CWA, IBEW countdown to Verizon strike

i would never ever cross any picket-line. i think that there is no fear in fiber vs. copper. its up to the customer to sign on to fiber. time warner and other companies lease copper lines that need to be still maintained on frames and colocations. not to mention all the business networks from carriers. copper will never be obsolete.it will always exist. and for the union issue we need to learn from sister locals of all constuction trades. the hardest feat is to become all union. management,labor and administrative. in the times of need we cannot compete against each other and the greed of big business and government that rules us.

while i am in nj ibew 827 i am a system tech in special services which i hear was a great place but i can tell you the verizon greed in management is unbelieveable .They try to rule us with fear and intimidation.And it is time to fight the battle now rather than continue like this

It seems you are really buying into the propoganda of the union leaders. If VZ upper mgmt is making bucket loads, how much are the union leaders? Have you ever asked them this question? You may want to at least think what it is like for VZ mgmt employees, and what this strike means to them and their families. Better yet, compare your overall benefits with that of a regular VZ employee.... don't be shocked if you find out that unions have it way better!

Hey. I am a cwa/verizon employee. For the guy who is talking about union propoganda- Do you have any idea what you are talking about? Did you know that the ceo, cco and other top employees are making in the 30-40 million dollar a year range with spending accounts, free multi million dollar condos on the most expensive ares of NYC. Lifetime medical . And they have the nerve to take Multi million dollar bonuses every year? When Ivan took the helm of this company The stock was selling in the $90-$100 area it was Going for $34 a share as of this morning. This company is mismanged from the top all the way down so save your" Poor management do you know what this strike does to there familys" . You are the one buying into the Company Propoganda. Maybe you should think before you talk. You have no idea what goes on in this company but feel free to blog about the poor company. Did you know that verizon has taken away all managements pensions? That the managers are paying into there own medical? Shows you what the company thinks of there people. Our company earnings came in 14% higher than expected this quarter. Poor Company it must be awful . get a clue .

I can't wait until the unions are on strike and us management employees are doing their jobs and filling the back orders so there is no overtime left when they come back from strike.

When I started with this company, I was under 'union' rules. It was aweful. The blatent disregard for the company by many (not all) union employees. You work for this company or any company, you DO NOT work for the union, they are supposed to represent you. The us vs them mentality is very demoralizing. As far as healthcare is concerned and who pays, we have it very, very good as Mgmt in Verizon. There are other companies that have their employees pay a lot more.

LOL. The VZ management is so poor they can't do their own jobs, let alone the techs jobs. LOL. Management is running this company into the ground you fool.

As a Management employee w/Verizon, I hope the Union calls a strike. They are cry babies and don't know how good they have it. Go on strike and don't come back, ya hear. LOL.

The bene's are good - but were far better before as I'm paying $1500+ more out of pocket for worse medical benefits than I was just 3 years ago as a Vz mgmt employee. It's sad to say that a lot of people in America are worse off than I am and I'm lucky to be reasonably healthy at the moment.

Seems to me that mgmt people think union people are out to screw the company every chance they get. I do agree that there are a few people like this. However, unions are very helpful in giving hard working people in this country a fair chance. Look at all the major companies in this country that out-source and out right leave this country for cheap labor. Unions (somewhat)balance out the seemly unfair and excessive executive's bonus' and stock options.
This company has been mismanaged in many different areas and the customer is the one who suffers. Just remember once a contract is signed, there is going to be an exodus in management. Brush up your resume, here comes the rifts.

The problem is that most management are management because they couldn't do their jobs when they were craft.

There goes another customer.

Thanks

Yes, we have great jobs. It would be a lot better if Verizon would stop putting all the craft flunkies in management.

to all that want CWA to strike (Mgmt) you are stupid. Do you really want to work 70 hours a week. Thats what is coming. In all fairness, more then half of the management I know couldn't even remotely do my job in sales and service. More the half dont even know how to properly use the systems needs to access all parts of customers accounts. That my friends is a fact. Now, at the same time, Verizon Mgmt is wanting to stand over your shoulder, saying, cram this customer with a product they didn't want, sell this product. What ever happened to the customer. The sad part is, you have Union employees who think about both all sides, and most importantly, the CUSTOMER. Thats who EVERYONE involved should be looking at.

Verizon wants to take health care away from retirees and current employees. These are the same people who helped build and maintain not only my job, but their jobs. Thats a nice way to say thanks isn't it. Without the union 3/4 of ALL of our jobs would probably be outsourced somewhere else, more customers leaving the company and everything being a total FLOP!

