Diary of a Union-Busting Campaign
Learn how Verizon is trying to stop workers from organizing a union. And how Verizon workers are standing together and fighting back. Jump to page 1 to follow the campaign from the beginning.
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Mayors ask Verizon to respect worker’s rights
Somerville (MA) Journal
May 30th, 2007 by Auditi Guha
Mayor Joe Curtatone has joined a growing group of elected officials supporting Verizon Business technicians who have formed a new union and are now seeking their collective bargaining rights.
In a May 9 letter to Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, Curtatone write, “I strongly urge you to respect the rights of Verizon employees…and permit them to join a union free of management interference or intimidation.”
The letter was sent as part of an effort by the Greater Boston Labor Council, AFL-CIO to win broader political support for the Verizon workers.
In March 2006, over 60 percent of the Verizon business techs in the Northeast formed a union and sought formal recognition. The technicians had their majority support verified by elected officials in New York and Massachusetts who counted the signed union cards and matched them against a company roster of employees.
Management’s response was to mount a classic union-avoidance campaign with mandatory employee meetings, supervisory one-on-ones, and distribution of misleading “fact sheets” full of distortions about unions.
To date, 5 Senators and 15 members of Congress (including Rep. James McGovern) have written to Verizon expressing concern about how management in its wireless and business divisions is aggressively interfering to prevent employees from forming unions. In Massachusetts, the mayors of Boston, Cambridge, Holyoke, Malden, and Revere have also sent letters to Verizon.
With the support of the AFL-CIO and the community-labor coalition Jobs with Justice, union members at Verizon are increasing the pressure on management to turn away from its low-road, anti-union strategy. Employees want the company to return to its prior practice of remaining neutral and voluntarily negotiating with employees after a majority shows their support for a voice at work. Nearly 100,000 workers at Verizon are already united in CWA and IBEW.
“Verizon technicians are grateful for this outpouring of political support to help us convince management to recognize our union and begin bargaining for the good jobs and respect we all deserve,” said John Elia, a Verizon Business technician who works in Burlington MA. “All we are asking is that the company drop the intimidation and honor the neutrality and union recognition procedure that many other Verizon employees have previously benefited from.”
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Hillburn VZB tech Roger Reece Speaks with Barack Obama about Verizon Business
Last week, VZB tech Roger Reece of Hillburn, NY, spoke with Presidential Candidate Barack Obama about the VZB campaign. Roger spoke passionately about how Verizon is denying union rights to VZB techs, and asked Senator Obama what he would do about it if he were President. Watch Roger's question and Obama's answer.
Sen. Obama now has joined other Presidential candidates in supporting workers' rights at Verizon Business. Sen. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards have also taken a public stance in support of the VZB tech union.
Promises, Promises
Many people were promised big promotions by upper management. "Just give us a chance, we will take care of you," was the refrain we heard over and over again in the many mandatory meetings. Where are the promotions? Well, without a written union contract, promises don't mean much.
Taking It to the Streets
On May 3, over 1,200 chanting Verizon workers --all wearing red--descended on the annual Verizon Shareholders meeting to confront CEO Ivan Seidenberg on his outrageous compensation package, and to protest management's unfair refusal to recognize the fact that a majority of the VZB techs want a union. Both the IBEW and CWA basically took over the meeting, making it clear to shareholders that the company's employees --who are the ones that help make the company profitable --are a very disgruntled lot. Here are some pictures of UNION POWER.
Joining the union members at the shareholders meeting was John Elia, a VZB tech from Massachussetts. Elia went up to the microphone and personally challenged Ivan Seidenberg to recognize the VZB union. Elia wants a union because he wants an end to the "pay for who you know, not what you know." " John also wants a union because he is "looking to have kids and buy a house soon. With a union contract, we'll have a voice in our future and the security of knowing what to expect in a rapidly changing business environment."
For a great article on the shareholders meeting, check out this article titled "Verizon CEO Feels Union's Wrath."
Flexibility After Winning a Union
Management has gone around saying that workers under a union contract lose flexibility. Specifically, they warn that we will no longer be able to "self-garage" the trucks, and "the union" will prevent people from doing more than one task, such as DSL work.
These are simply scare tactics! No elected union official will push to change anything about the techs' jobs unless a majority of the VZB techs demand it! "The union" is not an outside party, the union is all of us. And so, if VZB techs dont want to get stuck doing only one type of job, then no union official would have any reason to demand the company change. It is that simple.
There is some "flexibility" that the company will lose, however, when we win the union. They will no longer be "flexible" about changing our benefits and laying people off on their whims. They will not be able to take away the recent wage increases when we win a union, and they will not have the flexibility to make changes that affect our jobs without negotiating with the VZB techs.
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