Verizon striking

[undertheradar]

No I think that I would lose my carrier. And quite honestly I'm not thrilled with them either. Because of the raising rates, I switched plans a few times to keep it more afordable.

Our plan switched this year to the family deductible, 80% coverage of negotiated rate after deductible, separate deductibles for out of network providers with coverage capping at 50% of negotiated rate. Hospital stays are covered at 80% after $250.00 deductible, ER visits are subject to $75.00 co-pay plus satisfied deductible plus 80% coverage at negotiated rate. This requires verifying that every facility and provider are considered to be in network. As for dental, nobody is in network within 25 miles. Therefore, we are always paying additional costs out of pocket. Co-pays for braces averaged $2100.00 per daughter and we currently have 2 in braces. We have used our medical spending to offset these out of pocket costs and will have drained ours for this year this coming week.

 

[lisaross]

Honestly, why the personal insults towards me? I am stating my opinion and not personally insulting anyone, including you.

I would like to make something perfectly clear to every on this particular thread, I am not Lisa, I am her husband. Those of you, who know her, know that she is very sweet and caring. She is your friend. I, although I have grown to like and dislike some of you, I am not your friend. I am simply on my wives board defending the reputation of my job and union. Do not judge my wife on my beliefs.
Anyone who knows me knows that I never insult anyone. I am quite capable of defending myself and those I care about. Anyone on this board who feels that I have attacked, or insulted, that was retaliation for what I felt was an attack on my livelihood.
This strike is not easy or what I want and I know that the managers don’t want it either. But I, on the other hand, don’t feel that someone else’s horse should be shot simply because it doesn’t affect me or that I can’t afford it myself. I am happy for the person who can live that life. If anyone doesn’t like the view point of the union or the strikers, maybe it might be NICER to let us know after our jobs are no longer in jeopardy and our stress has passed.

 

[ilovemk76]

I would like to make something perfectly clear to every on this particular thread, I am not Lisa, I am her husband. Those of you, who know her, know that she is very sweet and caring. She is your friend. I, although I have grown to like and dislike some of you, I am not your friend. I am simply on my wives board defending the reputation of my job and union. Do not judge my wife on my beliefs.
Anyone who knows me knows that I never insult anyone. I am quite capable of defending myself and those I care about. Anyone on this board who feels that I have attacked, or insulted, that was retaliation for what I felt was an attack on my livelihood.
This strike is not easy or what I want and I know that the managers don’t want it either. But I, on the other hand, don’t feel that someone else’s horse should be shot simply because it doesn’t affect me or that I can’t afford it myself. I am happy for the person who can live that life. If anyone doesn’t like the view point of the union or the strikers, maybe it might be NICER to let us know after our jobs are no longer in jeopardy and our stress has passed.

Your wife is always sweet here on the DIS.

I might have been a better idea to open a new account so we could tell when it was you and when it was her. Most of the time it was obvious but not always. A second account would have been better too just in case you got her points.

 

[wvjules]

I would like to make something perfectly clear to every on this particular thread, I am not Lisa, I am her husband. Those of you, who know her, know that she is very sweet and caring. She is your friend. I, although I have grown to like and dislike some of you, I am not your friend. I am simply on my wives board defending the reputation of my job and union. Do not judge my wife on my beliefs.
Anyone who knows me knows that I never insult anyone. I am quite capable of defending myself and those I care about. Anyone on this board who feels that I have attacked, or insulted, that was retaliation for what I felt was an attack on my livelihood.
This strike is not easy or what I want and I know that the managers don’t want it either. But I, on the other hand, don’t feel that someone else’s horse should be shot simply because it doesn’t affect me or that I can’t afford it myself. I am happy for the person who can live that life. If anyone doesn’t like the view point of the union or the strikers, maybe it might be NICER to let us know after our jobs are no longer in jeopardy and our stress has passed.

It doesn't matter WHO you are, Lisa, or her husband. (I don't know Lisa from Eve.) There is no need for insulting anyone nor is anyone attacking your livelihood.

