VERIZON STRIKE TALKING POINTS – GOOD JOBS VS. GREED
We’re fighting for good jobs in America
and standing up to Verizon’s corporate greed.
Verizon is making huge profits.
· Verizon made $39 billion in profits over the last three years. But they’re trying to destroy the good jobs of the workers who make those profits possible.
· They’re making over $1.5 billion a month in profits. Plus, in 2015 alone, Verizon sent out $13.5 billion in stock buybacks and dividends.
· Lowell McAdam, Verizon’s CEO, makes 200 times more than one Verizon worker. The top five executives got over $230 million in compensation over the last five years.
· The working people of Verizon ought to be able to make a living too.
We’ve worked hard to find common ground, but Verizon refuses to compromise.
· Our bargaining team has negotiated for 10 months to reach a fair contract, but Verizon is still making demands that would devastate our families. We’ve got to stand up for working families.
· We’ve have tried everything to get a fair contract. But this company isn’t budging.
The cutbacks Verizon wants would devastate our families. And it’s leaving Verizon Wireless workers completely out in the cold.
· Verizon is pressing for severe cutbacks in health care. They want to slash benefits for injured workers. They’re trying to force retirees to pay much more for health care. All at a time when Verizon is making record profits.
· Verizon wants to send jobs overseas and close even more call centers. They want to outsource work to low-wage contractors.
· They want the right to transfer us temporarily to other states.
· Two groups of Verizon Wireless workers joined together in a union back in 2014, but the company is refusing to bargain a fair contract.
· Verizon says Wireless workers make the company huge profits, but it’s refusing to bargain over any improvements, even though they’re some of the lowest paid people at Verizon.
· By attacking the Wireless workers who joined together, Verizon is trying to intimidate Wireless workers across the country and stop them from winning good jobs.
Verizon’s greed is hurting the customers, employees and communities we serve.
· The company needs to hire more people to finish the FIOS build and bring FiOS to new communities. But instead Verizon wants to cut our jobs so they can generate even more profits.
· Our workforce has been cut more than 30 percent over the last decade. That places a burden on our employees by forcing them to work excessive amounts of overtime week after week. That in turn makes it much harder for us to provide quality service to our customers, to maintain the network and to make sure our communities continue to have the service they need.
* * * * *
VERIZON BARGAINING QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
The company says they’ve met with you more than 50 times and tried to reach a fair contract but you refuse to compromise. Why?
We’ve made every effort to reach a fair contract. But even though they’re making astonishing profits — $39 billion in the last three years, $1.5 billion a month all through 2015 — they’re trying to force severe cuts on the people who made those profits. We’ve got to stand up to Verizon’s corporate greed and stop this race to the bottom.
Verizon says this is a very generous contract, with good wage increases and one of the best benefit packages in America. Why are you fighting it?
Wages aren’t the issue. Verizon is pushing for changes that would really hurt people’s families. They want the right to transfer people far from home for months at a time. They also want to close call centers and send those jobs overseas, contract out work to low-wage contractors, and slash the health benefits of retirees who dedicated their lives to the company. We have to fight for our families.
By striking, aren’t you just hurting Verizon customers?
We’re striking to make sure our customers have quality service in the future. Verizon has cut more than 30 percent of our workforce over the last ten years. There’s already a crisis with service quality. They won’t let us do our jobs to maintain the network. If they keep outsourcing work and attacking workers, it’s only going to get worse.
Most workers would be thrilled to take what Verizon’s offering. Why would you go on strike?
We’re taking a stand for every worker. Verizon is making huge profits, but they’re still trying to destroy good family-supporting jobs. Verizon exemplifies the corporate greed that’s given rise to all the populist anger we’re seeing in the presidential primaries. Someone has to stand up and stop this corporate race to the bottom.
The company says you make $130,000 a year with benefits. No other company has to pay workers that much, so how can Verizon stay competitive without cutting costs?
This is all about out of control corporate greed. Show me another company that made $1.5 billion a month last year, or $1.8 billion a month so far in 2016. We’ve earned our good jobs and benefits. We have sacrificed many raises and benefits in the past to keep what we have. We don’t want more, we want to keep what we have earned. Verizon is making huge profits because of the work of people like me. They can afford to give us a fair contract.
Isn’t your union contract a relic from the Age of Ma Bell? How can a 21st century telecom company do business with these old contracts?
We’ve been very flexible in these contract talks. But Verizon wants to drag workers back to the 19th century, and destroy America’s good family-supporting jobs. We have given them multiple provisions to help them compete in the 21st century.
* * * *
Verizon Wireless Bargaining Background
Seventy-five workers in the company’s six Brooklyn retail stores and the 10 workers in the store in Everett, Mass., voted separately to join CWA almost two years ago. They are fighting for raises, better benefits and better working conditions. They are the first unionized retail workers in all of Verizon wireless.
In contract bargaining, Verizon has refuses to offer any raises, improvements to benefits, or improvements to working conditions. CWA also represents about 100 technicians who service the network in the New York City area. These workers are also fighting for good jobs and are on strike as the company refuses to offer them a fair contract.