Verizon striking

[satorifound]

Most of us lost these benefits years ago. Welcome to reality.

And it wasn't right then.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Most of us lost these benefits years ago. Welcome to reality.

Yep. I worked for Verizon for 10 years as a manager, including doing strike duty in 2000. I think that this will be a long strike. They're due for a long strike IMHO. I'm going to keep my personal opinions about the union demands to myself, but I will say that I've never regretted my decision to move on from my position at Verizon.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Funny they said the same thing in 1989 when we went on strike against what was then NY Telephone Co. for 17wks. Yet here we are 22yrs later. Benefits intact and enhanced.

Maybe more of you should have fought harder to make a better reality.

I always thought that that was a very calculated strike...in my mind, 17 weeks of not having to pay the union went a long way towards paying for whatever concessions the company made in that contract. Strike pay for management probably didn't even come close to what the company saved in salary and benefit costs for unionized employees during those 17 weeks.

 

[tinkarooni]

Just FYI this is much more far reaching than just NY, both my BIL and SIL work for verizon in western PA and both are on strike. I also told them both I think the issue over healthcare is crazy, we are all paying for our healthcare these days and are lucky to have it. Honestly, they don't disagree with me.

 

[nunzia]

This is the best "reasonable" reply to the current state of the economy and realistic business terms. Great reply!

"Its your right to work, but its also a companies right to make money.

yes..that.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I'm always amazed that people think if a company is making money, that they somehow aren't allowed to make more money. That pretty much is the idea. The company answers to their shareholders, not the employees. If you feel it shouldn't be that way, you can stop participating in capitalism or travel back in time. Otherwise those are the rules the Western world runs by.

The "demands" Verizon has seems quite reasonable to most outsiders.

I used to work for a telecommunications company also.

Freeze the pension? My pension was frozen years ago, and as it is so underfunded it doesn't matter anyway. I can't even roll it over as the laws require me to take half now if I do that. Pensions are a luxury few large corporations still have.

No wage increases for 3 year? I haven't gotten a raise in 5. And I'm considered a top performer.

Contributions to a health plan? Seriously? My former employer would charge you a $1500 fine if your spouse worked and didn't use their companies health plan.

No job security? Are you serious?

This is the best "reasonable" reply to the current state of the economy and realistic business terms. Great reply!

"Its your right to work, but its also a companies right to make money.

I agree.

These are strange times. The mantra is both, "we need jobs", and "corporate greed". People need jobs that the "greedy corporations" provide. Strange bedfellows.

 

[Tink-aholic]

Striking now is risky, particularly if those striking are demanding things that most workers do not have. Don't forget that all of those air traffic controllers who went on strike in 1981 were fired and replaced. It could happen again, especially when there has never been such a ready-and-willing workforce to replace them.

 

[Free4Life11]

Hmmm there are 13.9 million people unemployed right now, I bet they would all love to have a telecommunications job paying a wage, even if they had to pay into a crummy health insurance plan, have no pension and no pay raise for 3 years....

I bet they would. But unless Verizon uses all of the savings they receive from cutting benefits and pay to hire new employees, your point is basically meaningless.

The "demands" Verizon has seems quite reasonable to most outsiders.

I used to work for a telecommunications company also.

Freeze the pension? My pension was frozen years ago, and as it is so underfunded it doesn't matter anyway. I can't even roll it over as the laws require me to take half now if I do that. Pensions are a luxury few large corporations still have.

No wage increases for 3 year? I haven't gotten a raise in 5. And I'm considered a top performer.

Contributions to a health plan? Seriously? My former employer would charge you a $1500 fine if your spouse worked and didn't use their companies health plan.

No job security? Are you serious?

I find it sad that this is how a company would treat a "top performer." And because you "bent over and took it" so to speak, everyone else should? That's the whole point of being in a union, so that you DON'T have to just accept pay & benefit cuts.

So your answer is a race to the bottom???

Pretty much

 

[melmar136]

Just FYI this is much more far reaching than just NY, both my BIL and SIL work for verizon in western PA and both are on strike. I also told them both I think the issue over healthcare is crazy, we are all paying for our healthcare these days and are lucky to have it. Honestly, they don't disagree with me.

