Loud & Clear!
Seidenberg Gets a Powerful Message in Pittsburgh &
Around the Country
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"We know Verizon wants to keep us divided and
weak. We're not falling for their rhetoric."
- John Elia, VZB
Tech | Hundreds of CWA and IBEW
members held a spirited rally before the Verizon shareholders
meeting yesterday in Pittsburgh. Hundreds more brothers and
sisters from other Pittsburgh unions joined in, bringing the
crowd at the Steelworkers' building to more than 1,000
people.
Members came from up and down the East coast, from Ohio, and
even from Texas. Verizon workers also rallied in Boston and
Thousand Oaks, CA; and many more mobilized at their worksites
across the country.
After the Pittsburgh rally, the crowd marched to the
company's annual meeting wearing red shirts and chanting
pro-union slogans (listen here!) to send Ivan Seidenberg a strong
message that it's time for management to take a new direction.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette summed it up nicely:
"If most annual shareholder meetings in good times are
back-slapping lovefests and, in not-so-good times, staid,
orderly and perfunctory affairs, Verizon's annual gathering at
the Westin Convention Center Hotel yesterday broke the
mold."
(Read the entire Post-Gazette
story.)
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| Thousand Oaks, CA: "About 70 people
attended the rally. It was great. The locals made picket signs
and had a great time." More
photos. | One of the highlights of
the rally was Verizon Business tech John Elia from Melrose, MA,
who has been a leader on the VZB organizing committee talking
about the importance of forming a union at Verizon without
management interference.
"Verizon management is trying to isolate us from the
company's unionized workforce to keep us from having a voice on
the job," said Elia. "They have made blatantly false statements
to us in their so-called 'union awareness' materials. All we are
asking is that the company drop the intimidation and honor the
neutrality and union recognition procedure that other Verizon
employees have benefited from."
More than 60 percent of the 360 Verizon Business technicians
in the Northeast have signed cards the company for union
representation and bargaining rights. Their majority
support for a union was certified by elected officials and
community leaders in Boston and New York, but the company has so
far refused to recognize their union.
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| Boston: At a rally in Boston attended by
members of IBEW Local 2222, CWA Local 1400 and supporters from
the AFL-CIO, Jobs with Justice, and many other unions, Ben
Franklin read a proclamation of "no confidence" in Verizon CEO
Ivan Seidenberg. Local 2222 Business Manager and rally MC
Myles Calvey looks on. More
photos. |
"Most of us see through their rhetoric," Elia added. "We know
they want to keep us divided and weak -- so that we can't be
part of [Verizon-East] contract negotiations in 2008."
Other rally speakers included AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer
Richard Trumka, IBEW International President Ed Hill, USW
Secretary-Treasurer Jim English, USW District 10 Director John
DeFazio and CWA District 13 Administrative Director Marge
Krueger, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Bill George and
Allegheny County CLC President Jack Shea.
"Verizon Business is an example of why we need to pass the
Employee Free Choice Act," said Richard Trumka,
Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO. "Employees shouldn't have to
face this kind of coercive management interference just because
they want to unite for a voice at work."
Our grateful thanks to the Steelworkers for their
tremendous support and solidarity in
Pittsburgh.
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Verizon Shareholders Are Unhappy with Exec
Comp |
We're not the only ones unhappy with the
outrageous pay that Ivan and the other Verizon execs
receive.
Record shareholder votes on CEO pay at
Verizon meeting send powerful message that shareholders are fed
up with the status quo
At the Verizon Annual Meeting, shareholders
voted in the largest numbers ever for three proposals supported
by the unions and the AFL-CIO:
- 46 percent voted for the "Golden
Parachute" proposal which would close substantial loopholes in
Verizon's policy on retirement packages. Verizon's current
policy allows shareholders to vote on severance agreements that
exceed 2.99 times base salary plus bonus, but does not include
retirement benefits, stock awards or tax reimbursements in the
calculation. The proposal would encourage Verizon to eliminate
the perverse incentive created when executives look forward to a
windfall if they fail to provide good leadership for the
company.
- 47 percent voted in favor of the
"Compensation Consultants" proposal, which would safeguard the
independence of pay consultants by requiring Verizon to disclose
information to shareholders necessary for a full assessment of
its consultants' independence. This proposal is especially
important at Verizon, whose former compensation consultant also
performed hundreds of millions of dollars of business in other
areas for the company itself.
- More than 49 percent voted in favor of Say
on Pay, which would require Verizon to submit executive
compensation packages to a non-binding shareholder
vote.
The strong votes on the shareholder
proposals indicate that shareholders will continue to demand
reform at Verizon, Trumka said, "The record votes at today's
meeting send a strong and powerful message to Verizon that
shareholders will not stand for excessive CEO compensation. The
question remains: Will Verizon listen, respond and reach out to
investors, or will it continue to ignore the strong message that
was sent today to clean up its corporate governance?"
For more detailed information and investor
resources about visit our investor website |
No Let-Up in Union-Busting at VZB
Verizon Business Manager Calls the Union
"Burdensome"
Verizon Business Tech David Rogol reports on yet
another captive audience meeting at the Charlton,
Mass., worksite.
| When:
5/3/07
Who: Mandatory for all LD OSC techs
in Charlton, led by VZB executives Jeannie Diefenderfer,
VP-Global Network Operations and Brian Trosper, Exec Director,
Tech Ops.
Interesting Tidbits:
1. Verizon Core's Tuition
Reimbursement policy provides 100% employer-paid tuition
reimbursement at any accredited institution on any subject. In
contrast, Verizon Business' tuition reimbursement is at
management's discretion. When confronted about the tuition
reimbursement injustice against VzB techs with this policy,
Jeannie Diefenderfer, VP-Global Network Operations, said she
thought Core's policy had already changed to match the VzB
policy and, if not, then, "I think we're moving to a single
policy". In other words, she thinks the goal is to bring Core's
tuition reimbursement policy down to the VzB level instead of
bringing the VzB policy up to the Vz Core level.
2. Regarding any future union
elections, Jeannie Diefenderfer, VP-Global Network Operations
said, "I ask you to be informed". "I can tell you," she
asserted, "that it's [the union] difficult". "In my opinion,"
she continued, "it's [the union] less efficient and more
burdensome". |
It's clear that this VZB manager
doesn't understand what it means to have a legally binding
collective bargaining agreement. This manager claimed that
the tuition plan had "already" been changed, as though
management could simply make unilateral changes to our
negotiated benefits.
Having a say in our benefits and working conditions
isn't a "burden," it's a fundamental right that all workers --
including our brothers and sisters in every part of Verizon --
deserve to have. |
Read, Watch, and Listen to
More About It!
 Workers, Shareholders Demand
Reform (AFL-CIO
blog)
"Verizon CEO Feels Unions'
Wrath" (Pittsburgh Post-
Gazette)
Hundreds Gather Downtown, Rally Against
Verizon (WPXI)
Union Demonstrates Outside
Verizon (Ventura County
Star)
We're even making news in Britain!
Audio clips
Joyce Ruediger, a 25-year
Verizon employee talks about her current
situation
A crowd of 1,200 chants
before the shareholders
meeting
David Reardon Asst. Business
Manager of IBEW L. 2222 speaks inside the
meeting
Photos
Check 'em
out!
Video clips
Coming soon! |
