Verizon's workers say no strike for now, union talks continue

[IceWizard]

Sun Aug 2, 2015 2:40am EDT
By Malathi Nayak

NEW YORK (Reuters) -
Verizon Communications Inc and the unions
representing its wireline unit employees on the
U.S. East Coast said work will go on and talks
continue after their current contract expired.

Since June, the unions have been in talks with
Verizon over the company's plans to cut costs
by controlling healthcare and pension-related
benefits over a three-year period.

Last week, the Communications Workers of
America (CWA) and International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers that represent over 37,000 wireline employees said they had voted to go on strike, if needed, after their contract expired on Aug. 1 at midnight.

During the last round of contract negotiations in 2011, talks ended in a strike.

The unions want extra benefits in addition to job security provisions. The CWA said on Saturday that Verizon has not budged from its original proposal which they have said would 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.

“Despite our best efforts, Verizon refuses to
engage in serious bargaining towards a fair
contract,” Dennis Trainor, Vice President for
CWA District One, which represents Verizon
workers in New Jersey, New York and
Massachusetts, said. "We’re not going to take it, and we’re going to keep the fight going while we’re on the job.”

Verizon presented the unions with a revised
proposal on Saturday night that is on the table,
the company said in a statement. “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,” Marc Reed,
Verizon’s chief administrative officer, said in the statement.

Verizon's wireline business includes FiOS
Internet, telephone and TV services. The company said on Friday there had been
little progress in the talks, and that it is ready in the event of a work stoppage.


(Editing by William Hardy)