Verizon Workers OK Strike if Necessary

Union workers say Verizon Communications simply wants too many concessions, so theyre committed to go on strike if nothing changes before their three-year contract expires in a little more than a week.

Ninety-one percent of Verizon employees with the Communications Workers of America who voted gave their go-ahead to strike. But as The New York Times points out, there will be plenty more negotiating before that happens. This just gives the authorization to hit the picket lines if nothing is settled by Aug. 6.

Verizon and other major landline operators have their hands full as more people cut the cord and go wireless; some of the companys proposals in the new contract more strictly connect wage hikes with job performance and force worker contributions to health insurance. It would also be easier to cut workers jobs, the Times said.

One union rep called it the most aggressive set of contract demands [theyve] ever seen.”

The expiring Verizon contract affects 45,000 employees in the Northeast and along the Eastern Seaboard. A large number work in call centers, install phones or are linesmen.