Verizon could be the most dominating company for not only telecommunications, but video and internet. The ground work is there. Keep your empolyees happy, scratch their back, they will scratch yours. Thats what this needs to be about and share the wealth and health.

As a rep and my husband a tech we have alot on the table. we both have over 20 plus years each with Verizon. United we stand....Strength in numbers. There is always give and take in negotiations. We will not give back what others have fought so hard and in some cases were months on strike. Fios came out and a great time. Already thousands of orders pending for NYC.
Good luck to all the members. Stay strong.

Please KNOW this: We as UNION workers and also as union delegates must realize that this situation can be settled with respect and no harm to anybody. NO PERSON OR PERSONS WILL WIN WITH A WORK STOPPAGE! NO COMPANY OR CORPORATION WILL WIN WITH WORK STOPPAGE! TIME LOST AS WELL AS MONIES LOST WILL NEVER BE MADE BACK FOR EITHER SIDE. IT'S A BAD SHOWING FOR BOTH SIDES, PERIOD... We're living in a bad economy but we are not in big truoble because at the end of the day we can say, "WE ARE AMERICANS, UNITED AS ONE , TOGETHER WE WILL OVERCOME ALL OBSTACLES WE ENCOUNTER, TOGETHER". Let's stand together and RESPECT as well as TRUST in each other. I'm a UNION Sheet metal worker and hope to help all involved. THANK YOU for your attention. Best to all and my thoughts and prayers are with each and everyone!!
SINCERELY,
THOMAS F.CARROLL ( T.C.)

To all the potential scabs out there... You will soon learn how the company has neglected the copper plant for the last 5 years. Enjoy the rotted poles, the hornets nests, the tramped cable, the 94 degree heat. Enjoy the eggs and rotten tomatoes, the 12 hours work days, the mobile picketing, and the shame that comes with taking food out of the mouths of the workers children. Remember, there are a lot more union members than CWA / IBEW. They hate you too. Besides, you retards cant shuffle papers correctly, good luck building circuits 20 feet in the air. See you in the street, punk.

Thats funny, most managers do not even know the job even though they are in charge of crews. I have been through a couple of strikes since I have been with the company and you cannot honestly say that the management will do so much work that there is no overtime when we come back. HA HA Ha, you are as stupid as a turkey buzzard. You will be crying like a baby when you are trying to do our jobs in the summer heat while fighting mosquitos and the sweat running into your eyes. Good luck pencil pusher.

I am not a scab! I am a management employee. I am not thrilled with doing your union job, but we have no choices either. We to have famlies to feed and take care of.
I wish the union the best of luck getting their contract signed. But please don't take your disappointment out on management employees

I started as a union member and moved into management, I strongly agree with what the union stands for but why doesn’t the union publish what there leadership has such as multi million dollar condos in New York Florida and such? I was accused as being brain washed by management I never attended such a meeting or class but as a union member it was a little different. We all work for a pay check. We all have a job to do. When the union says slow down it only hurts the bottom line, customers have a choice and when VZ doesn’t supply what they want they go to someone else. The only thing the union is doing by slowing down is cutting jobs. STRIKE, STRIKE and don’t wimp out and work without a contract. Stand up for what you believe in.

VZ posted over 5billion in PROFIT, but they want to take away retirement benefits and have the workers pay a lot more for healthcare? Is that necessary, Verizon? The shareholders need to be paid, but the workers need to be able to live in order to keep your business flowing. I know a lot of union workers - they don't want to strike but VZ long has a reputation of wanting to walk all over their employees if the union doesn't stand up for them. The union workers will lose money on this strike, we all know this. They're not striking to get more pay or anything like that. They're striking to try to retain what they have currently - is it wrong to want to be able to say at the end of the day that you bring the same amount of money home to feed your family now as you did last year when you're at the same job and are presumably more skilled now than you were?

It shouldn't be "us v. them" but upper management in VZ has forced that attitude for decades. Mid-management, keep in mind that they can and will send YOUR job to India as well, or elsewhere - you're not immune.

I have never been pro union, until the last few weeks. I don't really feel that giving back benefits is fair to anyone. When they took management pensions away a couple of years ago, we all felt that. I agree if you're gonna go stand up for what you really want, then probably walking is the only option. I just feel bad for your famlies.

We all need each other to get the work done and none of us are safe. The times are bad and are only going to get worse. Although I don't like it that my pension has been taken away, I personally feel lucky to have a job.

As T.C. suggests, please settle with respect and no harm to anybody.

