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45,000 Verizon Workers On Strike Over New Contract

Posted by timothy on from the your-call-is-very-important-to-us-please-hold dept.

Trouble with your landline? If you have Verizon, especially on the east coast, it might not be the best time to have it fixed; The Daily Mail reports that "Forty-five thousand Verizon workers from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., are on the picket line Sunday as labour contract talks fizzled. More than a fifth of the wireless giant's work force has gone on strike as contract negotiations for the wireline division broke down last night."

19 of 317 comments (clear)

  1. A strike? Oh, No! by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Funny

    What impact will this have on Verizon's legendary customer service?

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    1. Re:A strike? Oh, No! by girlintraining · · Score: 5, Funny

      What impact will this have on Verizon's legendary customer service?

      It'll improve because during the interminably long hold times, more customers will solve the problem on their own, rather than be given the wrong answer.

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  2. I will complain! by DWMorse · · Score: 4, Funny

    Someone will hear about this, Verizon! I dema [Closing Link: tech.slashdot.com (Disconnected from server.)]

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  3. In other news, by girlintraining · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In other, totally unrelated news, Verizon reported a 6.3% earnings jump from last year at this time. Of course, since Verizon has less free spending money and has invested in their hopelessly out of date network to remain competitive with the 3rd world... they decided to cut labor and give themselves raises for being so smart!

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    1. Re:In other news, by mjwalshe · · Score: 4, Informative

      sweetheart as a veteran of the phone industry the rest of the developed words phone companies does consider the US third world

  4. Thank you for calling Verizon by alostpacket · · Score: 4, Funny

    Thank you for calling Verizon. To go to the main menu, press 1. To exit this menu and go to the main menu, press 2. To return to the main menu, press 3. To hear these options again, press 4.

    4

    Goodbye.

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    1. Re:Thank you for calling Verizon by metalmaster · · Score: 4, Insightful

      better than this honest example from T-Mobile customer service.....

      IVR: "Please tell me what youre calling about in your own words"
      ME: "Billing"
      IVR: "I didnt understand your request. Im going to disconnect this call, and you can try again later"

      I also tried "representative", "account" ,"help" and "support." I eventually got to a person who transferred me to the right department. and then the real fun started.....I asked the rep about a service plan and whether or not it was a flat rate or it included other taxes and fees. She told me i would have to ask an in-store rep for the answer.

    2. Re:Thank you for calling Verizon by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Funny
      Not sure if it's the same in the USA, but in the UK there's a very easy way of getting put through to the one person in the call centre who can actually sort out your problem, which works with all of the mobile carriers:

      Hello, I'm calling to cancel my contract.

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    3. Re:Thank you for calling Verizon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sometimes works here. As did the old just enter rubbish in the tone menu until it dumped you to a rep. Unfortunately more and more companies are deciding they really don't need the customers who want to talk to someone. It's gotten to the point that even when you want to cancel a contract or have a repair you can't get anyone. I have one friend who just refused to pay his bill until they cancelled his service and then when they called him over his billing he paid the difference and told them to cancel it. The next month they called because they kept the service going after he told them to cancel it but didn't have a credit card on file to charge the non-existant service to. It's become almost criminal how companies act...at least the mob keeps your shop from burning down when they extort you.

  5. The Coming Big, Bloody Class War by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...will not be between Black and White, or White and Hispanic, or even Rich and Poor. It will be between those who get pensions and employer-provided healthcare and those who don't.

    1. Re:The Coming Big, Bloody Class War by sam_handelman · · Score: 5, Interesting

      No, it has been between Rich and Poor, although the Poor are getting stomped, as much as the Rich might want us all to believe otherwise. If you look at the last 20 years, the vast majority if the *new wealth* which has been created has been concentrated in the hands of the top 0.1% of the population. That's where all the money has gone, not towards social security, not towards Cadillac health insurance for people with jobs in manufacturing. Where is the money to provide pensions and health-care to the share of the population who doesn't have it? It's sitting in Bill f-ing Gates bank account, that's where it is.

