Letter to our members from CWA 1101 President Keith Purce

There has been some discussion about how the members of the District 1 Bargaining Team voted. As usual, I will be transparent with our membership. I was the last one to vote and I made it clear that I wanted to protect our members' right to review the details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and decide for themselves, so I voted yes. No-one on the Bargaining Team has the authority to approve a contract, only the membership has that power.

I strongly believe in the democratic process of our union. That is why, after returning from bargaining, I brought the details of the MOU to the Local 1101 Executive Board and explained what was and what was not in the MOU. After reviewing the information and having a full discussion, the Local 1101 Executive Board voted to recommend a no vote to our members. Once the Executive Board made that decision, I stood with the Board. As an elected officer of this Local, I respect that democratic process. At the end of the day, the most important vote is the vote of the membership.

Local 1101 is recommending a No vote, we aren't bullying anyone or withholding any information. The MOUs for VZ and VZW are on our website, www.local1101.org. Read them and make an informed decision. The voting will start on Friday, March 13. If you have any questions please contact your Chief Steward or call the Local.

In Solidarity,

Keith Purce, CWA Local 1101 President