Don't blame the unions! Unions were originally formed to protect factory workers making zero money and long hours! BLAME THE CORPORATE GREED! Every employee should enjoy unionized protection. Families should not have to worry about their security in these tough times. You know the executives sure aren't!

5% annual pay increase????? That way more than the national average.

That holds true for all employees.

Management doing craft work, that's funny. My 1st level can't even put out a schedule without screwing it up. All management is going to do is sit around and eat catered food.

Verizon = millions of dollars....management pensions for those with 15 years or less = no benefits, healthcare made available but paid by the salaried employee...Union = fought for benefits, healthcare with co-pays....Most management I know chose their jobs...Those choosing management jobs have noone to blame but themselves....I have no pity for you....Go CWA & IBEW....

While you all are decrying corporate greed, think that it is thanks to "corporate greed" that you have a job. The alternative is a socialistic type system where companies must rely on heavy governmental subsidies to stay open, few have jobs, taxes are high, and the rest are on welfare. How would you like that? Oh, and you get bad healthcare where if you are sick or ill you will wait years on a list to have life saving surgery, and investments in life saving high tech drugs or therapies are non-existent. Good luck with that. If that's what you want, do us a favor, move to Europe.

I started my employment as a craft employee. I must say, the reason why I am in management today is because I was successful at what I did and proved I knew my job.

As a previous union member of 10+ years and current management employee of over 10+ years I moved to managment prior to there being no further pension and paying for part of med ins. Unfortunately... as time has passed alot of things can change as did my pension and insurance. I am grateful everyday that I work at Verizon as they have provided for my family and myself very well. I know I can not control what the company that employees me does. I do know we are all paid very well and have great benefits. The union takes the attitude WE fought for all these things...no you didnt, the company that hired you and pays you agreed to give them to all of us, because if they couldnt have done it they wouldnt have done it.Sometimes it is ok to take a step back and that may not be necessary but in todays world there are alot of people who would love to have Verizons salary and benfits.

Well if you want to start talking numbers and figures and money going here and money going there.

Why is it we don't see the union elites paychecks being compared to the C levels of Verizon?

The unions brag they have 200 Million dollars on hand in their strike fund. Ok by my math 65,000 employees @ 300.00/week strike pay should last you about 11 Weeks before your belly up. So based on that you'll be able to buy you a tank of gass and get groceries from Friday to Tuesday. Hope the local taverns are willing to run up your tabs.

You say you won't work for less. Hmmmm I've been on a couple of the locals websites, well use CWA 2108 in MD as an example, and you have temporary work companies posted there for when you brothers and sisters strike. Hmmm I wonder what exactly they plan on paying you as far as health care and wages go? Guess you are willing to work for less when it comes down to it!?!?!

As for your retirement and pension, you can put up to a x percentage that is matched dollar for dollar and then if the company does well guess what, they genearlly give you a bump on that as well. If you look at statistics over time 401K plans when properly manged by the owners of those funds outperform what you would get in a pension by the time you retire, especially if you do a tax deferred option.

As for paying your health benefits I don't know what yoru talking about. I've seen numbers from 7,000 dollars a year to 13,000 dollars a year increase. Can someone please show me the calculations? Because for my family I'm only paying 100.00 a month with a 2000 dollar family deductible which to me in today world is not bad and I'm making about what the union guys are making and I'm living just fine.

On another note this money your paying to health care and the 401K comes out as a pre tax deduction. In the long run it helps you bone heads becaue your paying less income tax.

As for you complaining about working long hours and over time? Well thats because the company can't afford the Price tag associated with your demands to hire more of you into a union shop. If you compromised on some things maybe they would be able to hire you some help.

You keep talking about these huge profits we keep making. Ok thats great, but out of that profit for that year, how much of that is going to go into building the FIOS infrastructure over the next several years that your dependent on for your "jobs of the future". Your also living in your little world of the old Bell. Your part of a global company wether you like it or not and those revenues are not coming from just the North East, so your claim that its on the backs of the union that this is being done I say HA! Because if it wasn't those people out beating the streets and selling this stuff, the guys designing the networks, and the networks of the future, the people up stream that come up with the new products, the new marketing. Would you have a job? Probably not you probably would have gone the way of the dodo as a phone company. Start looking at this as a team your not doing this by yourself.

Historians say we should learn from the past.

Well lets see take a trip down memory lane shall we?

Air Traffic Controllers Union - Regan Era, fine you don't want to work we'll hire in new people and that was the government, the most disjointed red taped entity in the world, if you want to compare it to Verizon when it comes to shuffeling papers.