If it was ONLY about contributing to healthcare it would be crazy. But it goes so far beyond that. I would be more than willing to contribute to a good plan. That isn't being offered. What IS being offered by the company is a HUGE contribution to a far inferior plan that what we already have. Along with all the rest of it.

And to those people who say "well, I've lost all the benefits already that you are complaining about" I'll ask you, is that fair? Does it make you angry? Is it perfectly ok that profitable companies just keep taking and taking from the employees who work hard for them everyday?
No. But for all of you who have lost all of that, the only difference here is that I have a union willing to fight to try and keep some of these.

 

[Muushka]

I'm always amazed that people think if a company is making money, that they somehow aren't allowed to make more money. That pretty much is the idea. The company answers to their shareholders, not the employees. If you feel it shouldn't be that way, you can stop participating in capitalism or travel back in time. Otherwise those are the rules the Western world runs by.

The "demands" Verizon has seems quite reasonable to most outsiders.

I used to work for a telecommunications company also.

Freeze the pension? My pension was frozen years ago, and as it is so underfunded it doesn't matter anyway. I can't even roll it over as the laws require me to take half now if I do that. Pensions are a luxury few large corporations still have.

No wage increases for 3 year? I haven't gotten a raise in 5. And I'm considered a top performer.

Contributions to a health plan? Seriously? My former employer would charge you a $1500 fine if your spouse worked and didn't use their companies health plan.

No job security? Are you serious?

What amazes me is that people actually believe that they should have control over how much the investors should earn.
And what also amazes me is that when they believe that higher taxes will have to be paid because that company
(fill in the blank, but it usually begins with the words 'big oil') earns too much money.
They do not for a minute consider that that tax hike that they have to pay will be passed along to the CONSUMER. Wake up!

My counterpart, Eliza, will be along in a while to offer a different opinion. Hi E

 

[undertheradar]

The reality is that this is a fraction of Verizon's employees and the unions are being shown the door by Verizon. Companies are rolling back benefits and increasing co-pays for them, why should it be any different for these people? It isn't like there aren't skilled people able to perform those jobs and available to take those positions. As for the union claims that Verizon is profitable as a whole, that shouldn't impact the costs for the union positions. The wireline divisions are losing money and market share, something the union should recognize will impact future business. Just looks like a bad time to be trying for public sympathy when so many people are looking for work.

 

[threecrazykids]

If it was ONLY about contributing to healthcare it would be crazy. But it goes so far beyond that. I would be more than willing to contribute to a good plan. That isn't being offered. What IS being offered by the company is a HUGE contribution to a far inferior plan that what we already have. Along with all the rest of it.

And to those people who say "well, I've lost all the benefits already that you are complaining about" I'll ask you, is that fair? Does it make you angry? Is it perfectly ok that profitable companies just keep taking and taking from the employees who work hard for them everyday?
No. But for all of you who have lost all of that, the only difference here is that I have a union willing to fight to try and keep some of these.

Define HUGE. I work for VZ too and I'd like to know what YOU feel is a "HUGE" contribution to your healthcare.

And for goodness sakes...union workers have GOT to get past the "that's not fair" mentality. Life isn't fair...get over it. You're not "entitled" to anything.

 

[tar heel]

Living in North Carolina, I know very little about unions. Does the union pay striking employees or are you totally without income?

I also am curious about how what constitutes "huge." It seems like a lot of DISers get family insurance for no contribution, too -- is that part of it?

Oh, and someone said they get a $1,500 fine if their spouse doesn't take their company's insurance. No fine for that at my DH's company -- you get fired.

 

[tar heel]

I just googled and, assuming the $1,300-$3,000 a year range I got is correct, pretty much everyone I know is paying more than that for family health insurance.

 

[threecrazykids]

Living in North Carolina, I know very little about unions. Does the union pay striking employees or are you totally without income?

I also am curious about how what constitutes "huge." It seems like a lot of DISers get family insurance for no contribution, too -- is that part of it?

Oh, and someone said they get a $1,500 fine if their spouse doesn't take their company's insurance. No fine for that at my DH's company -- you get fired.

