Time for Unions to Face the Reality of a Changing Economy

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verizon phone insurance 10:55PM July 11, 2012

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verizon phone insurance of WV 4:36AM June 16, 2012

"In Verizon Strike, Unions Protest Obamacare Law They Supported"
August 19, 2011
"Two unions are on strike against Verizon Communications in protest of proposed company policies that the unions themselves helped bring about. The new Obamacare law, which both unions supported, dramatically hikes the cost of Verizon’s employee health care plan. Efforts to pass some of that cost on to employees have sparked outrage."
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/08/19/in-verizon-strike-unions-protest-obamacare-law-they-helped-pass/

Bill Hedges of MO 2:14AM August 28, 2011

what it seems it comes down to is do whatever it takes wrong or right to keep your job. don't worry about what is going on around and just think of yourself and take what your employer gives you. these large companies got where they are from the average people who do the work. All these companies heads make ridiculous salaries and bonuses. they get tax breaks from millions to billions. some ask for help from the government for a bail out and then they use it as bonuses. we are where we are now because of all this BS thats been happening for years. unions has its positive and negatives just like everything else. if Verizon was doing poorly and suffering, then it would be understandable what their demands are. But when you get a billion on a tax break, spend thousands on marketing against the union, and all the million dollar bonuses with salaries; that would of covered the health insurance they are asking for from the employees. in the end, you are just a number and Verizon wants to be able to get rid of you whenever so they can outsource the job or contract it out so no benefits would be paid. government employees dont pay for insurance and have great healthcare, pension, etc. why don't they pay instead of using our tax money? we put our hard earned money in their hands, and its being used wrongly. if you want unions to follow suit like others, then it should be uniform across the board with no exceptions.

mo moe of NJ 12:38AM August 28, 2011

Yes it does , so where do they come up with the 35 million plus dollars in Wi. for recall votes , where do they come up with the 100 million plus dollars for national elections ? Then to turn around and ask for a pension bail out from the tax payers , hypocracy .
You liberal union members as well as black Americans better watch where your votes and money goes . It ain't working so well for ya .

Hunter of WI 11:53PM August 27, 2011

By visiting "Penny Health" you can start lowering your medical insurance premium and help you get better coverage.

coriwelch of CA 7:39AM August 27, 2011

The foolishness spoken in this article makes me laugh. Verizon landline techs spend much of their day working on cell towers. Verizon landline claims line loss but they don't tell you how many of those they consider landline line loss were moved to fiber phone internet and TV ...All 3 of which are handled by the unionized workforce. I am by no means a complete believer in the union. As a Verizon union worker I didn't believe we should have went on strike when we did. Not to say that we shouldn't at all, just not at a time where the company was a bit prepared. Even at that the company claims are laughable. Anyone that called or tried to get service knows that they got a work stoppage message and no help. Fact is managers are not trained to do the jobs, they are there to manage the people which only requires basic knowledge not the in depth issues that things like fiber require. Unions have their negatives....it seems to protect the weak the most. However, it also gives those workers that come to work and do a full days work, a solid income they can depend on. I must say that it looks like the union workers are being setup. Although I don't believe personally the strike should have occurred when it did, it likely would have happenned at some point. However, in any strike or even business scenerio, once you have your opponent in a position where they must concede you don't give up. I didn't like losing the paychecks that I did. However, if it was for the good of keeping what I have now I am ok with that. We have major storms that put many on the east coast out of service so the strike ends...great....we all want to work...but why don't I have a contract. I'd rather stay out there than bail the company out because of the service outages that were presented with last weekends storms and put them in a more difficult position after the hurricane hits the east coast this weekend. Basically what was needed to force the company into giving a fair contract to those of us that have been around before wireless and fiber, back when the bell's were a monopoly. We have been loyal and hard working and deserve to be compensated as such. Sure there may have been fools that did things during the strike but in what situation don't you have foolish people making poor decisions. That doesn't make us all bad and those ones are just a small percentage of the Verizon workforce. It is sad to see so many people support corporate America when corporate America gives nothing back to the people....ever. Again every aspect of communications that the author above mentioned is worked on or serviced in part or in full by Verizon landline workers. keep in mind also that the 20 or so billion dollars that the company has invested and said so themself in fiber was written down on their balance sheet against landline services so imagine the profits once there is no longer a major investment into the fiber network. We ask for fair compensation. That's all.

Union member of PA 9:49PM August 26, 2011

The day of corporate fascist is finished and their egregious influence over our government needs to end. In time the people will come to the realization that our politicians are in the pocket of big business. The lobbyists who infect our political discourse should be crushed under heel as the serpents that they are once the people wake up and realize their corruptive influence.
Governor Walker of Wisconsin is the quintessential paid stooge who seeks to undermine the most basic right of people to peaceably assemble and seek redress of their grievances. The normal economics of profit and loss are not applicable to public employees and there is a problem, but the draconian step he has taken is an assault on basic freedoms, and the exemption for law enforcement is nothing but a golden lollipop for his loyal minions. Sooner or later he will betray those loyal to the party, but by then there will be no one left to stand up for social justice and decency.
If Verizon expects for us to believe that they need to extract a pound of flesh from their workers in order to remain competitive while they are showing record profits and receiving government subsidies is ludicrous. Verizon subcontracts so much of their workforce that their in house labor costs are not even germane to a conversation about profit and loss.
The telecommunications industry has become so much of an oligarchy that the Sherman Anti Trust Act should be invoked to break the company up into smaller components that have less ability to buy off our politicians.
This whole debate about healthcare costs would be mute if we had ALL received socialized medicine like we had voted for in 2008, instead what we got was the world biggest roll over artist who has no moral convictions whatsoever.

Zyworski of WA 8:13PM August 26, 2011

Your report is spot on, Doug Heye!
The day of the Labor Union is finished and they need to be ousted in our government ranks in particular. In time, the states that continue to condon these thieves on their (our) payroll will ultimately be quashed just like the nasty habits of those who smoke cigarettes ....the only question is, "When will our politicians (and the people) 'wake up'"??
Governor Steve Walker (R) of Wisconsin has the correct idea to dissolve "collective barganing", but only in small areas where the unions have infested his state government, so he still has a long way to go. Gov. Walker is currently in the slingshot mode and has the necessary antibiotics to rid us of this terminal disease called, "Labor Union"!
The harmfully pathogenic Democrats continue to foam at the mouth wherever there is an opportunistic locale available, and the most outstanding opportunistic parasite there is, is their leader .....Barack Obama!

John Wayne of NM 1:42PM August 26, 2011

Verizon is making more money than ever. This is a fact. Giving in to the company won't save any jobs and won't make things any easier in the next negotiation. Commentators want to separate the various businesses of communications companies like they aren't one and the same. Sprint thought it. Where are they now. There may be a lot of junk left over from days long gone but healthcare that people gave up raises in order to keep isn't junk. Want a real view of what a communications company is. Ask the guy Ed Whitacre. He'll tell you straight it's the people and you have to keep them on your side.

R623 of MO 1:21PM August 26, 2011