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Big corporations are testing us to see how much they can get away with. I support those who strike. I think if somebody wants more from their company, they should fight for it. Cowering in fear is not what made the American worker productive.
In a related incident, I know of a recent event at a meeting at a large newspaper company. On the same day it announced layoffs and mandatory furloughs for employees, two of the executives got a total of $14.5 million in bonuses. When asked at that meeting by a fearless employee if that was fair or even sane, the recipient of the bonus said "It was in our contract". When another fearless employee pressed the issue, the recipient tabled the discussion and the meeting was adjourned.
Insert expletives here. Then get out the torches and start marching...
You don't get it. The $14.5M was money that otherwise would go to salaries. Why waste it on others, if you can take it all? Don't you see the correlation?
So here is my opinion on this matter. You can like it or not.
First off I want to say that I think Unions are good to a certain extent. They are good when they are asking for better things such as a better place to work etc. Back in the days of the manufacturing plants and what not.
So here is it how I see it. This whole thing that is going on from my stand point is this. If you are with the Union of Verizon join together as one for a common issue but don't take it out on other people who are trying to do their job. Such as a delivery person taking something to that building. I seen a woman today delivering food get surrounded and I talked to her after wards and she was being threatened by the people. She makes a lot less than most of the people who are on strike right now and if she doesn't go deliver the food she doesn't get paid. So strike sure and take it out on the higher ups but don't take it out on the people who are just trying to do their job like you do.
Next thing I have to say is I am a single male who has a college degree and I make around 40k per year. I work in a nice AC environment and I would change that for the world. But the thing is I deal with high stress levels all the time. I have been with my company for over 10 years now. I have been paying health care at this company for the past 6 years. My health care monthly is around $195 that is taken out. That is not included in co-pays and what not. So going up to 3K a year from what I am reading is a lot but you have to take in account what type of work you do. If you are at a high risk to be hurt your premiums should be higher I think.
Another issue from what I am reading and hearing from friends that work at Verizon is that when you have been with the company so long you are pretty much exempt to do any work. I have to say that is some BS. This is a reason why Unions are bad. I am sorry if you are with a company for 10 years you should have to work just like the person that has been there 1 year. And for the people not wanting to have a pay raise based on one manager that is bull **** welcome to non-unionized work.
Lastly I want to say this. I have friends that are out of jobs right now because of this and it needs to be taken care of quickly. Also in this matter another reason why we have problems in corporate America today is because we have people with a MBA from say Harvard running companies. They come in and want to manage every small aspect of a company. I am sure I can do a lot better then the person who is running my company and I don't have a MBA or a business degree. So we need to look at the systems as a whole and not blame one company it is all of the companies around. So that is my two cents on this matter and you can take it or leave it. But I say give up unions and get back to companies rewarding their people and moving forward.
Do you really thing that hardwired is dying? Let's see.. Do you use a cell phone? Do you REALLY think you are wireless all the way the the other person's phone?
Have you ever called your local plumber? What about someone to fix your AC? You don't think they have an office with LANDLINE phones? What about your local bank or credit union?
3000$ was not the deductable, it's what they are asking the workers to contribute towards the insurance. Mine is a bit over $140 a paycheck, for med/dental/life insurance. That's over $3600 a year.
There's a LOT of people out there willing to work for ½ of those numbers, and can make a GOOD living doing so.
I'd like to know what their base salary is and what training is required for the job before I pass judgment on that. The times I see them they are up on poles or in holes in the street in all kinds of weather. The working conditions are probably not great. $100,000 sounds great but I want to know really how many of them make that much and how much overtime they would have to work to get that. While I agree that they probably need to ante up for medical, I don't think that is a job that just anybody can step in and do.
The irony here is Germany has twice the percentage of unionized workers as the United States but German corporations REFUSE to outsource key manufacturing technologlies and jobs? Why German corporations, unions and government WORK TOGETHER to form economic policy that works IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF COUNTRY.
There is no such things as "American Economic Policy". Corporations work in their own self interest not overall interests of the country. The entire premise that unions "drove" American corporations out of the United States is bullsh*t. American corporations left the United States purely based on the ABILITY TO MAKE MORE PROFITS in low wage markets that are expanding faster than the United States.
What is a good health plan in Germany and how much does it cost the worker- assuming the employer offers it?
WRONG...i work for VZ on T1's that feed the sites via COPPER.
That is true because, although we are not Verizon here, we have 8 T1s that are ours and there is another Adtran card box that has 4 for a Sprint cell antenna on our roof and they all go to the green box that connects to the phone company. I am the IT tech and I take the T1s from the RJ jacks on the Adtran boxes to our routers and the guys that come in to work on them are the same ones who work on the regular phone lines here too. Although my main system is VOIP, we still maintain 23 regular (POTS) lines for back up and other things such as the alarm system. I wish I knew more about your side of the house.
I cannot understand why posters post things they don't have much knowledge on.
landline use has been dropping for several years.
"Nationally, in 2001, 4 percent of households did not have a home phone, according to federal survey data. By late 2007, that number was 18 percent, with more than one in eight households having only a cell phone".
Landline use dropping | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL (http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090413/ARTICLES/904135005?Title=Landline-use-dropping - broken link)
Many businesses small and large are going to IP business systems.
I have VOIP but it still comes into our business on phone lines. It is just that the technicians install a card in a box that holds 8 of them and we plug into the jack on those cards. But it still connects to the same thing our regular phone lines connect to. VOIP is the future. Much more useful and great audio quality as well. Plus, if somebody moves or goes to another office- even in another city- I can easily do a move in the PBX router and send their phone number to the new location. We have those and I have 4 T1s for data that are bonded.
You got the same with AT&T. I had an ongoing problem with my landline (wire from house to pole so it was their problem). Eventually a district manager came to the house and we got to talking.
Can't say that I blame the workers although I was frustrated.
Lack of manpower is happening all over.
And it seems even with service folks (painters, electricians, etc) there's no more "girl in the office" to take your call..it's all answering machine and the owner/manager calls you back hours later.
When we had Sprint here, the service was less than desired. With Embarq I have noticed that orders and repairs happen more quickly. Of course I don't call them that often as we have only 8 circuits and 22 landlines and we don't have storms and torrential rainstorms and floods that knock things out here.
I was driving into New York City this morning. I passed a few personal vehicles with various signs posted on their vehicles saying they were on strike against Verizon.
While sitting in the normal parking lot on the Hudson River this morning, there was one of these vehicles sitting behind a Verizon van, in traffic. What was this jerk doing? Pounding his horn. I mean, he wouldnt stop.
A guy I work with worked with Verizon for a long while, and says whenever there is a strike, the Union guys harass any Verizon workers not on strike or "fill ins" beyond belief. Theyll shake their trucks and be a major nuisance.
Im sick of these Unions. They dont want to contribute squat to their freebie benefits. These clowns are no worse than freeloaders who do nothing but sit on their butts demanding this and that.
Unions have overstayed their company and no longer serve the purpose they once did. Now, its only to get more than an upper hand on the company that HIRES YOU. Nothing but demands. Nothing but whining about freebies/benefits and having the audacity to demand to pay little to nothing for these benefits.
Unions are no longer good. They are no longer there simply to look out for the welfare of workers. They are largely abused and also used as a political machine to aide a "certain" agenda.
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