The 11 5
First Quarter 2010 | Volume 74 | Number 1
In Defense of a Nation
When President Barack Obama took
office he became the first black Commanderin-Chief of this nation’s armed services.
While today’s U.S. military is very diverse it
wasn’t long ago that diversity in the military
was viewed as simply a black white issue and
women weren’t even part of the equation.
Although blacks did serve in the U.S. military,
our armed forces remained segregated
until the late 1940’s and early 1950’s.
On July 26, 1948 President Harry S Truman
signed two executive orders, 9980 and 9981,
that began the integration of our nation’s
armed services. The first executive order
was aimed at ending racial discrimination in
federal employment with the latter targeting
equal treatment and opportunity within the
military. It took six years after those executive
orders were signed before the armed services
abolished the last of the all-black units. Prior
to the elimination of the all-black units, black
soldiers served with distinction and honor in
various units including those remembered as
the Buffalo Soldiers and the Tuskegee Airmen.
The Buffalo Soldiers got their name from
the American Indians of the Great Plains who
interacted with the U.S. Army as our country
expanded west. During the latter part of the
nineteenth century, black soldiers serving in
the U.S. Cavalry and Infantry made up 10%
of the army’s effective strength. Many of the
Buffalo Soldiers serving in the Indian Territory
were unable to read and write. Believing these
skills were essential to performing their duties
a black Army Chaplin, Allen Allensworth,
developed a booklet on teaching practices
and a curriculum to educate the Buffalo
Soldiers. Chaplin Allensworth and Henry
O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West
Point, were the only two black commissioned
officers to serve in the Indian Territories.
The Tuskegee Airmen got their name
from the air base where they received their
training, Tuskegee Army Air Field, in Tuskegee
Alabama. Most of the black pilots trained there
were college students or graduates. The first
aviation cadet class began in mid 1941 with five
candidates successfully graduating in March of
1942. Included in that first group of new pilots
was Captain Benjamin O. Davis a West Point
graduate. Between 1941 and 1946 Tuskegee
Air Field was where 994 black Army pilots
had received their training. In addition to the
pilots the Army trained other black men in the
fields of operations, meteorology, intelligence,
engineering, and medicine as well as navigators,
bombardiers and gunnery crews. All the support
positions of aircraft and engine mechanics,
armament specialists, radio repairmen, parachute
riggers, control tower operators, policemen,
and administrative clerks were staffed by
black soldiers trained around the country and
were assigned with the pilots to either the 99th
Fighter Squadron or the 332nd Fighter Group.
Among the many firsts for blacks in the
U.S. military, one of the most unusual was that
of William Cathey. Enlisting right after the Civil
War, William Cathey served as a Buffalo Soldier
for three years with the 38th U.S. Infantry. What
Also in this Issue
Presidents
Column
3
An Inconvenient
Truth
5
It’s Just the
Beginning
6
Work and Family
Corner
8
continued on page 6
page 1
Executive office: 3223 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, N.Y., 10461
Published monthly by and for CWA Local 1105
Reprint permission granted to all union publications.
Subscription rate $2.00 per year. Of the amount paid as annual dues to CWA,
$2.00 is paid as a year’s subscription to Local 1105.
Postmaster, please forward address changes to CWA Local 1105,
3223 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, N.Y., 10461
Keith Edwards..............................................President
Denise Hawley................................. Central Division
Paula Lopez........................ Executive Vice-President
Debbie Fazzolari.............................. Central Division
Beatrice Braun-Zapata................................ Secretary
Lillian V. Denker..............................Eastern Division
Roberto Perez............................................. Treasurer
Desiree Williams..............................Eastern Division
Frank J. Paxton .....................Vice President, Central
Patti Egan-Walters........................ Northern Division
Nelson Zapata ...................... Vice President, Eastern
Maureen Sydnor............................ Northern Division
Robert P. Shannon...............Vice President, Northern
Paul Sapienza......................................Editor
Letters To The Editor
Dear President Edwards:
I hope this letter finds you
well. As I mentioned in my recent
correspondence to you, many of
the cases in my office come to
our attention because of on-theground unions and community
groups like yours. Your partnership
has been critical in allowing our
office to pursue employers and
others who violate the rights
of our fellow New Yorkers.
Because you are important
allies in our work, I want to tell
you about a case we recently filed.
