Posted on 08/06/2011 10:43:13 PM PDT by Wiggins
Tens of thousands of unionized Verizon Communications Inc. workers from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., went on strike early Sunday after they failed to agree on a new labor contract with the telecommunications company.
The Communications Workers of America said negotiations in Philadelphia and New York stalled Saturday night after Verizon continued to demand more than 100 concessions from workers and the unions refused to budge.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/07/45000-verizon-workers-could-strike-over-contract/#ixzz1UJlpQfth
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
We’re in a recession. Unemployment is 9.1%... or higher. The credit rating just got downgraded. And these people want to go on strike.
Dumbasses
I am betting, in a major economic disturbance that people wont give up their $150 family 4g plan...
Brilliant!
I know someone in management for Verizon in TX that is going to be a replacement worker. They’re pretty worried about being away from home for an extended period and also about safety.
These spoiled jackasses wanted 100 concessions?? Most people in America want one..to be employed. I’ll bet thousands of let-go IT guys in the past 3 months alone would be glad to take the jobs of these clowns.
45,000 jobs just opened up. Good Lord. It would take a few days to get them back to 100% with the skill and talent ready to go. So be it.
Union popularity has been trending down for years.
There are hundreds of unemployed people for every one job opening.
One would think that these union workers would discern that this isn’t 1972.
Then again, they are leftists.
I love it!
Verizon is the single worst service or product I have come across in my 53 years of life!
I hope they all get axed.
Obviously, they believe in their pro-union president.
Doesn’t seem like a very smart move in this day and age.
Can you hear me now?
The idiots need to understand this is no time to be demanding a damn thing. The fools will be replaced with those ready to go.
LOL. Prefect© timing. /s
not open, lost, the company can just move to another state or another country
The Union is about to learn about the folly of striking during a depression.
It makes you wonder sometimes what these people could be thinking of.
The Bell operating companies always string a strike along until the wages and benefits saved during the strike exceed the concessions they intend to offer at the table. The more they ask, the longer the strike will run. The union members ALWAYS lose. The fat cat union bosses really don't give a damn. They understand the game. The BOCs usually learn what union labor they can do without in the strike too. While I was out, the computer facility was fitted with new robotic tape handlers. 100% of the non-management personnel handling tapes on my floor were out of a job at the end of the strike. One manager could swap out the 8mm tapes each morning on the UNIX boxes. The big robotic tape handlers cared for the mainframes. In the desert, the step by step switches were replaced with new digital switching machines that are remotely administered. Most of the non-management folks in the desert didn't have a job after the strike either. I took advantage of having the non-management folks out of the CO buildings and fixed many trouble tickets that they refused to work while they had a contract. Tough beans guys. They got fixed while you were making idiots of yourselves in the parking lot.
Didn't much care for the company, but hated the union. What a bunch of con men.
I am switching to t-mobile myself..been a Verizon Wireless customer for 7 years but wanted to get an Android phone for the first time and with Verizon the data plan package is ridiculously expensive so I am hopping on board my sister’s family plan that she shares with her husband. Instead of paying 38.50 now and I only get 400 min and 100 text messages, I am going to pay 30 bucks, get 500 min, unlimited texts and 2gb of internet so I am gaining instead of losing
You must never have experienced AT&T. Make Verizon look like angels in comparison.
Unfortunately AT&T is buying out T-Mobile and they are throttling unlimited plans. AT&T is the ultimate in evil as far as telcos go.
I am hoping that AT&T does NOT buying T-mobile..so many people will leave T-mobile if that happens since AT&T is utter poo. Here in LA the reception for T-mobile is pretty darn good so for the price it was worth switching..but I am hoping the buyout does not happen
They are moving jobs to India as fast as they can. Several friends of mine were laid off last week.
That is why I am switching..just waiting for my new phone to arrive..should be sometime this week..Verizon has great reception but the prices for the data plan are ridiculous and they would not lower the price for me since I am a long time member so I left
Funniest thing I have read all day!
Cell phones are NOT a critical must have item, I live just fine without them, and always get annoyed when people call me on them, the sound quality is always crap.
