Ahead of contract negotiations, union called out Verizon for abandoning landlines
Verizon Communications kicked off labor negotiations this week by offering raises to 38,000 employees working for its East wireline business.
Labor representation comes from the Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
According to Reuters, the Verizon proposal covers a three-year contract period and includes wage increases as well as changes to company health care and pension plans. The existing employment contracts are set to expire on Aug. 1. There are a total of 27 collective bargaining agreements in play that apply to workers in nine states on the East Coast.
Earlier in the month, the CWA claimed Verizon has stopped maintaining its landline infrastructure in an attempt to force customers to wireless service.
“As a public utility, Verizon has a duty to maintain service for all customers,” the CWA noted in a statement. “But we’ve seen how the company abandons users, particularly on legacy networks, and customers across the country have noticed their service quality is plummeting.”
Verizon denied union accusations that neglect of its landlines is impacting customer service in the Northeast.
“There is zero factual evidence for such a bold statement,” said Raymond McConville, media relations manager at Verizon. “This is very typical of them, leading into a contract negotiation. They’re trying to make some claim that we’re ignoring this part of the business, or abandoning this part of the business, and it simply isn’t true.”