Last week we sued a group of
six New York City carpentry and
concrete companies, seeking over
four million dollars in restitution
and damages for wage and civil
rights violations against its
employees. All the companies are
controlled by Michael Mahoney,
and include EMC of New York,
Inc; FSC Construction, LLC;
page 2
FSC General Construction, LLC;
BMC Construction Contractors
Corporation; Eastlake Industries, Inc;
and Rigid Concrete Construction.
The lawsuit charges that
Mr. Mahoney and his companies
failed to pay overtime wages to
dozens of employees at over ten
construction sites in the New York
City area since 2002. Employees
worked up to 50 or 60 hours per
week but did not receive one and
a half times their regular hourly
rate for their overtime hours. The
failure to pay overtime resulted in
some employees being underpaid
by more than $600 per month.
Furthermore, the complaint charges
that Mr. Mahoney and his companies
violated civil rights laws by paying
White Irish employees more than
African-American, Brazilian, and
Latino employees for performing
similar work. For example, White
Irish employees were paid an average
hourly rate of about $25, while
Brazilian and Latino employees
were paid about a $15 hourly rate.
We heard about this case
through our friends in organized
labor, who saw an injustice and
brought it to our attention. Because
we need partners like this in our
fight for justice, I again extend the
invitation for you to contact my
Executive Deputy Attorney General
for Social Justice, Mylan Denerstein,
at (212) 416-6303 to talk about
situations which may concern you.
We remain ready and
willing to fight with you for the
legal rights of the hard-working
men and women of this State.
Best personal regards.
Sincerely,
Andrew M. Cuomo
Attorney General
State of New York
A Message
from
Keith Edwards
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a safe New Year. Unfortunately, family time lasts
only a short time and we are back
dealing with REALITY. We are
only a year and a half (1 1/2) from
the expiration of our contract and
we must begin to prepare for bargaining. I cannot say what bargaining is going to be like but if the last
year is any indication, please be prepared.
Last year this local was successful in winning back jobs for
some members. In four (4) cases
alone, we were able to win over one
and a half million ($1,500,000) dollars in back pay and benefits.
We were able to get Verizon
to hire 136 people off the street for
the first time and then stop a layoff
of those same members. Unfortunately, Verizon did lay off approximately 200 Technicians and we will
help plant fight to get them back on
job.
It seems like every week Verizon sends notification to the National Union advising them of a new
change to an existing policy such as:
■ Absence Control Policy. - This
case is still in arbitration with two
(2) dates, April 21, 2010 and May
5, 2010, set for additional hearings.
■ Dress Code Policy - A board
charge was issued by the National
Union and ultimately withdrawn by
the National Union.
■ New Safety Compliance Plan
- Verizon has notified CWA of their
intent to implement a New Safety
Compliance Plan that provides for
specific disciplinary measures to be
taken depending on the nature and
severity of the safety violation.
The National Union has requested bargaining which will commence shortly.
■ Revision to the Code of Conduct - Verizon notified the National
Union of their intent to revise some
of their policies such as:
a) Restatement and update
of gifts and entertainment guidelines.
b) Restatement and update
of rules for outside activities. c) Guidelines for selling
with integrity.
As we address these notifications we still need to protect the
language in our contract that Verizon continues to violate.
The most pressing of all is
the language associated with the Verizon Business case. In addition to
the 100 people’s worth of work that
was returned to this bargaining unit
into VPS, the second part of bringing back work into the small and
medium business where members
were to be trained on VZB products
so they could sell, implement and
process that work is being violated
by Verizon.
We have sat a Third Step
grievance and are waiting to arbitrate the issue.
It is a shame that after bargaining language in good faith; Verizon decides to change the intent to
fit their needs.
With all this going on, we
must also be aware of the National
politics that will be affecting all of
us. Recently we requested all of
the members to call their Senators
and tell them that taxing our benefits was no good. In a last ditch
effort, Unions everywhere made
a deal with the White House that
the taxing of benefits for unionized
members would not take effect until
2018.
What else could this New
Year bring? All I know is that with
your support and unity, we will be
ready.
REMEMBER
IN
UNITY THERE IS STRENGTH!!
page 3
From the
Desk of
Paula Lopez
When I tell people that
I’m not on Facebook, I get strange
looks and comments like what’s
wrong with you? Although I’ve
been invited many times to join
Facebook, I’m very hesitant. My
opinion is that no matter how safe
you may think it is, your privacy
is always at risk. I have seen that
Facebook can be a great tool to stay
in contact with family and friends
that are a distance away but it can
also be very dangerous if not used
with caution and common sense.