 

[lisaross]

Those people in the other countries also deserve to earn a living just as much as Americans do. There are just not enough jobs for our world population. Unless we go back to non-automation with brain numbing jobs I don't think we will ever have enough jobs. If the population were less there were be less customers thus less products and workers needed.

A few year back I saw an article that stated if you took all of the income of all workers and divided it by all the families in the world the result would be 100% poverty.

As a result I am so thankful to have been born an American, even to a teen mom without a high school education than other parts of the world.





Verizon sees the union as greedy and the union sees Verizon as greedy. This is why there is compromise.

If is was really a horrible company then why are they fighting so hard to stay?




When the employer holds more power wages go down. When there are more openings than qualified applicants then the wages go up. Simple economics.




We have DirecTV. The installer was very nice and it was horrible weather the day he did the install. I could have done the job if I had the "tools" to aim the dish. I can and have wired home for electrical and cable. This was no harder or no different.
This is not inferior insurance but one that may cost you more OOP. Inferior would be not covering what you were already being treated for. High deductible plans are becoming the norm. With them you can also have an HSA and save tax free money that you can use this year to pay your high deductible or save for the future and use it to pay your healthcare premiiums when you are retired. It is another tax savings vehicle.

It appears that you could have a company qualified HSA account. Some companies even make a contribution to that plan. Is the union looking at this angle or is Verizon offering this?




http://www.hsahealthplans.com/infopages/hsa-guidelines.html

(lousy formatting)

Info LinksHow an HSA works
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individual & family
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Current HSA Guidelines - 2011
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Maximum Out-of-Pocket 5,950 11,900


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Maximum HSA Account Contribution Levels for 2011:
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Family Plan 6,150

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Qualified medical expenses (click link on right hand side to see complete list)
COBRA premiums
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Health insurance premiums while receiving unemployment compensation
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Withdrawals are subject to ordinary income tax and a 20% premature withdrawal penalty if:

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After turning 65, or
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No one is irreplaceable. Just to make it clear to republicans Ronald Regan was replaced. To make it clear to Democrats JFK and Bill Clinton were replaced. I’m sure that you could have installed the dish yourself. I know I could. Do you know why skilled workers are paid so high? It’s not for what they do; it’s for what they know. Verizon has a partnership with Direct TV and because of that I see them at my customer’s very often. Some jobs are more difficult than others. But you know something? It’s easier to say I could do that job if… then actually doing it. He had the tools and you didn’t. He knew what to do, and you might have or might not have. But he did do your job.
When I was a contractor I hired union workers because they were the best. I needed people who knew more than I did, (although I never told them that). I remember painting a house with my painter and having a conversation with him. I asked him if he really thought he was better than me, all the time believing that my work was clean and good. He told me anyone can paint a house, it’s a question of how long it takes them to do it right. You see while I met him half way through the room, he had already painted the entire rest of the house. I couldn’t believe it, but it was true and it was perfect. He taught me a lesson that day. Some people are actually worth more than cheap labor.
As far as the poor in other countries, it’s sad, but charity must begin at home. Let us get Americans working again in jobs that are decent and respectable before we worry about jobs across the world.

 

[lisaross]

Our plan switched this year to the family deductible, 80% coverage of negotiated rate after deductible, separate deductibles for out of network providers with coverage capping at 50% of negotiated rate. Hospital stays are covered at 80% after $250.00 deductible, ER visits are subject to $75.00 co-pay plus satisfied deductible plus 80% coverage at negotiated rate. This requires verifying that every facility and provider are considered to be in network. As for dental, nobody is in network within 25 miles. Therefore, we are always paying additional costs out of pocket. Co-pays for braces averaged $2100.00 per daughter and we currently have 2 in braces. We have used our medical spending to offset these out of pocket costs and will have drained ours for this year this coming week.

Your medical plan sounds almost identical to the one a switched from. I needed something less expensive. Our co-pays for braces are above $3000 and I have 1 beginning now and the next one in about 1 1/2 years. I don't know what I'm going to do with the braces situation being on strike. This is expensive and messy.

