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Verizon Business Workers Sign Up for a Union—Will Verizon Grant Their Wishes? |
Less than a week after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Employee Free Choice Act, workers at Verizon Business are trying to use the act’s centerpiece—majority sign-up—to show how the legislation would make the process of choosing a union more equitable.
Employees at Verizon Business are seeking representation by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in New York and Connecticut and the Electrical Workers (IBEW) in New England.
On hand to oversee the card count were three co-sponsors of the Employee Free Choice Act–Sen. John Kerry and Reps. Stephen Lynch and John Tierney, all of them Democrats from Massachusetts–and Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray (see video).
The panel verified that 57 percent of the eligible workers have signed cards saying they want a union. If the Employee Free Choice Act were the law today, the signed cards could be submitted to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the Board would require Verizon to bargain with the unions chosen by the employees. But under current law Verizon, which reneged on an earlier agreement to voluntarily recognize the freedom of employees to union representation when a majority of workers indicated their support, has the right to decide whether or not to honor the employees’ choice or to demand that the employees go through the NLRB election process, which gives the employer the opportunity to pressure and harass employees into renouncing their decision to form a union.
After the tally count, the Verizon Business workers joined others at a rally of more than 700 workers and supporters to press Verizon for union recognition.
After Verizon bought MCI in 2005, it created a separate business unit, Verizon Business, to wall off the MCI workers from unionized employees who perform the same job functions, according to CWA and IBEW leaders. Union workers have campaigned to “Tear Down the Wall” and help their Verizon Business co-workers win bargaining rights. Verizon Business employees in other regions of the nation also are conducting union authorization drives.
Says IBEW President Edwin Hill:
Artificial divisions within a company won’t work. Verizon should give the same opportunities to all its workers—now.
CWA President Larry Cohen summed it up this way:
Verizon Business workers are overwhelmingly demonstrating that they want bargaining rights and a voice on the job just like union members at this company enjoy. We urge Verizon to step up and give these workers the union recognition they are entitled to.
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When will Corpate reconize the American worker is a proud person that wants to work and be proud of it, and sign off onit with their name. When will Corpate see that when employees come to you with a problem , they also in many times come with a solution also. This saves money and a better job done. If you company do not respect and listen as you want the employees to listen and respect how do you get loyalty. Are the corperations of the county showing us the way to being a “THIRD WORLD COUNTRY”??? People,,,,,,,,,,,UNITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to have my cell phone provider with Verizon. Now I am glad that I switched. Their service is terrible. The employees should be allowed to form a union without interference from management.