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About 40,000 Unionized Verizon Workers Walk Off the Job (reuters.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the walk-off-the-job dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: In one of the largest U.S. strikes in recent years, nearly 40,000 Verizon workers walked off the job on Wednesday after contract talks hit an impasse. The event got a boost as U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders joined them at a Brooklyn rally ahead of the New York primary next week. The strike was called by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers that jointly represent employees with such jobs as customer services representatives and network technicians in Verizon Communications Inc's traditional wireline phone operations. The strike could affect service in Verizon's Fios Internet, telephone and TV services businesses across several U.S. East Coast states, including New York, Massachusetts and Virginia. Verizon and the unions have been talking since last June over the company's plans to cut healthcare and pension-related benefits over a three-year period. The workers have been without a contract since its agreement expired in August. Issues include healthcare, offshoring call center jobs, temporary job relocations and pensions.

3 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. No problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Couldn't affect customer service in any way, it's impossible to do worse.

    1. Re:No problem by Bloody+Bastard · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Be careful of what you ask for.

    2. Re: No problem by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Insightful

      People standing up to large corporate interests who just want to keep cutting jobs, pay, and benefits is a good thing.

      How is striking going to convince a corporation to stop offshoring and automating jobs? It seems to me that it will convince them to do more. Look at what UAW strikes did to Detroit.