 

[lisaross]

Your wife is always sweet here on the DIS.

I might have been a better idea to open a new account so we could tell when it was you and when it was her. Most of the time it was obvious but not always. A second account would have been better too just in case you got her points.

On this thread, we both announce ourselves if there is a change. And once this is done, I don't expect to be back. If any of you want to get to me for some reason, just ask my wife.

 

[undertheradar]

Your medical plan sounds almost identical to the one a switched from. I needed something less expensive. Our co-pays for braces are above $3000 and I have 1 beginning now and the next one in about 1 1/2 years. I don't know what I'm going to do with the braces situation being on strike. This is expensive and messy.

Our choices weren't too exciting. A) HMO B) PPO C) a junk emergency type plan or D) Decline and self insure. We only have one dental and max coverage is $1500.00 per year. $2000.00 lifetime for orthodontia. Not great coverages. We bumped medical spending for the braces, only way that it made them affordable for us. I had one of the kids at the dentist on monday and after being in the chair for fillings we had a tab of over $200.00 run up. Nice thing to have with school starting next week.

 

[ilovemk76]

Your medical plan sounds almost identical to the one a switched from. I needed something less expensive. Our co-pays for braces are above $3000 and I have 1 beginning now and the next one in about 1 1/2 years. I don't know what I'm going to do with the braces situation being on strike. This is expensive and messy.

This is where an HSA can be helpful. You can pay for those braces with tax free money. Is the union pushing for an HSA or is it being offered?

 

[sherry7]

I apologize if this has already been posted. I'm about 20 pages behind on this thread, and haven't had the time to catch up on my reading. Sadly, a person in NY has died, in part due to the inability of the replacement workers to repair her phone line. My thoughts and prayers go out to this family.

In case anybody is still wondering whether the traditional network still serves a public utility function; moreover, in case anybody had any doubts about management's inability to do our job during the strike, see this very sad story that is running on WABC local TV news in NYC.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/long_island&id=8311837

Eyewitness News

MELVILLE (WABC) -- The frustration and anger felt by one Long Island family is overshadowed by their grief, having lost their matriarch.

Still they are asking one of the largest companies in this country, what does it take to restore phone service? Especially if that service is a lifeline and needed in a critical situation.

After a lifetime together, Ruth and Burton Bellask were going to celebrate 65 years as husband and wife.

Related Content

More: Contact the WABC-TV Long Island Bureau
That special occasion, though, has been lost with Ruth's sudden and unexpected death. Burton was unable to call for help.

"It is a travesty that a company like Verizon that has an influence on long island all over the place would leave elderly people out on a limb like this. It's terrible," said Steven Bellask, their son.

Ruth and Burton returned to their home here in Melville from a vacation 10 days ago to find they didn't have phone service.

The phone rings, but when it's answered, there is only static.

For Burton, the dedicated phone line is a lifeline.

"He puts a device on the phone. And the phone attaches to a computer at st. Francis hospital and they check the viability of his devices he has inside," Steven said.

A pacemaker and defibrillator, his family says. So Ruth went to work.

"They at first got nothing. And she called from her cell phone and made repeated attempts for them to come," daughter in-law Lori Bellask said.

Two Verizon workers did finally appear three days later, according to an email ruth sent to Verizon. She said they located a break in a cable and hoped they put in a work order to have it repaired.

She stressed in the email, "This is a medical emergency as my husband has a heart condition."

"And he can't use a cell phone because of the condition he has. It interrupts with the waves that he has in the pacemaker," Steven said.

Four days later Ruth received an email from Verizon apologizing for "the delay in our response and regret any inconvenience."

It goes on to promise "there is a repair report scheduled for completion on August 15, 2010 no later than 6:55pm." The date appears to be wrong.

This, her family says, is now eight days since Ruth discovered her phone had no service.

Verizon, which is in the ninth day of a strike by communication workers, said in a statement, "given the medical emergency that was reported to Verizon, the company expedited the repair visits."

A spokesman also says repair workers were sent out "to work on two separate and unrelated problems on the family's line."

