who are self-serving would ever
believe it's true.
Your union is in the business of
representing people and putting them to
work, not giving away their jobs. Stand
strong, stand tall, and tell them if you
want to negotiate, bring us a deal like you
gave Ivan when he was one of the little
people. He is still little, but he's very rich
because the people he worked for gave
him a break.
PAGE 10 SPRING

WHO'S WHO IN CWA LOCAL IIO4

OFFICERS
President George K. Bloom
Executive Vice Presidents:
Telecommunications Div. Thomas Benedetto
Operator Services Div. Kim Young
Education Div. Kathleen Sims

Secretary/Treasurer Edward W. Connelly

Business Agents Telecommunications Division:

-
Construction & Real Estate Christopher Blom
Installation & Repair Michael Ippoliti
Avaya and Non-Tel George W. Magnuson
Clerical Stella Pereyra
Central Office Michael Presti

Director/Member Assistance Program Edward W. Connelly

Assistant Director/Member Assistance Program Nancy Stock
Medical and Insurance Problems Peter Cirillo
Retirees Chapter President Daniel S. Parisi
Legislative and Political Director Anthony Eramo
Organizer James McAsey
Defensive Driving Eugene Lanza

Business Agents Operator Services Division:

At-Large - Evelyn Kluczynski
Northeast Area Denise Cummings
Western Area Mary M. Bagen
Accounting Lindsay Abbate

Business Agents Education Division:

At-Large - Monazir Khan
Albany Arindam Mandal
Binghamton Dan Johnson
Buffalo Mia Jorgensen
Stony Brook Marcelo Disconzi

Tel: (516) 420-1104 Nassau Tel: (601) 162-1104 Binghamton

Tape:(516) 420-1153 Fax: (607) 7'73-5415
Fax: (516) 420-8390
Retirees Tape: (516) 420-9126
SPRING PAGE 15

Sold My Soul
(contintted from page
5 )
This all sounds ludicrous, right? Is it
that far off from the healthcare plans that
are currently offered? Who gets rvhat
and how much? If you are wealthy
enough, it doesn't matter you will
-
always buy what you need and want (and
then some). So what happens to the rest
of us? We fight every day for something
that should be a fundamental right of
er ely human being . . . maintaining our
health I
Our salary and work title should not
determine our healthcare options. \\-hr
is a day-care worker's iife ri'orth less
than a CEO's? A day-care riorke r per
hour creates more utilitl for :ocieir in
relation to his/her u a-ue ihan anr one in a
corporate boardroom. \\'hr shouldn't
low-wage workers receive the same
prevention and options for their
healthcare services? If you are wealthy
enough to afford extra services, great for
1'ou and your family, but everyone
deserves proper and robust healthcare.
After all. aren't all men and women
created equal? A lot ofour elected leaders
like to talk about their faith. Ifthey truly
were faithful servants, then they know in
their hearts that universal coverage is
noble and godly. Unfortunately, the faith
they really have is in capitalism, and they
play the role of obedient servant to the
free market.
The public option is a good start to
be-sin untangling the mess that is our
current healthcare system. Providing
competition and an affordable, dynamic
healthcare option for the American people
should help lead us to a system that
works for everyone. Eventually we need
to eliminate the employer-based
healthcare model;I just wish it was sooner
rather than later. In order to level the
playing field with corporate interests,
there mnst be a massive uprising led by
the labor movement with support from
all social and progressive movements.
Publicly-funded elections would be a
catalyst to achieving fairness in our
electoral and legislative process. Until
that balance is restored, we will all
continue to beg for our healthcare and
our lives at the "company store."
With great pleasure we welcome three
new advertisers to Locai 1104: Mr. John
Carbonara, a Certified Financial Planner
fiom Securities America, Inc., and Dr.
William J. Mitrus, a Chiropractor. Their
ads appear on this page. John Fielding,
Tim Cheriaparampil and Patrick Gunther,
of David Lerner Associates' ad appears
on oage 6.

