Verizon Workers End Strike, Though Without New Contract

[brooklynite]

Source: NY Times

Leaders of the unions that have been on strike against Verizon Communications announced on Saturday that they were ending the walkout even though the two sides had not reached an overall settlement for a new contract.

Beginning with the evening shift on Monday, the 45,000 striking workers will return to their jobs, posts that they left on Aug. 7 in the nation’s largest strike in four years, when General Motors workers held a two-day strike.

Union leaders are ending the walkout, they said, because Verizon management had finally agreed to engage in serious bargaining on the contentious issues after the company had originally insisted on negotiating more than 100 proposals for concessions.

Officials from the two unions that called the strike — the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — made the announcement on Saturday.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/technology/verizon-workers-end-strike-though-without-new-contract.html

[lunatica]

1. They got the company to agree to serious bargaining

Good for them! That's what it's all about.

[Proletariatprincess]

2. good news.

The unions are well practiced in job actions if Verizon fails to bargain in good faith after the workers are back on the job. This is a very smart move by the unions at this time.
Good luck to our fellow workers at Verizon!

[PoliticAverse]

3. Good. I love my Verizon DSL. n/t

[givemebackmycountry]

4. This is great news for me...I'm in this business and I support the Union Workers

But, it's been a source of great pain in our shop.
As a "last mile provider" when there is a Verizon issue, it impacts our customers.
And our customers scream at us to get their issue fixed.
Even though they understand it's not our problem, they do pay us a great deal of money to manage companies like Verizon and AT&T to escalate to get them back in service.
Last week was a very difficult one and now next week is going to be greatly improved.
I support the CWA and the IBEW and it's good that they are going back to work.

[elleng]

5. Good to hear, and interesting. Thanks

[TexasProgresive]

6. Verizon has been doing this kind of thing for years now

They refuse to bargain and then capitulate and begin bargaining in "good faith." But is seems that they always get some concessions.

Verizon families have been without pay for 2 weeks. Click link to support them.

[valerief]

7. Great. I hope the workers don't get shafted too much. nt

[IamK]

8. I bet they will be lucky to get what was on the table when they went on strike...

Why would they get a better deal now that they are back and the stike had minimal impact? not trying to be negative, just curious....

[robcon]

9. The problem is that the strike did not hurt Verizon.

Their local/landline call volume was not affected, and the growing part of their business, cell phones/smart phones service, wasn't affected one iota.

The union and the workers are going to get nothing, IMO. They'll be lucky if they don't have to offer givebacks in the new contract.

[leftyohiolib]

12. "The problem is that the strike did not hurt Verizon" if that was the case

the company wouldnt have agreed to anything and the employees would still be on strike.

[Imajika]

17. The company didn't agree to anything...

Agreeing to chit chat about their list of demanded givebacks is not agreeing to anything, it is offering the unions a face saving way out. If the strike was effective, the unions would have stayed out till Verizon agreed to a new contract with them. The fact that the unions returned to work without a contract means they have utterly and completely lost the one arrow in their quiver. Expect the terms of whatever new contract is negotiated to very heavily favor Verizon and completely screw the workers/unions.

[leftyohiolib]

13. Why would they get a better deal now?. because

the company sees the employees are willing to strike and will if the company doesnt take this seriously. the stike had minimal impact? well that's just editorial opinion. if the impact was minimal there would be no returning to work. the company, since the impact is "minimal",would have no reason to care about striking workers. would they?

[ooglymoogly]

10. Well that's a load off....so many families facing

really hard times. It is a relief that they are going back. These are not the times to try to duke it out. The corps are holding all the aces right now. Land lines are going nowhere but down.

[leftyohiolib]

11. as a cwa4340 member with att this is good news for our contract is up in april

[Imajika]

14. The unions caved...

They may have had no choice as it appeared Verizon has had the upper hand all along, but the unions got nothing here. Claiming "Verizon management had finally agreed to engage in serious bargaining" is an attempt to save face and put lipstick on a pig. These Verizon workers are about to get screwed big time.

[Zax2me]

15. Back to work, no deal? That's a fail.

Agreeing to bargaining is a promise often broken by management.

[AndreaCG]

16. Good. Now they will stop picketing outside my window at 7 am

I support them but do they really need to start the cars honking in support that early? They were standing at there at 7 which means they got there earlier!