Customers and investors increasingly are wondering why Verizon and Verizon Wireless are hurting themselves with their actions. For starters, Verizon decided to battle its own striking workers on the public stage. That battle shed lots of bad blood, and it will be tough to close those wounds. Many companies experience strikes, but most are settled quickly and quietly. That’s the secret. However, over the last decade or two, every time Verizon workers’ contracts have come up for renewal, the process has been longer, uglier and messier.
I retired a year ago from VERIZON (A veteran of 7 strikes in my 35 years) Now since merge of Bell Atlantic & GTE is has been pure hell. As a damn proud Union Man, I loved my company and was graceful and blessed of its salary/benefits.
Verizon's wire(less)success is Only because the Union guys on the wire(line)are the backbone of wireless success. The General public generally does not know when you place a call from a cellphone it goes to the cell tower, then goes underground threw Land Lines through a switch/central office (in which the Union members maintain 24 hours a day 7 days a week no break in the schedule), then it goes to the closest cell tower to another person cell phone. IF it wasn't for us Union Members Maintaining the landlines, cell calls would never go through.
Verizon seems to forget that we are an important party to their success! This company is making 2+Billion dollars profit "every month". Yes Majority is from cellphone. but The cost to the Union benefits is 3 Billion "Per Year", (in the financial statements no need to lie.) what 19 Billion dollars profit aren't enough? Yes quite a lot of the employees are old school, old bell system employees from back in the great MaBell Days, where all benefits Everything was paid. Yes we also acknowledge times are changing, but, and again but, Wireless Success is Only because of Union maintaining the Landlines for the wireless calls to go through.
So just because a lot of other companies are forcing its people to pay benefits, Verizon is taking the same stance. They don't need to, they are highly profitable company and will continue to be in the future! Now this new contract is more employee paid medical for active employees, which they are not happy, but with pay increases and other benefits, we are still ahead but by a slim margin.
Now the contract ends in August 2019, but I guarantee by that time again, Verizon will be selling off more of its landlines to other company and focusing only on wireless. As a close monitor of what my company does, I predict that Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts will be sold off. Those states are sparsely rural populated and Verizon is not spending anymore on Fios (except Boston), cause its' too expensive to maintain rural copper service.
Very sad that Verizon is so anti union, and I mean anti-union, Remember less than 1% of Wireless workforce is Union, and 100% of Landline is Union, what does that tell you? one more thing. People who criticize Union need to remember one thing. If it not for Unions way back in the days, there would be no such word as "benefits". Remember companies were not giving anything that cost them anything. (ok I know all unions are not great we all know that), but again, if you are not a union member and you are getting benefits, thing about who got them for you even if you are anti union, you do owe a lot to a union person because we got you those benefits way back in the days.
As a retiree this contract for my benefits is just about the same as last, so I am grateful for the Bargaining Committee who helped kept our benefits intact. (by the way Verizon wanted to stop the Union from negotiating retiree benefits in this last contract), Verizon will now negotiate with the union Medical benefits for Retirees forgoing into the future (Thank God I am relieved) but only for 3 yrs, then I have to worry about it all over again in 2019.
discolarry125, you're correct about the backhaul (link between cell sites and switch) in areas that Verizon, or other unionized companies, provide landline service.
I can't fully agree with you elsewhere. There are many other providers for backhaul service. Those switches aren't maintained by union members since they are in the Wireless side of the company (in which very few employees are unionized).
As this article mentioned, Verizon may have damaged it's reputation with some customers. However, the individuals in the unions chose to stop working. They weren't forced by their employer. Verizon had a business continuity plan, and it worked out better than anyone had hoped.
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Verizon’s Mission of Self-Destruction
Posted by: Jeff Kagan June 27, 2016 12:29 PMCustomers and investors increasingly are wondering why Verizon and Verizon Wireless are hurting themselves with their actions. For starters, Verizon decided to battle its own striking workers on the public stage. That battle shed lots of bad blood, and it will be tough to close those wounds. Many companies experience strikes, but most are settled quickly and quietly. That’s the secret. However, over the last decade or two, every time Verizon workers’ contracts have come up for renewal, the process has been longer, uglier and messier.
Verizon's wire(less)success is Only because the Union guys on the wire(line)are the backbone of wireless success. The General public generally does not know when you place a call from a cellphone it goes to the cell tower, then goes underground threw Land Lines through a switch/central office (in which the Union members maintain 24 hours a day 7 days a week no break in the schedule), then it goes to the closest cell tower to another person cell phone. IF it wasn't for us Union Members Maintaining the landlines, cell calls would never go through.
Verizon seems to forget that we are an important party to their success! This company is making 2+Billion dollars profit "every month". Yes Majority is from cellphone. but The cost to the Union benefits is 3 Billion "Per Year", (in the financial statements no need to lie.) what 19 Billion dollars profit aren't enough? Yes quite a lot of the employees are old school, old bell system employees from back in the great MaBell Days, where all benefits Everything was paid. Yes we also acknowledge times are changing, but, and again but, Wireless Success is Only because of Union maintaining the Landlines for the wireless calls to go through.
So just because a lot of other companies are forcing its people to pay benefits, Verizon is taking the same stance. They don't need to, they are highly profitable company and will continue to be in the future! Now this new contract is more employee paid medical for active employees, which they are not happy, but with pay increases and other benefits, we are still ahead but by a slim margin.
Now the contract ends in August 2019, but I guarantee by that time again, Verizon will be selling off more of its landlines to other company and focusing only on wireless. As a close monitor of what my company does, I predict that Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts will be sold off. Those states are sparsely rural populated and Verizon is not spending anymore on Fios (except Boston), cause its' too expensive to maintain rural copper service.
Very sad that Verizon is so anti union, and I mean anti-union, Remember less than 1% of Wireless workforce is Union, and 100% of Landline is Union, what does that tell you? one more thing. People who criticize Union need to remember one thing. If it not for Unions way back in the days, there would be no such word as "benefits". Remember companies were not giving anything that cost them anything. (ok I know all unions are not great we all know that), but again, if you are not a union member and you are getting benefits, thing about who got them for you even if you are anti union, you do owe a lot to a union person because we got you those benefits way back in the days.
As a retiree this contract for my benefits is just about the same as last, so I am grateful for the Bargaining Committee who helped kept our benefits intact. (by the way Verizon wanted to stop the Union from negotiating retiree benefits in this last contract), Verizon will now negotiate with the union Medical benefits for Retirees forgoing into the future (Thank God I am relieved) but only for 3 yrs, then I have to worry about it all over again in 2019.
I can't fully agree with you elsewhere. There are many other providers for backhaul service. Those switches aren't maintained by union members since they are in the Wireless side of the company (in which very few employees are unionized).
As this article mentioned, Verizon may have damaged it's reputation with some customers. However, the individuals in the unions chose to stop working. They weren't forced by their employer. Verizon had a business continuity plan, and it worked out better than anyone had hoped.