The life of a striking worker

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Sorry for your troubles... but, it does go with being part of the bargaining unit. MA is a "Right to Work" state. You don't have to belong to it.

That's why we knocked RTW down at the start. I guard a non-union plant, but we still have stone union contractors and they are a lot happier and easier to deal with than the non-union contractors (usually of course.) I do have to say, I've never had to ban or arrest a union employee. They know they are held to a standard.

Mazdax605 wrote:

gamby wrote: In reply to Mazdax605: Bummer to hear about all this. I hope it ends soon. I drive by the Verizon picket line up in Dedham.

Give 'em a beep for me if you care to. Or if you hate unions and such feel free to flip 'em off or doing nothing would be better.

I'm pro-union. Wife is a teacher (higher ed) and is union. If there weren't a union at her school, things would be REALLY bad.

link

Looks like the strike is over. No new contract, but the two sides hashed out a plan to hash out a plan. Sounds a lot like something that would come out of DC.

Anyway, looks like Mazdax605 can get back to work, serve his customers, and get a paycheck instead of standing on a picket line. Hopefully a new contract is agreed to before this temporary reprieve blows up.

good for him. It sucks to sit around and do nothing

Thanks guys. I had just arrived at my picket assignment about 30 minutes before the word came out that we would be going back to work on Tuesday. I was elated,and thought maybe someone was playing a joke on us at first,but soon found out it was all real. I may work for my old company doing some more electrical work on Monday anyhow as I liked it the few days last week that I did it. I just hope they union and company can work out a deal as this return to work agreement is only a 30 day thing from what I have heard,and we could always go back out on strike which wouldn't be fun.

Hopefully your guys do better than our imbicile who went back to work to take a worse offer than we were given before we went on strike.

mad_machine wrote: It sucks to sit around and do nothing

From MY experience, that's what many union folks want to do, but still get paid handsomely for it.
"I want to get paid $38/hour (this was 10+ years ago) to put one valve cover on an engine every 8.5 minutes. No, I won't also clean up my area. For that we need one of my "brothers" to do that for $38/hour."

Mazdax605:

I'm glad you are back to work.

Sounds like you should do everything you can to try to get re-assigned to the wireless division. Good company, but the business questions related to the value of the land line division are very real for the stockholders.

I'm not blaming you or your union (or even the company). Times have changed. The reality is that the land line operations do not contribute to the overall profitability of the company.

Nice to hear someone who loves his work.

But the land line is the backbone of the wireless network. Believe me or not,but without our land line network the wireless isn't worth a dime.

yup.. all those wireless signals get converted to copper

I don't doubt that.

But Verizon's land line is not the backbone of the Verizon business model.

It's not a money maker for Verizon. Verizon land lines are really only a player in the NE. In other regions, Verizon does perfectly fine leasing other people's copper.

Plus, future expansions will move more toward non land based transmission.

If you are going to do well in the future, hook up with the profitable sector of the company you work for. The non-profitable components will always be under fire. The best way for the stockholders to increase their revenue is to dump the land lines.

The backbone of the network that they keep touting as this 4g has all been run and maintained by the union workers here and now. There has been so much fiber installed,or being installed that the land based network is here to stay. We have been leasing it to AT&T,and all the other large wireless carriers. The network isn't going anywhere as far as I am concerned,but heck I have been wrong before. They talk about wireless TV,and internet to the home,and no doubt it may be feasible at some time,but they can't even get a cell phone to work in many areas of the country or at my house most of the time. I think wires are here to stay at least for the majority of the network. If not I can always go back to being an electrician. houses,and buildings aren't going wireless any time soon.

They can crow that the land line business is a dying entity,but the reality is the land based network still makes them money. The neglect to tell the public that FiOS is land based(read union),and makes them plenty of money in the places they have it. Copper is dying there is no doubt,but land based communications are not if you ask me. They want you to believe that their only making money on the wireless side,but it simply isn't true,and neglect to tell you that the land line network is the reason they have the best wireless network.

We will be under fire for sure,and I understand your message,but I truly don't want to work on the wireless side. I say that because I don't believe they have the kind of job that I have that is so rewarding. I truly love going to work here,and I doubt I would if I were a salesperson at a wireless kiosk or some other such wireless job. Heck I don't even own a cell phone. I need to work with my hands,I can't do the office job. Just not in my blood.

A typical cell phone conversation only travel 4-6 miles wireless-ly. That is if you are using your cell phone and you call someone across town the call leaves your handset and goes 4-6 miles to your closest tower, travels down your tower to a land based switch. From there the call travels by land up the tower of the other party and out 4-6 miles to their handset.
Contrary to popular belief, a call never leaves your handset and the puts signal directly into the handset of the other person. Even if you are standing right next to each other and with the same carrier, landlines are needed to complete the call.

Congrats on being back!

Mazdax605 wrote: We will be under fire for sure,and I understand your message,but I truly don't want to work on the wireless side. I say that because I don't believe they have the kind of job that I have that is so rewarding. I truly love going to work here,and I doubt I would if I were a salesperson at a wireless kiosk or some other such wireless job. Heck I don't even own a cell phone. I need to work with my hands,I can't do the office job. Just not in my blood.

That is excellent. We need more people who approach their work like you.

I spent most of my life in the Northeast. I now live in the Southeast, where more than 50% of households no longer have a land line.

I understand land based will remain an important part of the industry (behind the scenes). But that doesn't mean it will remain part of Verizon. They may have some tough choices to make in the not too distant future. It wouldn't shock me if they were to spin off the land based services and sell them to a smaller company. That could lead to a non-union shop, or other working conditions that would make the job a lot less palatable.

I'm not suggesting doing something you don't love. Please don't. I'm suggesting getting additional training while the opportunity is there to make you qualified to do other things so you have options if you ever need them.

I am a man who works with my hands as well, and I understand the pride you are describing. I'm a couple of years older than you. When I was your age, life was good and I had no need for other options. Things changed when I got in my mid 40's, and I've been doing a LOT of catch up to try to make myself valuable in a industry which has fundamentally shifted.

Just a suggestion.