Verizon Information Services workers in New York on strike
On Monday over 300 New York employees of Verizon Information Services, which produces the Verizon SuperPages yellow pages directories, went on strike. They had been working without a contract since Oct. 19.
Last Friday, after contract negotiations broke down, the Communications Workers of America filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that Verizon Information Services was negotiating in bad faith.
Union officials said that VIS engaged in “bait and switch” tactics, making an offer in informal talks, and withdrawing it at formal negotiations.
“We have bargained in good faith to reach a fair contract that meets the needs of our members and protects their wages and working conditions over the next three years,” said Chris Shelton, vice president of CWA District One. “Unfortunately, our good faith efforts have not been reciprocated by management.”
“We do not want a strike,” Shelton added. “But it is beginning to look like VIS’ only goal in these negotiations is force us to go backwards in critical areas like compensation and health care-or to break the union. We are not going to let that happen.”
Ed Smith, a 53-year-old sales representative from Troy, has been working for the company for two years.
“I think that we have a very legitimate concern,” Smith said. “The company is not bargaining in good faith, and that is what this strike is all about. We hope that it is ended with a fair contract soon. We want to get back to work. We want to take care of our customers.”
Salespeople at Verizon Information Services are paid a base salary and earn commissions on top of that. Total compensation ranges between $59,000 and more than $100,000 for top producers, said Janet Stevens, vice president of public affairs for the Verizon unit.
Although neither side will talk about specific details of their demands, both sides said Monday that one of the main disagreements is over sales quotas.
Robert Master, legislative and political director for CWA District 1, said the union wants sales quotas set forth in the contract.
Verizon wants to give management the ability to set and change quotas so it can quickly adapt in an extremely competitive industry, Verizon’s Stevens said. Management had that flexibility in the old contract, she said. — Albany Times Union
The strike affects 300 workers in East Meadow, Long Island; Manhattan; Westchester; Albany; Syracuse; Buffalo; Islip; Fishkill and Vestal.
Verizon Information Services, a division of Verizon Communications Corp., had $3.6 billion in revenues in 2004 from its SuperPages yellow pages, SuperPages.com Internet portal and wireless directory services.
