Wednesday, May 18, 2016 9:37:41 AM
by Aaron Pressman
@ampressman
May 18, 2016, 7:32 AM EDT
New talks could cool off bitter strike after armed confrontation, heated accusations.
Verizon Communications and the two unions representing about 40,000 workers on strike for the past month have reopened talks, this time with a federal mediator involved.
The new talks, prompted by Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, could head off what was becoming an increasingly bitter and acrimonious strike, the largest labor action in five years. Sporadic talks in recent week made no progress.
President Barack Obama’s labor secretary initially jumped into the fray and brought the parties together over the weekend, a few days after armed security guards from Verizon had chased down strikers visiting call center workers in the Philippines. The incident followed Verizon accusations that striking workers were vandalizing company lines and harassing replacement workers.
To cool off the situation, Perez gathered Verizon VZ -0.64% CEO Lowell McAdam, Chris Shelton, president of the Communications Workers of America, and Lonnie Stephenson, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, at his office Sunday and got them to agree to the new round of talks. Alison Beck, a labor lawyer who heads the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, is overseeing the talks.
Both sides agreed not to comment while the new talks are ongoing, Perez said in a statement.
“I’m encouraged by the parties’ continued commitment to remain at the bargaining table and work toward a resolution,” Perez said. “We will continue to facilitate conversations to help the unions and the company reach an agreement.”
A longtime labor lawyer, Beck was named the director of the mediation service in 2014 and confirmed by the Senate last year, the first women to hold the post since the agency was created in 1947. There have been no major strikes since she took the post, although in 2014 she helped avert a walkout at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
The striking Verizon employees, who generally work from Massachusetts to Virginia installing and servicing Verizon’s wire line telephone and FiOS Internet and television service, had been without a contract for nearly 10 months when they walked out on April 13. They say they cannot accept Verizon proposals that would allow additional outsourcing of call center workers to the Philippines and Mexico, greater use of nonunion contractors, and the assignment of employees to other cities for up to two months at a time.
Verizon says it offered a 7.5% wage hike for the new contract over the next few years but also needs new work rules to gain greater flexibility and lower costs as its telephone business shrinks and its wireless business becomes ever more important.
http://fortune.com/2016/05/18/obama-administration-gets-verizon-and-strikers-talking-again/?xid=yahoo_fortune
Recent VZ News
- Verizon to speak at MoffettNathanson conference May 14 • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/10/2024 06:00:00 PM
- Novavax Surges 57% Post $1.4 Billion Sanofi Deal; Apple Boosts Data Centers with AI and Internal Chips, and More News • IH Market News • 05/10/2024 12:02:56 PM
- Verizon Public Sector earns $100M contract with the State of Michigan • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/09/2024 04:00:00 PM
- Verizon reports preliminary results of shareholder vote at 2024 annual meeting • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/09/2024 03:56:43 PM
- Verizon advances Private Wireless Network offerings with private 5G platform from Nokia • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/09/2024 01:00:00 PM
- Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready program reaches 300K businesses with free, online resources • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/08/2024 01:00:00 PM
- Verizon Business offers business customers pre-orders for the new Google Pixel 8a with Google AI • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/07/2024 04:01:00 PM
- Google AI meets bold style at an affordable price: Preorder the Pixel 8a on Verizon today • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/07/2024 03:55:00 PM
- Verizon to donate $70K, celebrate Latino community in Chicago • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/07/2024 02:00:00 PM
- Form 424B2 - Prospectus [Rule 424(b)(2)] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 05/06/2024 07:19:02 PM
- Form 424B2 - Prospectus [Rule 424(b)(2)] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 05/06/2024 05:56:00 PM
- Verizon Frontline and NOAA to partner on advanced disaster response research • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/06/2024 04:40:27 PM
- Cummins, Verizon Business ink groundbreaking deal for combo Neutral Host + Private 5G network • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/06/2024 01:30:00 PM
- Verizon Business to spotlight the fast-changing cybersecurity landscape and how to manage it at RSA Conference™ • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/03/2024 04:39:54 PM
- Verizon Is Ready To Keep You Connected Throughout The 2024 Hurricane Season • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/02/2024 12:00:00 PM
- 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report: Vulnerability exploitation boom threatens cybersecurity • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/01/2024 04:33:19 AM
- 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report: Half of the Breaches in EMEA are Internal • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/01/2024 04:01:00 AM
- Verizon donates $20,000 to the American Red Cross for disaster relief efforts in Oklahoma • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/30/2024 10:09:37 PM
- Verizon Business kicks off 2024 Innovation Sessions in Chicago’s historic Soldier Field • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/30/2024 04:30:00 PM
- Verizon partners with Latina-owned small business Hija de tu Madre for exclusive Mother’s Day merch • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/30/2024 04:00:00 PM
- Houston Dynamo Football Club and Verizon extend partnership agreement for 2024 season • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/30/2024 02:00:00 PM
- Verizon receives 2024 ENERGY STAR Award for 12th consecutive year • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/26/2024 01:00:00 PM
- Verizon to award $25K crisis-response grant to Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/26/2024 12:00:00 PM
- Verizon gives customers more peace of mind with enhanced Home Device Protection service • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/25/2024 01:00:00 PM
- Verizon readies for 2024 wildfire season • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/24/2024 08:30:00 PM
Avant Technologies Equipping AI-Managed Data Center with High Performance Computing Systems • AVAI • May 10, 2024 8:00 AM
VAYK Discloses Strategic Conversation on Potential Acquisition of $4 Million Home Service Business • VAYK • May 9, 2024 9:00 AM
Bantec's Howco Awarded $4.19 Million Dollar U.S. Department of Defense Contract • BANT • May 8, 2024 10:00 AM
Element79 Gold Corp Successfully Closes Maverick Springs Option Agreement • ELEM • May 8, 2024 9:05 AM
Kona Gold Beverages, Inc. Achieves April Revenues Exceeding $586,000 • KGKG • May 8, 2024 8:30 AM
Epazz plans to spin off Galaxy Batteries Inc. • EPAZ • May 8, 2024 7:05 AM