The excitement of sharing pictures
almost instantaneously is awesome
but it can create a problem when
that picture is taken during a time of
sickness or disability. What some
people fail to realize is that not
only are your loved ones connected
to you but so is SECURITY!
SECURITY
USES
FACEBOOK TO INVESTIGATE
THE
WHEREABOUTS
OF
MEMBERS WHO ARE OUT SICK
ON AN INCIDENTAL ABSENCE,
FMLA INTERMITTENT LEAVE,
FCL (FAMILY CARE LEAVE)
AND DISABILITY. MEMBERS
HAVE BEEN DISCIPLINED
UP TO AND INCLUDING
DISMISSAL! This practice is
not limited to Verizon. Many
corporations are following in
the same footsteps. An article on
Yahoo Tech News by Amy Luft
page 4
dated Monday, Nov. 23, 2009
headlined “Canadian woman loses
benefits over Facebook photo”
was a crystal clear example.
Apparently a Canadian woman out
on sick leave for depression lost
her benefits after her insurance
agent found photos of her having
fun on Facebook. Manulife, her
insurance provider said that the
photos showed she was able to
work and that they had evidence
she was no longer depressed. The
Facebook posted photos included
her at a Chippendales bar show,
at her birthday party and on a
sun holiday. She had taken three
four-day trips when she was
feeling especially low, on her
psychiatrist’s advice. The case is
pending Superior Court in Quebec.
Pictures are not the only
problem. What about that Facebook
interaction during working hours?
How many of you leave a cyber
space trail that can potentially
cost you your job? Do you know
someone that no matter how hard
they try, how professional they
appear and no matter what position
they apply for, they still can’t get a
job? They may want to re-evaluate
how they are portrayed by what
they have posted on these sites.
The scope has expanded. Many
companies are looking below the
surface. They want the real picture
and not one manufactured to get
a job. Not only are investigations
done on current employees
but also potential employers.
Approximately 50% of employers
are now doing their investigation
on
job
applicants
through
Facebook and My Space to see
what this person is really all about.
It’s no longer about
giving a good appearance and
speaking intelligently. With the
unemployment rate so high, they
can afford to be choosey. Please
be very careful with your actions.
Big Brother is always watching!
Just an update on the
Absence Control Arbitration
Case: It is still before the
arbitrator. There are additional
hearing dates scheduled for April
21st and May 6th. While we hope
these dates will be sufficient,
it is possible the arbitrator
will require additional days of
testimony. Currently we have
in our local approximately 500
cases related to the company’s
Modified Absence Control Plan
on hold pending the outcome of
the arbitration hearings. As soon
as a decision is rendered by the
arbitrator, you will be informed.
I’d like to take this
opportunity to wish all of you
and your families, a very happy,
healthy and safe New Year!
Black History Notables
President Barack Obama
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Rosa Parks Thurgood Marshal Jackie Robinson Bill Cosby General Colin Powell Condoleezza Rice Ralph J. Bunche Dr. Charles Drew Sidney Poitier Halle Berry Arthur Ashe Jack Johnson Bessie Coleman
Booker T. Washington
Vanessa Williams
First Black American US President 2009
Civil Rights Leader & Nobel Prize Winner
Civil Rights Activist
First Black Supreme Court Justice 1967 First Black Major League Baseball Player1947 First Black Star of Network TV Show “I Spy” 1965
First Black US Secretary of State 2001
First Black Female US Secretary of State 2005
First Black Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1950
Inventor of the Blood Bank 1940
First Black Male Oscar Winner 1963
First Black Female Best Actress Oscar Winner 2001
First Black Male won US Open 1968
First Black Heavy Weight Champion 1908
First Black Licensed Pilot 1921
First Black portrayed on postal stamp 1940
First Black Miss America 1984
An Inconvenient Truth
Have you ever heard the in serial form in the New York and established The Jacobs Free
name of Harriet Ann Jacobs? Maybe Tribune, a newspaper owned and School in Alexandria, providing
not. Harriet Ann Jacobs was born in edited by abolitionist Horace black teachers for the refugees.
