Verizon striking

[kaytieeldr]

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.

It's much more likely the death could have been prevented if the couple's landline had been working. the 'contract' - because nothing is written - involves Verizon providing telephone service and the customer providing payment for that service.

Even if a party doesn't have/pay for phone service, the provider is still required to give them access to 911 as long as the wiring exists in their home. This couple paid for phone service, had an emergency, and still couldn't call for help because they, um, had no service.

It doesn't sound like the customers' fault.

 

[undertheradar]

It's much more likely the death could have been prevented if the couple's landline had been working. the 'contract' - because nothing is written - involves Verizon providing telephone service and the customer providing payment for that service.

Even if a party doesn't have/pay for phone service, the provider is still required to give them access to 911 as long as the wiring exists in their home. This couple paid for phone service, had an emergency, and still couldn't call for help because they, um, had no service.

It doesn't sound like the customers' fault.

Oddly enough, I wasn't viewing this as a strictly customer/provider issue. I was looking at the company/striker aspect due to other posts. So the "contract" involved Verizon and the currently striking workers. Somehow, I never said it was the customer's fault.

 

[Judique]

Why is that insulting? It is true. When I was unemployed I worked for Comcast temporarily. I think training was 3 days. (There was union there then.) I worked the phones, set up installs and trouble calls, troubleshot modem and internet issues, worked the front counter, etc. Everything except working out in the field doing repairs and installs. Being a CSR didn't require much skill. I came in off the street and did it.

Interesting. My son had this job a few years ago. At Comcast at the office they had in Silver Spring - it's no longer there. He remembers his training quite differently - 4 weeks of training in classroom, then 2 weeks of telephone training, with coached training in solving internet issues. I'm really surprised to hear that Comcast hired you right of the street. You must be an exceptional individual.

 

[disney1990]

Ok, just have to clarify here....I work for Verizon, and am out on strike right now. I REALLY don't want to get into the whole +/- of unions, but had to say that Verizon makes BILLIONS of $$$ a year in profits. And, as you see, they obviously have the money to ship in workers and pay $300 a night each for a person's hotel, food and flight. But, they can't seem to pay the workers who only want a fair contract???

I can tell you that Verizon came to the bargaining table with over 100 concessions they wanted the union employees to make. These include huge contributions to an inferior health care plan, a freeze in pensions, no wage increase over the course of the contract (usually 3 years), and here's a big one, no job security, and the ability to transfer jobs. (hmmm, to India, perhaps?! or to non-union locations, since the new Ceo is from Verizon Wireless where they HATE unions) That is only a sampling.

I understand that in this economy, the idea is, "well, you have a job, so just shut up, and go to work." And trust me, I'd love to. As a single mom, this is really going to hurt me financially, if we are out of work for a while. But, why should a company that some people have spent their lives at (we have people with 40+ years of service on the job) have everything that they have worked so hard for, just taken from them? Coporate greed, plain and simple.

I'm not sure why people get all over the middle class workers when corporations like these are taking huge government buyouts, given 'golden parachutes" to top executives, care ONLY for the bottom line, etc. So many corporations just do whatever they want to their workers now. Verizon has done it to all of their lower level managers already. They WISH they had some sort of union protection. I hear it everyday. And once the strike is over, they'll be letting a bunch of them go, I'm sure! They've done it before.

Verizon is not a struggling company. Let's take a look:
•2011 annualized revenues are $108 billion and annualized net profits are $6 billion.
•Verizon Wireless just paid its parent company and Vodaphone a $10 billion dividend.
•Verizon’s top five executives received compensation of $258 million over the past four years
Oh, and by the way, they pay NO federal taxes.

The union members aren't asking for anything MORE than they deserve or currently have. They aren't asking for unreasonable demands, just to keep most of what they already have.

