Strike hits Verizon as 45,000 walk out

[News Feed]

About 45,000 unionized workers at telecommunications giant Verizon walked off the job Sunday after contract talks stalled over the weekend, the company and union leaders said.

Continue reading...

 

[Wayne]

I don't know any of the particulars of this issue, but all I see is a union once again costing people their jobs at the absolute worst time possible to play the "me, me, me" game.

Then again, even though I'm not religious per-se, I'm smart enough to feel blessed to have a job at all, so when I see people literally walking away from theirs for more money/benefits/whatever, I just feel the need to scream "are you f***ing stupid or something?"

 

[redrumloa]

Verizon should fire the whole lot of them and hire replacements.

 

[Wayne]

I hate to see anyone lose their jobs, but I agree with you Red. This isn't the time to be fighting for more...

 

[Robert]

From the article:

the company is demanding rollbacks of wages, benefits and union rules while posting profits of up to $6 billion.

If that's true, no wonder they went on strike.

More power to their flaming braziers, I say.

@both of you:
Firing 45,000 staff might leave the company in a bit of a retraining pickle. Be interesting to see them try it though.

 

[Robert]

I hate to see anyone lose their jobs, but I agree with you Red. This isn't the time to be fighting for more...

Well, according to that article, they aren't fighting for more.

 

[Robert]

I don't know any of the particulars of this issue,

Neither do I but I did at least read the article you linked and...

when I see people literally walking away from theirs for more money/benefits/whatever,

..... the people you refer to do not appear to be doing any of the things you say they are.

Just saying. ;-)

 

[the_leander]

Ssssshhhhh Robert, don't distract them from their anti union rants!

Afterall where would they be without unions...

Oh wait, that's right, wage stagnation for a generation and well paid jobs replaced with Mcjobs...

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

I don't know any of the particulars of this issue, but all I see is a union once again costing people their jobs at the absolute worst time possible to play the "me, me, me" game.

The union guys working there are seeing the same thing (someone's playing the "me me me" game).

the company is demanding rollbacks of wages, benefits and union rules while posting profits of up to $6 billion.

It's not like Verizon doesn't have the money but hey feel they can have more if they can get the unions to take less than they are taking now - and Verizon knows that the "liberal" media will carry their spin on it and continue to foment union bashing in the US.

You have been trained to poor bash and also bash any middle-class people who for associations to demand decent wages. You have been trained to worship people who have millions of dollars and know how to whip their slaves.

You would like South America .

 

[Wayne]

You're right. I didn't read the article. You're also right in that I am incredibly anti-union. Sorry. Years of personal experience has built up an intolerance, but the same -- for me -- can be said of organized religion.

Both may occasionally do good, but there is just SO much inherent evil in both, that I can't see any good.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

Honduras.

 

[Robert]

You're right. I didn't read the article. You're also right in that I am incredibly anti-union. Sorry. Years of personal experience has built up an intolerance.....

Well, in this instance your prejudice has lead you to accuse what appears to be 45,000 ordinary, working men and women of greedily demanding 'more' when it's the exact opposite.

....may occasionally do good,

Especially on occasions like this when they stop a massive, multi-billion-dollar-profit-per-year corporation from trampling all over ordinary people.

It's almost beyond irony that this was the story you guys chose to slate unions as it would be easy enough to find an unfavourable union story but this one shows them in very good light.

but there is just SO much inherent evil..... that I can't see any good.

Some unions may indeed be evil but inherent?
I don't think so. Not that it really matters.

And even if they are inherently evil, unions are an absolutely necessary evil if you want to prevent pittance labour.

 

[the_leander]

Both may occasionally do good, but there is just SO much inherent evil in both, that I can't see any good.

Collective bargaining is pretty much the only way for workers to be able to balance the tables in your favour. The effects of their loss can be seen in your own country for the reasons I outlined, but in south america you can see the effects even more plainly.

In Colombia Coca Cola were paying their bottling workers poor wages using wholly unsafe kit for years until they unionised. Afterwards the dangerous kit was fitted with safety guards (of a sort that would be manditory in both the US and UK) and wages increased as well as medical cover. Things were going fine up until Coca Cola then went and paid for the union officials to be executed by local militia.

After that the wages and medical went out of the window. And I wish that such incidents were limited to just one or two companies.

 

[Robert]

In Colombia Coca Cola were paying their bottling workers poor wages using wholly unsafe kit for years until they unionised. Afterwards the dangerous kit was fitted with safety guards (of a sort that would be manditory in both the US and UK) and wages increased as well as medical cover. Things were going fine up until Coca Cola then went and paid for the union officials to be executed by local militia.

After that the wages and medical went out of the window.

One of the reasons I've rarely, knowingly bought Coca-Cola products for over a decade.

Mark Thomas brought that particular incident to my attention at one of his stand up gigs years ago. I thought it was too mental to be true so I went home and researched it. All true.
Stopped buying Coca-Cola overnight.

 

[the_leander]

I met Mark Thomas once.

I started that meeting viewing him as a hero.

I left it thinking that he was a bit of a dick.

Never meet your heros!

 

[redrumloa]

It's almost beyond irony that this was the story you guys chose to slate unions as it would be easy enough to find an unfavourable union story but this one shows them in very good light.

'F' the unions, this one included.

 

[Dammy]

'F' the unions, this one included.

We are on the edge of the second great depression and these idiots don't get it. I'd be more then happy at what they are being paid to take a modest pay cut and to benefits. First thing Verizon should do in '13 is dump every last union member into Obamacare and laugh all the way to the bank on what Verizon is saving per employee. That'll show the employees how much Verizon cares for them, they get the full Obama treatment!

 

[the_leander]

So your suggestion is to impose discriminatory practices on the basis that people who use collective bargaining to hang to try to hang onto what little they have, should be made to suffer even more?

What kind of person would consider that acceptable?

edit, also, weren't you not 24hrs ago bitching about government spending too much?

Could you at least try to be a little consistent here please?

 

[Dammy]

So your suggestion is to impose discriminatory practices on the basis that people who use collective bargaining to hang to try to hang onto what little they have, should be made to suffer even more?

What kind of sick mind would consider that acceptable?

A man who is making far less then what they are making. Class warfare baby! Rich gotta pay! See how wonderful Class Warfare is?

 

[the_leander]

A man who is making far less then what they are making.

You make far less than your average phone monkey?

Class warfare baby! Rich gotta pay! See how wonderful Class Warfare is?

Because wiping out the middle class and destroying the very tools to get you a better deal has worked out so well for you so far, hasn't it?