1813 in Edenton, North Carolina. Greely. Her reports of sexual abuse After the war, she worked on civil
Harriet didn’t know she was a were considered too shocking for rights efforts, trying to improve the
slave. She lived in a comfortable the average newspaper reader of the conditions of recently freed slaves.
home and was fondly shielded. day, and the paper ceased publishing Harriet also helped establish the
Everything changed when she was her account before its completion. National Association of Colored
six years old. Her mother passed After many attempts, her book was Women. She died in Washington,
away and Harriet with her siblings finally published in 1861, under a D.C. at the age of 84 in 1897. Although many people did
moved in with their grandmother. pseudonym, with all of the names Her mistress taught her how to changed to protect true identities. not want to hear, see or acknowledge
Much of “Incidents in the the horrific existence of the sexual
read and sew and along with her grandmother, instilled Christian Life of a Slave Girl” was devoted abuse suffered at the hands of the
values in Harriet. Harriet Jacobs to the Jacobs’s struggle to free her slave masters; Harriet’s strength,
is revered for her autobiographical two children after she escaped. courage, and persistence made
account, titled “Incidents in the Before that, Harriet spent seven public a true account in the life of
Life of a Slave Girl”: This writing years hiding in a tiny space built a slave girl for the awareness of
is among the most significant of into her grandmother’s barn to see all. She wanted everyone to know
personal slave histories, of which and hear the voices of her children. what slavery really was, especially
there are only two other published Harriet was finally free in 1852. the people of the Free States.
Harriet was active in the
autobiographies (by Frederick Douglass and Nat Turner). abolition movement before the References re: Harriet Ann Jacobs:
Jacobs’s autobiographical Civil War. During the war she Women in History & Wikipedia
accounts were first published raised money for black refugees Encyclopedia
page 5
It’s Just the Beginning
As reported in the Express
oversixmonthsago,thePublicOption was the compromise. Single
payer has always been the goal of
laborwithitsrootsextendingback
to the F.D.R.Administration as an
unrealized piece of the New Deal.
In fact post World War II several
F.D.R. Administration personnel
wereinstrumentalinhelpingtocreate the new constitution of several
Europeanstatesthatledtotheuniversalhealthcarecoverageenjoyed
by the citizens of those countries.
Even during the Johnson administration, Medicare was seen as a
firststeptoourcountry’sversionof
universal health care. When Medicare was originally established the
thoughtwasthattheeligibilityage
woulddropevery10yearsuntilall
citizenswerecovered.
Fast forward to today’s
healthcarecoveragedebateanditis
clearthatthecompromise,thePublicOption,whichwasstrippedfrom
theSenateversionofthehealthcare
bill,willnotbeincludedinthefinal
version. Even a provision, taxing
existing health care benefits, that
causedmanypeopletovoteagainst
Senator John McCain in the Presidentialelection,seemscertaintobe
includedinthefinalbill.
Thetaxonhealthcarebenefits as included in the Senate bill
wouldhavebeena40%taxonbenefitsexceeding$8,500forindividualsand$23,000forfamiliesbeginning in 2013.As a result of strong
pressure on the White House from
labor, President Obama has committedtoraisingthosethresholdsto
$8,900forindividualsand$24,000
for families excluding dental and
visions plans. As a result of these
page 6
negotiations with theWhite House
employees, like us, who get their
benefitsthroughcollectivebargainingwithouremployers,wouldnot
be eligible to be taxed until 2018.
Inadditiontherearehigherthresholdsforhighriskoccupations,older
workers, retirees and health plans
withalargenumberofwomen.
For those individuals who
primarilyvotedforObamabyvoting
against McCain on the tax the benefits issue who now think based on
theoutcomeofthisissuetheywould
have preferred to vote for McCain,
thinkagain.Taxingourbenefitswas
McCain’s priority goal. Under the
Obama compromise we, in labor,
have a window of time, until 2018,
toworkforandgetelectedcongressionalcandidatesthataresympathetic to our cause. With the right mix
in congress these provisions can be
eliminatedormodifiedsothatworkingmenandwomencontinuedtobe
unharmedbythesetaxpolicies.Itis
afurtherimperativethatwere-elect
PresidentObamatoasecondtermso
thathemightaffectalastingshifton
theSupremeCourt.
IfyouneedfurtherconvincingthatSenatorJohnMcCainisnot
a friend to labor, consider the fact
that he is the lone Senator responsible for placing on hold President
Obama’s three appointees to the
National Labor Relations Board.
