Verizon striking

[lisaross]

So, if you, familyoffive, get ousted from your job tomorrow, who will support you, other than your family?

Does your company have a plan in place to make your transition a seamless one?

Will your severence last until you find another position?

Do you have a pension to take with you?

Will your 401K meet your needs?

Can your job be outsourced?

Are their a giant pool of qualified people capable of performing your duties?

What happens to you if you become jobless tomorrow?

Do you worry about being jobless?

Do you lose sleep over it?

Do you believe that it could happen to you?

Do you feel you are 'safe' from company costcutting in your field?

How do you really feel about your job security?

Thank you. I'm so happy that someone finally did that!

 

[lisaross]

WHat is the job of the union? I think we are all questioning what is "fair".


Huh? Confused by this. This poster did not put down other teachers at all. SHe was sharing her experience, how she was chastised for putting in extra work.


I agree.


And, if you are union your performance doesn't matter jack squat. Seniority only. Lets not confuse "sweatshop" mentality for going from 11 to 8 days vacation, decreasing 401K matching contribution and having employees pay SOME money towards healcare instead of having the employer contribute the whole 100%. Big difference between those two examples.

So it's ok for you to make less money, have less time off with your family and pretty much sacrifice your job security? If that's the case THEN DO IT. Go to your employer and tell them that you make too much, you have too much time off, and you don't need your job security. If you don't want to do that, then stop telling us that it's ok for us!

 

[lisaross]

This thread has gotten really, really disheartening and should just be closed. I clicked on it when it was first started because my husband is on strike I wondered how other families affected by the strike were feeling. I thought the thread would be informational and supportive. Instead it is just pathetic and wrought with ugliness and jealousy.

I have to pay into health care, why don't Verizon workers? I don't get Veteran's day off so they should work too. My pension is gone, so I hope they lose theirs too. Why should they have all of those sick days? Why raises, why disability, why vacation, why job security, why, why....boo hoo hoo.

So nasty posters, what ever pay and benefits you currently have, if your employer came to you tomorrow and said, "okay, we're going to reduce EVERYTHING you currently have", you'd tell them that you understood perfectly you'd show up for work the next day and be happy you still had a job? Yeah, right! Or, you'd just quit if you didn't like it, right? Because you are just so darn employable, so, so superior to the 45,000 Verizon workers. Oh, you don't have a job at all? Yes, of course misery loves company and your life will be so much richer if the Verizon workers have crappy benefits.

So 45,000 middle class families are on strike right now. Worried about the uncertainty of their future and about providing for their families. Worried about how long the strike will go on and how they will pay mortgages and car payments if weeks stretch into months...THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!

Thank you so much for spelling out what I've been trying unsucessfully to convey.

 

[lisaross]

I am truly sadden by some the anti union sentiment on this thread. The VZ workers are not asking for anything more than what they already have. As a former CWA member (not VZ) who was sold out by a crappy deal made by the local to protect "pre 1991 hires" I admire the VZ union. If more unions were like them, the middle class in this country would be in a lot better shape. I also would not be sitting on my couch writing this, while some one in Buenos Aries does my former job for a fraction of the money and no medical benefits, I would be at work, making a decent wage and taking pride in my work! I hope the workers of VZ stay strong and don't give "them" back anything! There is a lesson in all of this too. I lost my job 6 years ago because of that crappy deal, we found out on Tuesday that my husband will be losing his job at the end of Sept. as a result of that same crappy deal made 6 years ago. 6 years later a bad deal is still affecting families, VZ has a great union. STAY STRONG VERIZON WORKERS!!!!!

Thank you for your support. I'm so sorry to hear about you and husband's jobs. I hope it works out for you guys.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

This is the thing- Verizon workers might have some benefits I don't have. That's ok. I might have some they don't have. However, I think it is SAD and wrong for any working class family to have to deal with cuts. If we have that mentality of "I don't have a cow, so my neighbor's should die" we will be in a race to the bottom, until we are all left with nothing. Working class needs to stick together now more than ever. They are pitting public workers against private and union vs. non union so we can fight it out and those at the top get richer. I support the strike because I support working class Americans. The rich keep their lifestyle and the welfare class keep theirs, but the middle class keeps getting squeezed. The anti union sentiment is just a big red herring. Unions are NOT the reason for our country's problems.

 

[kelly1218]

I don't want to argue...I really don't care what they strike over....I just want to know if their health insurance will cover the idiots getting hit by a car.

Yes...I'm calling them idiots...and it has nothing to do with them striking. The people standing outside the local office in Levittown, PA are STEPPING in front of oncoming traffic with their picket signs.

Sadly the idiots are out there doing this with their children at their sides... and it's a pretty busy road.

 

[sam_gordon]

What I have been hearing from most of the people is their takes based on Verizon’s spin on the pending contract. Propaganda has always been a useful tool, and I find sheep very easily swayed by it.

Except most of the "details" of the pending contract that came out in this thread have come from union members. And name calling (sheep) people that don't agree with you? Nice.