UPS 1997: Strike brought about the birth of Fed Ex Ground, and has year over year been taking about 3% revenue from Big Brown.

UAW June 05 - GM Closing 5 Plants in the US, laying off 25,000 workers by 2008. Guess what This week GM Posts 15.5 Billion Dollar Loss, I wonder if more layoffs loom?

News out today - Unemployement at its highest rate in 4 years with 51,000 jobs out the door this past cycle. Do you actually think you can walk out the door and find another job tomorrow?

Start using your heads and asking is it better to have a job and make something than to be out and have nothing, do you really want to start over again somewhere else? Come on if its really that bad here, why havent you left and gone to one of the other Telecom's that is union based and take your credentials there if this is so horrible? You've known this has been coming for 5 years!

I've always taken pride in my work and I expect to be compensated for when I do the right thing and I work hard. I don't EXPECT TO BE GIVEN anything in this world.

Give me a break! “The under paid cable guys…” You must be either one of those “under paid cable guys” or VZ management. That is the only thing that could explain your disillusionment. Welcome to FiOS, my friend. First of all, our every move is tracked by the GPS in our work vans. If any hourly employee so much as steps out of line (or drives off the intended path), we’ll hear about it! I work 10-hour days and can’t remember the last time I had time to shove something down my throat to eat. You try walking into a backyard so full of dog crap that there is no place to step---on top of the 90+ degree heat that carries the stench directly to the pit of your stomach. Try going into the nastiest homes and having to crawl around on filth-stained carpets and ungodly insects crawling up the walls. I earn every penny of my pay. You have no clue! I can only hope that you're a VZ manager…because in a few days you’ll quickly lose your disillusionment. Have fun trying to complete two “triple plays” in one 8-10 hour work day! Oh, and I hope one of them ends up being an aerial installation in the pouring rain, with a 500 foot drop over a busy street. And to that add 7 set-top boxes that when you go to activate them, the system goes down for several hours and you have to stand in front of the irate customer looking like an idiot. You’ll be begging for your office with a cushy chair and climate control.

Profit in Verizon Inc comes from VZ WIRELESS a NON union shop, if craft had any idea how the financials work you would know that YOUR telecom business unit ISNT making any money since your productivity is low and your total wage package is high. Not to mention your customer service sucks when you walk off a job at 4:30pm because you "don't work OT". Or maybe costs would be lower if you came to work regularly instead of faking a migraine and hiding behind FML to stay home and get loaded. GPS is needed to keep you at your jobs and out of bars and donut shops and parks. If you hate it all so much then go get another job. Only 6% of the American workforce has 100% paid medical options. You are an at-will employee and free to go find the "greener grass" at any time.

You don't know what your talking about. In my dept at VZ we are forced to work OT whether we want it or not. I have never once gotten out of work at 4:30 in the 10 years I've worked here. Nor do a vast majority of us use the fmla or go to bars. We show up on time and work over 8 hours a day because we have to. And we deserve to be treated as valued employees not as disposable labor.

PEOPLE ,I WILL SUM THIS UP VERY EASILY,WHEN YOU SEETHE VERIZON COMMERICAL THE GUY WITH THE GLASSES SAYS "IT'S THE NETWORK" GUESS WHAT CWA IS THE NETWORK WE MAKE IT HAPPEN ... ALL WE ASK IS TO KEEP WHAT WE GOT AND GET OUR COST OF LIVING INCREASE ,WE ARE THE GLUE, AND UNITED WE STAND .... VERIZON" DO YOU HEAR US NOW"

5 years as a Network Operations Tech 2 for Cox Communications $13 an hour!Paid $120 every 2 weeks for Medical benefits.Was forced to work 70 hours a week.
4 Years at Charter Communications as a Lead Tech 15$ an hour!Paid $120 every 2 weeks for medical benefits. Took out 30 jobs a day! Worked from 8am to 11pm 6 days a week in the Heat, Cold, Bugs, Snakes and in a truck that broke down weekly.
2 Years with Verizon as a tech $27 an hour. Don't pay for medical benefits!!!! and I'm forced to work 8 hours OT a week. Happier then ever :)

U decide what the better gig is? Being able to work for Verizon I can say I'm truly blessed!! and so is every single one of you! If any of you would like I can get you a job at one of our competitors. Get ready to do some real work though!!!!

Look! every field tech job I have worked I have had to bust my ass! I'm not saying that being a FiOS tech for VZ is an easy job! but I get paid better then ever. The union is to thank for that!!! But come on be thankful to work for VZ and STOP ALL THE CRYING!