The Board under President George
Bush was less than pro-labor and
sincetransitioningtotheObamaadministrationtheBoardhasonlytwo
of the five seats filled pending the
confirmation of President Obama’s
appointees.Evenwhenthetwositting Board members, one Democrat and one Republican, do agree
itmightnotbeenough.Thecurrent
SupremeCourt,whichisdecidedly
pro-business,isconsideringstriking
down those two member decisions
as not representing a majority of a
fivememberBoard.
If this health care fight has
taughtusnothingelseitsthis,there
willalwaysbeskirmishes,evenbattles,overpoliciesandprogramsthat
benefit working men and women,
butthewarisfarfromover.Ifyou
wereenergizedandengagedinthe
electionprocessbecauseofthehope
BarackObamagaveyouforabetter
future has left you less than satisfied,don’tbediscouraged.Wehave
been asleep for far too long. Considerthisthebeginning,notanend
orreturntothestatusquo.Wemust
take it up a notch, stay involved,
stayvocalandtotakeaquotefrom
the movie Network let the politiciansknow“Weareasmadashell
andwe’renotgoingtotakeitanymore”.
Help!
If you or a loved one
needs help with a substance abuse problem
or is suffering from
stress or anxiety, help is
only a phone call away.
Call
VirginiaBoscia
office
(718)430-1500
cell
(646)996-4782
In Defense of a Nation
continued from page 1
made William Cathey’s service so
unusual was that he was actually a she.
Born Cathay William, she was able to
serve posing as a man despite medical
exams and hospital stays during her
time in the military. Cathay was the
first and last woman to serve in the U.S.
Army until 1948. Prior to 1948 woman
were unable to serve in the military
until World Was II when the Woman’s
Army Corp, an entity that was not part
of the regular Army, was established.
In fact the Woman’s Army Corp still
existed as a separate branch of the
Army until it was abolished in 1978.
The First black graduate of the
U.S. Military Academy at West Point
was Henry O. Flipper. Henry was born
a slave on March 21, 1856 to Festus
Flipper and Isabella Burkhalter in
Thomasville, Georgia. Although illegal
to teach blacks to read or write prior
to the signing of the Emancipation
Proclamation in 1863, Henry’s father
hired the wife of an ex-confederate
officer to begin Henry’s education
at the age of eight. Henry went on to
attend Atlanta University at the age of
13. In 1873 he was appointed to the
U.S. Military Academy at West Point
by Congressman James C. Freeman
of Georgia. Serving as a Lieutenant at
Fort Sill, Oklahoma Henry Flipper is
credited with designing Flipper’s Ditch,
a drainage ditch that was credited with
ending a malaria outbreak at the Fort.
Later while serving in Texas at Fort
Davis Lieutenant Flipper was accused of
embezzlement. Lieutenant Flipper was
acquitted of the charge of embezzlement
but still dishonorably discharged
from the Army for his conviction on
the charge of conduct unbecoming
an officer and a gentleman. Henry
Flipper went on to be an accomplished
land surveyor, an expert in U.S. and
Mexican mining and property law, and
an Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
Henry O. Flipper spent the rest of his
life trying to clear his name. He died
at the age of 84 on May, 3, 1940 in his
home state of Georgia. While Henry
Flipper died without erasing the stain
of his dishonorable discharge, he was
Henry O. Flipper
eventually recognized by the Army in
1976 when they granted Lieutenant
Flipper an honorable discharge dated
back to 1882 and unveiled a bust
of him in at the West Point Library.
Later in February 1999 President
William J. Clinton granted Lieutenant
Henry O. Flipper a full pardon.
Other military firsts were held by:
Roscoe Robinson Jr. was
the first African American Four Star
General. In 1947 Roscoe Robinson
attended St. Louis University then
transferred to the Military Academy
at West Point. He graduated in 1951
and in 1952 served as a platoon
leader in Korea where he received the
Bronze Star. In Vietnam he served as
a battalion commander beginning in
1967 and earned the Distinguished
Flying Cross, 11 Air Medals and two
Silver Stars. In 1975 he became the
commanding General of the Army
Garrison in Okinawa, Japan and
later commanded the 82nd Airborne
Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. In his
final assignment he served as the U.S.
military representative to the NATO
Military Committee from 1982-1985.
