August 3, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- The Communications Workers of America announced tonight that in light of progress that has been made in bargaining for a new contract with Verizon, it has agreed to "stop the clock" on the expiration of the current contract and postpone strike action while negotiations continue. The current contract will remain in effect.
The current contract, which covers 65,000 members of CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) who work for Verizon from Massachusetts to Virginia, was set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, August 3rd.
In Solidarity,
The Officers of CWA Local 2106
Paula, Paul, Kerry & Georgia
damn this sucks, the shape of the economy now may not be the best time to try to fight guys, you know their just gonna bring foreignors over here to replace you.
ReplyDeleteCan you say "cave"?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Verizon management will do what the Postal Service did last year: sign a reasonable contract, then simply ignore and violate it daily to the point that so many grievances are filed the system cannot possible keep up and verges on total breakdown. I suspect that Verizon is facing the same problem as the USPS: managers who think and manage only in numbers and long ago disregarded the disappearing concept of personal customer service-- completely failing to realize its direct connection with business success. Believe me, those who sort, carry and deliver your mail--the real workers--still believe in that concept and are trying to be the best they can be for you despite incredibly increased workloads and an almost complete refusal by management to hire new workers or even replace those who leave. When a carrier retires, his or her route is remaining open, split daily as a rule among any of dozens of other carriers who very often know nothing about the route at all and of course cannot possibly provide the same level of service as the regular carrier. This is going on nationwide. You should also be aware that Saturday delivery is in danger of ending due to declining revenue and rising fuel prices, although management has incredibly refused to rule out shutting down on a WEEKDAY, with Wednesdays leading the list of possibles. This is the kind of thinking that got the USPS in this mess. Unions are important to this country. They were responsible, for instance, for the creation of Social Security. And members' generally higher wages and benefits serve to raise the bar for even non-union workers. Most importantly, they stand up for justice for the working man in the best tradition of democracy, ensuring that the Boss Hoggs of the world cannot simply abuse, fire, or harrass workers unjustly. At least that is how it should work. They keep employers honest: just look at the extremes Walmart has gone to, and been cited and fined for, to keep them out. Why? Gotta sell all that crappy Chinese merchandise at dirt cheap prices, ya know, the employees be damned. Good luck Verizon guys. Now is the time for union solidarity throughout this great country.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, Verizon employees were more than willing to go on strike. I guess they can't hold anyone hostage with the economy like it is. Maybe they will have to accept a little less like all of us are having to do.
ReplyDelete"I suspect that Verizon is facing the same problem as the USPS:"
ReplyDeleteThey are; workers that won't work.
11:07: Don't be such a dumbass. You don't have a clue how much hard ass work these people do every damn day. "Workers that won't work?" We have another name for them. We call them "bosses." Now go back to the Chamber of Commerce and count some more numbers. We'll continue to take care of the work while you and your kind continue to take the credit.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and let the Union brainwash you guys and you will end up just like my father who worked for 32 years at Dresser. He had to take menial jobs to get him through until he could take his retirement. That will stroke your union egos.
ReplyDeleteI am not an employee in any manner.
i have an uncle that retired from gm, guess what happened after the last strike, he lost his healthcare.
ReplyDeleteyeah the union really takes care of thier own
Verizon does not care about its employees, especially those with seniority. There was a time when the Salisbury office had a very low turnover and could take pride in having employees with long term seniority. Some of the past employees started with C&P right out of high school, lasted through Bell Atlantic, and retired under Verizon.
ReplyDeleteThose days are long gone. Verizon no longer cares how long you have been there or how good your employment record may be. Unless you can sell DSL, Direct TV, long distance, celullar service all on one bill with a high price, low quality telephone for every room in the house, (did I miss anything - oh yes, basic phone service in an overpriced package), management will find a way to get rid of you. Why pay a senior person $25 - 30 per hour for quality customer service when you can bring in some twit off of the street and teach them to sell, sell, sell for about $15 per hour?
Every horror story you have ever heard about Verizon is true - and probably worse. From being monitored on a regular basis, to being timed on bathroom breaks, to employees being carried out on stretchers from heart attacks or anxiety attacks. Over half of the people in that office have to be medicated just to function normally. Yes, the contract is supposed to protect employees, but Verizon finds ways to twist the wording to its advantage and the union can barely keep up with the insane number of grievances that continue to be filed.
I am one of the lucky ones who got out with both my health and my sanity still in one piece. At some point you have to decide if the money is worth the stress. I worry about my friends who are still there. They are constantly in fear that today may just be the day that they will be escorted to the door. I wish them the best in the ongoing contract negotiations.
3:08
ReplyDeleteBravo! You hit the nail right on the head-you cannot know until you have been in the company!
As a young adult with no college ed,a job at C&P was something to be proud of but over the years through all the changes,it is no longer a secure lifelong job with good benefits and retirement. You really do not know from one year to the next if you will even have a job because of all the office consolidation across the board,from operator services to residential sales and service.
I was proud to walk the line in my red shirt when the need arose,even if it meant missing paychecks, because the union here (IBEW and CWA) is strong and run by good people, but the company finds more and more ways to navigate around the rules,like hiring contractual workers.I know alot of people in the general public assume its a cushy job but it just isnt that way anymore.
Good customer service is more about attitude and how you relate to the customer and less about what you can snooker them into adding to their account.Taking time with older customers who need more assistance in using a service or taming a p*ssed off caller who has an issue with their bill is a real skill,one that cannot be taught,unfortunately more emphasis is placed on adding more junk they do not need,to p*ss them off even more when they get their next bill.Thanks again 308 for a GREAT comment-you cannot make that stuff up!