Verizon, CWA & IBEW prepare for strike, FiOS roll out threatened

CWA is so two-faced, you support The Employee Free Choice Act yet your going to force me, a VZB employee, into the union and force me to pay dues. I did not want or need a union to get to the position I'm in. I worked hard to get here and don't need some lazy union guy wanting my job bumping me becuse he worked in Verizon longer. I will not pay union dues and will start a class action lawsuit naming Verizon and CWA if one cent of my pay is taken without my consent.

hey for your info unions protect people from slave labor such as 15 hour days. i'll stand on the side of protection. You have fun with that though. When you get sick of it do some actuall research figure out what it is you think you know. By the way the United States is a Union so ya i guess i can see why you would think there bad. No wait that doesnt make any sense does it. No your just wrong then huh. Sorry agian though have fun bustin your balls off for 15 hours so your boss can drive the bentley while you peddle bike it home cause you cant fill you gas tank.

Couldn't resist - as far as "uneducated" goes:

you're = you are
your = the possesive form

and "thats" should be "that's"

as the saying goes "those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks"

De TAAAAAAAAAAAAA ta

Nice little worker bee. Where apparently your proud to pay for tripled health care and have your pension taken away. I have news for you , your not paying for the union workers pension, your paying for new technology, High ceo and upper level management salaries and bonuses thats simply astronomical. 10 years it would take an estimated 700 union workers at top pay to equal the ceo's one year, and thats without his bonus. If you think one man is worth that much more than the foundation of the company, then your just an uneducated statistic.

Yes the union has a choice, rather than go find some random lottery ticket where the opportunity is better, which is again eventually stomped by greed, then you have to start all over again. Unions exist for a reason. Unions are the heart of American people who deserve better. I mean France has 5 weeks vacation and work 32 hour work weeks.The whole country rioted when they try to make them go 40. You have one life to live, and it shouldn't be more than half work when it doesn't have to be.

Really? Because i see most include one, and occasionally 2 and I have experience with it. Union wages aren't that huge by the way. They are actually mid range pay. It would take 700 union employee wages at full pay over 10 years to equal 1 single year of the ceo and thats without his bonus.All of Germany is made of Unions, they have one of the top 5 economies in the world. Without unions our country would be one big sweat shop. However, there is definite room for the union to improve, for example, a lot more should be demanded for the employees.

Nicely written. Some people just don't know what they're talking about.

And yet I've survived just fine with my health care tripling in the last couple of years and my pension being taken away - it's called adjustment.

And why did those things happen to me? Oh yeah, it's because I'm paying for your pension and healthcare. Sounds FAIR to me.

What a lot of people don't seem to understand is that this is a lifestyle we've grown accustomed to. Any company that made 5.5 Billion dollars in one year has MORE than enough to pay investors, management, and CEOs, CCOs, and any other acronym you want to name-along with benefits. This nation is in such an economic down spin that we are ALL penny pinching and trying to hold on to every free dime. Now those who are opposed and think we're greedy, go on your job tomorrow and ask for a pay cut of 5 or 6 dollars per hour. Essentially, if we have to pay for healthcare-that's what we'll be doing. Then go to your HR office and tell them you don't want a pension when you retire. While you're there, tell them to train people in another country to do your job, then fire you so that they can pay 10 of them to do your job. When you suffer those types of losses, and have to maintain a household, manage to pay for gas, food, and clothing in THIS economy, then you can come and talk to me. I love my job; I sincerely do-but I acknowledge that all of the benefits that I have were won by people who walked picket lines, and refused to work without a contract that protected them. It's not about being greedy; it's about being able to SURVIVE.

Here's something for all of you who say you want a FAIR contract.

We supposedly have a FAIR Market economy in this country, right? Tell me this: if you had to walk out on the street and find another job, what are the odds you'd be able to find anything even approaching what you make now, with your education and experience? I'll tell you: absolutely zero.

In a fair market economy, a company who is forced to pay more for labor than what it's worth cannot survive forever - just ask GM. So what good does it do you to have your bigger pensions and free health care if there's no company around to pay it? How many companies have bankrupted themselves to the point that they can't pay pensions anymore?

Just food for thought.

if you were union, maybe you wouldn't be working 18 hrs a day! my goal in life is to earn enough to support MY family, enjoy life WITH my family & provide a nest egg for them in the event something happens to me. the best way to do that IMO, is to NOT have to work 18 hrs a day! being in a union affords me that opportunity in 8 hrs plus any OT i CHOOSE to work...

A lot of anger on both sides. Yet, neither side can hold the absolute truth. Maybe a look at how the entire industry is evolving and changing would help.

