We Deserve a Contract That Protects Our Future

We've won past contracts by mobilizing and showing the company we're prepared to strike. Why should this contract be any different? 

We deserve a contract that protects our future, not one that asks us to accept less.

That’s why the CWA Local 1101 Executive Board is recommending a NO vote on the Tentative Agreement with Verizon.

THE CONTRACT WE HAVE WAS WON THROUGH STRUGGLE

The contract we have today was not handed to us. It was won through struggle and sacrifice, including strikes. In past negotiations we've accepted smaller wage increases and reduced pensions in order to protect affordable retiree health care.  

AFFORDABLE RETIREE HEALTHCARE IS AT RISK

The company claims they will not move on retiree healthcare caps. We’ve heard that before. Verizon has taken hard positions in the past and only moved when members stood united and made it clear we were prepared to fight.

This is not just about pre-Medicare retirees. The agreement also caps Medicare-eligible retiree healthcare and those caps are expected to be exceeded within six to ten years. If we don’t address the caps now, we’re locking in bigger problems for the future.

The time to fight this is now.

WE NEED MORE MOVEMENT ON CONTRACTED WORK

This Tentative Agreement includes returning some contracted work to the bargaining unit, which helps job security. But the amount is very limited compared to the large amount of work the company has shifted to contractors over the years.

Our union presented Verizon with a comprehensive proposal to bring back work across every title. That is the work we should be fighting to reclaim.

OUR MEMBERS HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE VZW LANGUAGE

Our Commercial Representatives have spoken loud and clear. They are deeply concerned about the arrangement created in this Memorandum of Understanding. Allowing non-union Verizon Wireless representatives access to work our members perform creates serious risks for our jobs and our work.

For years the company argued Verizon Wireless was separate from Verizon when it came to unionization. Now they want to blur that line when it benefits them.

The solution is not to give non-union VZW representatives access to our work. The solution is to organize Verizon Wireless workers and bring them into the union.

WHAT DOES A NO VOTE MEAN?

A NO vote means the bargaining team goes back to the table with a clear message - the membership expects more and is prepared to fight for it.

CWA Local 1101 and Local 1109 (Brooklyn/Suffolk) Executive Boards are both recommending a NO vote. Our two locals represent the majority of the members in District 1.

A NO vote does not automatically mean a strike. It means we’re standing together and refusing to accept a contract that weakens our retirement security and threatens our jobs.

WE KNOW HOW TO FIGHT

Our union has always won when members stood together, mobilized, and demanded better.

No one wants a strike. But our strongest contracts were won when the company knew members were mobilized and prepared to fight. Workers across the country are proving it’s possible to fight and win in this climate.

  •   15,000 NYSNA nurses in New York City recently struck and won major gains on issues the hospitals were refusing to move on - affordable health care and safe staffing.

  •   1,400 Teamster building service workers at the University of Minnesota struck and won significant raises in September, 2025.

  •   3,200 UAW members at Volkswagen in Tennessee won a groundbreaking first contract last month by showing they were prepared to strike.

They stood together and won and we can too.

Our current contract does not expire until August 1, 2026, and members remain protected while negotiations continue. We need to fight for a contract that does more to close the gap between members hired after 2008 and those nearing retirement.

Every member should ask themselves one simple question: Will you be better off five years from now if this agreement is ratified? If the answer is no, then we should not settle.

That’s why the CWA 1101 Executive Board is recommending a NO vote.

A strong contract can survive a NO vote. A weak one depends on fear.

CWA has always believed in a simple truth: When we fight, we win.

CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor has shared why he supports this Tentative Agreement. We respect Dennis, but our responsibility is to do what is best for our members and their future.

Click here to read Dennis' memo and FAQ