Union Strong – A Better Way to Communicate With Our Members

We are excited to announce a new way to keep our members and retirees up to date on what’s happening at IBEW Local 2222 – The Union Strong App for your smartphone!

Please CLICK HERE to download the app.

Set up your account quickly and easily – all you need is your name, email, and zip code.

Please note –

  • None of your personal info will be shared or sold.
  • You will only receive messages from IBEW Local 2222.
  • There is no advertising.

Download the app and create your free account today.

 

Once you create your account, please choose all of the following that apply to you to ensure you get the correct messages from Local 2222:

VZ & VZB Active Members – Choose all 4 below:

All Other Active Members – Choose 1 & 2 below:

All Retirees – Choose 1 & 2 below:

1 – Company (VZ, VZB, Siemens, etc)

2 – Role (member, steward, retiree, etc)

3 – Job Title

4 – Work Headquarters (VZ & VZB members only)

 

 

 

VZ New England Work & Family Committee

The New England Work and Family is a joint committee comprised of Union and Company representatives and supported by funds obtained through contract negotiations with each Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Committee creates programs to assist members and employees with health and life issues. Current programs include:

Please visit www.NewEnglandWorkAndFamily.com for full program details.

Please note the updates to the following programs:

  • Dependent Care Reimbursement – Starting with the new program in May the household income limit to participate in this program will be raised from $175,000 to $200,000. 
  • Summer Camp – The household income level to participate in this program will be raised from $175,000 to $200,000. Also, the total reimbursement per child will be raised from $300.00 to $500.00
  • Health & Wellness – Starting January 2022 the six-month reimbursement will rise from $200.00 to $300.00.

 

Economic Justice is Racial Justice

Civil rights and worker rights go hand-in-hand, and we must institute tangible ways to expand opportunity and truly create the conditions that allow all Black workers to thrive.

By Darlene Lombos and Ayanna Pressley
 
Another Black History Month has passed, but the dignity, humanity, and contributions of Black communities must be recognized year-round. If the country’s resolve for change is to succeed, if we believe that Black Lives Matter, we must go beyond celebratory T-shirts, TV ads, and social media posts. We must recommit to our shared struggle. To truly address racial injustice in our country, employers must invest in Black workers in ways that are meaningful to Black workers, not just to a company’s reputation.
 
While big corporations spend billions of dollars to market themselves as diverse and inclusive, few invest the resources necessary to tackle the racial and economic inequities their employees face every day within the workplace.
Civil rights and worker rights go hand-in-hand, and there must be tangible ways to expand opportunity and create the conditions that allow all Black workers to thrive. That means embracing the fact that being pro-equity and pro-justice means being pro-worker, and that economic justice is racial justice.

Read more

Stop Wage Theft in MA

The Problem

Wage theft has become business-as-usual. In our modern economy where bad employers increasingly use subcontracting and outsourcing deals to dodge responsibility for their workers, the epidemic of wage theft has overwhelmed the capacity of our existing labor laws and enforcement mechanisms.

The Solution

An act to prevent wage theft and promote employer accountability is a bill that will clarify who is ultimately responsible for upholding labor standards and also empower the Attorney General with additional tools to hold violators fully accountable to recover what is wrongfully taken from workers and the state.

Passing the bill will uplift low-wage workers and families: it will strengthen the state’s economy: and it will ensure Massachusetts remains the leader it has always been in passing strong labor laws and workplace protections.

2022-Wage Theft

 

COVID-19 At-Home Tests Now Covered By Insurance

As of January 15, 2022, a federal mandate requires most people with a health plan can go online, or to a pharmacy or store to purchase an approved at-home over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic test authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at no cost, either through reimbursement or free of charge through their insurance. This applies whether you purchased your health plan on your own or whether you get health insurance through your job.

The Biden-Harris Administration is strongly incentivizing health plans and insurers to set up a network of convenient locations across the country such as pharmacies or retailers where people with private health coverage will be able to order online or walk in and pick up at-home over-the-counter COVID-19 tests for free, rather than going through the process of having to submit claims for reimbursement.

For Verizon Members, the cost of over-the-counter at-home COVID-19 test kits will be covered by our prescription insurance carrier, Express Scripts, with no out-of-pocket cost at the point of sale.

You will need your Express Script Insurance Card, which you can get on their website HERE.  After logging in, go to: Account-> Member ID Card, and download your card. You can also call Express Scripts at 877-877-1878 to request a card.

The List of FDA Approved Tests is Below:

    • iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
    • BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test
    • BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test
    • InteliSwab COVID-19 Rapid Test
    • Celltrion DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Home Test
    • QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test
    • Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Test
    • BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card 2 Home Test

The mandate requires each active member to be covered for 8 tests per calendar month. Note this is stating 8 total over-the-counter Covid-19 tests per month per covered individual. For example, a box with 2 tests would count as 2 total tests. For example, a family of 4, all on the same plan, can get up to 32 tests per month.

If you need further clarification please call Express Scripts at 877-877-1878.

 

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