Margaret E. Baily served in the
Army Nurse Corps. during World War
II. She was the first African American
promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on July
15, 1964 and later to full Colonel in 1970.
Hazel Johnson began her career
in the Army in 1955 as a nurse. Thinking
the Army would be a good place to learn
and develop her nursing skills; little
did she realize she would become the
first female African-American General
of the Army in 1979 when she was
appointed chief of the Army Nurse Corp
With many of our brave young
men and women serving in the U.S.
military, some in harms way in foreign
lands, it’s appropriate to look back at
those who broke barriers in their desire
to serve this Country. They paved
the way for those that followed, but
also served as examples of dedication
and achievement even before the
Civil Rights movement would bring
the beginnings of real equality, first
pioneered in the military, to civilian life. page 7
Work and
Family
Corner
with
Beatrice Zapata
2010 Pendant
Reimbursement Program
Are you caring for an elderly
or disabled family member? Would
the use of a monitoring device
help to ease some of the anxiety
of caring for your dependent? If
you answered yes to these two
questions help is on the way.
CWA Local 1105, along
with Verizon’s Regional NY/
NE and Local Work and Family
Committee are pleased to announce
commencement of its 2010 Pendant
Pilot Reimbursement Program.
Employees who are paying for a
Medical & Personal Emergency
Alert Monitoring Service System
may be eligible for reimbursement
(up to $40 per month) toward
the monthly service fees; when
the system is for a member of
page 8
the “employee’s immediate
family” as described in their
collective Bargaining agreements. This is a pilot program,
eligibility for enrollment ends
when allocated funds are depleted. All employees will be eligible
on a first come first serve basis. Employees can enroll at any time
during the 2010 year. However,
retroactive payments are prohibited.
Included on the following
pages
are
an
application
and a series of answers to
frequently
asked
questions.
We hope you find this
program to be a valuable addition to
the many benefits extended to our
members through the cooperative
effort between CWA -IBEW 2213
and Verizon known as the NY/
NE Work and Family Committee.
As a further benefit to
members of CWA Local 1105 we
have partnered with Seniorcare911,
a
company
specializing
in
equipment covered by this new
program. You can order a monitoring
pendant from Seniorcare911 by
going to their web site https://www.
seniorcare.com/order.aspx and type
in the promotion code CWA 9530.
By doing so you will qualify for a
discounted monthly rate of $25 as
opposed to the $29.95 rate available
to the general public. We are pleased,
once again, to go that extra step
and bring you the additional value
you’ve come to expect by being
a member of CWA Local 1105.
CWA VERIZON IBEW 2213
PENDANT PROGRAM ENROLLMENT APPLICATION 2010
Employee Last Name
Employee First Name
Social Security Number
NCS Date
VZ ID Number
Job Title
IBEW 2213
CWA Local #
Home Address
Management
City
Home Telephone
Area Code
Number
State
Zip
Cell Phone
Area Code
Number
Preferred E-Mail Address (This is the e-mail address we will use to communicate with you)
Work Information
Work Address
City
State
Family Member’s Name (Print)
Relationship to Employee
Family Member’s Home Address
City
Zip
Work Telephone
Area Code
Number
Family Member’s Age
State
Zip
Provider Information
Company / Provider’s Name (Print)
Company / Provider’s Address
City
State
Zip
Provider’s Telephone
Area Code
Number
Effective Date of Contract
Month to Month Contract
Amount Paid
Credit Card
For Office Use Only
Approval Date:
Quarterly Contract
Method of Payment
Check
Annual Contract
Auto Pay
Approved By:
I certify, to the best of my knowledge, the information I have provided on this form is correct.
Employee Signature
Date
page 9
CWA-IBEW 2213- VERIZON
NY/NE REGIONAL WORK & FAMILY
2010 PENDANT INITIATIVE
Enrollment Guidelines
All NY/NE CWA / IBEW 2213 VERIZON employees are eligible for enrollment including CWA Local’s 1395,
1302 and 1400.
 This is a pilot program, eligibility for enrollment ends when allocated funds are depleted. All employees
will be eligible on a first come first serve basis. Employees can enroll at any time during the 2010 year.
 Download an enrollment application at www.regionalwfrc.com go to NY/NE Regional Work & Family
page and scroll to 2010 Pendant enrollment application.