 

[sam_gordon]

So it's ok for you to make less money, have less time off with your family and pretty much sacrifice your job security? If that's the case THEN DO IT. Go to your employer and tell them that you make too much, you have too much time off, and you don't need your job security. If you don't want to do that, then stop telling us that it's ok for us!

I think we all agree pay/benefit cuts SUCK. No one denies that. Our point is simply the cuts are not unusual. Many have had to suffer through them before. That doesn't mean we think or hope you should lose benefits/pay. There is a BIG middle ground.

 

[threecrazykids]

I don't want to argue...I really don't care what they strike over....I just want to know if their health insurance will cover the idiots getting hit by a car.

Yes...I'm calling them idiots...and it has nothing to do with them striking. The people standing outside the local office in Levittown, PA are STEPPING in front of oncoming traffic with their picket signs.

Sadly the idiots are out there doing this with their children at their sides... and it's a pretty busy road.

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.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Wow, now that is justice. Now we see how truly subjective this issue can be. From my stand point at the time when I hadn't 1 hour of OT in years, I was so jealous of the managers getting 10k to 40k bonuses. And you say they stunk. I suppose that maybe stones shouldn't be cast until we've walked in the shoes of others.

HUH? 10K-40K?!! The biggest team award that I remember getting was 6K, and that was in leiu of a raise. Most of the time, they were under 5K, and again, once a year and in leiu of a raise. Yes, they stunk.

 

[ccgirl]

That's all well and good in a black and white world. This is not. When the economy is flourishing, the management in the company does well and is rewarded with bonuses. We are not. We are in the spotlight right now because the economy is doing poorly. Perhaps we should be in the spotlight when the economy and the company are doing fantastic. A lot of it is because of us, (for the company) and we receive no compensation. But I suppose that’s fine.
In my company, the jobs are extremely subjective. How are they to be judged? By the number of installs or repairs we do, or by how many of them bounce, or by how much our manager likes us. I know, how about all of the above. Except there is one small problem with this. Every installation and repair is different. They can take 5 minutes or up to 2 days. Who would get which jobs? Every time a customer calls in there is a trouble report on the line that makes it look like the job bounced even if it is the customer calling in to give a compliment to the excellent work of the technician. And last but not least, the managers are not held to any standard. Many of them make it very personal, and either like or hate the workers. They give the easy jobs to their friends and torture the workers they dislike. This has been an unfortunate part of our culture. I couldn’t imagine how excited some of them would get if they found out that they had control over our raises.
In the past we have sacrificed high raises so that we would not have to pay for our medical benefits. If we have to now, then that means that we are so far behind the curve because we should have been at a higher salary to begin with. Our salary is quite modest.
If you want to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges many of my friends work for the city, the state, or the federal governments. They all start with 4 weeks’ vacation the 1st year and get their 5th week on their 5th year. We start with 2 weeks then get our 3rd after 7 years then our 4th after 15 and then finally our 5th after 25 years. We have no sick time to bank or get paid for if we don’t use it. And we have already lost 1 holiday a few years back.
What I have been hearing from most of the people is their takes based on Verizon’s spin on the pending contract. Propaganda has always been a useful tool, and I find sheep very easily swayed by it.

It sounds like you are very unhappy with your management. Comparing apples to apples and oranges and oranges by comparing a job to the federal government is not giving a true picture either. Those benefits really need adjusting as well, IMHO. Let's see, my DH started off with no vacation until he reached 1 year. Then it was 1 week a year for each year up to 3 and never goes higher. He got 1 sick day a year, every year up to 5. My company was bought out by a much bigger company and my benefits actually just increased significantly.

Previously:
No 401K match
18 PTO days (sick and vacation) a year. No rollover allowed.
5 paid holidays
Family medical plan $192 deducted twice a month for a year total of $4608, $75 ER visit copay, $20 office copay, covered 80% (not 100%) up to a stop loss of $5,000.
Dental was $22 twice a month for a total of $528 a year. Cleanings were free, everything else was covered at about 80%.
Free short term disability
I had to pay $315 a year for long term disability that pays 60% of my salary

As I said, our benefits just got much better
4% 401K match (I have never actually had a company match in a 401K before)
3 weeks vacation, 1 week sick (no rollover)
7 paid holidays
Family medical plan $111.59 bi weekly ($2901 year). $100 ER copay, $25 office copay and everything is covered at 100%.
Dental is $17.39 biweekly ($452 year). Most of my dentists are out of network so I only get covered at 80% and have to pay a 20% deductible even for cleanings.

I think somewhere in the middle of those two is probably where the "real world" lies in terms of benefits. Raises were always tied to performance and never guaranteed. I, too, have gone many years without a raise. My husband had gone 6 years without a raise before switching jobs.

I want to remind everyone that this thread was actually started by a non-Verizon employee so I'm not sure why the employees keeping asking non-employees why they are even here.

Again, just because you (a general you) have always had something does not mean you should keep getting it.

