Long Beach Techs Describe Verizon’s Illegal Tactics

At arbitration hearings in August, eight technicians from Verizon's Maintenance Control Office in Long Beach, Calif., testified that the company used coercive tactics to intimidate union supporters in an election the workers narrowly lost in April.

The day before the election, they said Verizon's senior vice president for network operations, Michael Poling, went from cubicle to cubicle telling workers, "You will not get raises. You will not get under the union contract."

The actions violate CWA's neutrality and expedited election agreement at Verizon that covers former GTE network services units. The workers lost by only seven votes. Weeks earlier, 105 of the 170 workers had signed union authorization cards.

Verizon claims it opposes card-check organizing and the Employee Free Choice Act because the measures would "take away employees' rights" to a balloting process. But CWA leaders say the Long Beach situation demonstrates the company's hypocrisy and reveals how management abuses workers in traditional organizing campaigns.

"It's courageous of these workers to come forward and testify given what they have endured," said CWA Local 9586 President Gregg Gibson, whose local has been assisting the workers. "The experience has made them stronger and increased their respect for what unions are all about."

To make matters more intimidating, Verizon's number-two human resources official flew in for the hearings accompanied by three high-powered attorneys.

A second round of hearings is scheduled in October, but Verizon has filed suit in U.S. District Court to rule the arbitration out of order. It is claiming the complaint should have been filed before the vote, not afterwards. CWA's agreement with the company, however, specifically states that the union has five days after an election to file charges.

"For Verizon to go to such great lengths to prevent 170 workers from organizing is incredible," said Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach. "It shows that top management will stop at nothing and spare no expense to stop any more of its employees from getting a union."