With Strike Impending, Verizon Buildout Commitments Will Be a Key Focus

Verizon buildout commitments will be one of several key focus areas as the company’s union members get set to strike beginning April 13. Although Verizon has been negotiating with unions representing between 36,000 and 39,000 workers in the eastern US for months, the parties have been unable to reach an agreement on a new labor contract. And according to union representatives, Verizon’s reluctance to deploy high-speed broadband FiOS service more broadly is a key point of contention. “Consumers and communities are being ignored,” said Dennis Trainor, vice president for the Communications Workers of America (CWA) — one of two unions that plan to strike against Verizon. “Millions of customers are stuck with crumbling copper networks.”

According to union officials, Verizon committed to deploying high-speed broadband in several states in exchange for deregulation but has not met those commitments. If the company were to deploy FiOS more broadly, that could mean greater job security for Verizon union technicians. The impending strike is unlikely to be averted unless Verizon “reconsiders its shameful demands,” said Chris Shelton, president of the CWA. The other union poised to strike against Verizon is the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents approximately 10,000 Verizon workers.