Verizon striking

[sparklynails23]

Why would the union be making concessions to a company making 5 1/2 billion a quarter? A company should spread that wealth around during profitable times, not just to their management staff, but to everyone. That's what businesses used to do.

 

[undertheradar]

Why would the union be making concessions to a company making 5 1/2 billion a quarter? A company should spread that wealth around during profitable times, not just to their management staff, but to everyone. That's what businesses used to do.

So, covering your own costs was never a factor?

 

[Janepod]

Why would the union be making concessions to a company making 5 1/2 billion a quarter? A company should spread that wealth around during profitable times, not just to their management staff, but to everyone. That's what businesses used to do.

As a Verizon shareholder, I couldn't disagree more.

 

[Jeff_G]

Why would the union be making concessions to a company making 5 1/2 billion a quarter? A company should spread that wealth around during profitable times, not just to their management staff, but to everyone. That's what businesses used to do.

A company is answerable to its shareholders... That may be investors, pension fund managers, retirement account holders… you me and so on… You want your 401K to increase in value don’t you? Well for that to happen the stocks must go up… They do that when the company is making a profit… The larger the profit the higher the stock goes up. A company is legally obligated to increase its share value.. It MUST pass the profits upwards, spreading the wealth around is not an option. What would you way if your 401k dropped all year or stayed flat because all the companies passed out all their profits to their employees instead of raising its share value.

When did a company making a profit become a bad thing! You want your company to make LOTS of profit, that mean you get raises and get to keep a job and expend… Does upper management make huge gross salaries sure but what is stopping you from becoming upper management? Also when the company doesn’t meet its financial goals because the country is in a recession you might not get a raise, or perhaps you get to pay for your health care, do you know what the typical board of directors does to a CEO / CFO when they don’t make their numbers? They get canned! I’m just saying don’t begrudge someone a nice paycheck until you walk a mile in their shoes..

 

[S. C.]

..........

 

[Denzbrujah]

Today 45,000 Verizon employees received their last paycheck until this strike is over.

We understand that in this economy everyone should be willing to give up something for the betterment of our country’s financial welfare. We are more than willing to bargain with Verizon to come up with a fair contract for everyone involved.

We are not asking for anything more than what we already have and have had for years! Verizon has placed ads in papers & on television telling you that they just want us to pay for a portion of our health care insurance premium cost and listing various salaries that we should be thankful for. Verizon has failed to publicly mention the 99 other items they would like for us to give up or that these salaries and benefits that they are posting are inaccurate. It takes a unionized Verizon worker 25 years to gradually earn the amount of vacation time that is in these ads! Verizon has told you that their land line business is failing, yet they fail to mention that that very business is the backbone network of their FIOS, DSL & Wireless operations.
They want you to think that there is no need for a land line because they want their FIOS & DSL to be classified as “internet or data” instead of exactly what they are: land lines. Every cell tower connects to a land line network. Without Verizon’s land line business they would have no wireless business!

Verizon fails to publicly mention that they want to begin increasing the outsourcing of American jobs to other countries by removing all aspects of job security from the contract, to freeze all pensions for current workers and completely eliminate them for future employees, slash sick time, eliminate disability payments for injured workers, eliminate holidays (including Veteran’s Day) and completely gut health care plans for current & retired workers. Despite making $19.5 billion in profits and paying out $258 million to it’s top 5 executives in the last four years, Verizon wants to take back more than 50 years of collective bargaining and destroy middle class jobs, just like many of the other large corporations!

The President of Verizon makes $55,000 a day, how much does the average American worker make per day? Verizon has paid $0 in federal corporate income taxes over the last three years, how much has the average American worker paid in federal income tax? Verizon received nearly $1 billion in tax benefits from the federal government (your money) over the last three years, how much has the average American worker received in tax benefits? You ask why the workers would be going on strike when we’ve been spoiled and should be thankful we have a job in this economy? I believe what you should be asking is why aren’t there more American jobs being created by American companies? Why are companies being allowed to outsource their jobs when American production is at an all time low and we all know that we cannot grow as a consumer only country! We must produce products here in the United States of America!

We are on strike for all of you, not just ourselves. The middle class stands to lose everything while corporations and a few individuals gain it all. We walk the line for you! We understand that we may have to give up some things that we have had in the past, but we should not have to give up everything including our job security! All we are asking is for Verizon to sit down and bargain with the people that helped build it. It’s time to bring jobs back to America and end corporate greed! Sincerely, A very frustrated but ON STRIKE American Worker.

 

[sam_gordon]

We understand that in this economy everyone should be willing to give up something for the betterment of our country’s financial welfare. We are more than willing to bargain with Verizon to come up with a fair contract for everyone involved. We are not asking for anything more than what we already have and have had for years!

Please, someone else read this paragraph and see if I understand it correctly...

According to the union, everyone should be willing to give up something.
The union is willing to bargain for a 'fair' contract.
They don't want anything more than they already have.

So everyone should be willing to give up something EXCEPT the union?