"Hours and hours on the phone trying to make Verizon understand the severity of this being that my father in law is not a well man and both of them being elderly," Lori said.

Then unexpectedly Ruth wakes up Tuesday morning in distress her family says with labored breathing.

Burton still has no service on this phone they say and cannot use a cell phone to call for help.

"He has to go out and tap on neighbors doors to try and wake them up for them to call," Steven said.

First responders eventually arrived, but Ruth passed away.

Even after her death, there is still no service on the phone.

"For a big company like Verizon to do something like that is terrible. It's a shame," Steven said.

"Shame on them," Lori added.

The Bellask family believes there should be a priority system put into place when it comes to the elderly and those with special needs.

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

 

[lisaross]

My heart goes out to that family. It's so sad, and mainly because it was preventable. I just read back a few pages and something on page 36 almost sounded like a prophecy.

 

[JVelasquez]

That is horrible. My thoughts and prayers go out to this family.

 

[Tink-aholic]

I just watched the HBO documentary about the Stella D'Oro strike in NY. Those workers were (according to the Huffington Post) making $18-$20 per hour and getting an average of 9 weeks of paid vacation per year. The company wanted the workers to share in the cost of healthcare and to cut back on vacation. The workers went on strike for 11 months in 2008 instead. In 2009, they sued to get their jobs back, and the court ordered the company to take them back. On the same day, the company sold the building and moved their operation to a non-labor plant in Ohio. Every single person was fired.

According to the NY Daily News, most of the 138 workers still don't have jobs. I wonder how many of those workers would make the same decision to strike today...or would they take the cut in vacation time and willingly share in the cost of their healthcare?

 

[Beezle2]

I just watched the HBO documentary about the Stella D'Oro strike in NY. Those workers were (according to the Huffington Post) making $18-$20 per hour and getting an average of 9 weeks of paid vacation per year. The company wanted the workers to share in the cost of healthcare and to cut back on vacation. The workers went on strike for 11 months in 2008 instead. In 2009, they sued to get their jobs back, and the court ordered the company to take them back. On the same day, the company sold the building and moved their operation to a non-labor plant in Ohio. Every single person was fired.

According to the NY Daily News, most of the 138 workers still don't have jobs. I wonder how many of those workers would make the same decision to strike today...or would they take the cut in vacation time and willingly share in the cost of their healthcare?

"In early September 2010, a 2 to 1 ruling by the National Labor Relations Board affirmed the June 2009 decision of an administrative law judge that Stella D'oro violated federal labor law by refusing to furnish detailed financial statements to the workers' union to support claims of needing contract concessions to survive."

So just another profitable company that wanted to bust the people who had made it profitable? Hmmm. Sure would like to know what the new workers in Ohio are making..and how much the CEO is getting too.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I just watched the HBO documentary about the Stella D'Oro strike in NY. Those workers were (according to the Huffington Post) making $18-$20 per hour and getting an average of 9 weeks of paid vacation per year. The company wanted the workers to share in the cost of healthcare and to cut back on vacation. The workers went on strike for 11 months in 2008 instead. In 2009, they sued to get their jobs back, and the court ordered the company to take them back. On the same day, the company sold the building and moved their operation to a non-labor plant in Ohio. Every single person was fired.

According to the NY Daily News, most of the 138 workers still don't have jobs. I wonder how many of those workers would make the same decision to strike today...or would they take the cut in vacation time and willingly share in the cost of their healthcare?

How could a judge order the company to take the employees back? That makes no sense to me. IMHO a company should be able to hire/fire at will, just as an employee can take a job and quit a job at will. I'm not sure how Verizon will get the unions out if a judge can just order them to give the workers their jobs back then It's not like Verizon can up and sell all of the garages and move them elsewhere, KWIM? Well, I guess that they could sell off all of the landline business, but I don't know how likely it is that they would be able to do so (or would want to do so).

My prediction at this point is that this will a long, protracted strike and that the union will "win" the concessions in the end. Of course, several months w/o having to pay union salaries and benefits will in effect pay for the concessions. It always seems so calculated to me. This is just my guess, though.