It would be great if every worker in every company got a share of the profits and the upper management got a few million less. But it would also be great if every worker actually worked hard, which no one can honestly believe to be the case.

Just a follow up to the comments about tech support. We don't have scripts (would be easier if we did, beleive me). We have several tools to use and can perform some remote functions and restore internet connection. We also work with the customers to make sure they have the equipment set up correctly, modem properly configured (and walk throuogh reconfiguration with them if necessary) and ensure the computer(s) are set to the proper settings. We also check the account to ensure it is still active or the order has processed. Some troubleshooting calls often take an hour or more. We only put in a ticket to the maintenance group if the line test shows errors on the verizon end. We work hard and are constantly being bombarded with changes in policy, procedure and forget bonuses. As soon as we're close to qualifying, the requirments are changed. It's not that we don't agree the union workers deserve a fair contract, it's just that we see things from a different perspectiv. From what you've posted, it sounds more like working conditions should be an issue, not just benefits, outsourcing, etc.
As for the ticket being closed before a tech is dispatched - we see that, too. And we take the considerable abuse from the customer when that happens. Trust me, there is no script that provides what to say to the stream of abuse afflicted on us regularly.
I think it's quite clear most of us, union and non-union and out-sourced workers, want to be paid a fair wage for a good day's work. You're in the eviable position of actually being able to bargain for an improvement to an already decent wage. When you succeed (and you will) please remember those of us down the line who are counting on you to do a good job so we can at least do ours a bit better. We'd really appreciate it.

As far as the bonuses to Ivan and the like, let's do the math. If he made 26 million in bonuses and there are 260,000 employees, if his bonus was spread equally between all employees, we would each get and additional $100 per year. You are asking for a 5% raise, right? Isn't that more than $100 per year? I agree that Ivan should not be paid so much, but stop whining about bonuses when the issue is really a moot point as to how much you get paid.

Hear, hear! to the 7:04 am poster. Here's more of how it works in cable maintenance (splicing). My boss's bonus is based almost entirely on my productivity, which currently mandates an average of 4.03 jobs per 8 hours of work. That alone is damn near impossible in the splicing world. We are told to just repair the one line for the customer who called in and move on to the next ticket asap. Some customers are tired of seeing the same guys go in and out of their backyards week after week, and they ask, "Why don't you just fix the whole thing?" The answer is that it would take too much time and lower the productivity number thereby denying the boss his bonus. The boss says "Turn it in and we'll get to it later when we slow down," but we never slow down and he has a stack of info on these terribly chewed up and corroded splices and cables that is completely ignored. And on and on it goes; we just tell the customer, "Hang on, FiOS is coming!" But as one customer said to me, "How do you expect me to buy FiOS from Verizon when they can't seem to keep my dial tone on? Will I be out of TV and internet service for 5 days at a time like I am with the phone line?" Sometimes I get so fed up with the bad plant that I will stay and rebuild the splice and place a new closure just to not see these people anymore, but then I have to answer to why I was 4 hours on one job! The current management system at Verizon seems to make each one selfish, because they have to screw over other managers in other depts for their guys to "make their numbers."

edit the above comment to read "sinking ship" not "singing ship"

either way you get the point.

You state: "Most of the trouble we have with supporting customers is due to line techs either not showing up at the customer's site or not fixing the issue."
Let me ask you this:

Do you know how often the company closes tickets without sending a technician? This occurs on a daily basis...in large numbers. Do you realize the conditions of the plant in some locations are so bad it is akin to asking a sailor to put a band-aid on a singing ship preventing it from leaking. Techs are told time and time again to "do what you can" and not given the resources to permanantly fix anything. Cables are failing, due to years of neglect, with the profits of this once great company going to line the pockets of the greedy upper executives, rather than bank into the plant where it desparately NEEDS to go. We are given less and less to work with yet, more often than not get the job done with varying degrees of success. And yes, I will agree with you there are times the trouble returns, in another location of the cable that is failing, so we return to put a band-aid there as well...eventually we will run out of band-aids.

And to "for those of us actually helping the customers", "troubleshooting dsl" and "tech support" requires more thought than reading from cue-cards and following the flowcharts given to you by the company, much of which the techs have done already.

Just a thought from the real "trenches"

Woo hoo!! Finally someone talking about accountability! Hard work well done deserves to be rewarded by a fair wage and fair conditions. Just showing up for work, despite having a "contract" should not entitle someone automatically to all kinds of extra rewards. Also, don't forget the US is a signatory of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) in which the government can outsource some jobs (like call centers). Union wages are forcing companies to look elsewhere for affordable workers. Maybe if the employees they had were doing a better job and being reasonable (and the employer must be reasonable, too), situations like a pending strike, in which everyone loses, wouldn't happen.