Maybe we will get a twofer here, union idiots get to lose their former jobs, and some subscribers get enough sense to just drop their cell “service”.
I went on strike against Verizon years ago when I dumped their cell phone service.
“You have three unheard messages. The following three messages have not been heard. First unheard message”
Give me the guys phone number. Id love to tell him how badly he has managed the company. I hope he has to pull double shifts listeming to customer complaints. Absolute worst customer service. Give him my regards. I dont feel sorry for him in the least.
T mobile is waaaaaay better than Verizon. Make the switch. I made the same move. The MyTouch 4G android is a bit buggy. Great features though. Camera and camcorder are top quality. Web browsing is excellent. Im posting using my phone right now. Customer service is really good
I also think the Union is really out to lunch. If Verizon caves and raises rates for subscribers then this subscriber is going to go on strike and drop their services.
I have Verizon for landline and Virgin Mobile for cell...I think the union's complaining about obscene profits for the company and now they have to kick in for health care...
>>Verizon wants workers to contribute more for health benefits, including beginning to pay monthly premiums for the first time, while the unions say their members can’t accept the financial burden given the current economy.
---
I've been with USPS since 1986 and have always had to pay.
>>>Richard Young, a spokesman for Verizon, said the company is only asking that union workers contribute upfront for health care like other employees do. The changes are necessary to keep the country’s second-largest phone company competitive, he saidVerizon wants unionized workers, who currently pay no monthly premiums for health care, to begin contributing at least $100 a month, or $1,200 a year.
>>“We’re looking to bring our union more in line with what the rest of the workers pay,” said Young, adding that about 130,000 of the company’s approximately 196,000 employees already contribute to health-care premiums.
“Verizon pays $400,000 an hour on health care,” he said. “This is a significant cost factor.”
The CWA called the proposal a radical change. Verizon is a profitable company that pays senior executives well and isn’t in danger of going out of business, said Master. “These are really, really hard economic times,” he said.
Maybe I’m missing something here but Verizon has given my family a pretty darned good product. With our mobile-to-mobile plan we can keep in touch all over the place without being counted toward our monthy minutes. We have a product where we know exactly what it will cost each month.
Anyone need any more proof that we've become Greece?
Early market trading for the U.S. starts at 5pm EST this afternoon, watch the early market indicators ... can pretty much guarantee they're going to rocket down, especially after the Democrats on today's talking head shows demand tax increases saying the S&P downgrade justifies them.
We haven't seen anything yet on the unemployment front. If you think 9.1 or 10.2% last summer was bad, just wait.
Actually, Verizon Communications (wireline) got a new CEO on August 1. Previously, Lowell McAdam was CEO of Verizon Wireless (a separate entity) which is a non-union shop.
WAY back in the Dark Ages, the news used to give the facts about union demands i.e. wage increases. Then they discovered that the public thought the unions were greedy so they quit giving the details, just generalizations. Now unions are fighting health insurance premiums. The public has to pay health insurance premiums so their sympathy is slight. The news will have to stop mentioning the demand to help the unions.
I was with ATT for 23 years and Verizon will not hire me because I don’t have an associates degree, yet I understand the base level cycles of a 4ESS switching system -vs- some college kid that wouldn’t have a clue.......
Do you know anybody that could help you get your foot in the door?
I work for some engineering managers and staff engineers at a major corp. without degrees. They just happen to be darn good at what they do.
Verizon Wireless, the cellular company is joint venture of Verizon Communications and UK wireless operator Vodafone. Make sure you're railing against the proper entities with your rants people... :)
After moving from being a toll COE, I was a happier camper as a systems analyst. I left as a D55 (3rd level technical manager). I found a useful way to work with my union staff in the computer room. The 3 piece suit stayed in the closet. When I had a critical need for cabling to be installed, I ran it myself and left the connectors “in the wood”. I scheduled the craft folks yo do the install. They were finished in minutes, but go credit for the hours it would have taken. I met my schedule. Win-win. No grievances.
I was dam good at what I did as well, unfortunately for me there were 2 midnight sleepers that had more seniority then me....They are still there sleeping on their “affirmative action” job....Anyway it’s Verizon’s loss....I’m pursuing other opportunities.....
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