(A
NXT
A Phase sii'.:::
jti::r3 :\! 111):
FINANDIAL sERVlcEs
F,:r:! r516r 71!'Cl;:
iax l51al 7i3-i153
Eera ir JCSll.lXIPJ.aseFS com
i!w* NXTPbaseF fancr:lSeryre; conl

DR. WILLIAM J. MITRUS MASSAPAQUA PAIN MANAGEMENT & RIHABILITATION

Chiropractic & Massage Therapy
Specializing irt Disc h'tjuries Thomas Frederick Jan, DO
Pain Mcmagenrcnt . Neuronntscular/MLtsctiloskeletal Disorders
Worker's Com1t & FMLA
El e ct rod ia gnostic Te stit g
745 Terry Road 972 Sunrise Highway
Hauppauge, NY 11788 N. Babylon, NY 11704 Tel (5 16) 541- I 064 . Fax (516) 798-9070
(631) 665-6881 . Fax: (631) 961-0410 4200 Sunrise Highway . Massapequa, NY 11758

TgovtAS P. S.q.rnroN. D.P.M.

DR. RICHARD J. PANVINI ,,, "':,::', Pocliatric Medicine ortd Surgery
P o diatris t- F o o t Sp cialis t e
4230 Hempstead Tpke. 148-B Doughty BIvd.
HOUSE CALLS BY APPOINTMENT Suite 100. West Wing Inwood, NY I 1096
516-55r-7626 Bethpage. NY 11714
(5t6) 796-7 800"" "'" " (516) 239-6801
One Florgate Road
Farmingdale. NY i 1735 TIME -VALUED NON-PROFIT ORG,
U.S. POSTAGE
Third Class Postage Paid at
Huntington, New York PAID
PERNlIT #14
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED HUNTINGTON. NY

OFFICERS
President
Executive Vice Presidents:
Telecommunications Div.
Operator Services Div.
Education Div.
S ecretary/Treasurer
George K. Bloom
Thomas Benedetto
Kim Young
Kathleen Sims
Edward W. Connelly

Tel: (516) 420-1104 Nassau

Tape: (516) 420-1753
Tape: (516) 420-9126 Retirees
Fax: (5 l6) 420-8390
Tel.: (607) 762-1104 Binghamton
Fax: (60'7) 773-5475

o@sc

George Bloom to all of the business EnCOurageS OOCiLrr> ii ; - - :Jinale Care

Dan Parisi
THE RETIREES CORNER
CHAPTER CHATTER
By now, we are all hoping that spring
is jrist around the corner. This winter was
pretty bad for all of us, including many of
our chapter members living in the Mid-
Atlantic States. You thought )rou were
going to get away from the sno$'? Sorry
about that.
If you have read any of the articles in
this issue of Cro.rs Talk. from President
agents, you will know all about the surplus
declaration by Verizon currently on the
table. It is a disgrace how Verizon plans
on mnning this company. But then again.
when did they really plan anything that
was for the benefit of the employees or
the customer? I reaily don't know how
they plan on -uetting the work done, both
in the field and inside. But then again.
when did they really care about their
employees?
With the Senate passing the Health
Care Bill strictly across party lines, and
the opposition trying to sabotage it, along
with a dozen states appealing it in court,
one wonders what are we doing and where
is this country going. The Bill, as it
stands today, will have little effect on
retirees from Verizon at this time. Belou
are some of the things that will aid seniors:
Covers preventive services; in 201 I,
seniors in Medicare will receive free
annual check-ups with no co-payments
for mammograms, colonoscopies and
other preventive screenings:
Supports early retiree covelase.
providing linancial assistance t()
employer health plans that corer elrlr
retirees:
and improve qualitr. crcai:iS i::,intives
for providers to work together and reduce
wasteful care like repeated tests:
Removes obstacles to changing Part
D prescription drug plans, allowing Part
D enrollees to make a mid-year change in
their enrollment if their olan makes an
unexpected change;
Expands the Medicare Part D low-
income subsidy. which will significantly
help struggling seniors afford their health
care costs:
Enacts the CLASS Act, creatin-{ new
long-term assistance for seniors and the
disabled;
Enacts the Elder Justice Act.
authorizing new criminal background
checks on long-term care workers who
have access to residents or patients: and
Eliminates wasteful overpayments to
Medicare Advantage plans while creating
incentives for coordinated. high quality
care across the health care spectrum,
extending the solvency of the Medicare
Trust Fund by 9 l,ears and improving
Medicare for generations to come.
I t'otttirtued on page 9)