I work in one of the "out-sourced" centers in tech support. Most of the trouble we have with supporting customers is due to line techs either not showing up at the customer's site or not fixing the issue. We take these jobs because the economy in our small town is lousy. We have dozens of people with university degrees answering phones and troubleshooting dsl. Verizon can't/won't negotiate higher wages for those of us actually helping the customers because the unions want more money. You know what - if more of the union workers did their jobs better, they'd deserve more money and they probably wouldn't need as many tech support agents in "out-sourced" centers picking up their slack. The money they'd save could go to their pensions/benefits, etc. It's a viscious circle, but those of us sitting on the front-line of tech support see far too many workers out there who just plain don't care and now they want more for not doing their jobs. It is an insult to the other hard-working (union and non-union) people who truly do deserve more/better. The answer? Do your job. A successful company can afford to pass the profits down to it's deserving employess and if the unions can prove, without exception, they deserve a share of the profits - they should get it.
Just a thought from the "trenches".

Comparing your job with slavery is just stupid. Unlike the slaves, you have a choice, and that is to find another job or another opportunity. No one is holding a gun to your head, so if you think you deserve a better deal, go try & find it somewhere else.

We are working with a contract in district 2. They stopped the clock on expiration. Those of you who are union members, be proud! The posters on here bashing unions and saying we demand too much are the idiots. They are the same type of person who used to justify slavery by saying that it is neccessary to remain competative in cotton!

Well don't count your raises yet,,how much are we going to pay for our health care out of that raise?? At this point we have no clue of what our union is settling on. We are working with out a contract!! No matter how you put it, that contract expired at midnight. Is our union looking to the future,, this company is going to have so much money coming in once FIOS is out there. And where will that leave us?? Setting back and watching them get richer and richer while our union just "settled" for us. Thanks for nothing.

The guy who starts out laughing with the hahaha is an idiot... the 18 hour work day guy is an idiot... 5.5 billion dollars in which the Big Wigs, who sit at a desk all day get to collect... the CEO made 26 million dollars last year, thats 500K a week... His week is equivalent to like 2 years Mr. 18 hr day... Why should he be so profitable while we who RUN his company, do the ground work, sell his products, answer the calls, deal with consumers, climb the poles to keep ur svc going only make chump change... The union USUALLY fights for us to close the gap bewteen corporate america greed and labor survival... We should be out walking right now to show that we are STRONG and won't accept the bullshit the company feeds us... We need to protect our benefits, for those of us with families, children who need good health care in the midst of the PRICE of everything RISING... If the country is in a recession how can ppl make 500k a week, and still let ppl go... Cutting managers, cutting pensions, wanting to not give a raise to ur workers while the cost of living skyrockets, allowing other countries and companies to do OUR UNION WORK, YES other countries do handle desktop issues, dsl issues... ITS NOT US... And u say the union makes the company spend!!! Why don't they spend those BIG BONUSES on its workers to keep them happy... We're the ones earning for them! We should be walking RIGHT NOW... Once FiOS is rolled out in the 5 boroughs, we have nothing to stand on and we're FUBAR'd.

Verizon compliance inspectors are MANAGEMENT! Not union. Our outside plant union jobs are ALL the kind that are dangerous and get you dirty. They are 1 - Service Tech, 2 - Lineman aka OPT, 3 - Systems Tech, 4 - Splicing Tech. If they are not one of these they are MANAGEMENT. Here in Pennsylvania it is a state law that any worker in a manhole, in any utility, has to have another worker trained in manhole safety above ground at all times. I work alone at least 95% of the time. If I worked an 18 hour day as a splicer, which I often do, I would earn $708.29 before taxes and deductions. If I already had my overtime build-up for the week and was in double-time, I would earn $843.92. I think some of you union-haters should apply for a Verizon job. When I spent 2003 in Kosovo with the PA National Guard on rotation KFOR5A (Scout Plt,E-5, 19D mos), Verizon made up the difference in my pay while I was away and kept up the medical plan for my family. I work for an OVERALL great company in an OVERALL great union. C'mon in, the water's fine.