Can a Verizon union employee answer the following questions...
1) Is Verizon offering a 401K (with or without match) or other retirement benefit to replace the pension?
2) Does someone who is vested in the pension STILL get the money they've earned when they retire?
3) How many sick days did each employee have before the strike and how many does Verizon want to cut?
4) How many paid Holidays did each employee have before the strike and how many does Verizon want to cut?
5) How much does Verizon want employees to pay for health care?
6) Has the union put up a counter offer OTHER than 'we want what we've gotten in the past'?

The more I think of this the more I think it's bad luck on the union's part. I don't know the last time they negotiated the contract, but it's too bad the contract had to end NOW, while the economy is still recovering. If the renewal would have been during "good times", VZ probably wouldn't have blinked.

I also think the reason there is so much of an "anti-union" backlash from the public is many people don't see Verizon's proposals as unreasonable, because most employees have already made all these transitions. This does not mean non-union employees want union members to get the same as they do. Speaking for myself, I don't care if 'Joe Lineman' gets all the benefits he wants or not. I simply feel the union is not doing this the right way.

 

[Judique]

As a Verizon shareholder, I couldn't disagree more.

There is a cost to doing business.

 

[youcansmellit]

My wife took a package from Verizon a couple years ago. People that used to work there and no longer pay union dues have been offered a 3-4 month job at $50 an hour. They would let them work at a different location then the one they retired from so no friends see them. It seems messed up

 

[Judique]

Duh, what do you mean?

Familyoffive....Masterpiece Theater.....asking personal questions...making rude comments....I see you going there and I didn't respond to your bait.

This has been an interesting discussion. Can you please hold back your obvious desire to take this discussion to a different level? One that will get the thread closed?

It's okay to give an opinion and to defend your opinion and to offer predictions as 'Threecrazykids' did when he warned 'that Verizon has all the money to make things happen' in an earlier post, but you are stooping to putting a derogatory tone in your posts.

This is the budget board and maybe not the place for this discussion to continue in it's current form, unless it takes a different turn.

Just my opinion.

 

[Swimalie]

We were just told that they would no longer be paying our match They are going to default on the prefunding thing too. Don't ask me what happens after Sept 30 when the money's gone

eta-I am referring to the USPS, not FERS as a whole

I'm sorry. That does stink.

 

[JVelasquez]

Duh, what do you mean?

How about you back off Familyoffive??? It's not very nice being a bully.

 

[luvestodizz]

I AM A UNION WORKER, I am NOT the problem. Transportation, Police Officers, Correction Officers, Paramedics, Firefighters, Teachers, Secretaries, Construction Workers, VERIZON workers...etc. are NOT the enemy. If you're jealous of our benefits, FIGHT FOR YOUR OWN! NOT AGAINST OURS! The rich who created this crisis are putting middle class families against each other. We live here, pay taxes, work hard & try to support our families too!!

 

[GJM]

Just curious - for everyone that is bad mouthing the Union and the employees on strike. If you didn't have a job and a job was available at Verizon would you not take the job because you had to be in the Union?

I have plenty of family members that work for Verizon or have worked for Verizon and are retired. They don't want to be on strike and they may not agree with everything in regards to the union. I believe the Verizon employees were willing to work without a contract but Verizon said no.

So - If you are out of work, you get a job and there is a union and you have to be a part of it, would you not take the job?

 

[melmar136]

For everyone who thinks that Verizon's landline business isn't making them any $, here is something interesting to consider:

Next time you drive by a cell tower, take note of all the wires connected to the telephone poles. Cellphones work just like a cordless phone in your house. Wiki dsl, fios and celltowers, you will see everything is really landlines.

Verizon is able to do so well on the Wireless side BECAUSE of the landline side.

 

[Swimalie]

I AM A UNION WORKER, I am NOT the problem. Transportation, Police Officers, Correction Officers, Paramedics, Firefighters, Teachers, Secretaries, Construction Workers, VERIZON workers...etc. are NOT the enemy. If you're jealous of our benefits, FIGHT FOR YOUR OWN! NOT AGAINST OURS! The rich who created this crisis are putting middle class families against each other. We live here, pay taxes, work hard & try to support our families too!!

Just an FYI: Not all of those type of jobs you mentioned are Union members. My husband was a police officer/detective for 9 years. No union at their PD. They didn't have one to join.

His dad worked at an Air Force base as a mechanic with the DoD. He was not a union worker, either. He had the option but chose not to join.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Just curious - for everyone that is bad mouthing the Union and the employees on strike. If you didn't have a job and a job was available at Verizon would you not take the job because you had to be in the Union?

I have plenty of family members that work for Verizon or have worked for Verizon and are retired. They don't want to be on strike and they may not agree with everything in regards to the union. I believe the Verizon employees were willing to work without a contract but Verizon said no.

So - If you are out of work, you get a job and there is a union and you have to be a part of it, would you not take the job?

Well, I've been on both sides of it at NET/NYNEX/BA/VERIZON...I was in the union, and then I was management. I would take a union job if unemployed with no other options, but I would be actively looking for a non-union position and would leave as soon as I found one.

