Verizon's CWA union members to release results of strike vote at upcoming rally

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) wireline workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union said they will reveal the results of the strike authorization votes taken over the last two weeks during a rally to be held on Saturday.

Although the contract that the CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have with Verizon, which covers 38,000 workers at the telco, expires at midnight on Saturday, Aug. 1, neither side has been able to come to an agreement yet.

One of the issues that CWA continues to work on is Verizon asking for concessions related to pensions. In a recent negotiation update, the CWA said that Verizon's pension proposals are not acceptable.

In late June, Verizon proposed a new three-year contract with 38,000 union wireline employees represented by the CWA and the IBEW. The telco said the new contract will include wage increases during the period.

Rich Young, a Verizon spokesman, told FierceTelecom in an e-mail that the CWA's rally is a distraction and that they should focus their efforts on negotiation.

"We believe their time would be better spent focusing on the important contractual issues that need to be resolved," wrote Young. "Verizon has presented the CWA and IBEW with a solid proposal that recognizes the changing communications landscape and offers a path towards success."

Young added that "we hope the unions work with us on ways that will ensure solid, upper middle-class jobs for our employees and exceptional services for our customers."

In the event that a strike does occur, Verizon is currently training around 15,000 potential replacement workers.

For more:
- see this release

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