        There's a plate with 12 cookies on it, a rich guy, a teacher and a regular working Joe.

        The rich guy takes 11 of the cookies, leans over to Joe, and says "I'd watch out, I think the teacher is trying to steal your cookie."

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    2. Re:The Coming Big, Bloody Class War by cowboy76Spain · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The poor are getting stomped because it is SOOO EASY to make them believe that their enemies are other poor with just slightly better benefits...

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  6. Re:Can you hear me now? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can you hear me now?

    Filthy scab.

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  7. Re:Those disgusting proles! by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 4, Insightful

    the article is 'surprisingly' short on details about WHY the workers are on strike.

    you can bet they have a good reason. and the fact that media does not report news anymore when its the little guy who gets stomped by big business..

    I've been on the receiving side of having wages cut, benefits cut and then my job cut. I can look and see the middle class eroding before my own eyes. I can fully believe 'big wireless' is being greedy and forcing workers to settle for less and less over time.

    why isn't this reported?

    you know why. the real truth is not what media co's want coming out. its actually too unsettling to report this level of truth in the world.

    I've been a fan of unions, recently. I see a lot of parallels between the days of woody guthrie and today. big companies are owning your ass and getting you to settle for less and less, all the while getting richer and richer. study history, its a 100% repeat of the early part of the 1900's in the US. listen to the pro-union and pro-labor songs (folk songs) and imagine them being sung today. they fit like a glove.

    we need unions back. and we need most of the workers to admit this and force companies to stop stealing OUR hard earned wealth.

    capitalism - in its current state - is a failure. look all around you. we need something better. what's it going to take before everyone realizes that? how much worse does it have to get?

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  8. Re:Those disgusting proles! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    capitalism - in its current state - is a failure. look all around you.

    *looking around*

    Yup, looks good. We have money in the bank, and our currency is so strong you could bounce an oil tanker off it. The unemployment rate is at an all-time low. People are starting businesses right and left. Most of them will not make it, but such is life. Crime is low, even for a country that ranks fourth when it comes to gun ownership.

    Then again, we have sensible taxes, and we are not being overrun by teabaggers. We don't start wars that drain our coffers every decade or so.

    The country would be Norway, which I understand is usually referred to as "communist" at your end of the pond. How are the republicans working out for you guys?

  9. Re:Hell Yes! by ffejie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Unfortunately, my family uses Verizon wireless, but I wasn't going to call customer service any time soon.

    Verizon Wireless is not affected - they're non union and a different company from Verizon Telecom, jointly owned by Verizon Communications (55%) and Vodaphone (45%). The level of disinformation happening in this Slashdot discussion far exceeds the normal level.

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  10. Re:Hell Yes! by Fireshadow · · Score: 5, Informative

    Verizon wants 100 concessions from their union employees. Even though Verizon’s top five executives received compensation of $258 million over the past four years (1), Verizon wants to freeze pensions for current employees. Also eliminate traditional pensions for future workers, while making its 401(k) plans somewhat more generous for both (2). Additional, there's demands from Verizon regarding health care premiums for union employees.

    References:

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  11. Re:Those disgusting proles! by Lehk228 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Does someone have a gun to your head forcing you to work at these places you're complaining about? If you don't like it, find another job or start your own company

    figuratively yes, people need their jobs far more than employers need an individual worker


    I would go along with your idea to ban organized labor as long as we ban organized capital (corporations) as well. Corporations are an abomination against nature, a legal entity which exists on paper but for which nobody is responsible.

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  12. Re:Mixed Feelings by royallthefourth · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have mixed feelings about this one. I think it is fair to expect Verizon's union workers to contribute money towards their healthcare costs. Just about every other employer makes their employees do so.

    "My job sucks, so it's only fair that other people's jobs should suck too instead of taking the effort to organize with my coworkers and demand that our job suck less."