Strike Averted: Verizon, Unions Agree on New Contract

Good news: Verizon has negotiated a new three-year contract with the unions that represent 65,000 of its workers in the Northeast. The unions had threatened to strike if labor negotiations don't yield a new contract by 12:01 a.m. EDT on Monday, Aug. 11.

Though the unions' previous contract had been set to expire at midnight on Aug. 2, the unions extended it so bargaining could continue. Negotiations concluded by 5:30 p.m. EDT on Aug. 10.

It's welcome news for enterprise telecom managers who had feared that new installations and the fulfillment of trouble tickets would be disrupted by a strike.

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) unions represent Verizon's technicians and customer service representatives.

The unions and Verizon spent weeks bargaining over health care and job security provisions.

Verizon Business Employees Now Allowed to Unionize 

The unions won a streamlined grievance dispute resolution process, fully paid health-care premiums for active and retired members, and increased wages and pensions in the new contract. The CWA is calling the agreement "tentative" and says both unions plan to meet regularly with Verizon to discuss technological and business developments that affect employment.

Verizon will also "extend union recognition" to 600 former MCI technicians at Verizon Business, who the unions say have been trying to unionize for nearly two years. Verizon Business customer support and service workers also will have new union membership opportunities, according to a statement on the CWA Web site.

The settlement also eliminates subcontracting of work in some job areas, makes many temporary jobs permanent and brings additional FiOS-related jobs into the union bargaining teams. The deal is estimated to create 2,500 new union jobs.

But the threat of labor/carrier disputes isn't over. Ninety-three percent of CWA's 14,000 union members in 13 Western states voted to authorize a strike if negotiations with Qwest fail to result in a new contract by the time the current agreement expires on Aug. 16. (

Editor’s note: Stay tuned for more updates on www.thevoicereport.com as further details become available. 

65,000 Workers Prepare to Strike
Verizon, Unions Gridlocked at Bargaining Table

July 31, 2008 (Vol. 29, No. 15)

CWA Local 1101 rallies on July 29 in NYC

Get any orders in now for new Verizon circuits in the Northeast.

The first orders in will be the first orders serviced – albeit at a delay – if union workers make good on their threats to go on strike, advises telecom consultant Chad Parnis, CEO of 4TelecomHelp Inc.

Be aware that a reduced workforce will prioritize trouble tickets ahead of new installs, cautions George David, who worked at AT&T during several work stoppages, and is now president of CCMI, Voice Report’s parent division.

More than 65,000 Verizon workers – including technicians and customer service representatives – belong to the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) unions. They’re threatening to walk out if Verizon doesn’t negotiate favorable health care and job security provisions in their new contracts before the current contracts expire at midnight on Aug. 2. More... (Voice Report newsletter subscription required to view this article. Subscribe here.)