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Verizon workers on strike picket Batavia office

By Howard B. Owens

As part of a nationwide strike by 45,000 Verizon workers, there are pickets in place outside the Verizon office in Batavia that spans Jackson and Center streets.

Pictured above are Tom Pacia, of Rochester, Darrin Folger, of Akron, Kirk Myhill, of Medina, and Dave Martin, of Batavia.

Bob Price

They should be THANKFUL they have a job..... from what I understand,the wireless outlets have NON-UNION employees,and are not affected. The people on strike are the ones that work w/ land lines.

Aug 8, 2011, 5:31pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

They're not picketing the Verizon retail store. They're picketing the Verizon office, which is what they're standing directly in front of (there's a little park in front of the office).

Aug 8, 2011, 5:53pm Permalink
tom hunt

The land line busines is a shrinking business. Verizon has been trying to sell it off to concentrate on the more profitable wireless division. Working in the telephony business is a skilled trade that you do not learn over night. It helps not to be color blind to boot.

Aug 8, 2011, 9:09pm Permalink
Mark Potwora

Tp..If the land line business is shrinking ,then what is all this FIOS system about the verizon wants to run to all households..aren't those all land lines...

Aug 8, 2011, 10:59pm Permalink
tom hunt

The land line business I was referring to is copper wire based. Some thing that has been around since Thomas Edson; with a limited bandpass. FIOS will be multi phase fiber optic based with a huge bandpass that will carry InterNet, TV and phone service with ease with room to spare, ie; fat pipes. I can't wait until it is available in this area. I will be their first customer. But I am afraid it will be bumping heads with Time Warner who has a lock on the cable business.

Aug 8, 2011, 11:35pm Permalink
bud prevost

Verizon wireless is a separate entity and has no union representation on any level. It is a private, joint venture of Verizon and Vodafone.
I was in NYC today, and we saw a SEA of red shirts right outside the World Trade Center site. Perhaps they were upset that they are asked to take wage cuts, yet their CEO Ivan annually receives multi-million dollar bonuses. Just another battle in the ongoing class war. The disparity is widening.

Aug 9, 2011, 12:32am Permalink
John Oakes

LAN lines are a dying breed. If you did a survey howard on how many people have lan lines. You would understand why verizon isnt playing ball with them. My sis in law worked at verizon and took a buy out because she saw this coming... This hand out mentality is going to kill us as a country

Aug 9, 2011, 7:51am Permalink
Tony Ferrando

Hmmm. They aren't picketing in front of the Verizon Wireless store... because Verizon Wireless and Verizon Communications are separate companies. One company is unionized, the other not. They're in front of the land line/commercial business... which happens to be next to the Verizon Wireless retailer. And while some may think that it's a shrinking business, it's actually a booming business - copper is quickly being replaced with fiber nationwide. Corporations use their services for long-distance, ISDN digital telephones, T1/3 etc internet services, and to link different sites across great distances with networked services.

Aug 9, 2011, 9:04am Permalink
Mary E DelPlato

you know what will change this...verizon customers refusing to pay thier bill....seems the working middle class ...wats left of it...is the only entity that will make a difference but it has to be a group effort not just some individuals....the same goes for nearly everything else....gas companys would get the hint if every one.....EVERY ONE just went to one gas station...then the others would be forced to lower prices....

Aug 9, 2011, 11:14am Permalink
Paul Dibble

I wish them well, We just went through this where I work. More and more,company CEO's take MILLIONS in pay raises and bonuses,golden parachutes for retirement,and free everyday services we have to pay for. but when it comes time to pay the workers who make them look good,and have BASIC medical,dental and vision coverage for themselves and their families they find that hard to take. They would rather pay shareholders a percentage that is WAY above what is realistic for our industry and blame the workers for their woes. I dont want this to turn into a union/anti-union thing,or dollars and cents,it's just about people trying to make a living and maintain what they have. You can't blame them for trying,maybe if more people stood up for themselves, America wouldn't be turning into a service based country where skilled trades are paid minimum wage with little benefits,while owners live large and cry the blues. This isn't about "Them",it's about workers accross America fighting for basic living needs.

tp-We have 150 tech's (just in my group) busy every day in Rochester (metro and suburban) working on POTS (plane old telephone service) lines and circuits for homes and businesses. That wire that's in the air and in the ground has been paid for for YEARS,and they reap the benefits off it every day,dont be misled. As far as the sell off's- it's mostly small rural properties. My company just bought some properties from Verizon for 3 BILLION dollars in Virginia.

Feel free to ask any of the workers why they're picketing,get informed before posting negitive comments,and anyone working now is a SCAB (a contractor or fence jumper) and should not be trusted on your property.

The opinions stated above are mine and only mine.

In Solidarity,

Paul Dibble
Sales and Service Tech.(IR/Cable repairman)
CWA Local 1170 Rochester,NY
Frontier Communications
Rochester,NY

Aug 9, 2011, 10:26pm Permalink
Paul Dibble

Oh I forgot, It does not matter where they picket,it could be their garage on Cedar St.,and C.O.'s(central offices) accross the county. We also picket our bosses house,and their bosses house,and the hotel the company officials are staying at,every day at the crack of dawn and every night. we even flew a group of guy's to picket at our CEO's winery in California.

Yes,We have a contract

Aug 9, 2011, 11:10pm Permalink

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