Great post to the person who compared his current VZ salary to his previous jobs, but dont forget why you get paid the big bucks at vz now, ALL UNION BARGAINED, that's the reason the competitors salary is so low, they have no union, the same goes for VZ wireless and VZ business, as an associate you make more money for that reason alone!

The problem that should be addressed is the neglect of customer care. Sure, some dummy from upstairs created a CCI that only applies to low level employees. It does not hold accountable management enforced policies that dictate that reps sell to an unhappy customer, that the plant is falling apart because of lack of funding, that repair tickets are closed out without dispatching a tech to troubleshoot the problem. All management is guilty of forging numbers to make the shareholders happy. This is a short term fix. The share holders will not be happy when there are no customers left. This is an epidemic evident in ALL of verizons products. Wireless, landline, DSL, and even Fios. Wait till the practices of lying, cheating, and falsification of records come to light. And you thought you had problems with the PSC, how about a Federal investigation into shady business practices, deceiving customers, not providing what you promised, and fudging numbers on a grand scale to artificially inflate stock price. I for one will revel in seeing some well manicured, pampered third level seeing first hand the monster he / she helped create, when the customer is screaming at THEM, not their subordinates, when they are cooking in the sun 25 feet in the air looking at a terminal that was installed when Kennedy was president (or older in some locations), and wondering why is the cable in such bad shape. Good luck. Let this be a lesson to you, dont forget what you saw when you go back to your desk. And watch out for the eggs.

I worked on both side and the union needs to get a clue times have changed. Maybe if the union didnt have 15% or more in some locals calling out sick every day the company would give them more. But when verizon pays over 500 million a year for people to stay home sick i could see there pissed. As for all the union members crying about how bad they have it. GO and find anohter job that gives you half of what you have now. O wait you CANT so get over it or get the stepping

I have to laugh at your statement. I am a CWA member and trust me. Management can't do our jobs. They don't even know how to place fiber order let alone correct them if they error out. And if they error out oh yeah the fsrc will be n strike as well. So good luck with trying to get rid of the overtime.

Very true cwa members know there job best they do it 40+ hours a week. but you didnt address one of my points

Get a Clue..you would think working for Verizon is great, being on the front line for Sales/Service for Fios, managers in our building no nothing about our job, there biggest problem is who they are going to send home with no pay for not ramming sales down a customers throat. Verizon managers from the top down are in it for themselves, not the employees or the customers.. They are all ready routing calls outside NY, customers are pissed on an everyday basis with Verizon, over billing and Csr Service and all we get is SELL SELL SELL. Feeling bad for managers if we go on strike absolutly not..What about us as employees who are forced overtime 8-6 with 1/2 lunches and must adhere 92 percent of the time or you get sent home for that too. YEAH.. Great Company

I did the job and i didnt like it so i got over it and moved on i didnt cry about it. All i am saying go talk to other people that do the same job for other companys for half the pay. they would cut off there left foot for the money you make

As the midnight hour approaches I remain optimistic that the Union and company will reach a fair agreement. I am a Verizon 2nd level manager but believe that the company can only succeed with a united associate and management work force. While some managers may say that the associates have it way too good already, I'll remind them that management wouldn't make the salary we do if it wasn't for high paid associates. All management is not incompetent and all associates are not abusing FMLA and sleeping on the job. Many have said it and I'll echo that the only way we're going to stay competitive and continue to be a leader is to stay focused on the company.

My mistake...I meant, stay focused on the customer. I guess management is incompetent. (8

very true

You listen here. I do not care if you worked for COX or Charter for 13 dollars an hour. You are right, Verizon does pay us well and the benefits are awesome, but that it not because that it what they WANT to GIVE us. The pay and benefits are from what our ancestral union members have continued on to us. Have some respect for them or go back to COX. I have been working here way too long to have what I earn ripped away from my fingers. Look at what greed is see on the executive level. Do you think what they do is worth millions and millions of dollars a year? If you do you are a moron. Let me have one of those jobs. All you would have to do is work for one year and you are set for life, plus there are no dogs, wasps, and 100 degree days. You think the suits will be out clearing cable pairs while we are striking? I think not.

What happened to the days when the company cared obout it's employees? Back in the C&P days they didnt treat everyone like dirt. The company used to be more family oriented, holding family days and partys. They used to do more community related things like parades and even fixing up homes for people who cannot afford it. I remember seeing the company authorizing the use of bucket trucks, etc. for the work! Now look at them, you would never in a million years see anything like that again.

8% over the last 5 years? how does that compare to the national average?