Right now the union members pay ZERO into their healthcare.

 

[Judique]

Define HUGE. I work for VZ too and I'd like to know what YOU feel is a "HUGE" contribution to your healthcare.

And for goodness sakes...union workers have GOT to get past the "that's not fair" mentality. Life isn't fair...get over it. You're not "entitled" to anything.

It's interesting to view the opposing opinions.
I really got sick of Verizon over the past year from a customer point of view. So, I took my business elsewhere. I voted with my few dollars, so to speak.

Will Verizon crush it's union workforce? Or will the union maintain the current benefits for its members by striking? One thing is for certain - if a company can get the same performance for a cheaper price and increase their profits, that is what they will do. If a company can give the same or inferior service and still increase prices, that is what they will do.

Once the union worker is gone, with the help of management, and the replacements are hired, the company will continue on to replace the management...it's all a cycle. Soon the company itself will decline, as many huge companies do as they start feeding on themselves. The cycle will complete itself. It's just the circle of life. Personally would love to be around to see the demise of Verizon, greedy monster that it has become.

 

[threecrazykids]

Living in North Carolina, I know very little about unions. Does the union pay striking employees or are you totally without income?

I also am curious about how what constitutes "huge." It seems like a lot of DISers get family insurance for no contribution, too -- is that part of it?

Oh, and someone said they get a $1,500 fine if their spouse doesn't take their company's insurance. No fine for that at my DH's company -- you get fired.

Depends on the union. CWA has a fund, but pays out $200 after 15 days and $300 after 60 days (I believe). From what I've read...IBEW does not have the funds. No clue how much truth there is to that.

But these union people are filing for unemployment! Even though they KNOW they are going to be denied (based on their state), they want to "flood the numbers" to make it look like there are an additional 45,000 out of work.

 

[lisaross]

My husband is a Union worker for Verizon. CWA - i think after striking 2-3 weeks he would get about 200.00 per week - not sure that would last too long.

As to why they r striking its not about just health benefits its also about a pay increase, pensions - being able to fire employees etc. I don't know all of it but i do know that we are not getting any money now - but if the unio decides to strike, the union employees back the union and go out on strike. The workers they hire to replace them - do not...they defiitly don't know that much the managers i'm sure are hating this just as much.

I hope they come to an agreement - both sides have to budge this is not good for anyone!!!!!

If your company makes u pay for benefits i'm sure you would be thrilled if someone fought so u didn't have to pay - to come down on these hard workers is really not fair - pretty disappointed at the responses!

 

[Judique]

- to come down on these hard workers is really not fair - pretty disappointed at the responses!

Awww....don't take it personally!
This is the climate all over - it's how the recession and jobs lost make people feel. Unions are not getting any sympathy anywhere right now. They are the scapegoat for the businesses, the businesses that have the right to make as much profit as possible, as noted by a previous poster.

Unions are formed in the beginning to win workers rights and fair wages and safe working conditions and benefits to improve the workers standards of living. Somehow or another when the economy tanks, it is because of the unions. Listen - you will hear this refrain over and over. It's never because of corporate greed or mismanagement.

 

[m&m's mom]

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.

Define HUGE. I work for VZ too and I'd like to know what YOU feel is a "HUGE" contribution to your healthcare.

And for goodness sakes...union workers have GOT to get past the "that's not fair" mentality. Life isn't fair...get over it. You're not "entitled" to anything.

My husband is a Union worker for Verizon. CWA - i think after striking 2-3 weeks he would get about 200.00 per week - not sure that would last too long.

As to why they r striking its not about just health benefits its also about a pay increase, pensions - being able to fire employees etc. I don't know all of it but i do know that we are not getting any money now - but if the unio decides to strike, the union employees back the union and go out on strike. The workers they hire to replace them - do not...they defiitly don't know that much the managers i'm sure are hating this just as much.

I hope they come to an agreement - both sides have to budge this is not good for anyone!!!!!

If your company makes u pay for benefits i'm sure you would be thrilled if someone fought so u didn't have to pay - to come down on these hard workers is really not fair - pretty disappointed at the responses!

No, we just know the difference between current reality and fantasy.