Verizon, unions in talks as strike deadline looms

WASHINGTON -- Negotiators for Verizon Communications and two unions representing 78,000 phone company workers met with federal mediators Saturday as a midnight strike deadline neared.

Service in 12 states in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic as well as the District of Columbia could be affected if workers walk off the job at the nation's largest local phone company.

The current three-year contracts expired at 11:01 p.m. Saturday.

Verizon and union officials spent the day at the bargaining table with government mediators. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service began talks with both sides Tuesday.

The employees represented by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers include repair and installation techs and customer service operators.

A spokesman for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers declined to say whether progress was being made. "They're working hard and hopefully something positive will come out of it," Jim Spellane said.

Central issues are job security and health care costs.

Flexible workforce size

Verizon spokesman Eric Rabe said the New York-based company needs more flexibility to adjust the size of the work force, given that the traditional "landline black telephone business" is shrinking.

He also said workers should share in the cost of health care coverage. Employees pay no premium now, according to Rabe.

If there is a strike, Rabe insisted that customers making regular long distance and local calls would not be affected. There could, however, be delays or disruptions for repairs, new installations, or for calls made to customer service centers.

Rabe said Verizon has trained more than 30,000 managers to fill in for striking workers. The company also plans to bring in contract workers from the outside, he said.

Communications Workers of America spokeswoman Candice Johnson said local unions in several states held rallies Saturday to demonstrate for a fair contract.

In Annandale, Va., about 50 members of the CWA Local 2222 rode motorcycles into Washington as part of a "solidarity ride."

About 200 people attended a rally outside the Verizon office in South Burlington, Vt., Saturday afternoon. "It's a tense time for people and so it's kind of nice to get them together and feel like you're not alone in this matter," said Mike Spillane, a local labor leader.

The unions represent workers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The last strike, in 2000, lasted 18 days.

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On the Net:

Verizon Communications: http://www.verizon.com

Communications Workers of America: http://www.cwa-union.org

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: http://www.ibew.org