Death of Verizon Tech Prompts Protest against Job Stress

One week following the on-the-job death of a co-worker, more than 100 Verizon workers and supporters in southern California demonstrated outside the company's Long Beach headquarters on Feb. 19 to protest the company's increased workload.

The workers, members of CWA Local 9586, said that the company's increased daily quota on the number of jobs to be completed by technicians has led to increased stress, forcing some older techs to retire early. "Verizon's increased productivity requirements are brutal and are pushing employees too far," said local president Gregg Gibson.

A week earlier, 30-year employee and fellow union member Gerry De Cou died of a heart attack while completing a job at a customer's home. Gibson said De Cou had complained to management that very morning that he was undergoing tremendous stress because of the increased productivity requirements. He made the same complaint to supervisors two weeks earlier. According to Gibson, the company has been shifting more workers over to FIOS work, placing a greater workload on technicians left to handle copper wire jobs.

"I want to thank all of my brothers and sisters from NABET and other CWA locals — 9000, 9400, 9510, 9573, 9575, 9586, 9587, 9588 — for traveling here from all over southern California to stand tall with us in the rain at 5:30 in the morning," said Gibson. "Together, we showed that we are strong."

Workers were joined in their demonstration by Long Beach city councilwoman Tonya Reyes Uranga who urged Verizon to negotiate with CWA on the issue. "I strongly urge Verizon discuss this labor dispute with CWA."