 

[ccgirl]

So it's ok for you to make less money, have less time off with your family and pretty much sacrifice your job security? If that's the case THEN DO IT. Go to your employer and tell them that you make too much, you have too much time off, and you don't need your job security. If you don't want to do that, then stop telling us that it's ok for us!

First of all, I have never had job security. As a matter of fact, I was laid off twice within 3 years. As for too much time off, I got 18 days a year and 5 paid holidays prior to my company getting bought out. I have always contributed into a health plan and, up until now, have never had a 401K match. In my previous job, some people were union. They still had layoffs but they were based on seniority only. I watched many great workers get laid off while the lazy people got to stay. Sorry, but that to me is unfair.

I'm not saying I want anyone to make less money or have less time off. I think it is a compromise but I'm not hearing the union want to compromise on anything. The economy is tanking, healthcare costs are rising, but the union doesn't want to seem to pay any more for anything.

BTW, what is overtime? I am salary, have always been so I have never gotten paid overtime. If you really look, I bet those manager's that got the "bonus" were probably working over 50 hours every week but 10 of those could be considered "unpaid" since they don't get overtime.

 

[undertheradar]

Thank you. I'm so happy that someone finally did that!

Why don't you and the poster who listed these questions answer them on this thread? I provided what is received in my home as normal benefits, I haven't read your answers to thses questions.

 

[undertheradar]

Here we are 31 pages in and still the answer hasn't been provided to this question. How does your strike against Verizon defend the American middle class and our American way of life? I provided the details of what is the norm in benefits in my house, how does Verizon providing the same as it has been in prior years defend my American way of life? This is the statement that has been repeated over and over and I fail to see how the striking 45,000 receiving fully funded medical premiums will continue the middle class for the rest of us. I understand that it will allow the 45,000 striking employees to continue exactly as it has been but fail to understand how you are fighting for the rest of us.

13 and 1/2 hours later and this still isn't answered. There have been lots of posts about how all of us not on strike don't care about the workers. Much earlier in the thread the accusation that anyone who didn't support the strikers was somehow unAmerican. Now that is plain crazy.

 

[undertheradar]

That's all well and good in a black and white world. This is not. When the economy is flourishing, the management in the company does well and is rewarded with bonuses. We are not. We are in the spotlight right now because the economy is doing poorly. Perhaps we should be in the spotlight when the economy and the company are doing fantastic. A lot of it is because of us, (for the company) and we receive no compensation. But I suppose that’s fine.
In my company, the jobs are extremely subjective. How are they to be judged? By the number of installs or repairs we do, or by how many of them bounce, or by how much our manager likes us. I know, how about all of the above. Except there is one small problem with this. Every installation and repair is different. They can take 5 minutes or up to 2 days. Who would get which jobs? Every time a customer calls in there is a trouble report on the line that makes it look like the job bounced even if it is the customer calling in to give a compliment to the excellent work of the technician. And last but not least, the managers are not held to any standard. Many of them make it very personal, and either like or hate the workers. They give the easy jobs to their friends and torture the workers they dislike. This has been an unfortunate part of our culture. I couldn’t imagine how excited some of them would get if they found out that they had control over our raises.
In the past we have sacrificed high raises so that we would not have to pay for our medical benefits. If we have to now, then that means that we are so far behind the curve because we should have been at a higher salary to begin with. Our salary is quite modest.
If you want to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges many of my friends work for the city, the state, or the federal governments. They all start with 4 weeks’ vacation the 1st year and get their 5th week on their 5th year. We start with 2 weeks then get our 3rd after 7 years then our 4th after 15 and then finally our 5th after 25 years. We have no sick time to bank or get paid for if we don’t use it. And we have already lost 1 holiday a few years back.
What I have been hearing from most of the people is their takes based on Verizon’s spin on the pending contract. Propaganda has always been a useful tool, and I find sheep very easily swayed by it.

Perhaps you could accept the fact that your contract expiration has come at a bad economic time? It looks worse due to the fact everything is negotiated for a new contract at once, whereas for most of us who don't have employment contracts, many of these changes might happen during the three years that you were under contract. As for propaganda, there appears to be some coming from both sides.

 

[undertheradar]

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.

How many jobs were involved then and exactly how many of your union job numbers have grown since this strike in 1989?

 

[Deealee]

How many jobs were involved then and exactly how many of your union job numbers have grown since this strike in 1989?

Google is your friend.

 

[undertheradar]

Google is your friend.

So, I see you didn't answer the question with facts.

 

[Acklander]

I think we all agree pay/benefit cuts SUCK. No one denies that. Our point is simply the cuts are not unusual. Many have had to suffer through them before. That doesn't mean we think or hope you should lose benefits/pay. There is a BIG middle ground.

Yeah, cuts suck. And I can understand it, when it's needed to save a business from going under; but when the company has record profits? That's just corporate greed.

 

[Deealee]

So, I see you didn't answer the question with facts.

Shrug. What you see is that I have no need to do your bidding.