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New England Verizon Layoffs May Hit 2,000

September 10, 2002

Boston Local 2222 Business Manager Myles Calvey said Friday Verizon will likely announce this week that 2,000 jobs held by IBEW members are considered "surplus," and target them for possible early retirements and layoffs.

Calvey, who is also System Council T-6 chairman, said the bad news was anticipated; it had been circulating as rumor for the past two weeks. IBEW leaders plan to meet with Verizon officials on Wednesday.

The surplus declaration will likely affect System Council T-6 members throughout New England, including those in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont. Calvey said the largest phone company in the country has long been downsizing, emphasizing its wireless business at the expense of the traditional land line units where IBEW members have had a dominant presence.

"They have wanted to do very little investment in the land business because of the monster profits in the wireless business," Calvey said. "Wireless is where theyre heading."

Under the terms of the IBEW contract with Verizon, after the company declares the jobs surplus, the two sides negotiate possibilities for early retirement incentives, attrition, terminating unfilled jobs and layoffs.

Verizon employs approximately 14,000 IBEW members in New England, the largest regional concentration of telecommunications members outside the New York City region.

The locals bargaining agreement with Verizon expires in less than a year. Members of System Council T-6, along with Local 2213 in Washington Mills, New York, were out on strike for two weeks in 2000 before they agreed on a contract.

I.B.E.W. 2222 Boston Massachusetts

IBEW Telecommunications