 

[JVelasquez]

I just watched the HBO documentary about the Stella D'Oro strike in NY. Those workers were (according to the Huffington Post) making $18-$20 per hour and getting an average of 9 weeks of paid vacation per year. The company wanted the workers to share in the cost of healthcare and to cut back on vacation. The workers went on strike for 11 months in 2008 instead. In 2009, they sued to get their jobs back, and the court ordered the company to take them back. On the same day, the company sold the building and moved their operation to a non-labor plant in Ohio. Every single person was fired.

According to the NY Daily News, most of the 138 workers still don't have jobs. I wonder how many of those workers would make the same decision to strike today...or would they take the cut in vacation time and willingly share in the cost of their healthcare?

So they went on strike bc they didn't want to pay healthcare or lose some vacation time??? VZ workers are on stike mostly bc they dont want to see some of their positions going to other countries! Yes they are also negotiating healthcare among other things but they can compromise with VZ on that. They won't compromise having jobs taken away. If VZ gets it way in a few years thousands of people will be unemployed not bc of poor performance but to save the company more $$$. I get they want to save money but don't do it by taking away jobs from people who have been there for years and have worked hard!

As for the post that started this thread... Your bills go up all the time anyway!!!! And they will continue to go up even if VZ sent all the jobs overseas and didn't provide any benefits to the workers.

 

[jnfr2424]

How could a judge order the company to take the employees back? That makes no sense to me. IMHO a company should be able to hire/fire at will, just as an employee can take a job and quit a job at will. I'm not sure how Verizon will get the unions out if a judge can just order them to give the workers their jobs back then It's not like Verizon can up and sell all of the garages and move them elsewhere, KWIM? Well, I guess that they could sell off all of the landline business, but I don't know how likely it is that they would be able to do so (or would want to do so).

My prediction at this point is that this will a long, protracted strike and that the union will "win" the concessions in the end. Of course, several months w/o having to pay union salaries and benefits will in effect pay for the concessions. It always seems so calculated to me. This is just my guess, though.

In 2002 Verizon already went through something like this. They laid off technicians in NY/NJ stating they were cutting costs. Union went in for arbitration and Verizon had to rehire everyone back due to illegal layoff procedures.

Why do you think Verizon is trying to break the union? They want to get out of the wireline business since it seems so unprofitable. They will probably only keep the data portion since they are needed for Fiber to the Cell.

 

[undertheradar]

While the death is tragic, there is no way that either side could claim that they could have prevented it. Since it takes all parties involved to make a contract, all parties have a hand in the situation that is currently taking place.

Here's hoping that everyone involved get this resolved soon. There will be no winners, only shared loss. Strikers are doing without pay and are soon to lose benefits, Verizon employees are working long hours and trying to do what they can. A quick resolution is best for everyone involved, no matter which side of the picket line you are on.

 

[Acklander]

something good has come out of this entire strike and that is the importance of social responsibility. I am currently researching phone companies to see which one I consider the most socially responsible and that's where I plan on swapping over to. It's time to put my money where my mouth is. I consider it important that the employees are treated fairly and expect the company where I spend my money to understand the importance of hiring Americans. I can afford to pay a bit higher price for the service and have a clear concience than to just look at the bottom line. I think a healthy America is worth paying a little extra for my services.

 

[kaytieeldr]

"In early September 2010, a 2 to 1 ruling by the National Labor Relations Board affirmed the June 2009 decision of an administrative law judge that Stella D'oro violated federal labor law by refusing to furnish detailed financial statements to the workers' union to support claims of needing contract concessions to survive."

So just another profitable company that wanted to bust the people who had made it profitable? Hmmm. Sure would like to know what the new workers in Ohio are making..and how much the CEO is getting too.

I don't know. Is that all the same as "the company that owned Stella D'Oro (Brynwood) sold it to a different company (Lance) two months after they complied with the NLRB demand and hired back the workers, and that the new owner moved the company"?

I wouldn't have any idea who the CEO was then or how much that person earned, either alone or relative to the employees.