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More than 36,000 Verizon employees are set to begin a strike tomorrow over a contract dispute. Verizon, however, says it is “fully prepared” to continue serving customers and has been making contingency preparations for such an outcome.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which represent the affected employees, say the contracts in question expired in August 2015 and apply to Verizon workers on the East Coast. After nearly ten months of negotiations to secure what they call a “fair contract,” the unions have announced plans to strike at 6 a.m. tomorrow if an agreement satisfactory to members is not reached.
“We’re standing up for working families and standing up to Verizon’s corporate greed,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “If a hugely profitable corporation like Verizon can destroy the good family-supporting jobs of highly skilled workers, then no worker in America will be safe from this corporate race to the bottom.”
Verizon has reported $39 billion in profits over the last three years, which helps explain why employees are pressing for a greater share. The CWA alleges Verizon intends to weaken job security protections, contract out more work, offshore jobs to countries such as Mexico and the Philippines, and require technicians to work away from home for extended periods—sometimes as long as two months—separating them from their families.
Plans are in place and our company will continue to serve those who rely on us.
Retail employees at Verizon Wireless formed a union in 2014 to pursue better wages, benefits, and working conditions, but bargaining has been difficult. If the strike proceeds as planned tomorrow, it would represent one of the largest work stoppages in the country in recent years.
Verizon has acknowledged the discontent among its workforce and says it has implemented a comprehensive plan to remain operational and maintain customer service even during an extended labor dispute. “We do not take strike threats lightly,” said Bob Mudge, president of Verizon’s wireline network operations. “For more than a year, we’ve been preparing in the event union leaders order our employees to walk off the job. If a strike takes place, whether it’s one day, two weeks or longer, we are ready.”
Mudge added that Verizon has trained thousands of non-union employees to perform many of the tasks normally handled by represented workers, from pole repairs to call-center responses. “We know the unions’ strike order will be a hardship and pose challenges for our employees, but as a 24×7 customer service company, our contingency plans are in place and our company will continue to serve those who rely on us,” he said.
Verizon says its negotiating position aims to preserve jobs while updating legacy contracts, and noted that the 36,000 employees covered by these agreements currently receive an average total compensation package—wages and benefits—of more than $130,000 per year.
“A strike in this case is not going to change the issues on the table that need to be addressed,” said a company spokesperson. “Union leaders need to take an honest look at what Verizon is proposing.”
Key elements of Verizon’s wireline proposal include:
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A 6.5 percent wage increase over the life of the contract.
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Access to quality, affordable healthcare benefits.
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Competitive retirement benefits, including a 401(k) plan with company matching.
Last month, 20 U.S. senators wrote to Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam urging him to “act as a responsible corporate citizen and negotiate a fair contract with the employees who make your company’s success possible.”
The last major Verizon strike occurred in 2011, when about 45,000 workers walked off the job and operations were slowed for two weeks. Observers will be watching closely to see whether Verizon’s preparations are more effective this time and how the company’s contingency measures hold up if the strike proceeds.
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