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CWA President Announces Strike Deadline at Bell Atlantic: 72,000 Will Walk Out this Sunday if Pact I
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Bell Atlantic/Verizon workers represented by the Communications Workers of America will begin a strike at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, August 6, if a collective bargaining agreement isn't reached beforehand, CWA President Morton Bahr announced.
CWA represents over 72,000 workers at the Bell Atlantic portion of Verizon Communications, the company created by the recent merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic.
While the GTE part of the company isn't involved in these talks, a strike could spill over and prompt walkouts by a total of 1,200 GTE telephone workers in Lexington, Ky., and Monroe and western North Carolina, where separate contracts have already expired, Bahr said.
Strike authorization earlier was voted by an overwhelming 95 percent of CWA members at Bell Atlantic and approved by the union's executive board.
In making the announcement today, Bahr said the union had yet to receive proposals from the company addressing any of CWA's major issues. "There are a great many critical issues that must be resolved affecting our members' jobs and job conditions today and their careers with this company in the future," he said, noting, "The time to reach a settlement before our deadline is growing short."
A range of issues dealing with job security and working conditions are among key priorities for CWA members this year, along with wage and benefit improvements, according to union negotiators.
In the area of job security, CWA members are seeking guarantees against job cuts or forced transfers as a result of the GTE-Bell Atlantic merger, as well as access to growth jobs in wireless and other new job areas, and restrictions on excessive subcontracting of work, which is jeopardizing customer service as well as Bell Atlantic's move into the high-speed Internet market, union officials said.
CWA members also are seeking relief from such workplace problems as excessive stress and relentless forced overtime. The union cited conditions at call centers, for example, where employees face continual speedups, harsh work rules and constant monitoring in a pressure-cooker work environment.
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CWA represents over 72,000 workers at the Bell Atlantic portion of Verizon Communications, the company created by the recent merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic.
While the GTE part of the company isn't involved in these talks, a strike could spill over and prompt walkouts by a total of 1,200 GTE telephone workers in Lexington, Ky., and Monroe and western North Carolina, where separate contracts have already expired, Bahr said.
Strike authorization earlier was voted by an overwhelming 95 percent of CWA members at Bell Atlantic and approved by the union's executive board.
In making the announcement today, Bahr said the union had yet to receive proposals from the company addressing any of CWA's major issues. "There are a great many critical issues that must be resolved affecting our members' jobs and job conditions today and their careers with this company in the future," he said, noting, "The time to reach a settlement before our deadline is growing short."
A range of issues dealing with job security and working conditions are among key priorities for CWA members this year, along with wage and benefit improvements, according to union negotiators.
In the area of job security, CWA members are seeking guarantees against job cuts or forced transfers as a result of the GTE-Bell Atlantic merger, as well as access to growth jobs in wireless and other new job areas, and restrictions on excessive subcontracting of work, which is jeopardizing customer service as well as Bell Atlantic's move into the high-speed Internet market, union officials said.
CWA members also are seeking relief from such workplace problems as excessive stress and relentless forced overtime. The union cited conditions at call centers, for example, where employees face continual speedups, harsh work rules and constant monitoring in a pressure-cooker work environment.
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