How do you think Verizon made that 5.5 billion in profits? It is beacuse of the hardworking union brothers and sisters that this company even exists, without us, they would have already run this company into the ground. We work harder and harder to keep this company afloat despite their mis-management and lack of plant upgrades.

hahahahahahahaha, are you serious? Why is it Union members see that Verizon made 5.5 billion in profits last year and think that money should all go to it's employees and there benefits? Did you guys forget about the people who invested in the company to allow it to keep running and deserve to get there money back? Did the Union forget about the Billions in debt that Verizon is carrying to stay in business and to expand the business? The union demands in this economy makes me laugh. You say stop the outsourcing, well why the hell would Verizon stop outsourcing when it's union is making demands that cost the company large amounts of money vs outsourcing. Even if I got lower quality work, I would take outsourcing vs attempted union extortion any day. Go ahead and strike, I hope Verizon breaks the union, you guys are totally unreasonable.

Well the union has decided to roll over and play dead...once again like last time we are going to work without a contract...our union has become soft. As the manager stated above, with the FiOS rollout in NYC, this IS the most leverage we will ever have, and we should take advantage of it. We should have walked @ 12:01...

18 hours a day for 25 years?

1) If you're working 18 hrs a day for yourself your're greedy.
2) If you're working 18 hrs a day for someone else you're stupid.

Either case you're probably %.0001 of America.

It takes a lot to hit the daily grind everyday.

These trades build the infrastructure of Technology America.
They work here, live here, and buy here.
They deserve it.

i am a sub contractor for verizon in the virginia, maryland,d.c. area and this strike is killing all of us. we are not union. the only verizon employees we see are there compliance inspectors on the job, if they are the ones needing the additional wages and bennefits i wonder why. they rarely even get out of they're vehicle on the job...but yet at the same time they deny our numerous invoices for primary charges which are billed correctly.....none of they're guys are the ones taking any of the risk on the jobsites, entering the toxic manholes or working in the middle of major state roads when its a hundred degrees outside!!! all they worry about is if there a/c goes out in they're truck!! we do the work, we go home sore bloodyand bruised, we inhale alll the toxins and now we are out of work because they feel they are not gettin enough compensation??

18 hours a day?.... You just made me feel better about going out on strike if I have to. Thank-you. And keep drinking the koolaid corp America's feeding you......And one more thing, if you keep up the good work maybe next year you'll get to work 20.

You don't even work for Verizon. Where do 5 people show up? I want to know this?

5 People Show up! Where? You don't know what you are taking about!

You would think that management would KNOW how much they have had to give back to BE management, while the CEOs are getting richer and richer, and have free medical for life no matter what! Management is the first to get the axe when times get tough, NOT the techs. They are too valuable. If you think you are going to get good service while there is a strike on, better think again! Most of those scabs just want to make some overtime, and they don't care whether the job gets done or not..Verion has no choice but to hire and pay them, the fools!

You have no idea what you are talking about. Each truck with the exception of locates is driven and occupied by ONE Splicer/Tech... IF you see more than one person at your job site.

1. There is a manhole open (would you want your child to tumble down a manhole because nobody was uptop watching it?)

2. The Cable is underground. Not everyone is trained to do every job. If the cable is underground you will see several employees.

Diggers, who know how to NOT hit the cable and cause more damage.
Somebody to do the locate (this is usually a team of two... and only because so many locates require going under ground)... in addition to the dangers of open housings, there is also gas that build up in the vaults/manholes... very dangerous gas... it's important to have somebody there incase of emergency.
A Splicer/Tech... somebody to do the repair.

if you see more than that ... the cable was SERIOUSLY damaged and required additional help from other splicers/Techs... or a supervisor decided to go be a lookey lou on the job.

I hope we can come to an agreement. I don't want to strike. But I'll be damned if I am going to PAY 30K a year for my health insurance or lose my job security that I've worked so hard for.

Clearly you have some Union Envy going on here. It sucks that you HAVE to work 18 hour days. Maybe you should consider Unionizing.

Whenever Verizon people have to do a job, they show up with 5 people, although the job can be done by 2 people. Still all 5 have the huge union wages. That's what the unions are doing with all companies, forcing them to pay huge wages, health benefits, etc. etc. Look around you and you will see that many companies will go bankrupt due to these huge wages and demands. It is not the time to strike. It is the time to keep working and negotiate. Union are standing still in the past, i.e. stone age. Leadership of unions need to change a.s.a.p. and become leaderrship understanding ALL Facets of business.
No, I don't work for Verizon. No I am not Union. I work 18 hours a day!

The company has been screwing those of us in lower mgmt. They took our pensions, have been cutting our medical and have also been involuntarily laying us off. All while telling us we should be excited about the company outperfoming our financial goals & making hand over fist profits. Now they want to do the same to the unions. Good luck to you guys. Just remember that with the FiOS rollout in NYC, this will be the most leverage you guys will EVER have. Make the most of it.

Stop The Outsourcing!!!!! Why cut your nose to spite your face!!!!!!!! No winners here.... Union members stand strong and it wont be long!!!