My DH is retired Verizon. I support you 100%.

verizon landline and verizon wireless are totally separate.. wireless employees are not unionized and won't be affected by this at all... my mother is an engineer in upper management with verizon (not wireless) and will be dealing with this.. that being said she doesn't even get discounts on wireless b/c they are separate!

this isn't fun for anyone involved.. my mom will be working nonstop until this is over!

Yes, they are separate companies, but my DH got a discount on his wireless when he worked for Verizon and, now that he is retired, he still gets a discount on his wireless. Your Mom needs to check into this again.

 

[melmar136]

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.

wow. My dental insurance only paid 2000 towards my daughter's braces, and I had to fork over the remaining 3600!
As far as the discussion on IF you would use all of the $3000 deductible....well, a friend of mine has a plan that she PAYS the first $3000 before the insurance company even starts paying. So, maybe it is that?

 

[melmar136]

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.

That's because it most likely IS totally calculated. The company pretty much came out and said so after the 16 week strike in 1989. I wasn't working there at the time, but have heard from those who were, that all of a sudden the company came back, agreed to everything that was on the table, and it was over, just like that.
The company "saves" x amount of $ during the strike, and writes all of the strike expenses off. It's a win/win for them.

 

[melmar136]

The Mrs. here LOL - i just want to wish u a GREAT disney trip! I've been when things were going really bad for us, but we went anyway because like u said its paid for etc. Have to tell u it was the best trip ever - the kids loved it - we spend so little their and still loved it. Go try and enjoy by looking at your daughter - what a great age to both enjoy disney together. I hope when u get back home this will all be behind us...

Thanks so much! I am really hoping that by the time I get back this will be all over and we can all be back at work!

 

[wvjules]

Interesting. My son had this job a few years ago. At Comcast at the office they had in Silver Spring - it's no longer there. He remembers his training quite differently - 4 weeks of training in classroom, then 2 weeks of telephone training, with coached training in solving internet issues. I'm really surprised to hear that Comcast hired you right of the street. You must be an exceptional individual.

I don't understand the snark at all. There were about 10 temps hired. We had maybe 3 days in a classroom upstairs and that was it. Maybe there was less training because it was temp job. But I assure you I did not have 4 weeks of training. It wasn't even a week. And I was quite capable of doing the job only after that limited amount of training, as were all of the other temps that were hired.

And yes, FTR, I am an exceptional individual.

 

[zstyles]

That's because it most likely IS totally calculated. The company pretty much came out and said so after the 16 week strike in 1989. I wasn't working there at the time, but have heard from those who were, that all of a sudden the company came back, agreed to everything that was on the table, and it was over, just like that.
The company "saves" x amount of $ during the strike, and writes all of the strike expenses off. It's a win/win for them.

If your comparing this economy to 1989 you are very much unaware of what is actually going on out there. We have had a few pass's in the past with how people play with the numbers, we had a pass in 2008-2009 in which the market recovered with a huge bailout..do you think that's going to happen again...I am beginning to think this is just the start of the fall...companies are not living in 1989 and employees should not be either..I wouldn't be so confident that a company that is in a country with 9% unemployment would be foretold that "in the past they did this"..might be a little confident or over confident there.

 

[kelly1218]

Oh no...they are going to try to sue Verizon for that...guaranteed. What I think is the funniest part is the picketers actually video tape these people standing in front of the vehicles, or better yet, jumping on the vehicles as they are trying to come to and from work...then when they get hit, they want to use it against Verizon? Really? Not the brightest people in the world. I know these people are the minority, but let's use some common sense people. If you're going to show the police a video, don't incriminate yourself in the process.

These idiots aren't just attacking coworkers trying to get to work....they are walking in front of the general public out in front of the building.

