ENHANCED
VOLUNTARY SEPARATION PAY PROGRAM
Q
and A
Q Why is this
offer being made?
A The continued
loss of land lines (business and market share).
Q Does this mean
there is a surplus?
A Not really.
Simply put, there are too many people in some areas based on the load
in those areas, while other areas have more work than the existing
forces can keep up with.
Q Is this offer
Company wide?
A Yes, but only in
Qwest’s LNO Organization. The offer will be made by title in each RCA
up to the number set by Qwest.
Q This agreement
contains a provision for recall, normally such voluntary offers do not
allow for recall. Why this change?
A While it is true
that those who take VSSP offers do not have recall, the hope is that
the work will pick up in the summer. The employer wanted the ability to
recall people if this does happen. Recall rights are outlined in
Section 19.6 (I) – pages 72 and 73 – of the contract.
Q If I take this
offer and am recalled within the year, will I have to repay any of the
ZIPP VSPP money?
A There is a
possibility that you will. It all depends on when you are
recalled and the amount you received when you leave the payroll.
Example: If your payout equals 26 weeks of pay and are recalled
at the 24th week, then you will need to repay 2 weeks worth of the ZIPP
VSPP payment.
Q How will
recall’s be done?
A Article 19.6 (I)
– pages 72 and 73 – outlines the recall provisions: recall in order of
TOE for Regular Part-Time or Regular Full-Time job vacancies within the
same title or lateral titles in the same wage scale. The only change
was in subsection (1) with recall being limited to 1 year.
Q If I am recalled, do I have bridging rights?
A Yes. Bridging
rights are outlined in Article 19.7 (page 73) of the contract. If the
employee returns to the payroll within 6 months or less, they will be
bridged immediately. If the absence exceeds 6 months, service will be
deducted for the period of absence.
Q How was the
Enhanced Payout amount determined?
A It was based on
increasing the current VSPP schedule by 25%.
($1,375 per year
of service to a maximum of $48,125)
Q I’m within a
year of service pension eligibility. While I don’t want to stay, I
don’t want to take a reduced pension either. What are my options?
A This agreement
allows for those who are within 2 years of Service Pension Eligibility
to take a Surplus Transitional Leave as outlined in Article 19.6 (C) on
page 66 of the contract.
Q If I retire now,
are my retiree medical benefits frozen?
A Except for those
covered by the ERO, all those who retired after January 1, 1990 are
subject to the “caps” (on employer contributions) outlined on pages 154
and 155 of the contract. While we can’t forecast what will happen
during 2008 negotiations, there is no doubt retirees will ultimately
have to pay something toward the cost of healthcare.
Q If Qwest
business does pick up, what guarantees does the Union have that the
work will come back and not go to contractors?
A This agreement
outlines a numbers of provisions regarding this:
·
The Company has agreed to provide all data related to the scope and
volume of all contracted data in these categories:
o
Local Network Organization
o
Network Technician titles
o
POTS
o
Customer Interfacing
o
All RCA’s
If the
contracting increases above the current level as of April 1, 2008 the
Company and
Union will discuss alternatives to contracting including the
return of work
to the bargaining unit. This information will be provided to
the Union on a
monthly basis
Q What is the 500
number in the agreement based on?
A
There are over 2300 Technicians alone who are currently service pension
eligible. Based on the trends we’ve seen, we expect to see more than
500 people take this offer.
opeiu #5, afl-cio/lll