Union works at Verizon may strike tonight

[Omaha Steve]

Last edited Sat Aug 1, 2015, 10:37 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Boston Herald

By Donna Goodison

Some 38,000 Verizon union workers from Massachusetts to Virginia are threatening to strike at midnight as the countdown looms for their contract to expire.

Both sides reported little or no progress yesterday in talks that started June 22.

The workers in nine states — including 5,000 in Massachusetts — whose contract expires at 11:59 p.m. are service reps, clerical workers, operators, testers and technicians “that build and maintain Verizon’s entire network infrastructure,” said Paul Feeney, spokesman for Boston’s International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2222. “It is inconceivable that Verizon would have a qualified and well-trained workforce capable of making those repairs in a timely manner should there be a work stoppage.”

Verizon, meanwhile, said it has been training “thousands of non-union Verizon employees and outside business partners” in network and customer service functions. “In the event of a work stoppage, Verizon is confident it can continue to maintain its network and systems and serve our customers,” spokesman Phil Santoro said.

FULL story at link. AP story here: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/dbc856eb5c434d7f99ab3cb6f5c88dc2/verizon-strike-possible-contract-deadline-looms


Read more: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2015/07/union_works_at_verizon_may_strike_tonight

[titaniumsalute]

1. Training all of those other people

probably is costing more money and time than what their new contract would look like for the current employees. Fuck Verizon. Why don't you work on your mediocre connections rather than figure out how to screw your workers.

[forthemiddle]

2. I have a relative who is a non Union Verizon employee

And he has been ordered to New York to start work on Monday.
His plane ticket is bought and his hotel booked. They have been told to not expect to be home for weeks if that's what it takes. They went through this in 2011, and it lasted almost three weeks that time.
He is a project manager, but has been trained as a lineman just for this situation. It doesn't look like Verizon is backing down.

[olddots]

3. the people who fear socialism most cause socialism