It was recently reported that over 36,000 Verizon workers in the Northeast region of the U.S., who have been on strike since April 13th, will return to their jobs after having struck a new labor agreement.
Now we have a definite date for when these employees will return: this Wednesday, June 1st. Individuals who work the overnight shift will return a bit earlier on Tuesday night.
All the details of the agreement between Verizon and the two unions representing workers have not yet been revealed, but one part that has been publicized is that Verizon will create 1,300 new call center jobs on the East Coast, while also increasing pay by 10.9 percent over the next four years.
It also appears as if significant profit sharing and signing bonus plans will be implemented. While this new agreement includes some substantial concessions on Verizon’s behalf, without knowledge of the actual agreement, it is hard to determine what concessions workers made.
Workers had complained that Verizon had attempted to freeze pensions, increase healthcare costs, layoff individuals, move jobs overseas, and outsource work to independent contractors.
The fact that workers are expected to return without actual and full knowledge of the agreement— it is expected to be seen and ratified after resuming work— irks many Verizon employees. Still, the agreement excites most, and employees seem to trust Communications Workers of America (CWA), one of the two unions involved.
All in all, it appears as if a six-week strike will result in benefits and concessions for all parties involved.