It now makes me even happier to know...I dropped verizon last summer when they screwed up our FIOS install...and basically cut off all our services...and then told us we can still pay for them for the 2 weeks that we won't have service. Obviously that didn't go well, I have a 75 year old father. I needed at least phone service. Comcast came out the next day and hooked up phone and internet. Verizon even tried to be sneaky and put a hold on our phone number...so we couldn't transfer it over to comcast. We just got a new number. Bullying wasn't going to make me give that company any more money.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

That's because it most likely IS totally calculated. The company pretty much came out and said so after the 16 week strike in 1989. I wasn't working there at the time, but have heard from those who were, that all of a sudden the company came back, agreed to everything that was on the table, and it was over, just like that.
The company "saves" x amount of $ during the strike, and writes all of the strike expenses off. It's a win/win for them.

I totally agree with this...it always seems very calculated. It sucks on all sides...I hated being management and having to work strike duty 12 hours a day at unfamiliar work locations, and I am sure that the craft employees hated being out on strike. If Verizon can't get the union out, they need to make up the "concessions" somehow, though. I can understand why they'd do calculated strikes, but it doesn't make for a pleasant working environment on either side. I didn't think that working there was pleasant, period, so I left.

 

[southie_chick]

Now, can we get back to being happy again? HATE when my "friends" (yup, even tho I haven't met you I still consider you my friends) don't get along. Sending good wishes - & LOTS of Pixie Dust to all of you!

 

[undertheradar]

Yes, good news that the strike is over. Read the update from the combined unions and currently the workers will be working under the terms of the old contract for an indefinite period of time while both sides negotiate a narrower spectrum of issues. So though the strike will end and workers return to work on tuesday, they still do not have a new contract. Good luck to all involved.

 

[jnfr2424]

Now, can we get back to being happy again? HATE when my "friends" (yup, even tho I haven't met you I still consider you my friends) don't get along. Sending good wishes - & LOTS of Pixie Dust to all of you!

Congrats to all the VZ Union workers on the board. Now maybe Verizon will bargain fairly like they should have done in the beginning!

 

[Desnik]

I cannot tell you all how happy I am this strike is over! Now that DH has a job to go back to we can really enjoy the rest of our vacation! At WDW now & this was great news to get while here!

 

[TinaLala]

I'm just commenting on the pension part - more companies are freezing pension plans because of the ongoing cost of the benefit. More and more companies are weeding out pension plans and moving toward 401k plans. Pension plans require companies to make contributions to them with no contribution from the employee, where 401k plans are a mutual contribution (EE payroll contributions and ER match) and fees can be paid out of forfiture accounts, so the cost is lower with a 401k plan then pension.

If your company hasn't frozen their pension plan yet, they will!

 

[Deealee]

I'm just commenting on the pension part - more companies are freezing pension plans because of the ongoing cost of the benefit. More and more companies are weeding out pension plans and moving toward 401k plans. Pension plans require companies to make contributions to them with no contribution from the employee, where 401k plans are a mutual contribution (EE payroll contributions and ER match) and fees can be paid out of forfiture accounts, so the cost is lower with a 401k plan then pension.

The idea that employees don't contribute to their pensions is just a fallacy. We contribute to our pension in quite a few ways, such as taking smaller raises, increased productivity, etc.

If your company hasn't frozen their pension plan yet, they will![/QUOTE]

Is this a fact our just your hope?

 

[lisaross]

ENJOY your trip!

I cannot tell you all how happy I am this strike is over! Now that DH has a job to go back to we can really enjoy the rest of our vacation! At WDW now & this was great news to get while here!

 

[Deealee]

Congrats to all the VZ Union workers on the board. Now maybe Verizon will bargain fairly like they should have done in the beginning!

Thanks!

Thats all we were asking for.

 

[jrmasm]

I'm just commenting on the pension part - more companies are freezing pension plans because of the ongoing cost of the benefit. More and more companies are weeding out pension plans and moving toward 401k plans. Pension plans require companies to make contributions to them with no contribution from the employee, where 401k plans are a mutual contribution (EE payroll contributions and ER match) and fees can be paid out of forfiture accounts, so the cost is lower with a 401k plan then pension.

If your company hasn't frozen their pension plan yet, they will!

Not true. I contribute to my pension.