Brothers and Sisters,

A Message to members from the Combined Bargaining Committee on behalf of the
Regional Bargaining Committees for District 1 (Verizon North), 2 and 13 (Verizon
mid-Atlantic) and the IBEW.

After many months of bargaining with Verizon Communications, our united bargaining
committees have reached an agreement in principle with management pending document
review.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A new tentative three-year contract settlement with Verizon
achieves union employees’ major goals of promoting union jobs and expanding
bargaining rights, providing good health care for both active and retired workers, and
increasing wages and pensions for 65,000 workers from Virginia to Maine, the
Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers reported.

After many months of bargaining with Verizon Communications, our united bargaining committees have reached an agreement in principle with management pending document review.

Throughout this process, we focused on ensuring our place in the work of the future. Our critical goals also included health care for active and retired workers, retirement security and a fair wage increase.

Verizon Bargaining Update 1:30pm, Sunday, Aug. 10

Negotiations are continuing and we've made significant progress toward our goal of a settlement that meets our members' critical goals and issues.

We will update you throughout the course of the day and still have some remaining issues to work through.

The IBEW/CWA Unified Bargaining Committees have set a bargaining deadline for completing contract negotiations with Verizon. That deadline is Monday, August 11, 2008 12:01 am.  At that time, the existing contract that was extended last weekend will expire. Strike action then becomes possible if a fair settlement is not reached.

The strike date will be set by the two union presidents in consultation with the bargaining committees.

IBEW-CWA Bargaining Report

Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2008 5:00 PM

Bargaining Update for August 7^th, 2:30 PM

The Bargaining Committee has been fighting for a good contract.  As of this date we continue to fight.

We have a responsibility to ensure that the information you receive from the Union is correct.

BEING RIGHT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN BEING FIRST.

Wednesday, August 06, 2008 2:30pm

Business Manager Gene McLaughlin called in to report that yesterday, the parties continued marathon bargaining throughout the day, ending at 11 p.m. last night. Today, negotiations have resumed.

Is progress being made? Yes. Is it slow going? Also yes. Do we have a plan for success? You bet.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008 9:00am

Business Manager Gene McLaughlin called in to report that the Bargaining Committee met all day yesterday and into the night and progress continues to be made but the pace is slow. The primary issue is jobs and making sure that we protect the jobs of today and the jobs of the future. The clock remains stopped at 11:59 pm August 2^nd.