UPDATED 12:05 a.m.: Verizon employees have voted to go on strike.
Check back later for more updates.
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Communication Workers of America are trying to renegotiate their contract with Verizon.
The company's landline employees gathered Saturday night, preparing to go on strike if a new deal is not reached.
Verizon landline employees are at the end of a three year contract. Starting Saturday at midnight, this contract will expire and Verizon's planning to make some changes. One major change will be to health care.
The Roanoke Vice President for Communication Workers of America, Naomi Bolden, admits they currently have a great health care plan but wants to keep it that way. “They want us to pay more and change over to these plans that could end up costing us three-thousand dollars out of pocket in deductibles alone.”
Over the past ten years, Verizon says fifty-percent of its landline business has disappeared. Director of Public Relations for Verizon Communications, Harry Mitchell, says adjusting costs must happen in order for the business to succeed. “Health care is an issue for all of us and what we're asking the union to do is work with us and pay a portion of their health care premiums each month.”
Verizon is also asking landline employees for job flexibility. Mitchell explains, “When you have a person calling in with a billing problem, the rep can help. But if you have trouble with DSL service, the rep can't do that. The rep has to transfer that customer to another employee.”
Naomi Bolden has worked as a customer service rep for the past four years. She says she handles every call except tech support and sales. “Customer service, tech support and sales, they don't go together so I understand tech support having to be transferred out,” said Bolden.
Workers say if Verizon does not negotiate a fair contract, a strike will happen, until an agreement can be reached.
Verizon says its landline technicians make nearly $80,000 a year, and the average customer service representative makes $55,000.
Employees say if they do not reach a fair contract, they will rally on Sunday.
According to the Director of Public Relations, contracts impact 45,000 people from Virginia to New England.