 Attach a copy of the signed monitoring agreement (Agreement must indicate the billing party and person
covered) to your enrollment application and mail via U.S. Mail to:
NY/NE Regional Work & Family Committee
c/o Fund Administrator
240 E. 38th Street, floor 15
New York, New York 10016
 Pendant must be for one eligible family member as specified in your current collective bargaining
agreement(s) (one pendant per employee household)
 Reimbursements will be made quarterly, directly to employee April 2010, July 2010, October 2010 and
January 2011 on the last Friday of the month.
 Only monthly monitoring service fee is reimbursable up to $40.00 per month.
 Acceptable proof of payments must be submitted in the form of: credit card receipt, cancelled check,
auto pay or “ACH” debit receipt.
 Employees are eligible to participate in the DCRF, and 2010 Pendant programs.
Contact your Local Union Representative or Fund Administrator with any additional questions.
page 10
2010 Pendant
Reimbursement Program Q & A
Q. Who is eligible to participate in this program?
A. All NY/NE CWA/ IBEW 2213 Verizon employees are eligible for enrollment including CWA Local’s 1395,
1302 and 1400(enrollments will be granted on a first come first serve basis, once the budgetary goal has been
reached new enrollments will cease.)
Q. What is the definition of “immediate family member?”
A. 1105 members should refer to page 152, Letter of Agreement dated August 20, 2000, in 1105’s current CBA
the term “employee’s immediate family” refers to the employee’s mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband,
son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter in-law, mother in-law, father in-law, grandmother, grandfather, grandson,
grand-daughter, relative who takes the place of a parent, or other relative living in the employee’s home at the
time of death and domestic partner (as defined by the Company’s Domestic Partners Eligibility Criteria).
Q. How can this program help me?
A. If you have a family member who is currently utilizing a monitoring device or if you have an immediate
family member who would benefit from the use of such a device you can enroll in this pilot program subsequent
to your having signed an agreement with any monitoring device company of your choice.
Q. Where can I get a monitoring Device?
A. Many companies’s offer monitoring devices, employees can refer to the internet, telephone directories; fam-
ily doctor or call VZ-Life at 800-845-0632 for referrals.
Q. How do employees enroll?
A. Eligible employees are permitted to enroll one” Immediate family” member per household. Married employees who both work for Verizon are entitled to enroll only ONE family member per household.
Employees must have a signed agreement with a service provider of their choice. A copy of the signed agreement is required for enrollment and a copy must be attached to the enrollment application.
Neither CWA Local 1105 nor Verizon are responsible for choosing, selecting or making payments directly to
any monitoring device company. Once the employee has signed agreement they may complete and submit an
enrollment application which appears on the two preceding pages or is available through our web site at www.cwa1105.org. Scroll down on the left side index to CWA Verizon Work & Family Committee, click on
“pendant application” to print out a copy.
Q. How much and when will employees be reimbursed?
A. Employees may receive up to a $40 dollars per month toward the charge for the monthly service fee. Start
up fees, deposits, shipping or other charges are not reimbursable and are the financial responsibility of the employee. Employees will be notified via e-mail or U.S. Mail of their acceptance in the program. Employees will
be reimbursed on a quarterly basis directly in their paycheck. Scheduled reimbursements will be made on the
last Friday of each month beginning in April 2010 followed in July 2010, October 2010 and January 2011.
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2010 Pendant
Reimbursement Program Q & A
continued from page 11
Q. What must employees do in order to be reimbursed?
A. Approved applicants must submit a request for reimbursement form and proof of payment. Requests are to
be forwarded via U.S. Mail, to NY/NE Work & Family Committee c/o Fund Administrator 240 E. 38th Street,
floor 15, New York, New York 10016
Acceptable proofs of payments are: Credit card receipt, cancelled check, auto pay or “ACH” debit receipt. Reimbursement request forms may be obtained by visiting our web-site at www.cwa1105.org go to CWA Verizon
Work & Family Committee, click on Pendant reimbursement form.
Q. Can I participate in the Dependent Care Reimbursement Fund,
Dependent Care Spending Account and still enroll in this program.
A. Yes, however, we recommend you check with your tax preparer for detailed information concerning how it
will affect your personal filing status.
Q. Is this benefit taxable?
A. Yes, this is a taxable benefit and will be subject to IRS regulation. Please consult tax preparer when filing
your 2010 tax return.
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