 

[sherry7]

This was posted on a friend's Facebook wall, and I thought I would share:

Dear Friends,


Today 45,000 Verizon employees received their last paycheck until this strike is over. We understand that in this economy everyone should be willing to give up something for the betterment of our country’s financial welfare. We are more than willing to bargain with Verizon to come up with a fair contract for everyone involved. We are not asking for anything more than what we already have and have had for years!



Verizon has placed ads in papers & on television telling you that they just want us to pay for a portion of our health care insurance premium cost and listing various salaries that we should be thankful for. Verizon has failed to publicly mention the 99 other items they would like for us to give up or that these salaries and benefits that they are posting are inaccurate. It takes a unionized Verizon worker 25 years to gradually earn the amount of vacation time that is in these ads!



Verizon has told you that their land line business is failing, yet they fail to mention that that very business is the backbone network of their FIOS, DSL & Wireless operations. They want you to think that there is no need for a land line because they want their FIOS & DSL to be classified as “internet or data” instead of exactly what they are: land lines. Every cell tower connects to a land line network. Without Verizon’s land line business they would have no wireless business!



Verizon fails to publicly mention that they want to begin increasing the outsourcing of American jobs to other countries by removing all aspects of job security from the contract, to freeze all pensions for current workers and completely eliminate them for future employees, slash sick time, eliminate disability payments for injured workers, eliminate holidays (including Veteran’s Day) and completely gut health care plans for current & retired workers.



Despite making $19.5 billion in profits and paying out $258 million to it’s top 5 executives in the last four years, Verizon wants to take back more than 50 years of collective bargaining and destroy middle class jobs, just like many of the other large corporations!



The President of Verizon makes $55,000 a day, how much does the average American worker make per day?



Verizon has paid $0 in federal corporate income taxes over the last three years, how much has the average American worker paid in federal income tax?



Verizon received nearly $1 billion in tax benefits from the federal government (your money) over the last three years, how much has the average American worker received in tax benefits?



You ask why the workers would be going on strike when we’ve been spoiled and should be thankful we have a job in this economy? I believe what you should be asking is why aren’t there more American jobs being created by American companies? Why are companies being allowed to outsource their jobs when American production is at an all time low and we all know that we cannot grow as a consumer only country! We must produce products here in the United States of America.



We are on strike for all of you, not just ourselves. The middle class stands to lose everything while corporations and a few individuals gain it all. We walk the line for you!



We understand that we may have to give up some things that we have had in the past, but we should not have to give up everything including our job security! All we are asking is for Verizon to sit down and bargain with the people that helped build it. It’s time to bring jobs back to America and end corporate greed!



Sincerely,



A very frustrated but ON STRIKE American Worker



Kim

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[sherry7]

For everyone who thinks that Verizon's landline business isn't making them any $, here is something interesting to consider:

Next time you drive by a cell tower, take note of all the wires connected to the telephone poles. Cellphones work just like a cordless phone in your house. Wiki dsl, fios and celltowers, you will see everything is really landlines.

Verizon is able to do so well on the Wireless side BECAUSE of the landline side.

In total agreement with this. It doesn't seem like many people (including some of the people posting on this thread) understand that landlines and cellular service are interconnected. That cell phone tower isn't just sitting there with no wires connected to it. I keep hearing that this strike does not affect the wireless side. I wonder why Verizon does not publicize that union-represented Verizon techs install, maintain, and repair any and all troubles and installations of all fiber and copper T1’s to these cell towers.

 

[Loyola00]

Employees already vested in the pension would get paid their benefits but new employees would not earn a pension. Management employees already had their pension frozen in 2005. Yes, there is the 401k and the company does provide a match. Most company's do not have a pension plan so with the economy it is becoming a thing of the past.

Verizon workers do not get "sick" days but have vacation days that increase based on years of service. There is also FLMA which is the law, however Verizon was giving "PAID" FMLA, which was costing billions. I can't speak for everyone but when I worked at Verizon FMLA was a HUGE issue. There was alot of abuse. Case in point, an employee could take their FMLA forms and go to their doctor and have them certify they are "stressed". The employee would tell the Dr. they want to be approved to be off 4 x per month and 3 days per incident. Meaning you could take off 1 time per week for a 3 day stretch lets say (Wed - Fri). If your Dr. signed off on that which many have done an employee could use this weekly as long as they worked 1250 hours w/i the last 12 months to qualify and get paid for it. Now I wonder, how many would do this if if was not PAID leave? It's unfortunate because this benefit could be a saving grace for someone in need but the abuse has ruined it for all.

I have been on both sides of the fence and see the good/bad of both sides. I agree top execs are overpaid but it happens in all company's. I wonder what kind of salaries the CEO's of the top automotive plants were getting when they took the bailouots? What about the Bank of America CEO? Millions I'm sure, Verizon and no other company will maintain this cycle of life at this pace. Unfortunately, workers may have to make sacrafices to keep the company going or 20 yrs from now it could be gone. Most people do pay something for benefits so hopefully they can reach an agreement on that point.

Vz was offering employees unlimited tution assistance so you could go to the school and the company pay for everything either undergrad or grad school. Is that being taken away? I know for management it was reduced to 8k per year a few years ago.