Verizon Strike Possible as Contract Deadline Looms

If Verizon can not reach an agreement related to benefits with worker union negotiators by the end of Saturday, then the workers might go on a strike starting from Sunday.

The CWA said in a statement on Saturday that Verizon had not budged from its original proposal which the union said would, among other things, increase workers’ healthcare costs by thousands of dollars, eliminate job security and remove any restrictions on the company’s right to contract out or offshore union jobs.

At the same time the CWA has issued a series of 30-second radio spots running in NYC/New Jersey, Upstate New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware, that accuse Verizon of not keeping its promise to build out fiber service.

“We are disappointed that after six weeks of good faith bargaining and a very strong effort by the company, we have been unable to reach new agreements with the unions”, said Marc Reed, Verizon’s chief administrative officer, in a statement.

The union says Verizon wants to roll back pensions and force employees to contribute significantly more to their health care coverage.

The unions are waiting for a response from the company on a proposal submitted Friday, as mentioned by Paul Feeney, an IBEW spokesman. “Unfortunately, the unions’ current proposals fall short of that goal”. The company is proposing an increase of $8.10 per week next year for individual healthcare premiums in its sponsored plans. “We proposed improvements to our compensation and a fair procedure to ensure job security”. “We remain fully prepared to handle any work stoppage so that our products and services will be available where and when our customers need them”. The company stands committed to serve its customers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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The company’s wireline business includes FiOS Internet, telephone and TV services. A Fortune 15 company with more than $127 billion in 2014 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 178,500.